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oftentimes hinders the fermentation. Thofe covetous 
perfons who are more defirous of the quantity than 
the quality, ufe not thefe precautions ; but on the 
other hand, thofe who would make excellent wines, 
do not put into the fame vat any Grapes but thofe of 
the fame Vine *, but aimoft all the particular perfons 
who have a hundred perches of vineyard in different 
cantons, mingle their Grapes the one with the other, 
becaufe the throng helps' the weak, and the good 
mends that which is worfe, and in a word, that they 
may make the vat the larger. The choice of the J 
cantons from whence the wine is produced, depends 
on the differ nment that the commiffioners ought to 
have, when they tafte the wines they would fend into 
other countries, and that which the Englifh gentle- 
men ought to recommend to their commiffioners who 
furnifh them with wine for their drinking. 
The Grapes, being put into the fermenting vat, throw 
up a great fcum, which by the agitation, make to the 
ears a continual trembling, a little cluttering, and 
fpread abroad fuch a fcent, that is capable of intoxi- 
cating, and perfumes the houffs, and fpreads itfelf all 
over the town. 
They do not let the Grapes lie ftill in the vat, they 
far them and difturb them. The labourers trample 
them brilldy three different times, for the fpace of 
two hours each time. And to give a clear idea of the 
manner of treating the Grapes in the vat, as foon as 
they begin to ferment in the vat, they tread them for 
two hours at theleaft ; fix hours after they tread them 
again for as long time as before * and fix hours after 
that they tread them the third time ; and after that 
they put them into the prefs. 
It muff be obferved, that the Grapes of Volnet, of 
Pomard, and Beaune, being fermented in the vat in 
the field, cannot be let Hand above twelve or eight- 
teen hours there •, thofe of Pomard a little lefs ; thofe 
of Beaune fo long, or a little longer, according to 
the delicatenefs of the ground, and the heat of the 
Grapes •, for there are "vineyards behind the hills of 
Beaune, the Grapes of which do not begin to ferment 
till after they have been eight or ten days in the vat. 
Note farther, That to give a colour to the wine, de- 
pends on the time more or lefs that it is left in the 
vat. As for example* the wines of Volnet have the 
colour of a partridge’s eye. _ This is the caufe they 
do not leave the Grapes of this ground but a very lit- 
tle time in the vat * and if they fiiould let them be 
there but a little longer than they ought, the wine 
would lofe its delicacy, and would tafte of the Grape 
ftones or the ftalks. 
After the Grapes have been, according to their qua- 
lity, more or lefs time in the vat, and have been 
trodden, there fwims over a liquor they call furmou. 
The have calks of fixfcore pots, or half hogffieads of 
fixty pots, ranged upon chantiers, or fallings for 
hogfaeads, into which, by equal portions, they caft 
in & this firft running •, and afterwards they put the 
Grapes that remain on the prefs, when the furmou 
has been drawn off * and when thefe have been well 
preffed, all the liquor that comes from them is equal- 
ly diftributed into thofe pieces where they have al- 
ready put the unpreffed wine : and then they open the 
prefs, and afterward with a planer, they cut the preffi- 
ed mark three or four fingers thicknefs round about, 
and put the parings in the middle, and afterward 
prefs it again * then they cut it again, and prefs it a 
third time ; and all the liquors of thefe different 
preffings are equally diftributed into the tuns till they 
are full. 
Upon which it ought to be obferved, that the un- 
preffed wine is the moft light, delicate, and leaft co-_ 
loured liquor * that which comes off the firft cut of 
the prefs the moft racy, and that which comes from 
the fecond and third cut of the prefs, is more hard, 
red, and green, fo that thefe three forts of qualities 
being united, make a wine much better, more dura- 
ble, °and finer coloured. 
All thefe pieces or tuns being full, they leave the 
bun o - open, and the wine, in a fury, fhakes and agi- 
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tates itfelf in fuch a manner, that it fends all over the 
cellar, fumes that will mtoxicate * and which are in 
fuch motion, that a lighted candle being carried thither 
will be extiftguifhed : and if this wine be put in an 
effay and fhaken a little with the hand, and you flop 
the neck with your thumb, the effay will break in a 
thoufand pieces. 
In Burgundy, that which they call an effay, is a little 
round bottle, in length about three or four inches, 
and about two in circumference, which grows lefs all 
of a fudden at the top, in order to form a little neck 
open, having a little rim to receive the wine and the 
cork. 
The wine having caft its fire and fcum out of the 
cafks, eight days after they fill them up again, and 
ftop them up with a Vine leaf, which they fpread over 
the bung ; and left the vapours of the wine fhould 
move this leaf out of its place, they lay a little ftone 
lipon it to keep it down * becaufe if they fttould put 
upon it a feal, or a bung, the wine not having air, 
would pufh the heads of the calks out. Five or fix 
days after they feal it, and near the bung they bore 
a hole, and ftop the hole which the gimlet has made 
in the tun with a little bit of round-pointed wood, 
which they call a faucet, which they take out from 
time to time to let the fpirits evaporate •, which pre- 
caution prevents the wine from burfting the veffel. 
This is the time when at Beaune are to be feen the 
merchants from all the corners of Europe, who come 
to fecure the belt vats for their kings, princes, and 
mailers. 
The commiffioners and their wine conners prove the 
wines, although they are not yet drinkable. The 
commiffioners are the public managers, to which all 
thofe who would have the wines from Burgundy, ad- 
drefs themfelves either by letters, or in perfon. 
Thefe are the judges, which, time out of mind, 
from father to fon, have certain experience of all the 
vats, who know the climates, doles, and the can- 
tons, from which they are produced, and all the 
good cellars ■. to whom it is fufficient to write for what 
quantity of wine one would have, and of what diftrict 
or canton one would have it ; and, provided they 
have the purchafe money paid in the fpace of the cur- 
rent year, one may be fure to be well ferved. 
Thefe managers, having received all the commiffions 
from private perfons, go to the citizens, and fill their 
effays of the different vats which they find in good 
cellars ; and with the tickets that they tie to the neck 
of every little bottle, or the name of the vat, with the 
quantity of the pieces of wine which they contain, 
they carry them to their houffs, and let them be un- 
ftopped. They examine and attend them carefully, 
and by the different changes, taffe, and colour, they 
fee the future colours and qualities of the wine, that 
are in the tuns from which the effays are taken. They 
alfo make yet another proof with the wine which is 
in the effays * they take glaffes, upon which they 
put a finking paper, which they fpread, and which 
juts out over the glaffes, and prefs their finger to 
make a concavity, which may contain a fourth part 
of a glafs of wine. The liquor paffes by little and 
little, and filters through the paper, and drains drop 
by drop in an imperceptible manner into the glafs 
which receives it. By the fight of the wine which 
paffes thro’ this paper, they make good conjectures, 
founded upon long experience, concerning the defti- 
nated tafte, of the colour, and of the laftingnefs of the 
colour, of the wines they have proved. 
The commiffioners having made their purchafes ac- 
cording to the order which they have received from 
their correfpondents and merchants, they make pre- 
parations to fend them according to their orders and 
as to the price of the purchafe, they cannot deceive 
any perfon without running great rifques, for if they 
fhould make thofe who fend for thefe wines pay more 
for them than they can buy them for in the cellar, 
they would expofe themfelves to hanging by an arret 
of the parliament of Burgundy, who have made a 
law for the afcertaining the fidelity of the commerce 
