$6 6N THE AfcT OF MAKING 



produce is to be a dry wirie, and the reverse if & 

 sweet one. If, on the contrary, it is the wish of 

 the operator to preserve the flavour or bouquet of 

 the wine, the period must be shortened. The 

 case will be the same if a brisk wine is wanted, 

 as the carbonic acid on which this property de- 

 pends, would be irrecoverably dissipated, by an 

 undue protraction of the fermenting process. As 

 all wines are reducible to the four general divi- 

 sions, of dry and strong, sweet, light and flavour- 

 ed, or brisk ; it is plain, that a regard to this ulti- 

 mate object, their quality must determine the 

 mode of proceeding. If it is intended, for exam- 

 ple, to make that kind of dry wine which is made 

 in this country from raisins and sugar, the same 

 practices will be necessary which are followed in 

 the countries where wines are made from the 

 grape for distillation. In this casej the wine is 

 suffered to remain in the vat for three, four or 

 more days, until it ceases to have a saccharine 

 taste, and till the whole of the sugar is converted 

 into spirit. If it is intended to make a strong and 

 sweet wine, the fermentation must be discouraged, 

 by speedily removing it from the vat to the cask, 

 and by the further use of processes hereafter to be 

 described, which suspend and ultimately destroy 

 the fermenting process. If it is desired to pro- 

 duce a light and flavoured wine, like those of Bur- 

 gundy, for example, the practices should resemble 

 those followed in that country. There, the must 



