RACKING WINE. 75 



(From the ■\Vcsterii Horticultural Rev.) 

 RACKING WINE. 



This being the season of the year when the wine may re- 

 quire attention, the reasons for racking and the manner of 

 effecting it are presented : 



This operation is performed to separate the wine from its 

 ferment, in order to prevent further change, either spiritous 

 or acetous — to separate it also from the lees, containing, be- 

 side the yeast, cream of tartar, and coloring matter which has 

 accumulated at the bottom of the cask. This process also 

 enables us to avoid the exposure of the surface of the wine to the 

 influence of the air, by which it would suffer more evaporation 

 and be liable to be covered with mould [Kahnen) a white crypto- 

 gamic plant which covers the wine and gives it a putrid taste. 



To effect the first object, frequent racking is required, say 

 1st, at the end of December ; 2d, at the end of February, in 

 March or early in April ; and then again in the autumn, at 

 the end of October : such is my treatment of the Catawba 

 wine during the first year ; after this, it is only racked in the 

 fall. The latter object is to be attained by keeping the cask 

 always bung full to exclude the air and prevent alcoholic 

 evaporation or absorption of air, to produce putrefaction. 

 The bung should be made of clear wood, wrapped with clean 

 linen to insure tightness ; a caution should however be had to 

 loosen the bungs in April, when the wine is apt to undergo a 

 fermentative change, and should the bung be too tight, so that 

 the gases cannot drive it out, the bottom of the barrel may have 

 to yield before the pressure, and thus the wine will be lost. 



In racking, the first requisite is a good ivme-green cask, 

 which has previously contained similar wine ; it should be 

 carefully examined to ascertain that it is quite clean and has 

 neither a sour nor other bad smell. After the cask is 

 thoroughly rinsed with clear, fresh water, burn a piece of 

 brimstone paper, one by three inches large, suspended from 

 the buno- by a piece of bent wire. This is made by dipping 



