WINE AND THE ART OF WINE TASTING. 47 



According to the experiments made by Aubergier, the principle to 

 which wines owe their earthy taste is found neither in the seeds nor in 

 the stems, but in the skins of the grapes. From 15 kilogrammes of 

 pomace he extracted 30 grammes of a volatile oil so acrid and penetrat- 

 ing that a single drop was sufficient to infect 10 litres of the best brandy, f 



This fact supports the opinion of those who see in the prolonged con- 

 tact of the wine with the pomace the cause of the earthy taste. 



Certainly, by improving the soil, by the use of proper fertilizers, by a 

 good defecation of the must, by a prompt removal of the wine from the 

 pomace, by clarification and rackings, the taste under discussion is 

 much diminished, and sometimes completely eliminated. 



TASTE OB* SOIL (Sa di terra, It.; Gout de terre, Fr.). When the wine 

 has that taste of soil or of clay, due to the presence of soil in the must 

 during fermentation. The soil in the must may come from the skins 

 of the grapes, which may easily become covered with it when the 

 bunches lie too close to the ground, or may have become mixed with 

 the grapes accidentally or by carelessness. 



This taste may come, also, from the clay which the peasants sometimes 

 use as cement to close the leaks in tubs, vats, or other utensils. 



TASTE OF BRINE, SALT (Sa di salmastro, di salso, It.; Gout de saumdtre, 

 de sale, Fr.). The wine has sometimes the taste of common or culinary 

 salt. 



This defect is found in wines grown in soil rich in salt, or in localities 

 near the sea. 



COOKED TASTE (Sa di cotto, It.; Gout de cuit, Fr.). If the wine has a 

 taste more or less pronounced of must or caramel, due generally to the 

 action of fire upon the must when the latter has been concentrated 

 carelessly, or by direct heat. 



This taste is caused, also, by an over-maturity of the grapes, as hap- 

 pens in very hot weather, and especially when the grapes are thick- 

 skinned; it may be caused, also, by frozen grapes, or by the freezing of 

 the wine; in the latter case especially when the pieces of ice formed in 

 the wine are not carefully removed. 



RESINOUS TASTE (Sa di resina, It.; Gout de resine, Fr.). This taste 

 is found in wines which have been kept in receptacles made of resinous 

 wood. 



BREAD TASTE (Sa di pane, It.; Gout de pain, Fr.). Some sweet liquor 

 wines have an agreeable taste which reminds one of the odor of fresh 

 bread. 



TASTE OF DRUGS, MEDICINAL TASTE (Sa di droyhe, It.; Gout de drogues, 

 Fr.). A taste due to the addition of some infusion or drug to the wine. 



Regarding the quantity of silica contained in wine, we have the analyses of Boussin- 

 gault, who, in analyzing his wine grown at Smalzberg (Bas Rhin), found 6.096 gr. of 

 silica per 1.870 gr. of ash in a gallon of wine, 5 per cent of the mineral ingredients. 



Grasso, in the ash of four different musts, found the following quantities of silica: 



Petit Bourgogne (not mature) 1.991 per cent. 



Petit Bourgogne (mature) 2.099 per cent. 



Petit Bourgogne (mature, but from a different soil) 1.191 per cent. 



Griin Sylvaner (white, mature) 2.181 per cent. 



In the skins the proportion was greater; in those of the first it was 3.464, and 2.571 in 

 those of the fourth. 



t That a drop of this oil is capable of infecting so large a quantity of brandy is not 

 wonderful, when we reflect on the sensibility of our organism, especially of our sense of 

 smell, which is so susceptible as to surpass the extremely delicate spectroscope. Thus, 

 for example, Valentin has shown that one five hundred thousandth of a milligramme 

 of sulph-hydric acid, or one two millionth of a milligramme of essence of roses, is suf- 

 ficient to make an impression on our olfactory organs. 



