been fhut up for fome time •, becaufe the air of this 
vault will become rancid from the mixture of gene- 
rated air proceeding from the Wines, which has of- 
ten killed people who have incautioufly entered them. 
Of the concentration of Wines * and other fermented liquors ,> 
fo as to reduce them in hulk , render them more unal- 
terable and perfect , more durable , and fit for fervice > 
carriage , and exportation , Dr. Stahl ; tr (inflated by 
Dr. Shaw. 
Dr. Stahl treats this fubject to the purpofe following : 
1. He obferves, that Wines, and all fermented li- 
quors, both before and after fermentation, confift not 
of fimilar parts, but heterogeneous ones connedted to- 
gether in one certain determinate order. Thus the 
action and effence of fermentation being a feparation 
and deftrudtion of the former connexion of the fub- 
je£t, and tranfpofing its parts anew, there mu ft of ne- 
cefiity have been a kind of free and durable texture 
in the fubjedfo disjoined, feparated, and new ranged. 
2. For example ; Grapes, being laid upon dry ftraw 
in a cold place, will, for fome time after they are fe- 
parated from the Vine, preferve that texture which 
gives them their faline, undtuous, and flimy fweetnefs, 
which the juice alfo retains after preffing, and becomes 
a clear tranfparent muft, without feparating itfelf into 
the heterogeneous parts, but continuing uniformly and 
evenly mixed, fo as to preferve the different matters 
it confifts of, intimately colledled among themfelves. 
And in this firmly connected ftate it may be kept for 
many months, if a cafk be perfectly filled therewith, 
and let in a cold place, as is evidently feen in Hum, 
3. Wine, in the precife, chemical, or philofophical 
notion thereof, is a faline, clammy, oleaginous matter, 
diluted with a large proportion of water, whereby it 
is fet at a diftance from itfelf, or expanded ; whilft the 
laline parts are faturated with, and interfperfed among 
the fubtile earthy ones, that make the fliminefs ; and 
then together they imbibe, detain, entangle, and hold 
the groffer oily parts •, befides which, there are other 
oily parts, vaftly more fubtile, that, by means of the 
highly attenuated portion adhering to them, remain 
as much connedled with the water as the reft, and 
thefe are what we call fpirituous parts •, but the con- 
nexion of them all together is fo ftrong and durable, 
that they move for a long time as one body, without 
feparating, if carefully preferved. 
4. But if the fpirituous part be once drawn away, and 
feparated from the Wine by diftillation, tho’ it were 
immediately poured back, or reftored to the remain- 
ing mals from whence it came, and ever fo finely 
fhaken in again therewith, the whole by no means re- 
covers its former tafte, odour, and durability, but turns 
to a confufed turbid mixture of a different naufeous 
tafte, unnatural fmell, and approaches near to a va- 
pidity. 
5. Again ; if an inflammable fpirit, diftilled from 
the fame, or any other kind of Wine, be put to a par- 
cel of Wine that v/as too faline, or not fufficiently fpi- 
rituous, the bare addition, or tumultuary admixture 
thereof, very far from giving the fine and intimate 
foftnefs of a good Wine, will rather manifeft its own 
burning acrimony, and inodorous flavour, to the fmell 
and tafte •, and alfo add a naufeous bitternds to the 
former tartnefs and aufterity. 
6. So likewife any conflderable heat, or even a degree 
of fimmering or tepidity, will, by its inteftine and 
fubtile agitation, that barely difturbs the exceeding 
fine fpirituous parts, which are very fufceptible of the 
motion of heat, or disjoins them from the reft, oc- 
cafioning an alteration of its tafte, tranfparency, and 
durability, as much as if the fpirit had really been 
drawn off, and poured back again. 
y„ On the other hand, Wine kept in a cool vault, 
well fecured from the external air will preferve its tex- 
ture entire in all the conftituent parts, and be fuffi- 
ciently ftrong for many years •, as appears not only 
from old Wines, but other foreign fermented liquors, 
particularly thole of China, prepared from a decoftion 
W I M 
of Rifife; which, being well clofedMown, and buried 
deep under ground, continue for a long feries of years 
rich, ftrong, and generous, as the hiftories of that 
country univerfally allure us. 
ffi The like is alfo to be underftood of vinegar, after 
it has thrown off the fuperabundant earthy parts, and 
many of the oily ones that prefided while i’t continued 
Wine whence the faline ones now get the alcendant, 
and, as it were, ftibdue and prefide over the fpirituous ; 
for good and perfedt vinegar, being well Hopped 
down, will continue pure and unaltered for a great 
length of time. 
9. But if it be left open, fo that its fine vapour ex- 
hales, or its more fubtile part be drawn off from it, 
and again poured back ; in either cafe its loles its uni- 
form confiftence, and particularly its durability, and 
now diredtly hurries into vapidity and corruption. 
10. If, either by fraud or accident, a larger propor- 
tion of water comes to be mixed with Wine, than is 
abfolutely proper for its confidence, and no way ne~ 
cefiary or effential ; this fuperfiuous water does not 
only deprave the tafte, and fpoil the excellence of the 
Wine, but alfo renders it Id's durable ; for humidity 
in general, and much more a fuperfiuous aqueous hu- 
midity, is the primary and reftlefs inftrument of all 
the changes by fermentation. 
11. It may therefore, doutblefs, be ufeful, and fome- 
times very convenient to take away this fuperfiuous 
water from the other part, which ftricftly and properly 
conftitutes the Wine ; but for the method that this 
may commodioufly be done, he firft examines thofe 
propofed by others for that purpofe, and ffiews the 
difficulties and inlufficiencies, and afterwards propofes 
an eafy way of effecting the thing. 
The method of condenfing Wines by heat or evaporation. 
1 . It will be found, by any perfon who ffiall make the 
experiment, that all fermented liquors labour with an 
over-proportion of water ; and that, if a very confi- 
derable quantity of it were taken away, they would 
become not only more rich, but alfo more durable, 
provided fo much humidity were ftill retained as is juft 
neceflary to preferve the vinous confiftence, keep the 
faline part fluid, and the flimy uneftuous parts mixed 
in, and expanded along with the reft. 
2. But as an adlual and truly faline matter abounds in 
Wine and vinegar, and that of an acid, auftere, or 
tartareous kind, when the fpirituous part is drawn 
away, the Wine becomes furprifingly more auftere 5 
and when a large quantity of the watery part is fepa- 
rated, this fuperabundant, faline, tartareous matter 
coagulates into a cryftalline form, and falls to the bot- 
tom, or ftrikes to the fides of the cafk ; for the fub- 
tile oily matter, which makes the fpirituous part in 
Wine, blunts and takes off from a tartareous acidity, 
in the fame manner as the addition of reftified fpirits 
of Wine blunts, ffieaths, and dulcifies, the corrofive 
and acid fpirits of nitre, fait, and vitriol. 
3. But this tartareous fait alfo abounding with an 
over-proportion of a grofs un&uous matter, cannot be 
diffolved or diluted without a very large proportion 
of water ; which being taken away, it prefently con- 
cretes into dry folid cryftals, as is the known cafe of 
cremor tartar. 
And hence proceeds the effeft before obferved, viz. 
that the acidity and roughnefs of the Wine manifeft 
themfelves the more, when the Wine is deprived of 
its fpirit. 
And this is an experiment familiar in the kitchen, 
when Wine is burnt or ufed in fauce ; for boiling al- 
ways gives it a much greater degree of aufterity. 
4. And when this water is, even by diftillation, plen- 
tifully drawn off from Wine, not of a terreftrial and 
chalky, but of a tartareous nature, a beautiful tar- 
tar will be found to cryftallize among the remaining 
mafs, and deftroying thofe properties thereof, which 
ought to be preferved. 
5. For, firft, the fpirituous part is the life of the Wine, 
and all fermented liquors ; and not only keeps thern 
together, 
