and the Method of making Wines . 189 
produced from grapes which are not cut till towards the 
end of December ; at Condrieu, where the white wine is 
celebrated, the grapes are not cut till near the middle of 
November. In Tourraine, and other places, a kind of 
wine called vin de faille is made, by collecting the 
grapes during dry weather, and when the sun is in full 
force ; they are spread out, so as not to touch each other, 
on hurdles, which are exposed to the sun, and then shut 
up when he is set ; the grapes which rot are carefully 
removed, and when the whole are well dried, the juice 
is expressed and made to ferment. 
Olivier de Serres says, it has been proved by experi- 
ence, that the best period of the moon for collecting 
grapes in order that they may keep, is her decrease ra- 
ther than her increase. He, however, allows, that when 
the grapes are ripe it is better to consult the weather than 
the moon ; and in this we perfectly agree with him. 
But there are some climates where the grapes never 
come to maturity : such are almost all the northern parts 
of France ; and in that case the grapes must be collect- 
ed green, that they may not he exposed to rot on the 
twigs. A moist and rainy autumn must increase the bad 
quality of the juice. All the vineyards in the neigh- 
bourhood of Paris are in this situation ; the vintage there 
is, of course, earlier than in the south, where the grapes 
never cease to ripen, though the heat of the sun conti- 
nually decreases. 
When the necessity of commencing the vintage has 
been ascertained, a great many precautions must be taken 
before it is begun. In general, the vintagers ought not 
to venture to labour but when the soil and the grapes are 
dry, and until the weather appears so settled as to give 
reason to believe that their occupations will not be inter- 
rupted. Olivier de Serres recommends, not to collect 
the grapes till the sun has dispersed the dew deposited 
