WINE. 



fruit of the vine which had been pressed by acci- i 

 dent or design, and allowed to remain a short linn- 

 undisturbed, would be found to have assumed new 

 mill surprising properties ; and the method of pre- 

 serving for constant use the beverage thus obtained 

 would soon be learned. The Egyptians attributed 

 the invention to Osiris, the Greeks to Bacchus, and 

 the Latins to Saturn. Wine was in common use, 

 from an early period, among the Hebrews ; but the 

 use of it was, for a long time, forbidden in Rome, 

 and, even at a later period, was not allowed to 

 women. The Greeks and Romans poured out li- 

 bations to the gods upon the ground or table ; and 

 the custom of drinking to the health of distinguish- 

 ed persons, or absent friends, also prevailed in both 

 nations. See Feasts of the Ancients. 



The vine does not thrive except between 35 

 and 50 of latitude ; in higher latitudes, the grape 

 seldom arrives at maturity, and the wine is weak, 

 liable to sour, and destitute of the generous flavour 

 which characterizes that produced in more favour- 

 able regions. In warmer climates, the saccharine 

 matter predominates, and a complete decomposition 

 cannot be effected. 



The grape in some countries is cut off the plant 

 with a knife; in France, the scissors is used, by 

 which the stems of the branches are rapidly severed. 

 In ruder countries, the hand only is applied, a mode 

 injurious to the grape as well as to the vine. The 

 most approved plan is to make three separate 

 gatherings of the fruit. The first includes all 

 the finest and ripest bunches. The green, rot- 

 ten grapes, or such as have been eaten into by 

 insects, are cleared from the bunches, which are 

 then carefully carried home. The second gathering 

 implies naturally a second pressing. The grapes 

 are not quite as ripe as the first. The last gather- 

 ing and pressing consists of the inferior grapes. 

 The gathered bunches are deposited as lightly as 

 possible, to prevent the grapes from being bruised. 

 All dry or spoiled grapes are cast aside, where pro- 

 per care is used, as fine or delicate wine is intended 

 to be made. Each labourer places his gathering in 

 an ozier basket, or in a sort of wooden dosser, 

 carried with the least possible motion. In France, 

 in the department of the Marne, the grapes are 

 carried on horseback covered with cloths. The 

 grapes in some countries are plucked from the 

 bunches ; in others, they are placed entire in the 

 press, stems and all. The best grapes only are used 

 for making the better kinds of wine. The astrin- 

 gent principle lodged in the stems is thought to be 

 beneficial, and to impart to the wine a capacity of 

 endurance or long keeping. When picked, it is 

 only for red wine, and is generally done by the 

 hand. White-wine grapes are rarely picked from 

 the clusters. 



Grapes were anciently trodden out, after being 

 exposed on a level floor, to the action of the solar 

 rays for ten days ; they were then placed in the 

 shade for five days more, in order to mature the 

 saccharine matter. This practice is still followed 

 in some of the islands of the Greek Archipelago, at 

 St Lucar, in Spain, in Italy, at least in Calabria, and 

 in some of the north-eastern departments of France. 

 The fermentation is facilitated greatly by this pro- 

 cess. In some parts of France, a labourer with 

 sabots treads the grapes out as they come from the 

 vineyard in a square box, having holes in the bot- 

 tom and placed over a vat a very barbarous me- 

 thod. The murk is then removed, and he proceeds 

 with fresh grapes till the vat is full. Sometimes 



they are squeezed out in troughs, by naked men, 

 using both sabots and hands at once. 



The wine press differs in construction in differ- 

 ent countries. There are several kinds. For red 

 wine, the grapes are trodden before they are pres- 

 sed, in order to disengage the colouring matter 

 from the skins; but in making white wine, this 

 operation is never performed. In either case, where 

 the press is applied, the first pressing is dispatched 

 as quickly as possible. At first the press is used 

 gently, that the wine may not overflow. The 

 pressure is then gradually increased, until the murk 

 becomes moderately compressed. This is the first 

 pressing. The grapes that did not sustain pressure, 

 being scattered over the edges of the heap, are now 

 gathered up, the press relaxed, and being placed 

 upon the murk, the press is tightened again. The 

 wine from this is called of the second pressing. 

 The edges of the whole mass are now squared 

 down with a cutting instrument, so that the mass 

 of fruit is reduced to the form of an immense oblong 

 cake, upon which the cuttings of the edges are 

 heaped, and the press worked again, which makes 

 wine of the third pressing, or, as the wine-maker 

 calls it, wine of the first cutting. The pressing and 

 cutting are repeated two or three times, and what 

 liquid flows after is called among the labourers wine 

 of the second or third cuttings. There is only one 

 species of wine which is made without beating, 

 treading, or pressing ; this is what they call in Spain 

 lagrima. The grapes, melting with ripeness, are 

 suspended in bunches, and the wine is the produce 

 of the droppings. This can only be effected with 

 the muscatel grape of the warm south. In this way 

 the richest Malaga is made. In Cyprus the grapes 

 are beaten with mallets, on an inclined plane, with 

 a reservoir at the end. 



The juice of the grape, when newly expressed, 

 and before it has begun to ferment, is called must, 

 and, in common language, sweet wine. It is turbid, 

 has an agreeable and very saccharine taste, and is 

 very laxative. When the must is pressed from the 

 grapes, and put into a proper vessel and place, with 

 a temperature of between 55 and 60, a gradual 

 fermentation ensues. Bubbles of carbonic acid gas 

 (fixed air) rise to the surface, bringing along, with 

 them the skins, stones, and other grosser matters 

 of the grapes, and which form a scum, or soft 

 spongy crust, that covers the whole liquor. After 

 a time, the crust becomes stiff, is broken in pieces 

 by the ascending gas, and falls to the bottom pf the 

 liquor. When this takes place, if we would secure 

 a good and generous wine, all sensible fermentation 

 must be checked. This is done by putting the 

 wine into close vessels, and carrying these into a 

 cellar or other cool place. The wine produced by 

 this first fermentation differs entirely and essen- 

 tially from the juice of grapes before fermentation. 

 Its sweet and saccharine taste is changed into one 

 that is very different, though still agreeable and 

 somewhat spirituous. It has not the laxative quality 

 of must, but affects the head, and, if taken immo- 

 derately, occasions drunkenness ; and, when dis- 

 tilled, it yields, instead of the insipid water obtained 

 from must, genuine alcohol. When any liquor un- 

 dergoes the spirituous fermentation, all its parts 

 seem not to ferment at the same time, otherwise 

 the fermentation would probably be very quickly 

 completed, and the appearances would be much 

 more striking; hence, in a liquor much disposed to 

 fermentation, this motion is more quick and simul- 

 taneous than in another liquor less disposed. Ex- 



