WINE-MAKING IN CALIFORNIA. 275 



about thirty-six hours, and fill it into a separate cask. This 

 is much smoother, of a lighter color, being what we call a 

 dark Schiller wine, and to my notion far surpasses all the 

 deep colored wines which I get from the same tank after 

 fermenting three days longer. But it would be no wine for 

 the merchant, who generally buys pale clarets enough, and 

 needs deeper colored wines to give them color and astringency. 

 Besides, the taste which requires red wines seeks a different 

 product. It wants color and astringency, and we may as 

 well gratify it, but we ought not to do so at the sacrifice of 

 all the finesse and flavor of which red wines are capable. If 

 we attain a happy medium, giving them deep color, astrin- 

 gency, and a pleasant acidity, they will surely not object to a 

 good share of fine bouquet. 



The record of experiments by Prof. Hilgard at Berkeley, 

 given below, of nine different modes of fermentation, will be 

 of interest to the reader, showing what the difference is in the 

 various processes. The only criticism which I wish to make 

 is that the pressing was delayed too long. I think it was a 

 positive injury to No. 559 to delay the pressing until after the 

 sixth day, while No. 560 should have been pressed on the 

 fifth day, and none of them ought to have been deferred after 

 the ninth day. This is the mistake, in my opinion, alluded 

 to before. When active fermentation has ceased, the wine 

 has become dry; every hour delayed works a positive injury 

 to the wine, against which we ought to guard. This is my 

 comment on the wholesale deduction against open fermenta- 

 tion made by the learned professor. 



My readers will perceive that mine is not the "lazy man's" 

 'process. In fact, I do not count on laziness. Those who 

 intend to succeed in this industry must be content to work 

 sometimes all night; if necessary; they must be willing to 

 watch their vines and their wine with unceasing diligence and 

 care, as they would their children; and "Excelsior" must be 



