32 CULTIVATION 



FERMENTATION 



Is a process of much importance in wine making, 

 and requires care and good judgment. 



Buchanan in his able work on the grape, 1853, 

 describes the process at Cincinnati as follows. 



"The casks are filled within five or six inches of 



the bung, and the bung put on loosely, the gas 



escapes without the wine running over; usually in 



two or three weeks the fermentation ceases, and 



the wine becomes clear; then fill up the casks and 



tighten the bungs. In February or March rack off 



the wine into clean casks and bung tight. A 



second but moderate fermentation will take place 



late in the spring ; after that the wine fines itself, 



and is ready for sale ; and if the casks are kept well 



filled and tight, it will improve for many years. 



Use no brandy or su^ar if the grapes are sound 



(C..a„ba papas.) Ince the .bo/e was w,it.ea, 



an improvement has been adopted by many in 



fermentation. When the must or juice is first put 



into the cask, and the cask filled within an eighth 



or tenth of its capacity (to leave room for fermenta- 



tion,) a tin siphon is fitted tight into the bung> 



with the other end of the tube in a bucket of water, 



thus permitting the gas to escape through the water 



without the wine coming in contact with the air ; 



some of the strength and fruity aroma are thus 



retained, which would otherwise escape by exposure 



in the methods formerly pursued. The safest way 



of keeping this wine is in bottles well corked and 



