CHAPTER Hi. 



UF THE WINE PRESS. 



The Grecians, before putting the fruit into the wine-proc!ii, iiacd to 

 spread it on a frame and expose it to the sun for ten days ; it was 

 then kept five days in an airy, but shady place, to ripen it and make it 

 svveeter, say their writers. The operation is in practice to tliis day iu 

 several isles of the Archipelago, and also in Spain, especially near St . 

 Lucar ; in parts of Italy, for instance Calabria, and in sonie of cm- 

 North-eastern departments. 



The crushing of the grape assists fermentation. It is generally 

 attended to as the vintage arrives from the vineyard. What is mostly 

 used for this purpose are square boxes open at top and pierced at bot- 

 tom with holes, into which a workman gets, who is shod for the pur- 

 pose with large wooden clogs or stout shoes. He treads and stamps 

 as fast as he is able. The expressed juice runs into the vat below 

 ajid when all the berries are mashed, he either throws the murk into 

 the vat, or on one side, according as the murk is to be fermented witli 

 the must or not ; and then recommences his tramping. 



In other places they press the grapes in troughs, which is more 

 suitable ; or they wait for the vat to be sufficiently full and then send 

 into it two or three men, naked, who tread the grapes with their feet, 

 aud squeeze with their hands those that swim. These methods are 

 dangerous for those who tread, and are also imperfect, as much of 

 the fruit remains entire ; the fermentation must be carried to the point 

 of bursting these berries, which delays the general fermentation and 

 is contrary to the principle that it should proceed uniformly. 



To remedy these inconveniencies, Farmentier recommends the 

 mode in use in the Vine-grounds of Champagne ; — to select the bunch- 

 es that are entirely ripe ; to transport them carefully to the press, 

 and arrange them without bruising on the press, and then to lower the 

 screw. But this method is tardy, and when the grape has a hard 

 skin, opposes too great a resistance. De Bournissac and Gay of 

 Montpellier (see Bulletin de Pharmacie, torn. IV. p. 411 and 558) 

 have invented a press that is much too expensive ; a cabinet maker 

 of Castres, one Guerirt, has invented oiie much eimnler, which is 

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