WITH WATER PAINSHILL EXPERIMENT. 439 



sulphured cask, in which it may remain ten days, a 

 thin stone or slate being laid upon the bung-hole; 

 after which it may be drawn off carefully into 

 another cask and set as before. If intended for use, 

 as new wine, it will be ready as soon as fermentation 

 shall have ceased, which will be in a month or earlier. 

 It must be observed, this wine could only be made in 

 perfection, when the season had been favourable and 

 the grapes thoroughly ripe, an uncertain contingence 

 in this country. Under that favourable circumstance, 

 I have drank a good, dry English wine, at the age of 

 three to five years. In unfavourable seasons, a good 

 wine, though not equal in richness and quality, may 

 be made from unripe grapes. 



Our modern improvement in wine making, granting 

 the improvement, consists of the addition of water 

 and sugar, and in the more frequent, or rather con- 

 stant, use of alcohol. No doubt, and with respect to 

 the grape particularly, we are enabled to make a 

 vast addition to the quantity of drinkable wine ; yet, 

 adopt whatever method we may, it is utterly impos- 

 sible in this climate to equal the wines imported, in 

 native spirit, body or flavour. As to soil, perhaps the 

 barren parts of the county of Surrey are better 

 adapted to culture of the vine, than any other parts of 

 England ; and if such a national advantage, as a suc- 

 cessful rivalry with the foreign wine countries, could 

 possibly have been achieved, it must have resulted 

 from the judicious management, unwearied persever- 

 ance, and ample funds, applied during the experiment 

 at Painshill, of which so satisfactory a relation was 

 published a few years subsequently, by Sir Edward 

 u 4 



