WINE. 



pofuive evH, and hence have alrtved at a conclufion diame- of ardent fpirit, either diluted with water, or in any otlier 



tritally oppoCte to the former. It is difficult to decide be- way. Some have concluded from this circumftance that the 



tween thefe opinions. We confefs, however, that we do above experiments are not to be relied upon ; but from the 



not think it neceflary, on the one hand, to have recourfe to manner in which they were condufted there is no reafon to 



the fuppoution of an inftinftive faculty to account for doubt their general accuracy ; the faft therefore remains to 



wine-drinking ; ncr, on the other, do we believe that the be explained. The moft probable explanation is, that the 



moderate ufe 'of natural wines is produftive of any bad alcohol in the wine is in forne ftate of combination, which 



effefts. The propenfity for ftrong drinks feems explicable prevents its immediate aSion upon the ftomach, and thus 



upon the general principle that all animals feel a pleafure in renders it liable to be digefted or altered in its properties be- 



Itving fqfltr, or, as it were, crowding a greater portion of fore it can exert its fpecific effeds. The peculiar nature, 



exiilence into a ftiorter fpace than natural ; an effedl in fome however, of this ftate of combination is at prefent unknown, 



detrree produced by the exciting eftefts of fuch liquors. What renders this opinion the more probable is, that fome 



As to the bad effefts too frequently produced by fermented bad wines, and efpecially domcilic wines, which are often 



liquors, they may, in almoft every inftance, be fairly traced little better than mere mixtures of brandy and water, exert 

 to the badncfs of their quality, or to an excefs in quantity. 

 While, however, we do not objcft to the moderate ufe of 



what providence has fo liberally bellowed upon us, no one 

 can objeft more ftrongly than ourfelves to its abufe. The 

 melancholy effefts of habitual intoxication are too well 

 known to requ?k-e particular defcription here. Severely do 

 the viftims of this degrading propenfity fuffer in mind, 

 body, and fortune; nor are their fufferings confined tothem- 

 felves, but entailed upon their ill-fated pofterity. For 

 proofs of thefe pofitions, we refer our readers to the articles 

 Gout, Calculus, Apoplexy, Epilepsy, Insanity, &c. 

 &c. in this work, where they will find thefe and other dif- 

 eafes juftly ranked among the moft painful and diftreffing to 

 which humanity is liable, frequently afcribed to habitual in- 

 temperance as their caufe. 



But putting out of the queftion thefe effefts of drunken- 

 nefs, what a horrible pifture of moral depravity does it pre- 

 fent for a man to fit down deliberately, day after day, with 

 the profeffed objeft of annihilating his intelleftual faculties, 

 and thus degrading himfelf below the vileft of the brute 

 creation ! And even fuppofing he has arrived at the en- 

 viable point of being able to fwallow two or three bottles 

 without lofing his fenfes, and that this quantity has becom.e ne- 

 ceflary to his comfort, nay even perhaps to his very exittence, 

 to what a wretched ftate of dependence has he reduced his 

 bloated carcafe ; what a tax is fuch a being upon fociety, 

 who, to prolong a loathfome exiftence, is obliged to confume 

 daily in an unneceftary fuperfluity more than is fufficient to 

 fupport a whole family for a week ! See Drunkenness. 

 With refpeft to the operation of different wines upon the 

 animal economy, they vary exceedingly according to their 

 properties. New wines in general are unwholefomc, and 

 often prove purgative. Sweet wines are upon the whole 

 perhaps the moil wholefome, and, where the tafte has not 

 been previoufly vitiated, doubtlefs the moft agreeable. 

 Weak and acid wines are very apt to difagree with the fto- 

 mach, efpecially when that organ has been accuftomed to 

 ftronger wines. Hence an occafional debauch with fuch 

 wines is notorious for inducing a fit of the gout, efpecially 

 in this country, where the ufual wines are immoderately 

 ftrong. The fame is true alfo, though perhaps in a fome- 

 what lefs degree, with the effervefcing wines. Red wines, 

 in general, are of a more aftringent and tonic nature than 

 white wines, and commonly contain more fpirit. There are, 

 however, many exceptions to this ride. 



It will be feen by confulting the above table, that port, 

 Madeira, and ftierry, the three wines in moft common ufe in 

 this country, contain from one-fourth to one-fifth of their 

 bulk of alcohol. A perfon, therefore, who takes his 

 bottle of wine every day, will thus take nearly half a pint of 

 alcohol, or almoft a pint of pure brandy i This at firft 

 ilght will appear ahnoft incredible, efpecially as the fame 

 perfon would not perhaps be able to take a fimilar quantity 



much more effeft upon the animal economy than fine old 

 wines, though they may not contain nearly fo much 

 fpirit. 



With refpeft to the medicinal ufes of fermented liquors, 

 when cordials are required, wines are by far the moft effi- 

 cient of the whole tribe, and of thefe port wine is perhaps 

 the beft. For full information on this head, we refer our 

 readers to the articles Fever, Gangrene, and Analogous 

 Difeafes o/"Debility. See Chaptal's excellent Eflay on the 

 Manufafture of Wines, Annates de Chimie, vol. xxxvi. 

 and xxxvii. Dr. Macculloch's Effay on Wine-making. 

 Mr. Brande's Eflays in Phil. Tranf. for 1811 and 1813, 

 &c. 



For the diftillation of wines, fee Distillation. 

 Wine being a liquor moftly of foreign produce, the dif- 

 ferent names, forms, kinds, diftiniStions, &c. of it are bor- 

 rowed from the countries where it is produced, particularly 

 France. 



Wine, in France, is diftinguiftied, from the feveral de- 

 grees and fteps of its preparation, into 



Merre-goutte, mother-drop ; which is the virgin wine, or 

 that which runs of itfelf out of a tap of the vat, in which 

 the grapes are laid, before the vintager enters to tread, or 

 ftamp, the grapes. 



Alujl, furmujl, or Jlum, is the wine, or liquor, in the vat, 

 after the grapes have been trodden, or Itamped. 



PreJJed Wine, Fin tie Prejfurage, is that fqueezed with 

 a prefs out of the grapes, when half-bruifed by the treading. 

 The imflis left of the grapes are called rape, murk, or 

 marc ; by throwing water upon which, and prefrmg them 

 afrefti, they make a liquor for fervants' ufe, anfwerable to 

 our cyder-kin, and called hoijfun ; which is alfo of fome 

 ufe in medicine, for the cure of diforders occafioned by 

 vifcid humours. 



S'weet Wine, Vin doux, is that which has not yet worked, 

 or fermented. This is turbid, and has an agreeable and 

 very faccharine taile. It is very laxative, when drunk too 

 freely, or by perfons difpofed to diarrhoeas, it is apt to oc- 

 cafion thefe diforders. Itsconfiftence is fomewhat lefs fluid 

 than that of water, and it becomes almoft of a pitchy 

 thicknefs when dried. 



Bouru, that which has been prevented working, by caft- 

 ing in cold water. 



Cwve, or luorked wine, that which has been let work in 

 the vat, to give it a colour. 



Cuit, or boiled ivine, that which has had a boiling before 

 it worked ; and which, by thefe means, ftill retains its native 

 fweetnefs. 



PaJJe, or Jlrained wine, a fort of raifin-wine, made by 

 ileeping dry grapes in water, and letting it ferment of 

 itfelf. 



Wines are alfo diftinguiftied with regard to their colour, 

 into white wine, red •wine, claret wine, pale wine, rofe or 



black 



