A YINOUS SMELL. 307, 



compound has an oily consistence, and a pleasant fruity 

 smell. If we have no right to assume that it is 

 present in wine, we are at least certain that wines 

 containing malic ether will furnish fumaric ether to 

 the alcohol distilled from them. 



Margaric ether, C 3 * H 33 O 3 + O H 5 0. Eowney 

 found margaric acid in fusel oil, and we may therefore 

 presume that margaric ether will exist in wine. But 

 this substance is a solid colourless substance and can 

 add nothing either to the smell or taste of the wine.* 

 Margaric acid was found by Grlassford in the fusel oil 

 of Scotch whiskey, and by Kolbe in moutwyn. 



These are the substances whose presence in wine 

 may be assumed, or which have been obtained either 

 from the wine itself, or from the products of distilla- 

 tion. Time will perhaps discover more, but the odori- 

 ferous substances already mentioned are sufficient to 

 account for the immense variety of bouquet ; since 

 one, and now another, aromatic substance is found in 

 wine, and sometimes two, three, or even more in 

 different variable proportions. 



How now are the above-named substances formed 

 in wine ? 



In order to understand this clearly, we must first 

 study the formation of ether, a compound of oxide 

 of ethyl with an acid, it is indifferent what kind of 

 ether is produced, if it be readily decomposed by the 

 action of other acids. 



* Liebig's Ann. Bd. 54, s. 104 ; Bd. 41, s. 53 (Kolbe). 



