DR. L. GALL ON IMPllOVEMENTS IN WINE-MAKING. 247 



may be found in the circumstance that this happens very seldom 

 in France, and, in case it docs, in sucli small quantity that wine 

 kept during two years ■will secrete all that is superfluous by its 

 own action. 



Chaptal (Count, Minister, and Peer of France), author of the 

 celebrated essa}'', TlieArt of Making Winc^ says: 



In case the grapes have not attained their maturity, add to 

 them the wanting ingredient. Mix sugar with them until the 

 must has attained the sweetness of the perfectly ripe grape. 



To give an example: Magnet added to must of picked unripe 

 grapes, of the vintage of 1776, sugar, until it had the taste of a 

 tolerably good and sweet must. In October, 1777, the wine made 

 from it proved to be not only perfectly clear and fine, but also 

 very sparkling, palatable, and fiery — in a word, just like a wine 

 made of a good vintage, and raised on good soil. 



Bouillon had about fifteen to twenty pounds of sugar per hogs- 

 head added to the must of his vineyard of Bellejames, and obtain- 

 ed a wine of excellent quality. This proves that by adding a 

 proper quantity of sugar, a wine of required grade may be ob- 

 tained, no matter of what quality the must may be ; except that 

 the must which contains too much sugar is to be reduced by 

 water. 



Claude Dumont says, in his essay Afoyen de douhler, de tripler 

 meme le Ra2:)port de nos Vignohles : France furnishes to her popu- 

 lation hardly eighty litres of wine annually per head, and even 

 this moderate quantity is not consumed. England, on the con- 

 trary, produces two hectolitres of beer to the head, and consumes 

 it. This proves that England brews a very good article of beer, 

 while France only makes very inferior wine. We possess, how- 

 ever, a very simple, yet very effective means to produce good 

 wines even in the least favorable seasons, and to augment the 

 quantity of good wines in better years. Here he goes on to say : 



For instance: In order to produce one barrique (barrel) of 

 wine of 32 veltes, it requires 800 pounds of grapes. These are 

 put into a tub holding about 1000 litres after mashing them well. 

 When the must attains a density of nine degrees of Beaume, add 

 500 pounds of water, in which previously 100 pounds of sugar 

 and 10 pounds of cream of tartar have been dissolved. This has 

 now to ferment, and the result may be vouched for. 



Suppose the price of a barrique of wine be 100 francs, we shall 

 now have two instead, in value 200 francs. The original cost of 

 these may be put down as follows : One barrique of wine, 100 

 francs ; 100 pounds of sugar, 60 francs ; 10 pounds of cream of 

 tartar, 2 francs; total cost, 162 francs: the net gain is, therefore, 

 38 francs. And besides this, these wines will be much more pal- 

 atable and durable than by neglecting this advice. 



By the calculation of these sugar prices, it appears that this 

 treatise appeared m 1815 or 1816 — (it bearing neither the name 



