#f ON THE ART OF MAKING' WINE. 



the effects which might have been expected. 

 Their principal error consists in- the use of yeast 

 and molasses, articles, whose vicious nature is in- 

 corrigible ; but in the experiments which I have 

 directed to be made on this subject, ample reason 

 has appeared to consider the addition of tartar to 

 the juices of our fruits, as a valuable improvement 

 in the art of making domestic wines. In the use of 

 this ingredient, no very accurate limit seems neces- 

 sary, since the wine of the grape may generally be 

 considered as a saturated solution of tartar ; and I 

 may add, that by using crude tartar instead of the 

 purified salt, we derive other advantages from the 

 leaven contained in the lees attached to it. 



From the preceding remarks, we shall be at no 

 loss in understanding the true theory of this art. 

 The formation of a liquor truly vinous, is the first 

 object, and the adventitious circumstances of colour 

 and flavour will be considered hereafter. It is al- 

 most superfluous to say, that the wine of the grape 

 is superior to every other vinous liquor, and we 

 have, in the foregoing remarks, a detail of the cir- 

 cumstances on which the formation of wine from 

 that fruit depends. These are sugar, the extrac- 

 tive matter, and tartar. If now we compare our 

 common fruits with the grape, we shall find, that, 

 in common with it, they possess the extractive mat- 

 ter or natural leaven, but that they are deficient 

 both in sugar and in tartar. Our first object, there- 

 fore, should be to assimilate them as nearly as 



