THE HEATING OF WINES 141 



VI 



THE HEATING OF WINES 



These facts being formulated and established in the 

 first two parts of the Etudes sur les Vins, the third part 

 appears as a denouement. The diseases of wine are 

 correlative with the development of parasitic vegeta- 

 tions; it is the fear of these parasites which burdens 

 all the practices of wine-making and the preservation of 

 wine, and forbids the employment of other methods 

 more favorable to the aging. If we can succeed in 

 eliminating these dangerous ferments, or in destroying 

 them when they are present, we shall have overcome 

 this antinomy and have solved the problem. 



It is here that Pasteur found once more the advantage 

 of his earlier studies, for it is remarkable that, save from 

 himself, he borrowed almost never. We have seen this 

 in what precedes. It will be still more apparent as we 

 advance. 



The problem was to prevent or to arrest the develop- 

 ment of the parasites without in any way changing 

 the constitution of the wine. For this purpose he had 

 at his disposition the action of antiseptics or that of 

 heat. He tried antiseptics first, especially the hypo- 

 phosphites and the bisulphites of the alkalin metals, 

 which are without decided odor and taste when they 

 are in dilute solution, and which become inoffensive 

 phosphates or sulphates after having absorbed oxygen. 

 The results were mediocre or negative. It was then that 

 he thought of the action of heat. 



We understand his hesitations in having recourse 

 to this agent. By means of it he was sure of killing the 

 microbes without even heating to the boiling point, 

 for wine is an acid liquid, and the acidity helps on the 



