320 GRAPE CULTURE AND 



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do not recommend them, as the first is apt to leave a bad 

 . taste, and the second may cause lactic, fermentation. The 

 . white of eggs is the best of albuminous substances, and is 

 mostly used for clarifying red wines. It coagulates by the 

 action of the alcohol and tannin, and forms a precipitate 

 heavier than the liquid, carrying with it as it falls, the matters 

 in suspension in the wine. Only fresh eggs should be used, 

 but the yolks must be carefully kept out, as they discolor the 

 wine. Take a dozen eggs for a hundred gallons, and beat 

 them up by whipping thoroughly, together with a small quan- 

 tity of wine before using. 



For weak wines, containing so little spirit that the finings 

 do not act, alcohol must be added. For wines that are 

 deficient in tannin, this should be added; for upon the proper 

 quantity of this, and the alcoholic strength, depend the ac- 

 tion of the finings. If the wines contain enough of alcohol, 

 as they generally do here, and the finings do not act. the 

 cause is generally a deficiency of tannin; and sufficient must 

 be added to produce the desired effect. One-half to one 

 ounce to the ordinary tannin of commerce is generally suf- 

 ficient. Dissolve one-half pound in a quart of strong alco- 

 ^hol, by shaking thoroughly in a bottle of double the size. 

 When it has been mixed twenty-four hours it is filtered, and 

 one gill of the solution contains one ounce of tannic acid. 



After the finings have been prepared as above, two or three 

 gallons are drawn from the cask which is to be treated, by 

 siphon or a small hose from the bung hole, the finings poured 

 in, and thoroughly stirred with the wine. This may be done 

 with a stick split at the end into several prongs, or by a brush 

 formed by bristles or flexible wire. (Fig. 38). The wine 

 drawn out should then be filled in again, until the cask is 

 perfectly full, and left to rest until the wine is bright. The 

 time in which this takes place varies from two to four weeks, 

 three weeks being about the average. But it should not be 



