ON SPANISH WINE. 



59 



Others we saw in all directions, I thought it was easy to 

 account for the scuddiness which so generally attacks 

 Sherry wines. Cassabon's overseer, however, afterwards 

 showed us, that however broken or rotten in appearance, 

 the grapes were by no means in reality decayed. This 

 shook my faith in scuddiness being the result, of the 

 employment of decayed grapes. On the whole, I think 

 if a more perfect fermentation were effected in the first 

 instance, little scuddiness would ever afterwards be found 

 in the wine, I think you will find in Chaptal, that the 

 graisse^ which I take to be the same thing, most fre- 

 quently shows itself in wines which have undergone little 

 fermentation ; that is, where, in order to preserve the 

 bouquet, the fermentation is stopped. He says elsewhere 

 also, that it had been usual at Orleans to ferment the 

 must with stalks and skins and all. At one time, 

 however, they thought of relieving their wine of a degree 

 of harshness, by not suffering the stalks to be fermented, 

 but it was found that the wine was much more subject to 

 graisse, and they returned to their old practice. He says, 

 that in various parts of France they deprive the grapes, 

 i. e. the must, more or less of the stalks, according as the 

 season has been favourable or otherwise for maturing the 

 grapes. In a very fine season they leave all the stalks, 

 considering it necessary to produce a perfect fermentation. 

 In no part of Spain, as far as I can find, do they ferment 

 even the skins of the grapes*. Were I concerned in the 

 business, I should certainly attach much importance to, 

 and expect important results from, a trial of the system of 

 large vats, and the fermentation of the skins, in order at 

 once to effect a thorough fermentation. In most cases I 



* The red wines of Catalonia, and of otlier provinces which produce red 

 ^vine, are of course an exception to this observation, as it is necessary to fer- 

 ment the skins in order to give the wine a colour. 



