242 AMERICAN GRAPE GROWING 



must be adjusted to break the skins without crushing 

 the stems and seeds, as they would impart too much 

 tannin. The whole mass is then generally allowed to 

 stand from twelve to twenty-four hours, until fermenta- 

 tion sets in, and then pressed as dry as possible. To 

 facilitate this, the juice is drawn off first through a spigot 

 in the bottom of the vat, and the must filled into barrels, 

 puncheons or casks in the fermenting room, which, how- 

 ever, should not be quite full, as a precaution against 

 running over. Some makers, who aim for a very deli- 

 cate wine, press immediately after crushing, but I regard 

 it as safer to allow it to first begin fermentation. The 

 fermenting room should be kept at a temperature of 60 

 to 70, and as soon as violent fermentation is over, which 

 will generally be at the end of four to six days, the casks 

 should be filled up with the same must, kept in a sepa- 

 rate cask, which is closed lightly to guard against flies 

 and impurities. As long as carbonic acid gas escapes 

 there is no danger for the young wine, but when it be- 

 comes quiet it should be closed, though not firmly at 

 first. In six weeks or two months the sediment will be 

 deposited and the wine become transparent, when it is 

 to be racked off into casks in the cellar, taking care to 

 keep back as much as possible all the lees. Rather put 

 the cloudy wine, which runs last, into a separate pack- 

 age, than run it with the clear wine. From this time 

 on it is important to keep the casks well filled, and 

 closed air-tight with round oak or maple bungs. 



MAKING WHITE WINE FROM BLACK GRAPES. 



This is not practiced as much as formerly, because 

 the Mission and Malvasia, which formerly occupied a 

 large part of our vineyards, have almost disappeared and 

 are not valued for wine making. We have some other 

 varieties Zinfandel in the valley lands, for example 

 and also the Black Pinot, which will hardly give color 



