WINE- MAKING IN CALIFORNIA. 



285 



ALCOHOLIC STRENGTH. 



As regards, first, the alcoholic contents of the several wines, 

 it will be noted that the same percentage was obtained in six 

 out of the nine ; while three, viz., Nos. 559, 563, and 564, 

 corresponding respectively to the single fram-e, Morel, and 

 "old-style" processes, show a deficiency which does not differ 

 widely for the three, being not quite one per cent. 



In two of the above cases this result was to be expected, 

 and the causes are not far to seek. In the single-frame pro- 

 cess, a relatively thin layer of liquid was exposed to the air, 

 constantly agitated by the gas coming from below, and heated by 

 its position just over the hot cap. The alcohol simply evapor- 

 ated from this isolated portion of the wine, and where this 

 mode of fermentation is practiced on the large scale, I have 

 sometimes found this layer so warm that toward the end of the 

 fermentation the bulk of its alcohol was gone and it had a 

 vapid, flat taste, often more of vinegar than of alcohol. 



In the case of the old-style process, also, it is easy to see 

 where the loss of alcohol occurs. It is here the hot pomace 

 cap, offering a large surface to the air and kept drenched with 

 the fermenting liquid by the bubbling up from below, which 



