156 



The Grctpe CuUuriH. 



effects of this air. It happens in this 

 way : The weather being clear, there 

 is a perceptible evaporation on the 

 surface of the wine racked, and this 

 evaporation allows no real contact 

 between the air and the wine. In 

 cold weather the evaporation is not 

 80 strong and the consequent loss of 

 wine is diminished ; in cloudy, damp, 

 rainy weather there would hardly be 

 any evaporation, and the air coming 

 in close contact with the wine might 

 (letevmine a dan i;\'r(M7s alteration. 



RACKING THE WINE OF GOOD YEARS. 



The wines of such j-ears, and more 

 especially those of choice vines — and 

 by choice, I mean such as Elsiiigburg, 

 Delaware, lona, Cj'nthiana, Norton, 

 etc., in contradistinction with the 

 coarser varieties, such as Isabella, 

 Concord, Ives, Martha — contain much 

 sugar. They must consequently con- 

 tain a lesser quantity of lees. I feel 

 disposed, on that account, to modify 

 my advice in regard to these wines. 

 Their constitution does not require 

 two rackings the first year, like those 

 I have mentioned before, and except 

 in particular circumstances the March 

 racking will be sufficient, provided it 

 completely frees them from their de- 

 posit. 



In the following rules are condensed 

 the necessary conditions which alone 

 can ensure a successful racking: 



1. All vessels, pails, buckets, through 

 which the racking is done, must be 

 clean and sweet. The energy with 

 which tartaric acid acts on motals 

 should forbid the use of anything but 

 wood. 



2. It must be done in clear, drj- 

 weather, and, as fiir as possible, dur- 



ing a north wind, as it is then only 

 that the deposit of the lees can be 

 complete. 



3. Avoid this operation in damp, 

 rainj' weather, and while strong south 

 winds prevail. 



4. Never rack during a thunder 

 storm ; at such time those parts of the 

 lees that are lightest rise through the 

 wine, and cause a fermenting action 

 alwa^-s to be feared. 



5. NcM'or rack a turbid wine, 5'ou 

 only ])io,iare yoursCif the trouble of 

 another i-acking; the sediment, in 

 this condition, being 3'et mixed with 

 the wine. 



6. Nor should it be done at those 

 times when the vine is in motion, when 

 the buds are pushing out, when the 

 vine is in bloom, and still less when 

 the seed is hardening. 



7. Never allow the wine to remain 

 long exposed in contact with the air. 



8. Do not let it fall from high in 

 3'our bucket, as this is the surest way 

 to fatigue a wine and to lose one of 

 the preserving elements, the carbonic 

 acid. 



9. Finall}', always use the most care- 

 ful attention in freeing your wine from 

 the smallest particles of its deposit. 



Without a strict adherence to these 

 conditions, racking is always imper- 

 fect, and docs not realize the improve- 

 ment one has a right to expect when 

 the work has been well done. 



[We publish the above essay, as it 

 has given rise to considerable discus- 

 sion through the press, and as it con- 

 tains some good advice, in our opin- 

 ion, and some with which we can not 

 agree. We do not think even two 

 rackings sufficient. We think that 

 frequent rackings of the wine are es- 



