VINEGAR, CIDER, AND FRUIT-WINES. 



twice or three times a day their weight of water is poured over 

 them. After standing 24 to 36 hours in not too cool a place, the 

 generally strongly fermenting fluid is drawn off and what is re- 

 tained by the lees gained by pressing. In this manner a fluid is 

 obtained differing from the must only in a smaller content of 

 sugar and tartaric acid, the so-called extractive substances con- 

 tained in the must which impart to the wine its characteristic 

 properties being present in abundance. 



The must obtained from the lees is now examined as to its con- 

 tent of sugar. If, for instance, it shows 10 per cent, of sugar, it 

 will, when fermentation is finished, have a content of nearly 5 

 per cent, of alcohol and yield vinegar with about 4 per cent, of 

 acetic acid. By the addition of sugar or alcohol according to the 

 above-mentioned proportions a fluid can, however, be obtained 

 which contains 5 or 6 or more per cent, of acetic acid. For "the 

 final result of the process it is indifferent whether sugar or alcohol 

 is added to the fluid, the choice depending on the current value of 

 these articles. 



If sugar is used, it is dissolved directly in the fluid obtained 

 from the lees and the latter allowed to ferment at about 68 

 to 77 F. When working with alcohol it is advisable, in order 

 to avoid loss by evaporation, to ferment the fluid from the lees 

 by itself, and only add the alcohol when acetous fermentation 

 is to be induced. 



During fermentation the must from the lees separates yeast 

 in abundance, and being consequently turbid, is allowed to cla- 

 rify in barrels kept full up to the bung. When clear, it is 

 siphoned off from the sediment of yeast. 



The conversion of this wine from lees into vinegar is best 

 effected by the process of Rectification, by means of ferment 

 growing upon the fluid described on p. 185 et seq. The only 

 difficulty which can present itself is that the wine, being young 

 wine, contains a considerable quantity of albuminous substances, 

 and is consequently more inclined towards the nourishment of 

 mold ferment than towards that of vinegar ferment. This can, 

 however, be met by setting the fluid at a higher temperature, 

 about 86 F., with pure cultivated vinegar ferment, and carefully 

 watching the surface for the formation of white spots of mold 



