W I N 
We condenfed, in our method, a gallon and a half of 
poor, 'weak, auftere, and acid Wine, to about a 
quart, in the winter of the year 1696, and put it in- 
to a glafs bottle, whereof a third part remained empty, 
and flopped it only with a hard wreath of paper •, and 
thus it flood for the fpace of two years in my bed- 
chamber, where, during the fummer, when the wea- 
ther was fair, the windows were open all day long ; 
and where alfo, in the winter, other aqueous liquors 
froze. During this time, it was often opened, and 
fome of it poured out, both to tafte, and otherwile to 
ufe •, and yet all this time it neither grew mouldy nor 
four, nor iuffered any feparation of parts ; only de- 
pofited a ifnall quantity of tartar, but retained its ori- 
ginal confidence and tafte entire ; except fome fmall 
change in both for the better. 
In the fame manner we concentrated a fomewhat bet- 
ter kind of Wine to a little more than a fourth part ; 
but the bulk of this did not keep fo well as the former, 
as having many more tafters, than the auftere and 
difagreeable fort. 
When it was by degrees tailed away to half a pint, I 
put the remainder into a glafs, and tied it over with 
a piece of bladder ; then fet it in the fame place, 
near the former, but could not prevent its being lip- 
ped away by degrees, till only about three ounces 
were left. 
This fmall quantity flood all the fummer, barely co- 
vered with a loofe bladder, without alteration, or 
growing in the leaft mouldy or acid, and long after re- 
tained its moft grateful tafte, and quick fmell ; only 
the latter was fomewhat weakened thro’ the bottle’s 
remaining untied down ; and that under this incon- 
venience it ftiould continue fo perfect and entire is 
furprifmg. 
I had in the winter of the year before, condenfed a 
very fmall quantity of the fame fort of Wine to half 
an ounce, and put it into an ounce phial, which re- 
mained lightly tied down all the next year in my ordi- 
nary ftove room, where it kept without corrupting, till 
after the end of the winter ; when by the unequal, and 
fometimes violent heating of the room, it became va- 
pid and mouldy. 
A parcel of vinegar concentrated after the fame man- 
ner in the winter 1694, and by that means brought 
to a corrofive degree of fharpnefs, which rendered it 
unfit for the table, flood in the fame room with the 
concentrated Wines, for three whole fummers and 
winters, without any manner of tendency to corrup- 
tion, or the fmalleft figns either ofmouldinefs or ro- 
pinefs. , 
Thele examples and experiments fufficientlyffiew, that 
liquors thus concentrated, may for a long time be kept 
in a ftate of perfetftion with little care. 
But there are fome particular changes of Wines and 
vinegars, thus concentrated, that happen in procefs 
of time. 
1. Wines upon being thus concentrated, feem to ac- 
quire a more auftere tafte, than they had originally ; 
and no wonder, as the concentration brings their fa- 
line and rough matter into a third or fourth of its 
original compafs •, fo that this is no new addition or 
increafe of the rough tafte, but perhaps fome degree 
of mitigation thereof, in regard to the clofenefs 
whereto this rough matter is brought ; which, of it- 
felf, ought rather to multiply the effetft in a greater 
proportion. 
The change may be conceived owing to this, that all 
Wines are obferved to grow mild and foft by long 
lying; which effed is greatly promoted in them by a 
fucceffive feparation of their tartar, and a gentle eva- 
poration of fome part of their water ; o'ccafionino- that 
neceffity we find of frequently filling up the calks in 
the fummer months ; but in our concentrated Wine, 
though fome tartar be fucceffively feparated, yet there 
is found no concurrent evaporation ; for the concen- 
trated Wine grows foft and mellow in a well-ftopped 
glafs, where no fenfible diminution of the quantity is 
perceived. 
But the effed proceeds principally upon a defer com- 
bination of the grofferwith the fpirituous parr, which 
now wanting water, fucceffively throws off the groffer 
tartar from the reft of the mixture. 
But befides this, there fee ms to be another remarka- 
ble change incident to our concentrated Wines, not 
only in the tafte, but abundantly in the fmell ; for 
although that very auftere Wine above-mentioned had 
a much milder tafte the third year than the lecond, 
yet its fpecific odour perfedly refembled that of lack 
or Canary, foas to be miftakenfor it, from the fmell 
alone, by good judges, who were acquainted with the 
original flavour of the Wine, from whence it was con- 
centrated. 
Nor is this change of odour peculiar to Wine alone ; 
but concentrated vinegar participates fomewhat of it, 
and was obferved for fome time to lofe it, in great 
meafure, upon being left long- flopped only with pa- 
per, and the bottle often poured out. 
And therefore as it is plain, that Wines, and all other 
fermented liquors, become much more durable by 
concentration ; and yet this durability is here Confirm- 
ed and proved from fmall and inconfiderable quanti- 
ties, wherein they always retain their goodnefs ; it is 
obvious, that if the operation were performed in large, 
a great bulk of the liquor thus concentrated would be 
ftiil immenfely Ids fubjed to alteration from the air 
and heat, which are the two great incentives to fer- 
mentative motion ; and that if fuch fmall parcels fuf- 
fered no change for the worfe, much lefs would the 
larger. 
But as thefe concentrated liquors, by reafon of their 
confiderable proportion of faline and fine fpirituous 
parts, have a lefs tendency to diffolution and corrup- 
tion ; fo, on the contrary, the aqueous part, fepa- 
rated from them, has a very ftrong tendency there- 
to ; for as it takes from the Wine, and carries off 
with it a little of the mucilaginous and unduous 
part, and yet is almoft wholly a mere moveable fluid 
water, that is, the moft adive inftrument of fermen- 
tative motion, it cannot but prefently fall into cor- 
ruption. 
This bufmefs of congelation is not only applicable to 
immediate profit, but alfo paves the way to certain 
matters of curiofity, and fhews one particular, which, 
though not new, but anciently common and familiar, 
has yet grown ftrangely into difufe through the indo- 
lence of mankind. , 
As to the point of immediate ufe, it needs no expla- 
nation ; for he muft be very dull indeed, who does 
not immediately perceive, that Wines, &c. by this 
method may be reduced to any degree of vinofiry, 
ftrength, or perfetftion. 
Thus, for example : If a Wine of a moderate ftrength 
have a third part of its water taken away, in the form 
of ice, by congelation, the remaining part will there- 
by be doubled in ftrength and goodnefs ; for if in the 
better forts of Wines we allow, as we may, one third 
part to be good, or truly vinous, and two third parts 
to be water, then that one third good part is divided 
among the two aqueous parts ; whence, if one of the 
two aqueous parts be taken away, that fame third part 
before divided between the two waters, now remains 
collected or condenfed, in a double proportion, along- 
with but one of them. 
But if this concentration be carried up to the utmoft, 
and praeftifed in a large quantity, with a fomewhat in- 
tenfe cold, it may perhaps reduce good Wines to a 
fixth ; and this fmall quantity might commodioufly 
be ufed as a quinteffence, to meliorate, improve, and 
even fpecificate, fmaller and low flavoured Wines, 
d o conclude ; as to the direct and immediate ufe of 
our method of concentration, he who has the fee ret, 
by means of a little, dry, powdery body, of turning* 
water into Wine, will not. perhaps eafily divulge the 
capital ufe he may make of the experiment. 
WINE PRES S. [A defcription of the great taiffon 
or famed Prefs.] The Prefs, which is a machine, or 
moving power, contrived to fqueeze the juice out of 
Grapes, confifts of an affemblage of many pieces of 
timber, placed after different dilpofitions, which com- 
' , , pofe ' 
