WINE-MAKING 227 



bottle is tightly corked, it dissolves in the liquid and 

 accumulates there, though all the while endeavoring 

 to free itself; and that is what makes the cork pop 

 with a sharp report when the string that holds it 

 down is cut; that is what causes the wine to rush 

 foaming out of the bottle ; and, finally, that is what 

 gives the bead to a glass of wine and makes a slight 

 crackling sound as the bubbles burst on the sur- 

 face. 



"Foamy wine has a pungent but agreeable taste 

 owing to the carbonic acid it contains. We drink, 

 dispersed through the liquid, the same gas as would 

 kill us if freely inhaled ; but it has no terrors except 

 when thus inhaled. Mixed with our drinks, it im- 

 parts to them a slightly tart flavor, harmless and 

 even salubrious, since it aids digestion. There is 

 carbonic acid gas in nearly all water that we drink, 

 and it is in fact by reason of this gas that water is 

 able to hold in solution the small proportion of stony 

 matter that contributes toward the formation of 

 our bones. It is to this gas, finally, that effervescent 

 lemonade, cider, beer, and Seltzer water owe their 

 pungency and their foam." 



