
          EXPERIMENTS ON FOREIGN WINES,

BY DR. REECE.

[From the seventh number of the Gazette of Health.]

It is proper to observe, that all Wines naturally 
possess a proportion of alcohol, (ardent
spirit,) but to the Foreign Wines, a quantity is
added to prevent their running into the acetous
fermentation during their voyage to this country,
and this is proportioned to the quality of the
Wine. In order, therefore, to ascertain the quantity 
the different Wines contain on an average,
the experiments have been made on Wines from
different venders. Brandy and Rum, are sold at
different degrees of strength; indeed, some termed 
White Brandy and White Rum are highly
rectified. The Brandy and Rum employed in
the following Experiments, were obtained from
a respectable Wine-Merchant, who was desired
to send samples of the articles as generally sold
to the public.

A bottle of Port Wine, containing 26 ounces,
which had been in bottle seven years, produced 2
ounces and 7 drachms of alcohol, (ardent spirit)
Ditto of Port Wine, containing 25 1-2 ounces,
(one year in bottle and two years in wood,) 2
ounces, 6 drachms.

Ditto of Pale Sherry, three years old, containing 
25 ounces, produced 3 ounces.

Ditto of Madeira, two years old, containing 25
1-2 ounces, 2 ounces 5 drachms.

Ditto Cape ditto, one year old, containing 25
ounces, 2 1-2 ounces.

Ditto Old Hock, containing 21 ounces, nearly
an ounce.

Ditto Brandy, containing 24 ounces, 10 ounces.

Ditto Rum, containing 24 1-2 ounces, 9 1-2
ounces.

A quart of public house Ale (not bottled) from
the brewery of Mr. Wyatt, 1 ounce.

From a quart of common draught Porter,
from the brewery of Messrs. Elliot and Co. 5 1-2
drachms.

From the foregoing results, it appears that
four bottles, either of Port, Sherry, or Madeira,
contain more ardent spirit than a bottle of
Brandy.

Three bottles of Sherry are equal to one bottle of Rum.

That 10 bottles of Hock, or 10 quarts of Ale,
or 14 1-2 quarts of Porter, are equal to a bottle
of Brandy.

The residuum of Port Wine contains an astringent 
extract, and more tartaric acid than that of
Madeira, and the Sherry less than Madeira. In
one bottle of Port, a small portion of vitriolic acid
was detected. The Hock also contains a considerable 
of tartaric acid. The residuum of the
Rum contains raw sugar, and the Brandy burnt
sugar, with a pungent aromatic, resembling capsicum. 
The residuum of the Ale and Porter
was very bitter, and the spirit of the former was
slightly flavored with the essential oil of the hop.
Both contain saccharine matter.

As a tonic medicine, the preference is generally 
given to Port Wine, on account of its astringency, 
but in cases of indigestion and irritability of
the bowels, the tartaric acid is a very great objection 
to it. When this wine is on (what the
merchants term) the fret, it is a practice with
some to add to it a little vitriolic acid, which
more effectually checks it than brandy. Sherry
Wine appears to be the best fermented, and more
free from tartaric acid and saccharine matter
than anv other. It is, however, at best only a
dilute spirit. Brandy is preferable to Rum, on
account of being entirely free from sugar.
        