Wine-making. 



GRAPE MANUAL. 



Wine-making. 65- 



tions in wine-making. The object thereby aimed at 

 is not merely to separate the young wine from its sedi- 

 ment, the dregs or lees, but to bring it in contact with 

 the atmospheric air while in older wines such contact 

 must be carefully avoided. In drawing off the young 

 wine we use a vulcanized rubber hose, one end of 

 which is placed in the wine, so as not to touch the bot- 

 tom of the cask,' and from the other end the air is 

 drawn, by the mouth, until the wine flows through it 

 into wooden pails or tubs below. By a mere pressure 

 of the two fingers the hose is closed and the flow stop- 

 ped at will ; the clear wine is filled into fresh casks by 

 the aid of the wooden funnel, heretofore mentioned 

 among the necessary tools. Rotary pumps, specially 

 made for wine, are now generally used for drawing off 

 older wines ; but, as long as the wine is not quite and 

 permanently clear, contact with the air during the 

 drawing-off process is necessary. Permanent clearness, 

 however, is often reached only after the wine has 

 passed six or more times through this process. 



This slow process of clearing or finishing the wines 

 is accelerated by fining (with isinglass, gelatine, eggs, 

 &c.), by filtering, by aerating, by heating (Pasteuriz- 

 ing), and other artificial methods, which require spe- 

 cial skill and apparatus, and which belong more to the 

 manipulations of the wine-dealer's cellar than to those 

 of the producer. 



BED WINES 



differ from white wines not merely in color, derived 

 from the black or dark blue grape-skins, but these 

 also contain other valuable ingredients, especially 

 more tanin, which gives to red wines a peculiar char- 

 acter and important hygienic qualities. 



The red-wine grapes need not be crushed as soon 

 after picking as the white-wine grapes. Many author- 

 ities recommend that their stems be first removed, as 

 these contain and impart more acidity than is desira- 

 ble in red wines. The grapes are usually fermented 

 from one to two weeks in upright, firmly closed fer- 

 menting vats, in which a perforated double or false 

 bottom is placed, at about one-fourth the space from 

 the top. This false bottom is to prevent the rising of 

 the husks to the top of the liquid, as they would do in a 

 fermenting tub without such double bottom, when they 

 would have to be pushed down into the liquid several 

 times each day, to prevent the formation of acetic acid 

 in those husks, and to extract from them all the color 

 and other valuable substances. The vat is, of course, 

 first filled with the crushed grapes, then the double 

 bottom is put in, so that it will be covered by about 

 three inches of pure juice, which may be drawn off by 

 the opening or faucet below, and poured in again after 

 the double bottom is placed over the grape-mash. 

 The fermenting bung or funnel is used the same as in 

 white wines, to exclude the air and permit the escape 

 of the carbonic acid gas. In various wine countries 

 somewhat different methods are in use, but in all and 

 every one of them success depends on a rapid, com- 

 plete and uninterrupted fermentation, and this de- 

 pends on the temperature of the fermenting room, 

 which should be kept at about 75 P. (18-20 R.) by 

 artificial heating if necessary. 



The further treatment of red wines is entirely the 

 same as that of white wines, and red wines are gener- 

 ally much sooner ripe and finished if at first well fer- 



mented ; but if this has not been well done, its after 

 fermentation and cure will be the more difficult ; such 

 red wines will receive a disagreeable sweetish-sour 

 taste, and all the fining will sooner be harmful than 

 beneficial. 



All wine-books contain more or less voluninous in- 

 structions upon various methods of improving the 

 must which is to be made from sour grapes, gathered 

 during unfavorable seasons, and of curing wines 

 which have suffered -either from defective fermenta- 

 tion, or through errors and neglects in their treatment. 



We do not pretend to condemn all these meth- 

 ods, as many others do ; but while we consider it 

 justifiable that the producer endeavor to improve his 

 wine by an addition of pure sugar to the must, if it has 

 been insufficiently developed in the grape, or to add a 

 little pure spirits to the wine, to make it more dura 

 ble ; and while we cannot see anything reprehensible 

 in the fact that wine-producers will try to extract from 

 the pressed husk the large portion of wine-making 

 properties which they still contain, to make a very 

 good, wholesome and cheap domestic wine, especi- 

 ally as the revenue laws make their distillation im- 

 practicable, we do condemn the use of any and all 

 foreign deleterious substances, and of all others, so- 

 called, cellar mysteries. We would also warn the inex- 

 perienced against the use of any and all other attempts 

 to improve or to add anything to their wine, as these 

 manipulations require scientific accuracy and practical 

 skill, otherwise the result will surely be NO imrovement, 

 aye, will most likely prove ruinous. Moreover, the 

 knowledge of the chemistry of wine is as yet very im- 

 perfect. Quite lately Adolph Reihlen, of Stuttgart, 

 invented a process which upsets former scientific 

 doctrines. He demonstrated that the fermenting 

 properties exist exclusively in the grape-skins, and 

 that old wines can be readily brought to a new fer- 

 mentation and restored by the use of clean and pure 

 grape-skins and by the action of heat, applied to 

 the wine. But his method is patented, and, there- 

 fore, cannot here be described. Neither is the 

 manufacture of sweet wines, cordials or liqueurs, nor 

 that of sparkling wines, within the scope of this brief 

 manual. 



A natural wine, the pure juice of the grape, pro- 

 perly fermented and educated, will always be superior 

 to any artificially improved wine, and the only neces- 

 sary conditions to obtain such superior natural wine 

 are: 



1. Good ripe grapes. 



2. Clean vessels and utensils. 



3. A proper, uninterruped high temperature dur- 



ing fermentation. 



4. Drawing off, as herein described, in December 



or January. 



5. Drawing off again in March or April. 



6. Drawing off after second fermentation. 



7. Keeping the casks full, by refilling from time to 



time with good similar wine. 



If these essential conditions are strictly complied 

 with and they are neither many nor very difficult 

 wine making will be a success. 



