si 
MAGAZINE OF SCIENCE AND ART. 
flic fermentation is insensible, and the excess of chloro¬ 
phyll, unctuous, and resinous matters have been re¬ 
moved, that the practised person will begin to have a 
foretaste of what will afterwards he developed. Time 
is then required for the ripening, but there is a period 
at which all wines, if left to themselves, deteriorate ; 
the spirit disappears or is decomposed, the resinous mat¬ 
ters becomes prominent, and impart their flavours. A 
young powerful wine, being. richer in alcohol, is move 
intoxicating; but where this lias merged into etlior, an 
older wine is more exhiiirating. 
Xu a perfect wine, neither, the sugar, the alcohol, nor 
the acid should ho in excess, but always maintain a cer¬ 
tain proportion towards each other. In unctuous wines 
tlie dextrine hv degrees merges into sugar. With these 
there are flavours, the cenanthic, the aromatic, the bou¬ 
quet, which differs in its ingredients from the aromatic 
taste, the sharp, and the varnish flavour, lu hot countries 
the sugar predominates, and as the gluten ;s net propor¬ 
tionate, it often happens that the wines do not yield so 
much bouquet, though the aromatic.flavour and perfume 1 
may be very prominent. The basis of the most cele¬ 
brated vinous flavours, is the most perfect development 
of the cenanthic ether, which is produced during the 
fermentation by a combination of irnanihie acid and 
alcohol. Foreign matters interfere with the forinatiou 
of this aether in a pure state. Some bouquets may be 
produced by an alter decomposition of the extractive 
Substances with ammonia, or with some of the others. 
It is possible bv a rational treatment to ennoble al¬ 
most all wines, without having recourse to sophistica¬ 
tion. All seasons not being alike, the wine-maker 
ought to understand these matters,. b>* studying the re¬ 
quirements of the plant in the vineyard, by knowing 
how to concentrate when there is too great an excess of 
water, or by the addition of certain ingredients which, 
under favourable circumstances, would be naturally 
contained in the plant. _ i . . 
Tlie increased proportion of sugar is not coincident 
with a diminution of acid. Really unripe grapes can 
therefore never make a wine, In Europe there maybe 
seasons when tlie wine-makers would obtain a wine- 
more capable of developing a.bouquet, by gathering the 
grapes at a certain point of ripeness when all would be 
alike; but in a country such as this, where the i.ivs of 
the sun act with such power, tlie outer grapes might be 
in the state required, while the inner ones would be per¬ 
fectly green, and totally unfit for any wine-making pp r- 
iose" "it is, therefore, necessary to delay the gathering 
onger than is usually done in tWs country' to produce 
a fair wine. If allowed to proceed to an eratnaeausis, 
and if not disturbed or acidulated by rain, then is the 
greatest amount of saccharine matter obtained, which is 
generally developed from the cellular tissues and the 
dextrine. 
It would be superfluous at present to enumerate the 
various treatments of the vine, as in this country they 
could not be acted upon while wages are so excessive. 
The stalks contain rations substances, which, when 
mixed with the must, will injure the wine; on the 
other hand they contain gallic acid, which serves to pre¬ 
cipitate the glutinous matter. The fermentation is also 
stronger and"more regular if the stalks are mixed with 
the pressed berries, which is explained by the particles 
which excite fermentation being more diffused. In red 
wine the tannin affects the taste considerably, either in 
itself, or owing to an ether formed from it; it bus also 
the advantage "of acting as an astringent, and strengthens 
the body against the relaxing heat of the sun. This is 
the cause of the expression that such wines have a cool¬ 
ing effect. If the must cannot be immediately' pressed, 
it is well to separate the stalks, as too long a 'decompo¬ 
sition of them tends to give a woody flavour. 
The time when the must ought to be separated from 
the murk is of great importance, and depends on the 
kind of wine to be produced. With red wine the mtirk 
ought to remain with the must till the alcohol is deve¬ 
loped by fermentation, and is in a state to effect the ex¬ 
traction of the colouring matter. With luscious wines 
the must ought to remain longer in contact with the 
stalks, as the gallic acid serves the more completely to 
precipitate tlie glycoeoil and gluten. The development 
of bouquet does not depend on the skins and stalks. 
To those who might wish to make some determina-' 
tions, a few directions will prove useful ; and as there 
are many anomalies as yet unexplained about the wanes' 
of Australia, I propose during the next year to institute 
a series of analyses, from which I doubt not much that' 
is still uncertain will be explained. It is by the aid of 
chemistry alone that this branch of industry will be 
brought to perfection—that science which has of late 
years advanced so greatly all arts, manufactures, and 
professions—tlie evidences of which are so palpable 
that it would be useles for me to enumerate them. 
The free acid is determined by' acetate of lead. Con¬ 
centrate the must to about a third, and treat with abso¬ 
lute alcohol, the albuinino-glutinous substances remain 
insoluble. . 
As nature, in particularly favourable seasons aids in 
* the transposition of a middling .wine into one of greater 
body, of a poor trine into one of better Quality, so may 
the wine-maker improve the quality by separating ex¬ 
cessive acid, or water, as also by the addition of certain 
ingredients homogeneous with tlie grapes, and bring the' 
wine of a poor year nearer to that of a better one. 
There are throe ingredients of the wine, the proportions' 
of whicli in the must will affect its quality'. These are 
glucose or grape sugar, alcohol, and acid.. It can never 
be considered as a sophistication of the wine, when the 
must is enriched with substances which are the same as 
the materials in the grape, mid when it depends on the 
chance of the weather their being present in more or 
less quantity in tlie grape itself. The must may be made 
more saccharine by using gypsum, to free it from water- 
dr adding starch sugar, wlncli is of the samo composi¬ 
tion as grape sugar. Alcohol may also be added before 
fermentation, but.it stavs the process, and though gene¬ 
rally used in Spain and Portugal, is not to bo recom¬ 
mended where one seeks to retain delicacy of flavour. 
An excess of acid may bo removed by neutralising with 
lime, or by removing the murk quickly* and skimming 
off'the mucous matters as rapidly*.as possible, as the 
vegetal acids are generally in combination with it. A 
little observation will show the winemaker how this is* 
to be effected. Formerly oxide of lead was used, but 
the resulting lead compound was poisonous, and the' 
method njost reprehensible, 
It is of importance to separate the mucous as early 
as possible after the insensible fermentation has set in,- 
as it is the mother of many diseases. This is effected 
by frequent rackings. Even excessive sulphuring at 
tliis stage will not injure the wine, as it is pvecipi-. 
tated with the gluten, and it is the best, preventive of 
mnstiness, whicli is very general, especially with red 
wines. These rackings are complete, and the object 
effected, when the red wine will stand some time an a 
glass without inspissating, or when a white wine does 
not assume an iron red colour under tlie samo circum¬ 
stances. 
No old wine ought to be sulphured, as it contains no 
precipitant. In such cases nutmegs are burnt inyasks, 
as they contain an ethereal oil which has a similar 
effect, hut care must be taken to prevent flavour being 
imparted to the wine. Younger wines required for im¬ 
mediate use must also not be’ sulphured, as it causes’ 
headache and injures tlie health. 
At an early period an attentive observer will riotice a 
taste more or less resembling coffee, which indicates the 
bouquet into which it will afterwards merge; there is 
also often a bitter taste perceptible,- whicli demonstrates 
the presence of a citrate or salt of magnesia. After 
clearing, the alcohol gradually combines with different 
acids, and the various ethers result. The hy'drous in¬ 
gredients, with the aid of carbon and oxygen, merge 
into resinons matters, and often portions of the saccha¬ 
rine matters change into lactic acid. 
With light wines that age quickly, and will not 
keep, it is" advisable to burn some spirit in a cask pre- 
