420 



DOMESTIC ECONOMY. 



[Chap. IV. 



The common practice of racking cider lias caused many to rack fruit 

 wines, Avliich some wine-makers tell us is all wrong. They say : 



" AVhen tlie proper amount of the juice of a fruit, and trcble-i^fined 

 sugar in solution, is placed in a barrel with the bung loose, in a cellar of 

 even temperature, fermentation will readily commence, and will proceed 

 until the sugar, or a portion of it, is converted into alcohol, wlien it M-ill 

 cease. The buffy coat which rises to the surface will then settle and at- 

 tach itself to the cask; the bung should then be driven in, and in six months 

 the wine may be drawn off and bottled. No alcohol will be necessary to 

 keep it." 



Let these general i-ules be observed, and the following special directions 

 pursued, and domestic wine may be made in any farmer's family of almost 

 any kind of small fruits. 



The directions given in 469 are from George II. Ilite, of Morrisania, near 

 New York, who is one of the most successful domestic wine-makers of our 

 acquaintance. 



401). !iow to Make Currant and other Wines.— "The currants should be 

 perfectly ripe when gathered ; they should be stemmed and washed before 

 pressing, which should be done as thoroughly as possible with a 12-inch 

 cider press. Ascertain the amount of juice thus obtained, and then add 

 that amount of water to the pumice, and incorporate the water, and pum- 

 ice well togetlicr : let it stand a few hours, and press it again. By this 

 process an additional quantity of juice, though not so strong, is obtained ; 

 then mix the first pressing with tlie second, and weigh a gallon of it, and 

 whatever it falls short of 10 pounds to the gallon, add enough of good re- 

 fined sugar to make it weigh lU pounds, and so on of the rest. I would here 

 remark that an additional amount of sugar added to the above will make a 

 sweeter wine, and perhaps more suitable to the taste of many. 



" It would be rather an expensive business to those who have but few ber- 

 ries to make currant wine from the first pressing of the currant alone, as it 

 requires one bushel of currants to produce a little over three gallons of pure 

 juice. The red currant pure juice weighs eight and a half pounds to the 

 gallon. The white currant juice comes almost Avithin the wine-maker's rule, 

 weighing nine and a quarter pounds to the gallon. The way in which I 

 make currant wine is, to use tne pure juice alone or without much water, 

 and I find that I can readily command three dollars per gallon for it, 

 whereas the other would be dear at one dollar per gallon, and not much of 

 a wine at that. 



" Elderberry wine is made in the same way as first stated, adding about 

 half water in the way of re-pressing the pumice, etc., as, if it is made without 

 the addition of too much sugar, it resembles claret very closely. 



" Black currant wine is made in the same way as the elderberry, only the 

 berries should be scalded before pressing, and if carefully managed in the 

 fermentation, will resemble the Rhine wines. 



" When the juice, sugar, and water are well incorporated by stirring to- 



