ON THE ART or MAKING WINE. 33 



fermentation goes on without any assistance, by 

 the action of natural causes. The circumstances 

 which are capable of impeding these natural 

 actions, exist either in the quality of the liquor, 

 or m the temperature to which it is exposed. 

 When the liquor is a natural must, like the juice 

 of the grape, it rarely labours under any other 

 defect than the want of saccharine matter, -a de- 

 fect which the experience of wine countries has 

 found the means of correcting by the addition of 

 sugar of honey, or of must evaporated by boiling, 

 until it has become a thick saccharine fluid. The 

 same defect is also sometimes remedied, by partial- 

 ly drying the grapes, or by adding burnt gypsum, 

 or plaster of Paris, to the must, so as to absorb 

 the superfluous water. It is evident, that as the 

 maker of domestic wines has always an artificial 

 fluid on which to operate, he need never be sub- 

 ject to any inconvenience from this cause, as it is 

 in his power at all times so to compound his must, 

 as to render it answerable to the requisite condi- 

 tions. The management of the fermentation, 

 when it has actually commenced, must also be re- 

 gulated by the views of the artist, respecting the 

 wine which he wishes to obtain. If sweet, the 

 proportion of the water as well as that of the 

 leaven to the sugar, must be reduced in compound- 

 ing the must, or his working receipt must be mo- 

 dified to this end ; and the management of the 

 fermentation will then be such, as to discharge 



