1-Aprin, 1898.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 283 
Should lactic or butyric fermentation set up, it is due to either too 
elevated a temperature during the tumultuous fermentation, which para- 
lyses the activity of the Saccharomyces elipsoideus whilst it develops the 
noxious bacteria, or else sufficient care in the cleanliness of casks and utensils 
has not been observed, and germs have entered the must. A microscopical - 
colony of germs in an empty cask is quite sufficient to infect the wine or must 
put into it. Whatever the cause, itis necessary to stop it without loss of time, 
if the wine is to be saved. ‘he proverbial three courses are open to the 
vigneron—the first, by strongly fortifying the wine, which destroys all germs. 
Fermentation ceases, and leaves the wine clear and more or less sweet. This 
course is possible for certain classes of wines from musts of high density, but 
would hardly do for light white or red wines. The second course is pasteurl- 
sation or destruction of the germs by passing the wine through a medium which 
raises its temperature to 159 degrees. To do this requires a special apparatus 
called an cenotherme, seldom possessed by the colonial vigneron, although it 
is one of the most useful machines he can have in the wine cellar, for it may 
be called the wine-preserver. Wine periodically passed through the enotherme, 
at a nominal cost, ensures its absolute immunity from bacterial assaults, to. 
which most maladies are due, by destroying the germs that may have 
surreptitiously entered it. 
. 
The third course is to check the fermentation by racking the wine into 
well sulphured casks, or, better still, by the addition of 80 grammes, or 2 02., 
of bisulphite of lime to every 20 gallons of wine racked over. If this does not 
clear the wine, the operation must be repeated. The action of the sulphurous 
acid or bisulphite is to kill or paralyse all the germs of whatsoever description, 
and they fall with the lees to the bottom of the cask. If the wine should not 
become pertectly clear it must be fined to make it so. Directly the wine is 
bright it must be again racked, taking the utmost care that none of the sediment 
goes with it, otherwise all the work will have been in vain. A single quart of 
sediment, if allowed to eseape with the clear wine, is enough to infect it with 
the noxious germs. 
The object of the whole operation is to concentrate the germs from the 
wine into the sediment and remove the cleared wine off it, and the vigneron 
must throughout keep this end in view. 
On racking off the clear wine, it must be aerated as much as possible to 
favour the oxidation of the sulphurous acid, and to this end it should not be 
pump-racked, but by a and bucket, giving as much distance as possible for 
the fall to make a splash and well aerate it. To restart the vinous fermenta- 
tion, the wine can be racked on to fresh lees of new sound wire, or some gallons of 
fermenting must can be mixed with it; the greatest care should always be taken 
of the cleanliness of the empty cask as before mentioned. Fermentation will 
be slow at first until the sulphurous acid has been oxidised, to hasten which 
another racking may be necessary, but it will be a sound vinous fermentation, 
and sound wine will result. The whole operation is far easier than appears 
at first sight, and if a little expense is incurred by the several rackings it is a 
small loss compared to the loss of the wine. 
RACKING. 
As mentioned above, the new white wine should be racked when the 
tumultuous fermentation has ceased, and a second time when it is bright. 
Red wine can be allowed to remain till it is bright, if “ ouillage” is practised ; 
if not, it should be racked when carbonic acid ceases to escape from the wine. 
When racking light wines, avoid exposing it to the air as much as possible, 
and to that end rack with a pump, the end of the delivery pipe to be well 
down into the empty. Lightly sulphur the empties for sound wines; the 
abuse of sulphur is very common, wines reeking of it for months after 
racking ; what is useful in a moderate amount becomes hurtful when in excess. 
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