Wine Cellars. 



183 



WINE CELLAES. 



Many of our readers, in expecta- 

 tion of a good grape crop, (and we 

 hope they are the majority) will have 

 to buiki these very necessary appen- 

 dages to their vineyards, and a few 

 hints on their construction ma}' come 

 in season. "We have become con- 

 vinced, in a practice of some dura- 

 tion, that a great deal of unnecessary, 

 nay even injurious expense has been 

 incurred in their construction. As 

 early as 1857, while in conversation 

 with Mx\ Fournier, then manager 

 of cellars of the Longworth Wine 

 House, he told us in his brusque man- 

 ner and his broken English, "Much 

 better if people will ferment their 

 must in open shed than in a d — d 

 cold cellar/' We have often thought 

 of this remark, and have, more and 

 more, been convinced of its truth. 

 Talking about an arched, cool cellar 

 to keep your wine, is all well enough, 

 but practice has taught us, as well as 

 dear bought experience, that must 

 should be fermented quickly and thor- 

 oughly, freed from its lees as speedily 

 as possible, and if this has been done, 

 you need not fear even a considera- 

 ble fluctuation of temperature. If 

 3'our wine is wine — that is, if all the 

 sugar has been changed into alcohol, 

 and it has become perfectly bright 

 and clear, without lees being yet sus- 

 pended in it, you need not fear for 

 its keeping, even if the thermometer 

 should run up to 70°, or even 75° in 

 ummer. 



Having become convinced of this, 

 and having built a very expensive 

 cellar once, which proved much too 

 cool for fermentation, we set to work 



to construct a cheap storehouse for 

 the first crop of the Bluifton Wine 

 Company here, (about 13,000 gallons) 

 on the following plan : 



At the foot of the hill into which 

 we intend to make an arched cellar 

 by and by, we put up a building of 

 rough lumber 65 feet long bj' 24 wide, 

 and 10 feet high. The frame was 

 made of scantling 4 by 6, rough 

 boards nailed upright on the outside, 

 and crossways on the inside, thus 

 making a hollow wall, with a space 

 of four inches between the outside 

 and inside boards. This was filled 

 with sawdust, which was put in grad- 

 ually when the inner boards were 

 nailed on, and firmly stamped and 

 pressed down, somewhat on the plan 

 of an icehouse. Over this was laid 

 a floor, also of rough lumber, and a 

 good roof completed the building, 

 which also has five windows, each of 

 four panes 10 by 12, with shutters, 

 to be closed in cold weather, and a 

 strong double door, six feet wide. 

 The floor we covered with hay above. 

 In this building we have fermented 

 our wine, and kept it so far (16th 

 Juue) without the temperature ris- 

 ing above 70°, and the wine is now 

 in prime condition, bright and mar 

 ketable. We have room in it for 

 about 25,000 gallons, and the whole 

 cost was 81,250 A cellar of the same 

 dimensions, arched with stone, would 

 have cost between 6 to $8,000, and 

 we doubt if our wine would be in as 

 good condition now, had we fermented 

 and stored it in such a one. Of course, 

 we had to have a stove in it during 

 winter, and had to keep the fire up 



