P49 



WINE MANUFACTURE. 



WINE MANUFACTURE. 



050 



but slowly any decomposition. This is overlaid with diluvial and 

 alluvial deposits in moat places except the south-west side. From 

 these and other circumstances it follows that the soil is of a very 

 diversified character. (Bronner, iii., p. 116.) The exposure is south- 

 west, with a slope of from ten to fifteen degrees. Rudesheim is well 

 protected by its natural position and a lofty forest called Niederwald : 

 it is much steeper, so that the earth can be kept from being washed 

 down only by numerous terraces, between which the air is as hot as in 

 a conservatory. The soil is composed of stones of a dark colour, 

 which radiate heat during the night to such a degree, that the grapes 

 are surrounded by almost a southern climate. The grape most com- 

 mon, at least in the old vineyards, is the Orl ans ( Vita v. annh'oia B 

 u. M., Heft x., t. BO), which has the property, in this stony and hot 

 ground, of continuing productive until the age of fifty or more, which 

 is not the case with any other grape. But aa it only gives a good wine 

 in very favourable years, and as the wine from the Riesling grape 

 brings BO high a price, the new vineyards are mostly planted with 

 the Riesling : the propriety of this substitution is very doubtful. 

 (Bronner, iii, 136.1 These facts are sufficient to account for the 

 differences between the Johanuisberger and Rudesheimer wines. 



The differences between Leistenwein and Steinwein are still more 

 easily accounted for. The Leiste is on the left side of the river Main, 

 the Stein on the right, the Stein being close to the river. The soil of 

 both is argillaceous with calcareous portions, especially fragments of 

 lime, and this is the soil commonly met with in Wurtemberg and in all 

 Franconia. Why these two wines should differ from all others of the 

 district is unintelligible; but the difference between themselves is 

 owing to the grapes. The vineyards of the Leiste (that is, the best 

 portion, yutt Lrute t ) are planted in a great measure with the Riesling 

 and Traininer ( V. r. tyrolentii, B. u. M , Heft xii., t. 72), with about 

 a third of the KlUing grape ( V. r. alljaelis, B und M., Heft iii., t. 14) ; 

 and in the other vineyards is the white Traininer, called fmnken, by 

 Borne gutedfl < V. r. aminea, B. u. M., Heft ii., t. 6), that is, both white 

 and black. Besides these there occurs in considerable proportion the 

 Hermitage grape, brought from France, which here succeeds well, 

 retaining its fine aroma, though its natural site is granitic. The 

 selection of the grapes, when ripe, is attended to with extraordinary 

 care. (Bronner, vi., p. 82.) The predominant grape of the Stein vine- 

 yard is the Elbling, mixed with a few of the Riesling and other sorts. 

 The Leistenwein is regarded as the second finest wine of the south of 

 Germany. The Steinwein must not be confounded with the Stein- 

 bcrger wine of the Rhine. The Montillado of Spain is the produce of 

 a white soil, containing 70 per cent, of carbonate of lime, with alumina, 

 silica, and a little magnesia, while the Manzanilla is the produce of 

 the terrains rouges et sablonneux. Vet the wines do not greatly differ 

 in taste or flavour. More importance is attached to the soil than it 

 deserves; Its physical properties are of more importance than its 

 chemical Chaptal was clearly of this opinion, for he maintained that, 

 provided it is porous, free, and light, its component parts are of little 

 consequence. Perhaps calcareous is on the whole the best, simply 

 because it readily imbibes the rain, and allows a clear atmosphere to 

 surround the vines. Even Mr. Busby (see his ' Visit to the Principal 

 Vineyards of France and Spain,' p. 131), who so strenuously maintains 

 the superiority of a calcareous soil, when remarking on the reputation 

 and limited extent of some of the first-rate vineyards, repudiates the 

 idea of the soil being the cause. " In all those districts which produce 

 wines of high reputation, some few individuals have seen the advantage 

 of selecting a particular variety of grape, and of managing its culture 

 BO as to bring it to the highest state of perfection of which it is 

 capable. The same care has been extended to the making and sub- 

 sequent management of their wine, by seining the most favourable 

 moment for the vintage by the rapidity with which the grapes are 

 gathered and pressed, so that the whole contents of each vat may be in 

 exactly the same state, and a simultaneous and equal fermentation be 

 secured throughout by exercising eqtial discrimination and care in 

 the time and manner of drawing off the wine, and in its subsequent 

 treatment in the vats or casks where it is kept ; and lastly, by not 

 selling the wine till it should have acquired all the perfection which it 

 could acquire from age, and by selling, as the produce of their own 

 vineyards, only such vintages as were calculated to acquire or maintain 

 its celebrity. By these means have the vineyards of a few individuals 

 acquired a reputation which has enabled the proprietors to command 

 almost their own prices for their wines; and it was evidently the 

 interest of such persons that the excellence of their wines should be 

 imputed to a peculiarity in the soil, rather than to a system of manage- 

 ment which others might imitate "(p. 133). But some experienced 

 wine-factors, not proprietors of vineyards, hold a different opinion. 



It is greatly to be wished that the truth of this important statement 



were impressed on all persons having the charge of vineyards, as it is 



certain that by attention to these and other circumstances quite 



within their control, the quantity of good wine might be much 



increased and its price lessened. Bronner distinctly states that in the 



rasse near Heidelberg, by obstinate adherence to old ami indo- 



ractices, the produce is annually one-third less than it might be 



Where'some peculiar strong smelling substance exists in the soil, an 

 odour is communicated to the wine which renders it unpleasant. This 

 is the case when stinkstcin (a native variety of subcarbonate of lime, 



called pierre puante) is present. The vine-growers of France and 

 Portugal have so strong an aversion to manuring the vines, from the 

 notion that it deteriorates the flavour of the wine, that in the latter 

 country, at least in the port-yielding district of the Alto Douro, the 

 use of manure is forbidden by law. This seems to be a prejudice, for 

 the German cultivators manure the vines very freely, and no wines are 

 more esteemed for bnv.qu.et than those of the Rhine; and Bronner 

 justifies the practice (Heft iii. 44), not only with fresh cow-dung, which 

 is used at Johannisberg, but with fragments of woollen cloth pre- 

 viously steeped in liquid manure and dried, which is found greatly to 

 augment the produce. Professor Ran bears testimony to its utility. 

 The practice is adopted oftener with the red than white grapes ; the 



(Paguierre, ' Wines of Bordeaux,' p. 28.) But perhaps the best manure 

 for vines is the cuttings of the vines themselves when pruned, as 

 recommended in Liebig's ' Chemistry in its application to Agriculture,' 

 2nd edit., p. 250 : " The vines are pruned in the end of July or 

 beginning of August, whilst still fresh and moist. If they are then 

 cut into small pieces and mixed with the earth, they undergo putre- 

 faction so completely, that at the end of four weeks not the smallest 

 trace of them can be found." These restore to the soil the alkalies 

 abstracted by the grapes, which are so necessary for the perfection of 

 this fruit. Probably ferns, so rich in alkalies, would answer well. 

 But the same vines will yield a wine having very different qualities, at 

 least as to flavour and perfume, in different seasons. " These qualities 

 are, in truth, of so delicate and inconstant a nature, that they may be 

 said to vary from year to year ; there being perhaps no two vintages, 

 though collected from the same spot and managed in the same manner, 

 that will be found completely identical in flavour and perfume." 

 (Henderson's 'History of Ancient and Modern Wines,' p. 135.) The 

 correctness of this statement is proved by the varying character of 

 the vintages in different years. It rarely happens that the good Port 

 years coincide with the good Claret years, as a heat which ripens well 

 the grapes in the comparatively cold climate of Medoc scorches the 

 grapes in the Alto Douro, and rice versd. The year 1811, commonly 

 called the comet year, was remarkable for the excellence of the vintage 

 in almost all the wine-yielding countries of Europe. 



The subject of the cultivation of the grape has been treated under 

 VINEYAKD ; we proceed, therefore, to speak of the manufacture of 

 wine. The stage at which the grape is fit for gathering depends upon 

 the kind of wine intended to be made. When a brisk wine is wished, 

 such as Champagne, the grapes are gathered before they are fully ripe ; 

 and they may be collected even in foggy weather, or before the dew is 

 dissipated from the vines ; though for all other kinds dry clear weather 

 is proper. (Henderson, p. 15.) This author (in general so accurate) 

 states that " if the object be to obtain a dry full-flavoured wine, the 

 grapes should be gathered as soon as they have acquired their proper 

 maturity, and before they begin to shrink or wither on the stalk." 

 But in the case of the most esteemed German wines, which are the 

 driest of all, the gathering of the grape is postponed as late as possible, 

 by which many free acids are got rid of, and the wine at a much earlier 

 period of keeping is so soft and delicate, that the new wines are pre- 

 ferred to the extremely old wines, which were in great request 

 previous to the adoption of the plan of late gathering. The advantage 

 of this was first accidentally discovered at Johannisberg in 1790; but 

 it was so long opposed that its establishment as a practice dates only 

 from 1822. (Bronner, Heft iii., pp. 149-150.) But frost, in November, 

 1858, destroyed to some extent the vintage of 1858. Thus at 

 Johannisberg the vintage of 1811 was very late; that of 1831 did not 

 commence till the 17th October, nor did it conclude till the 5th 

 November : and in 1834 the grapes were all hanging on the vines, but 

 perfectly sound, so late as November. Yet these are among the most 

 renowned vintages of the present century. In the warmer parts of 

 the south of Spain and of France, and also at Tokay, where vins de 

 liqueurs are made, the grapes are allowed to remain very long on the 

 vines ; the stalks are twisted, so as to prevent the influx of any recent 

 sap ; the thinner or watery portion evaporates, and the dry or 

 shrivelled grape almost resembles a raisin, and contains much sugar. 

 On the Rhone a small quantity of sweet wine is made from the ripest 

 grapes, which are hung up on hurdles, or spread on straw, for six or 

 eight weeks, or until they become half dried. The liquor obtained 

 from them, from the mode of preparation, receives the name of straw 

 wine (rin de paille). In some cases the must is boiled ; this is often 

 done with t.he sherries of Spain : when the boiling is carried far, a 

 very sweet luscious wine is produced, such as the wine of Cyprus, the 

 nno cotto of the Italians (i-inum coctum of the ancients), the original 

 Malmseys of Candia, and the other rich wines of the Grecian archi- 

 pelago. The colour of wine is not always dependent on the colour of 

 the grape from which it is prepared. Champagne is the produce of a 

 red grape : red and white grapes are used indiscriminately for Sherry ; 

 but white Port is made only from a white grape. The stalks promote 

 the fermentation, and if they, as well as the hulls or skins, are with- 

 drawn before the fermentation has proceeded far, as it is not till some 

 alcohol is generated that the colouring principle is dissolved, those even 

 of red grapes neither communicate colour nor taste to the wine. 

 They are early withdrawn from the delicate red wines of Bordeaux ; but 



