WINE-MAKING IN CALIFORNIA. 325 



Earthy flavor. Sometimes, young wines have this, when 

 the grapes were grown on poorly drained or very rich, or 

 heavily manured land. The best cure for them are frequent 

 rackings, they should not be left long on the pomace in fer- 

 menting, and as soon as passably clear and quiet, they should 

 be either filtered or fined energetically. If rather flat and 

 deficient in tannin, they should have some tannin added, 

 about an ounce for 100 gallons, with the finings, which will 

 help to deposit the insoluble 'matter, and then racked. Re- 

 peated rackings will do much to remove it. 



Greenness. This is caused by an excess of tartaric acid, 

 and gives a sour taste to the wine, resembling unripe grapes. 

 It is caused by picking the grapes too soon. It need not 

 happen here, as we can always have our grapes ripe enough, 

 but is often found in the wines made from second crop. It 

 will gradually disappear with age, after the first two rackings, 

 when the tartaric acid falls to the bottom and sides of the 

 casks, and chrystallizes there. It is sometimes the case that a 

 heavy bodied wine, containing little acid, can be blended 

 with such wine to mutual advantage. In this case, make a 

 test with a small quantity first, mixing it in a glass, until you 

 have the proportions for a blend to benefit both, so that you 

 can work understandingly, taking as a rule, the benefit which 

 the better wine receives from the blend, not the advantages to 

 the inferior. Sometimes, surprising results are obtained in 

 this way, but it takes long practice and a good tongue to pro- 

 duce good blends. However, each wine maker should strive 

 to be proficient in the art, without which his practice is stilt 

 incomplete. This is by far pieferable to adding lime or other 

 alkaline substances, which neutralize the acid, but are un- 

 healthy and should not be used. 



Roughness. Caused by excess of tannin, and is not always 

 a fault, but an excess of a good quality in young wines, which 

 will disappear in time. It can be avoided in fermentation 



