Wine-malxinq. 



GRAPE MANUAL. 



Wine-making. 77 



successful, has failed financially, because it has 

 i', been burdened with too extensive and too expen- 



* sive buildings. In places where deep cellars are 

 *c impracticable or too costly, good wine-cellars 



can also be built above* ground, on the system of 

 the American ice houses, whose double frame 

 walls are tightlj^ stuffed with straw, sawdust, 

 ashes, or other substances whicli are non-con- 

 ductors of heat; the roof should be well project- 

 ing and heavily covered with straw. 



As necessary furniture and tools of a producer's 

 wine-cellar must be mentioned: Supports and 

 layers of sound timber on which the casks rest, 

 iibout IS inches above the floor and at least 15 

 inches from the wall, so as to eual)le you to ex- 

 h amine and to clean the casks at all times. The 

 CASK8 should vary in size from 1(30 to 500 gallons 

 (the capacity to be distinctly marked on each). 

 Very large establishments will, of course, also 

 use larger casks. They should he made of good, 

 well seasoned white oak wood. The larger sized 

 casks should have so-called " man-holes," 

 through which a man can slip in and clean them 

 thoroughlj'; also, wooden funnels, pails and tubs, 

 which can be obtained from any cooper; faucets, 

 funnels ; thieves for drawing out samples through 

 the bunghole; rotary pumps with rubber hose to 

 facilitate the drawing off from one cask into an- 

 other; bunghole-borers, wooden hammers, and 

 various kinds of other tools; sulphur-strips and 

 hooks, caudles and candlesticks, gauge sticks and 

 measures, wine glasses for tasting; small step- 

 ladders, and other utensils which are demanded 

 in the course of operations, and may be seen in 

 any properly furnished wine-cellar; and not to 

 forget a good thermometer, which should always 

 be at hand and frequently consulted. 



New casks, however, are not ready and fit to 

 receive wine ; they must first be rinsed with boil- 

 ing hot water — the casks must, however, be emp- 

 tied again before the water gets cold — they are 

 then filled with fresh water daily, during several 

 days, then again a few gallons of hot water, in 

 which common salt (two otmces to each gallon) 

 has been dissolved, are to be poured into the 

 empty cask, the bimg firmly put in, and the cask 

 i rolled or turned until every part has been in con- 



* tact with the hot salt water. After this operation 

 (neglected by some) the cask is treated in like 

 manner with two to four gallons of fermenting or 

 boiling hot young wine. This is called making 

 new casks wine-green. Another process much in 

 use, is to put in the cask a hot lime-wash, made 

 of unslaked lime and hot water, forming a kind 

 of milk; the cask is turned about, so that its 

 entire inside becomes coated with the mixture; 

 after which the cask is washed with clean water 

 and finally rinsed with hot wine, as before. If 

 this last operation is not convenient, pour in a 

 pint of pure alcohol, or brandy, and ignite it, 

 leaving the bung slightlj^ open. The fumes of the 

 burning brandjr will free the wood from its un- 

 pleasant taste, which would otherwise taint the 

 wine. In large modern wine-houses steam is 

 used to great advantage in this important opera- 

 tion. Small producers who have no steam at 

 command, we would advise to get this done by 

 the cooper who makes new wine casks or barrels. 

 And then it would be safer to use such new bar- 

 rels first for fermenting wine, thereby coating 

 their inside with a crust of "argol" (crude tartar 

 of wine). Old barrels or casks which had not 

 been used for some time, must not be filled again, 



without first sulphuring them; without doing 

 this no wine could be properly kept therein. 



When a wine-cask is emptied and not at once 

 refilled with other wine, it should be cleaned, 

 and when dry, a small piece of sulphur (about 1 

 inch square) should be burnt in the cask, which 

 is then to be closed tightly b}' the bung; when it 

 is again to be used, it must be examined as to 

 tightness, by pouring water into it, and, if leak- 

 ing, is to be made tight by filling it Avith water 

 and driving the hoops until it ceases to leak. It 

 must also be examined as to the purity of its air, 

 which can be tested bj^ a small piece of burning 

 sulphur strip. If extinguished when brought 

 into the cask, this indicates the impurity of its 

 air, from wltich it may be freed by the common 

 small bellows, and by then w'ashing it thoroughly, 

 as above indicated. Old casks and barrels which 

 are to be used for wine, must be watered and 

 treated in like manner as new casks, to be made 

 wine-green; but never use a mouldy or sour cask ; 

 better burn it up than to attempt its cure. 



W^HITE WINES. 



The white wine grapes — and as a rule, no black 

 or blue grapes should be used for white wine— are 

 to be mashed, as soon as thej^ are hauled to the 

 press-house. This is best done in a grape-mill, 

 placed above the fermenting vat. The vat is cov- 

 ered with a board or cloth, as soon as filled, and 

 the mashed grapes are there allowed to ferment 

 from 24 to 48 hours. The time, mashed white 

 grapes should be permitted to stand, before 

 pressing, depends on the temperature. As a rule, 

 the mash of white wine grapes should be i^ressed 

 before complete fermentation; while it begins to 

 form a hat (from the skum) on its surface ; being 

 as yet sweet and making a comparatively mild, 

 smooth wine. The juice which may then run off 

 tbrough the faucet inserted in the spigot hole 

 near the lower end of the vat, is put into a well 

 prepared, clean cask: then the entire balance of 

 the mashed grapes is pressed, and the juice which 

 comes off from the press is added to that obtained 

 without pressing. By adding ten pounds of 

 mashed grapes to about 90 pounds of must, its 

 fermentation will be hastened and improved. 



White wine can also be made from black or 

 blue grapes, as the coloring matter is merely in 

 the skin and is dissolved only during fermenta- 

 tion; consequently, by pressing the grapes at 

 once, as soon as mashed (or even wiiliout first 

 mashing), and before fermentation commences, 

 thus separating part of the juice from the husks, a 

 white or light-colored wine is obtained. The 

 pressings, still containing a great deal of juice, 

 are then thrown into the fermenting vat, some 

 sugar-water is added to replace the portion of 

 the juice heretofore withdrawn by a light press- 

 ing, and, after fermenting for several days, they 

 are pressed again, and a red wine is produced 

 from the same grapes. While we do not recom- 

 mend this method, and consider both the white 

 wine and red wine thus made as inferior to what 

 could have been produced from the same grapes 

 had their juice been allowed to ferment altogether 

 on the husks, it certainly does not deserve that vitu- 

 l^eration which has been heaped on our producers, 

 who, in view of the failure of the Catawba and 

 other white wine grapes, resorted to that method 

 with the Concord. Hereafter it will scarcely be 

 practiced by any, since there are a number of 

 productive white wine grapes planted, and espe- 

 cially since grape-juice is cheaper than sugar. 



