WINE MAKING. 447 



bunged up. It will be prudent not to drive 

 the bung tight at first; for if fermentation 

 should not have pretty nearly ceased, gas would 

 accumulate and burst the cask. It must, there- 

 fore, be examined occasionally. There will be 

 some leakage or waste in the casks, and the 

 vacancy caused in this way must be filled up. 



After the first fermentation has ceased, which 

 will not be later than January, the wine must 

 be " racked" off, or separated from the " lees," 

 oT settlings. In doing this the wine should not 

 be exposed to the air, or it will lose a portion 

 of its spirit and aroma by evaporation, if not 

 injured in other respects. The flow of the 

 wine must be stopped as soon as it ceases to 

 run clear. The muddy portion and the lees 

 are put in a separate cask, and generally dis- 

 tilled into brandy. If much sediment settles 

 during the winter, the wine must be racked 

 again before warm weather sets in. 



About the following May or June the second 

 fermentation will begin, and will continue a 

 greater or less length of time, according to the 

 richness of the wine. In our best wines it may 

 be expected to continue a greater part of the 

 summer. The casks during this time will need 

 watching, as the fermentation may in some cases 



