The Chemistry of Wine. 



25 



while petiotized wine from Cette or 

 Montpellier, at §1.75 per gallon, will 

 suit even the taste of the most pat- 

 riotic American better ? For that 

 reason it must be the earnest en- 

 deavor of every American wine pro- 

 ducer to make the quality of his wines 

 superior to imported wines; and really 

 the native wines possess all the qua- 

 lities to make them, under a rational 

 management, take a frontrank among 

 all the wines of the world. Those 



only of the American wine producers 

 whose aim is superior quality rather 

 than cheapness can look forward with 

 complacency to the competition of 

 imported wines, and even under the 

 most unfavorable circumstances, will 

 always find a market for them, while 

 the mis-managed Concord and Ca- 

 tawba wines, it they are the purest 

 grape juice and offered at the lowest 

 figures, will be unsaleable. 



Ohas. H. Frixgs. 



THE CHEMISTRY OF WIXE. 



B^ Chas. H. Fri?igs. 



In offering to our readers a direc- 

 tion for the manufacturing and treat- 

 ment of wine, we are in the first place 

 under the necessity of giving to them 

 an accurate and minute explanation of 

 the nature of wine, in order to furnish 

 them a plain understanding about all 

 the chemical phases of process which 

 the juice of the grape undergoes, un- 

 til converted into wine, as well as the 

 causes and effects thereof. 



FERMENTATION. 



Generally we content ourselves by 

 calling those most complicated pro- 

 cesses 10 which wine owes its meta- 

 ■ morphosis, spiritous fermentation. 

 That term usually signifies that pe- 

 culiar mode of decomposition of sugar 

 in its process of dissolution by means 

 of water, Avhich first produces an al- 

 coholic liquid; while at the same time 

 a substance, either causing that very 

 decomposition or at least participa- 

 ting in it, separates, which substance 

 is called yeast. 



To explain the remarkable action 

 of yeast lias puzzled chemists until 



lately. Yeast is derived from a sub- 

 stance containing nitrogen, is found 

 in the juice of a great many 

 plants and is technically called glu- 

 ten or albumen. Only by means 

 of the microscope, (which thi-ew new 

 and iinexpected light upon numerous 

 controversies in chemistry) Cliemists 

 succeeded in establishing the fact that 

 fermentation is a process of vegeta- 

 tion, and that yeast is a plant of the 

 lowest degree, viz : a fungus, de- 

 veloping differently, according to the 

 conditions offered to it for existence. 



The Spores (germs) of that plant, in- 

 visible to our eye, are wasting in the 

 atmosphere. Thej^ are ever^-where. If 

 attached to an object, from which they 

 are allowed to gain the nutriment 

 necessary for development and at the 

 same time remaining exposed to the 

 air, they produce mould ; but if sub- 

 merged into any liquid substance 

 composed of gluten besides su- 

 gar the germs of fungus form into 

 yeast-cells. These cells, drawing a 

 part of the substancoc of their cover 



