ON THE ART OF MAKING WINE. 77 



With regard to the management, it must be 

 founded on the operations followed in the wine 

 countries, and of which a sufficiently full account 

 for all the purposes of practice has already been 

 given. It is in the first place obvious, that the 

 grapes should be suffered (from motives of econo- 

 my) to remain on the vines, while there is any 

 hope of gaining an accession either of strength 

 or sweetness. They should then be carefully se- 

 parated from the stems ; those which are mouldy 

 or rotten, being at the same time rejected. Some 

 judgment will be required in proportioning the 

 fruit to the water in the first instance, and to the 

 sugar in the second. I have before said, that the 

 grape, when ripe, consists of sugar, combined 

 with vegetable extractive matter, or the ferment- 

 ing principle, and certain salts, besides the as- 

 tringent and flavouring matter. As the colour is 

 not developed in the immature grape, it need not be 

 noticed here. But the proportions of these ingre- 

 dients vary materially, according to the state of 

 maturity of the fruit. As a great part of the saline 

 and other constituents of the grape, appear to be 

 converted into sugar, during the process of matu- 

 ration ; it is plain, that, weight for weight, there 

 will be more of the principles contained in the 

 immature, than in the mature fruit. To form, 

 therefore, a must of such a quality as shall resem- 

 ble the natural must of ripe fruit, it is necessary 

 that water should be added to the immature juice, 



