212 GRM'E CULTURE AND WINE-MAKING. 



the casks about one and three quarter inches from the bottom. 

 F is a crooked piece of pipe preventing the air from passing over 

 with the last of the wine. At G two glasses are placed, allowing 

 the condition of the wine to be ascertained. H is a sucking-pump 

 with a conical screw, which is screwed into the bung-hole of cask 

 B. After opening the faucets C and D, screwing in the pump 

 and starting it, a partial vacuum is formed in the cask, and the 

 pressure of the atmosphere drives the wine immediatel}' over out 

 of A into B. As soon as it has sunk to near the bottom, the fau- 

 cet D is closed, and the cask A carefully lifted. The wine is thus 

 drawn off without muddying it by the yeast. Below, the pump 

 has a hole (at I) through which the air escapes, which is closed 

 when this is done. 



Filling the Wine into Bottles. 



This is usually done by means of a faucet, from which it runs 

 into the bottles through a funnel. It comes, however, less in con- 

 tact with the air if let off by a siphon, but mixes itself with the 

 yeasty parts stirred up in the cask. An improvement in the con- 

 struction of the former instrument preventing the first cause of 

 complaint, seems to make the simple old fashion more preferable. 



As a rule, wines must not be bottled until their fermentation 

 is completely over, otherwise many bottles would likely burst. 



White wines may be bottled without danger after a year or 

 eighteen months ; so, too, liqueur wines or light red wines. Oth- 

 ers of a heavier body (as, for instance, the Chambertin, the Gorton) 

 must not be bottled before three or five years. Bordeaux and 

 Ehine wines are best left eight to ten years in the casks. 



The bottling should be done in cool weather. In the district 

 of Champagne, in France, the time of the full moon in the month 

 of March is preferred for effervescent loines; for others, the waning 

 of the moon. 



The bottles must only be filled to within two inches of the 

 mouth, so that, after corking them, a small vacuum remains be- 

 tween the cork and wine. This is done to prevent bursting. 



YI. 



TREATMENT OF BOTTLED WINES. 



A CHIEF condition for the preservation of such is to keep the 

 bottles always in a level position, so that the cork is covered by 

 the wine. If not, mould will soon cover and make it sour. 



In the course of time, however, they secrete a sediment, of 

 which they must be freed before they can be used or sent off. If 

 it be clean and sand-like, it is only cream of tartar, and may re- 



