76 Wine-making. 



BUSHBERG CATALOGUE. 



Wine-/naking. 



As such, we would especially name the Norton's 

 Virginia. 



To obtain a wine of superior quality it is nec- 

 essary to SELECT the best and most perfectly 

 ripened grapes, of varieties best adapted for wine, 

 and to press them separate from those which are 

 poor in quality or imperfectly ripe. But, instead 

 of sorting the gathered grapes, it is generally 

 considered more advisable — especially in seasons 

 when the grapes do not ripen evenly — to sort 

 them while gathering; that is to say, to pick first 

 the best and ripest grapes, and let the others 

 hang on the vines several days to ripen more 

 fully; thus making two gatherings froui the same 

 vines. We here desire also to caution wine- 

 growers not to plant too many varieties. A few 

 kinds, suited to their locality, will pay best and 

 make better wine. By this we do not wish to 

 discourage the testing of different and new va- 

 rieties, in small quantities, with a view to pro- 

 gress and improvement; but the planting of a 

 great many varieties, each insuthcient in itself, 

 would necessitate the gathering of their grapes 

 while some are not sufficiently ripened, others 

 over-ripe, and these mixed together, cannot pro- 

 duce good wine. It almost seems unnecessary to 

 say, that white-wine grapes and red-wine grapes 

 shonld each be gathered and pressed separately. 

 Grapes should be gathered with knives or scissors 

 adapted to the purpose, and not torn from the 

 vines merely by the hand. Some gather in 

 baskets, others in hods, made for the purpose ; 

 but, whatever kind of vessels may be used, it is 

 important that these, as well as all vessels used 

 in wine-making, should be perfectly clean. 

 Plenty of fresh water for washing them is, there- 

 fore, an essential requirement. Some first use 

 hot water, to which some lime and salt have been 

 added, in order to remove every trace of fungus 

 which may have formed, and, after leaving such 

 water in the vessels about 24 hours, rinse the 

 same with plenty of pure cold water. 



The grapes being gathered, we now* come to — 



The mashing ok crushing, which is gener- 

 ally done in a press-house. For this purpose we 

 use a wine-mill, consisting of two roughly 

 notched rollers, so arranged as to be moved by a 

 crank and cog-wheels in opposite directions, and 

 having a hopper over them. Its construction is 

 so simple that no explanation is required. The 

 mashers should be so adjusted as to avoid the 

 laceration of the stems and combs of the grapes, 

 yet close enough to break each berry without 

 crushing the kernels. Some wine-makers believe 

 that the stems should be removed from the berries 

 before mashing, which is done by the aid of sieves 

 or rasps; others contend that the wines are not 

 materially improved thereby, and that it is better 

 not to remove the -stems; owing, probably, to the 

 tannin which tliese contain. But when tlie grapes 

 have ripened poorly, and had to be gathered in 

 that condition, it is necessary to remove the 

 comb, which, being green, would still more in- 

 crease the acidity and rougimess. 



Grape mills have taken the place of trampling 

 with the feet — formerly in use. Well constructed 

 mills, requiring but little strengtli, are so ar- 

 ranged that they can be set, according to size of 

 berries, so as not to mash the stems nor the seeds 

 and are not expensive. Jleeently a kind of cent- 

 rifugal apparatus has been introduced for this 

 purpose which is said to combine great advan- 

 tages. 



The press-house or press-room need not be in 

 or near the vineyard, but should always be close 

 to, and, best, immediately above the wine-cellar. 

 It might be divided into two parts — one for mash- 

 ing and pressing, the other for the fermenting- 

 room. The press and mill should be placed in 

 the center of the press-room, leaving space 

 enough to go all around the press iu turning the 

 screw with the press-beam. 



The pressing, whereby the must is separated 

 from the mashed grapes, called the marc or pom- 

 mace, can be done with any kind of a cider- 

 press; for large quantities, however, good screw- 

 presses, specially made for wine are generallj' 

 used; and the principal qualities of a good press 

 are — to require but little force, and to afford 

 abundant means of outflow to the juice. Strong, 

 smaller presses are preferable to larger ones with 

 weak pressure. 



The mode and method of using the press, be- 

 fore and after fermentation, differs widely, ac- 

 cording to the kinds of wine we intend to make. 

 Before speaking of these, it is necessary to re- 

 mark that the temperature of the room, while 

 feru)entation is going on, should be kept uniform 

 without interruption : here in Southern Missouri 

 at about 70° Fahrenheit (about 17° R^aum.) ;* iu 

 the South, where wine-making commences in 

 August, it should be so arranged that it can be 

 kept as*cool as possible, and farther north so as to 

 KEEP it warm — by the aid of fire, if necessary. 

 A fireplace and kettle may also pi-ove very use- 

 ful in the press-house, avoiding, however, any 

 heating stove which drives up all the hot air. 



To the necessarj' furniture of the press-house 

 fermenting-vats also belong, and may be ordered 

 of any suitable size (not less than 100 gallons) 

 from any experienced cooper; these are best 

 made of poplar-wood ; then good pine or cedar 

 tubs and pails, not forgetting the must-scale, 

 heretofore mentioned; and, finallj', sufficient hose 

 to run the fermented wine down the cellar. A 

 good, common house-cellar, cool in summer and 

 safe against frost in winter, will fully auswer the 

 purpose. 



For those, however, who intend to make wine 

 on a large scale, a separate avine-GELLAK will, 

 of course, become a necessity. A good wine- 

 cellar should be dry; in damp cellars the casks 

 become mouldy, the wine gets a bad taste and 

 spoils. The cellar should be well drained, that 

 it may be daily washed, for which purpose it 

 must be amply supplied with water; it should 

 luive a sufficient number of air-holes to regulate 

 ventilation and temperature. The temperature 

 of a wine-cellar should not rise above 60° F. (12<^ 

 R.) iu summer, nor fall below 50° F. (8* R.) in 

 winter. Such a cellar, with press-house and fer- 

 uienting-room, store-room for casks, pumps and 

 other tools, costs thousands of dollars, and the 

 additional expense of having plans and specifica- 

 tions made by an able architect or builder, well- 

 informed as to ihe requirements of a good wine- 

 cellar, will be money well spent; it will proteti 

 you from great losses, which ar(; the inevitable 

 result of poorly and incorrectly constructed wine- 

 cellars. But, however valuable a perfect, com- 

 fortable, well -arranged wine-cellar may be — let 

 no wine-grower of small or even moderate means 

 loose siglit of its cost. Manj' u'nological estab- 

 lishments, many a wine company, has been un- 



* In Nortliern wine rejiions a lower temperatun 

 (about 60*' F. = 12" R.) will favor aslower fernientaTion 



