CHAPTER VIII. 



THE AMOUNT OF ALCOHOL IN WINE. 



WINE obtains its distinctive characteristics in the 

 first instance from the alcohol, which exists in every 

 kind of wine. The alcohol is the product of the fer- 

 mentation of the sugar in the grape juice, that is, of 

 grape and fruit sugar. The quantity of alcohol pro- 

 duced in the wine must always be in exact proportion 

 to the quantity of sugar contained in the grapes. The 

 sweet flavour of the grapes is not a test, for the 

 genuine flavour may be masked by a large quantity of 

 acid cream of tartar, so that grapes containing a great 

 deal of saccharine matter need not necessarily be dis- 

 tinguished by their peculiarly sweet taste. 



Eut the amount of alcohol in wine is not entirely 

 determined by the amount of sugar in the grapes. 

 Ferment is necessary in order to convert sugar into 

 alcohol, a certain proportion of ferment to a fixed 

 amount of sugar. The ferment is engendered out of 

 the albuminous matters which exist in the grape juice, 

 and upon these, therefore, the quantity of alcohol 

 partially depends. 



Three cases may here be considered, 



