WINE. 



Strong wines, for obvious reafons, feldom become four. 

 When acidity is prefent only in a very flight degree, it may 

 be palliated confiderably by fugar, or by the addition of mud 

 concentrated by boiling. It is obvious, however, that the acid 

 can only be got rid of by neutralizing or deftroying it. For 

 this purpofe, the alkalies and alkaline earths have been era- 

 ployed, but they impart a difagreeable flavour to the wine. 

 Of thefe fubftances, lime is the fafeil and beft. It was for- 

 merly the praftice to employ lead, in fome form or other, 

 for counteradting acidity in wines ; but we truil that this 

 murderous pradlice has been long fince laid afide. Ropi- 

 nefs is another difeafe to which wines are liable. This 

 occurs more particularly in thofe which contain a good deal 

 of extraftive matter. It may be much relieved, and fome- 

 tiraes cured, by expofing the bottles to the fun and air, by 

 agitating and fubfequently uncorking them, by adding a fmall 

 quantity of vegetable acid, and by fining. The laft difeafe 

 we fhall notice is perhaps the moft formidable of any, 

 namely, a mujlinefs, or other ill-flavour communicated by 

 the calk or cork. This appears to be, in general, abfo- 

 lutely incurable, though it may be fometimes diminifhed by 

 agitating the wine in contaft with the air, or by the intro- 

 duAion of common air or carbonic acid by pumping. Such 

 is a fummary account of wine-making from grapes, as 

 praftifed in the co^intries where that delicious fruit comes 

 to perfeftion, and more efpecially in France. (See Birch's 

 Hift. of the Royal Society, vol. i. p. ij6. ) We come now 

 to confider, 



2. The Manuf alluring of Wines from other Fruits, or 



artificial Wines In the above llietch we have endeavoured 



to prefent our readers with a general view of the principles 

 of wine-making, at the fame time that we defcribed the 

 praftice. Thefe principles are equally applicable to the 

 manufafture of wine from all forts of fruit ; we (hall there- 

 fore take the prefent opportunity of briefly recapitulating 

 them here, as they cannot be too ftrongly imprefled upon 

 the memory, and as they at the fame time conftittite the moft 

 appropriate introduftion to the prefent feftion that occurs 

 to us. 



The juice of the grape confifts of a large proportion of 

 water, holding in folution certain proportions al faccharine 

 matter, of the fweel or fermenting principle, which appears to 

 be a modification of the faccharine principle, of -various acids, 

 efpecially the tartaric and malic, and of various ill-defined 

 extraltive matters. Thefe principles, left to themfelves for 

 a (hort time in a medium temperature, foon begin to re-aft 

 upon one another, and fome of them at length undergo re- 

 markable changes. This procefs is termed fermentation, 

 and conftitutes the grand principle of wine-making. When 

 this procefs has begun to fubfide, it will be found that the 

 greater portion of the faccharine principle has difappeared, 

 and that its place is fupplied by a correfponding portion 

 of ardent fpirit or alcohol. This is the moft ftriking feature 

 of the change that has taken place, but all the other prin- 

 ciples of the juice or mujl appear to have undergone like- 

 wife fome change either in quality or quantity. In Ihort, 

 the fweet and crude juice of the grape is found to be con- 

 verted into ivine. 



In this ftate, the nvine is introduced into cafks, where it 

 undergoes further changes, and is matured by a modification 

 of the fermentative procefs, which has been called the infen- 

 Jihle fermentation. This is a moft important Itep in the 

 procefs of wine-making, as by different modes of manage- 

 ment in this ftage almoft the whole of that infinite variety 

 which exifts among wines is produced. Here alfo it is 

 that all foreign fubftances defigned to impart flavour, &c. 

 to wines are in general introduced with the greateft pro- 



priety. When the infenfible fermentation has been carried t<» 

 the point defired, it is checked by the procefles of raciing, ' 

 fulphuring, clarification, &c. ; and thus the v/ine is rendered 

 capable of being preferved at any point or ftate we choofe. 



Let us now apply thefe principles to the manufadture of 

 wines from other fruits. 



We ftart upon the grounds that artificial wines are 

 intended to be imitations of wines prepared from grapes. 

 In tlie firft place, therefore, we have to prepare a 

 juice or muft fimilar to the juice or muft of the grape 

 in its general compofition. Now, no fruit whatever 

 yields a juice precifely fimilar to that of the grape. 

 In our northern climate more efpecially, the faccharine 

 principle, which is the fundamental principle in wine- 

 making, exifts in very minute proportion in moft fruits. . 

 It muft be, therefore, fupplied artificially. The tartaric . 

 acid, or rather tartar, which appears to be another elTential 

 principle in wine-making, is likewife wanting in moft of 

 our fruits. This, therefore, muft be fupplied. On the 

 contrary, other principles, and particularly the malic acid, 

 appear to exift in too large a proportion in moft of our 

 fruits, which, in their natural ftate, are thus better adapted 

 for making cyders than wines. To get rid of the malic acid, 

 and to prevent its deteriorating effefts, as well as the dete- 

 riorating effefts of other foreign principles, is difficult, or 

 perhaps impolllble ; and this will doubtlefs always render arti- 

 ficial wines in general inferior to thofe of the grape, though 

 very near approaches may be made by judicious manage- 

 ment. 



The praftical mode of obviating thefe diiBculties is to 

 dilute the juice of the fruit to fuch a degree, that a given 

 quantity of it when diluted (hall contain no more of the 

 malic acid, for example, than a given quantity of the juice 

 of the grape ; and, as before obferved, to fupply artificially 

 the two grand principles, fugar and tartar, which are wanting. 

 Having thus prepared an artificial muft, as nearly refembling 

 in its compofition that of the grape as pofTible, the appli- 

 cation of the other principles will be obvious, as we have 

 nothing to do but to manage, in general, all the fubfequent 

 proceffes precifely as if we were operating upon the muft of 

 the grape. We (hall now, therefore, defcend from generals 

 to particulars, and, after having made a few remarks upon 

 our native fruits, endeavour to point out the modes in which 

 the more important foreign wines may be beft imitated by 

 them. 



Fancy or caprice has led to the formation of wine from an 

 infinite variety of fubftances, and almoft every good houfe- 

 wife boafts of fome favourite receipt for making wines from 

 what nature never intended for the purpofe. Such com- 

 pounds hardly deferve the name of ivine ; we (hall, therefore, 

 principally confine our attention to fruits. The follow- _ 

 ing are the domeftic fruits moft ufually employed for the '■ 

 purpofe : ■ 



Goofeberry, and three varieties of currant. 

 Strawberry, rafpberry, blackberry, mulberry. 

 Sloe, damfon, elderberry. 

 Qpince, cherry. 

 Britifh grapes. 

 To them may be added the foreign fruits 



Raifins. 



Orange, lemon. 

 The goofeberry and cnrrant are of all others the fruits 

 moft commonly employed for the fabrication of artificial 

 wines ; and, perhaps, upon the whole, they are beft 

 adapted for the purpofe. Wlien ufed in their green ftate, 

 both goofeberry and currant may be made to form light 



brilk 



