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AMERICAN  PHARMACEUTICAL  ASSOCIATION. 
"  A  very  great  difference  is  to  be  observed  in  the  wine  produced  by  dif- 
ferent growers,  such  as  deficiency  in  bouquet,  excess  of  acid,  and.  want  of 
spirit,  arising  from  variation  in  the  weather  or  want  of  care  or  skill  in  the 
maker. 
"As  a  general  thing  the  Catawba  wine  contains  much  more  acid  than 
foreign  wines  of  similar  character.  This  is  not  because  the  grapes  will  not 
produce  as  good  wine,  but  is  due  to  want  of  care  in  making.  The  pro- 
prietors of  many  of  the  vineyards  are  possessed  of  but  little  means,  and 
have  not  at  hand  the  proper  conveniences  to  protect  their  wine.  This,  how- 
ever, will  be  remedied  in  time  by  the  establishment  of  extensive  wine  cellars 
by  Mr.  Nicholas  I^ngworth,  and  other  men  of  capital  in  this  city,  who  pur- 
chase the  must  from  the  small  growers  and  finish  making  the  wine.  This 
plan  not  only  opens  a  market  for  the  sale  of  the  must,  but  is  a  great  conve- 
nience to  the  wine  grower,  and  will  secure  a  much  greater  amount  of  sound 
wine. 
"  A  large  portion  of  Catawba  wine  is  also  made  into  champaign  or  spark- 
ling wine.  This  branch  of  trade  is  rapidly  on  the  increase.  The  number  of 
bottles  annually  is  200,000.  It  is  in  many  respects  equal  to  foreign  spark- 
ling wine.  In  making  this,  the  wine  is  bottled  before  the  second  fermen- 
tation sets  in,  and  the  bottles  placed  upon  their  sides  in  suitable  location 
and  temperature  to  induce  fermentation.  The  converson  of  sugar  into 
alcohol  should  be  allowed  to  proceed  slowly,  or  the  rapid  disengagement  of 
gas  (carbonic  acid)  will  burst  the  bottles  and  cause  loss.  Under  the  most 
favorable  circumstances,  from  5  to  15  per  cent,  is  lost  during  the  process. 
The  sparkling  character  is  due  to  the  escape  of  the  free  carbonic  acid  held 
in  solution  in  the  wine  by  the  pressure. 
"The  wine  requires  to  be  frequently  handled  during  the  process,  to  remove 
the  sediment  formed,  the  removal  of  which  requires  much  dexterity  ;  the 
mouth  ©f  the  bottle  is  slowly  depressed,  so  that  the  sediment  may  fall  in 
a  body  upon  the  cork ;  this  is  then  removed,  the  thumb  placed  over  the  open 
mouth,  the  sediment  removed  from  the  cork,  and  the  latter  then  replaced. 
This  operation  is  so  neatly  done  that  but  a  few  drops  escape.  It  requires 
from  6  to  12  months  for  the  wine  to  ripen.  To  the  original  wine  some 
manufacturers  add  sugar,  but  in  good  wine  this  addition  is  unnecessary. 
"  I  have  recently  seen  another  kind  of  Catawba  wine  entirely  different 
from  the  ordinary  dry  wine.  This  is  made  from  grapes  that  have  been 
picked  and  placed  upon  the  floor  for  several  weeks  to  ripen.  A  chemical 
change  takes  place,  they  lose  a  portion  of  their  acid  and  gain  a  portion  of 
sugar.  The  evaporation  of  a  part  of  the  water  by  drying  also  makes  the 
juice  richer  in  sugar  than  that  of  grapes  just  gathered.  The  wine  it  pro- 
duces is  much  stronger  in  alcohol,  and  also  contains  some  unchanged  sugar. 
Its  taste  is  peculiar,  resembling  Madeira,  but  its  parentage  is  very  percep- 
tible.   The  Germans  of  Ohio  call  it  straw  wine. 
"  Brandy  has  recently  been  made  from  the  lees  and  marc  of  the  grape. 
That  from  the  lees  is  the  best.    It  has  the  peculiar  flavor  of  the  Catawba. 
