Chap. XII. GENERAL DIRECTIONS, &c. 411 



SEC T. XI. 



General T)ire5iions for making Wine. 



AFTER the above accounts of the culture of the vine, it may 

 ^ ^ not be improper to give fome general diredlions for making 

 wine. As it v/ould be foreign to our purpofe to enter into a detail 

 of the feveral methods now ufed, we refer the curious to what Mr^ 

 Miller has faid on that head, in the article Wine, 



The grapes muft be of a proper degree of ripenefs; becaufe the 

 juice of un-ripe grapes, or other fruit, is a rough acid liquor, which 

 i» with great difficulty made to undergo a vinous fermentation. In 

 fome mllances, as in verjuice, it will remain in the fame ftate for 

 years together: but after the grapes are come to a due maturity, the 

 juice is no fooner prefled into a veiTel, than it ferments, and becomes 

 wine. 



Some kinds of grapes are naturally of this auftere acid quality,, 

 which prevents their fermenting kindly. It has been found by ex- 

 perience, that this may be correfted by the mixture of fuch fub- 

 rtances as corred; the acid: for inftance, the fixed alkaline fait of 

 plants, in a due proportion, chalk, crabs-eyes, or other abforbent 

 bodies. 



Some gentlemen in England and America, when the juice of their 

 grapes have not fermented kindly, have obtained a very good wine, 

 by expoling the containing veffels, in a warm fituation, to the fun, 

 with an intention of turning it to vinegar. Chymifts know that all 

 vegetable acids are volatile in certain degrees of heat. Perhaps the 

 effefts of this fummer expofure may be the evaporation of the acid, 

 and thereby the converfion of the whole to a mild vinous fluid. 

 There are not inftances wanting of the rougheft verjuice being turned 

 to aftrong pleafant cyder, or vinous fluid, by means of a warm fitua- 

 tion accidentally given it. 



When the juice is too watery, the addition of fugar, raifins, or 

 whatever can give it a due confidence, will corredt this quality ; as 

 is frequently experienced in the juice of currants, goofeberries, ^c. 

 It is likewife a frequent pradlice in making cyder, to fet the juice of 

 the apples, when it is found too watery, in broad iliallow vefl"els, 

 over a fire, where it is kept in a confiderable degree of heat (but 



Ggg 2 JlQt 



