514 THE VINEYARD, [SEPT. 



If the wine be required to have a great deal of body, add, after 

 the ceasing of the fermentation, fresh sugared matter, such as strong 

 must deprived of its tartar. 



It has been suggested to me, that exposing the casks of weak wine 

 to the winter frost till the watery particles contained in the liquor 

 are converted into ice, and then drawing off the pure wine, would be 

 the best method of giving it a sufficient body. If this answers the 

 end, and it is very probable it may, as pure wine requires a much 

 greater degree of cold to freeze it than water, the middle and eastern 

 States of the Union possess an advantage in that respect over most 

 of the wine countries of Europe, as the cold of their winters is not 

 sufficiently intense to answer that end. 



Should the wine be required with much, little, or no color, let it 

 be remembered that this quality resides exclusively in the skin of 

 the fruit, so that you may conduct the process according to your 

 desire. 



Different flavors and fragrancies are communicated by the different 

 kinds of grapes, and also from other ingredients : the odor of Mus- 

 catel, for example, is given with the flowers of elder and other herbs ; 

 some use peach flowers, and consider them to communicate an agree- 

 able flavor to wine. 



The absolute and essential qualities in wine are to have no defect, 

 nor be liable easily to contract any, to be able to keep long, and bear 

 transportation. 



An essential article in the preservation of wine is to keep the air 

 totally excluded out of the vessels, for which purpose Davanzati 

 advises to " take off the rind of a piece of dried bacon, and leave a 

 little fat adhering to it in the centre ; after that make use of it in the 

 manner of a bung, and cram it in with might, that the cask may be 

 well stopped up ; extend out the rind afterwards over the cask after 

 having done it over with ashes ; then cover it over again with very 

 dry ashes ; and that they may not fall off, nail a piece of stuff over 

 the same. The cask being then sufficiently shut up, the air will not 

 penetrate into it, and the wine cannot change its nature." 



I mention this to show the necessity of the casks being kept air- 

 tight and bunged effectually, not doubting but many other methods 

 may be used equally effectual, perhaps much more so than that 

 recommended by Davanzati. 



A wine cellar should be dry, and so deep under ground that the 

 temperature of its heat may be nearly the same winter and summer : 

 it should be at a distance from streets, highways, workshops, sewers, 

 and necessaries ; if arched over the better. 



Of all other methods wine is best preserved in bottles, well corked 

 and sealed ; but this should not be done till it is clear and fine, and 

 all fermentation subsided. 



Tartar and the lees of wine are the principles of its destruction, 

 and none but sweet wines can bear the existence of them ; by often 

 drawing it off in order to purge it of these, there is too great a 

 superficcs exposed to the action of the air, which greatly injures 

 the wine. 



To obviate this evil, the people of Champagne and other wine 



