64 VITIS, OR GRAPE VINES. 



those that keep well, and are improved bj age and a sea 

 voyage : they are commonly sweet and rich. These best 

 wines must be drank alone, in small glasses, like cor- 

 dials. Good table wines ought to bear from 3 to 6 times 

 their bulk of water, to be improved by it, and always drank 

 with it. 



68. Delicate and superior wines ought to be bottled as 

 soon as perfectly clear and 6 to 9 months old, particu- 

 larly if to be transported. Common wines ought to be 

 kept or sent in barrels or quarter casks. Large casks 

 are only useful at the vineyards. Some wines improve 

 by travelling, and are better than on the spot j this they 

 owe to the shaking and time elapsed. 



69. Mustiness, harshness, acidity, and ropiness are 

 the four principal diseases of wines. When wines ac- 

 quire a musty or bad taste, they may be restored by 

 charcoal and toasted bread put in gradually. To mend 

 harsh wines, put in it gradually milk, salt, and sand. If 

 too acid, sugar, lime, or ground gypsum, or add sweet 

 wine to it. Lead formerly used, is a poison, and must 

 never be employed, as it makes the wines deleterious, 

 producing cholics, &c. When wines get ropy, they must 

 be fined or clarified again. 



70. To recapitulate. Wine is as easy to make as 

 cider, notwithstanding such needful cares. Very little 

 additional trouble will produce superior wines, of double 

 value at least. The same grapes may produce several 

 kinds, white or red, sweet or dry, rough or sparkling, 

 according to the mode of fermenting. Sugar must be 

 used to strengthen the wines, and never brandy. It is . 

 worth while to attend to the quality rather than the 

 quantity. Time and experience will teach us still better 

 the practical details. 



THE END. 



