98 KINDS OF WINES. MANUFACTURE OF WINE. [chap. v. 



one-third may be considered of the finest quality, one-third of 

 a medium quality, and one-third as low wine. The first cost 

 of the wine at the press (before fermentation) has this year 

 been from £'2 10s. to £12 10s. per pipe. 



KINDS OF WINES. 



The names of the different kinds of wine produced in 

 Madeira are — Malvazia, Sercial, Tinta, Boal, Verdelho, 

 Bastardo, Negrinho, and Maroto, all made from grapes 

 bearing those names. The three last are seldom seen, and 

 the Negrinho and Maroto are a bad species of grape, always 

 used in the manufacture of vinho verde, or refuse wine. The 

 wine called Madeira is made principally from the Verdelho 

 grape, with an admixture of Tinta and Boal : the first gives it 

 body, the two latter flavour. The ordinary Bastardo is a black 

 grape, which yields a light-coloured wine; the Bastardo hranco 

 is rare. The Tinta, or, as it is sometimes called, Negra molle, 

 gives a dark colour to new wines. When it is made into wine 

 by itself, the husk is separated from the stalk and fermented 

 with the juice of the grape, otherwise the Tinta wine would be 

 wanting in the peculiarities of colour and flavour which dis- 

 tinguish it. 



MANUFACTURE OF WINE. 



To make fine wine it is essential that the grapes should be 

 fully ripe. The ripeness is judged of by the softness of the 

 bunches, which lose their rigidity when the sap ceases to 

 enter them. All unripe grapes, and those of inferior 

 sorts, must be carefully picked out and put aside for the 

 vinho verde. When the wine press is full the grapes are 

 trodden, and then pressed under the beam of the lagdr*. 



* Wine press. 



