486 THE VINEYARD. [SEPT. 



If besides it be desired to have a heady, or intoxicating wine, add 

 some tartar and sugarded matter to the Must) which will produce a 

 greater portion of spirit. 



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

 the ceasing of the fermentation, a 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 watry 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 colour, 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 flavours and fragrancies are communicated by the dif- 

 ferent kinds of grapes, and also from other ingredients ; the odour 

 of Muscadel, for example, is given with the flowers of Elder and 

 other herbs ; some use peach flowers and consider them to commu- 

 nicate an agreeable flavour to wine. 



The absolute and essential qualities in wine are to have no de- 

 fect, 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 DAVAN- 

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

 leave a little fat adhering to it in th'e 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 willnot 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, so deep under ground as that the 

 temperature of it heat, may be nearly the same winter and sum- 

 mer : it should be at a distance from streets, high-ways, 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 



