102 THE vine-dresser's manual. 



the best brandy, fastened to a wire, and inserted into 

 the cask as witb the brimstone slip. 



The fermented wine is left in the cask upon the lees 

 undisturbed until spring, say March or April. Then 

 it should be draAvn off. 



About the time that the grapevine is in bloom, the 

 wine undergoes another fermentation in the cellar, 

 again forming small lees. 



Wine becomes generally clear a few weeks after it 

 is put into the casks in the fall, and some persons then 

 draw it off. This gives the wine a milder taste, but 

 at the expense of strength. Our wines being naturally 

 strong, this may be done here without material injury. 



A vintner should take the earliest opportunity to 

 have a good, well- paved, deep cellar, dry and well 

 walled with stone. It should be not less than eight 

 feet deep. In Europe their cellars are seldom less than 

 twelve to twenty feet deep, and are almost invariably 

 arched over. 



Thus their wines are preserved from the extreme 

 cold of winter and heat of summer. Cellars should be 

 kept dark, except while working in them. Yegetables, 

 and substances which are apt to create an offensive 

 smeU, should not be kept in the same cellar with wine. 

 And the cellar should always be kept scrupulously clean. 



As soon as the wine is perfectly clear in the spring, 

 I would recommend the bottling off for family use (a 



