326 
Ohio  Wine,  Argols  and  Tcuiaric  Acid. 
J  Am.  Jour.  Phaini. 
I       July,  1885. 
used  not  to  crush  the  seeds.  Before  expression  the  juice  from  the 
crushed  mass  is  allowed  to  remain  in  the  vat  for  about  eighteen  or 
thirty-six  hours,  during  which  time  a  slight  fermentation  has  commenced. 
When  this  has  continued  a  sufficient  length  of  time  the  free  juice  is 
drawn  ofP  and  the  remaining  mass  is  placed  under  a  huge  press  for 
further  expression.  This  is  the  white  wine  method  and  differs  from 
that  of  obtaining  the  red  wine  only  in  allowing  fermentation  in  the 
presence  of  the  skins.  The  entire  juice  thus  obtained  is  placed  in  large 
oak  casks  made  for  this  purpose,  holding  from  eight  hundred  to  fifteen 
hundred  gallons — one  that  I  saw  was  of  twenty-two  hundred  gallons 
capacity — which  are  filled  to  within  two  or  tbiee  inches  of  the  top  the 
bung  being  put  in  loosely.  The  casks  are  kept  in  immense  cellars  at 
a  temperature  of  about  15°  C,  which  allows  fermentation  to  go  on 
quietly.  At  first  the  change  is  rather  violent  during  which  all  the 
fibrous  and  inert  matter  settles  to  the  bottom  of  the  cask.  This  sedi- 
ment is  called  "  lees.''  They  contain  but  a  small  percentage  of  impure 
tartar  so  that  they  are  of  no  value  commercially  and  are  thrown  away 
as  refuse. 
The  clear  wine  is  drawn  off  or  "  racked/'  which  process  consists  of 
transferring  tlie  clear  wine  to  another  cask  where  after  about  three 
months  standing  this  process  is  again  gone  over.  This  is  done  about 
three  times  during  the  first  year,  and  it  is  from  the  second  and  subse- 
quent "rackings"  that  we  obtain  the  argols.  During  the  continued 
fermentation  of  the  new  wine  the  gradual  deposition  of  the  insoluble 
portion  takes  place,  consisting  mainly  of  impure  calcium  tartrate  and 
acid  potassium  tartrate.  The  yield  is  quite  small  when  compared  to 
the  great  bulk  of  wine  for  after  about  four  months,  the  deposit  is  only 
enough  to  give  the  interior  of  the  cask  a  crystalline  appearance.  These 
argols  obtained  are  not  used  by  the  manufacturer  for  the  reason  of  the 
small  amount  produced.  On  casks  which  have  stood  for  years  undis- 
turbed the  deposit  is  two  or  three  inches  in  thickness,  but  owing  to  our 
native  wine  being  sold  when  comparatively  new  no  opportunity,  is  given 
for  such  deposits. 
The  wine  thus  obtained  is  known  as' dry  wine,"  and  is  that  mostly 
sold  as  native  wine.  The  same  object  is  accomplished  by  bottling  the 
must "  when  first  obtained,  and  after  the  required  time  has  been 
allowed  for  the  foreign  matter  to  deposit  on  the  side  of  the  bottle  the 
wine  is  transferred  to  another  bottle  and  securely  corked,  age  ripening 
its  flavor.    During  the  year  1881,  10,642  acres  of  land  were  under 
