1 Ocr., 1898.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 279 
White of cag is more generally used for red wines, especially for those 
of finer quality. Two eggs for every 20 gallons of wine will be found generally 
sufficient to fine most red wines, unless it is desired to take away a certain 
amount of colour and astringency, in which case more must be used. Beat up 
the whites of the eggs, which must be quite fresh, with a little salt in a basin 
or similar utensil, until all strings have disappeared, as can be proved with a 
fork, but avoid beating up too violently so as to make much froth. Beat in a 
little of the wine, added slowly, and then stir the contents of the basin into a 
couple of gallons of the wine to be fined, until well mixed and all froth has 
disappeared, and then pour the whole into the cask and stir well for a few 
minutes with the fining-rod. 
WHITE WINES. 
Tsinglass is undoubtedly the best fining for white wines, but it is very 
‘expensive, and what is sold as isinglass is very seldom the real article. 
Vignerons are cautioned against purchasing a so-called isinglass having the 
appearance of long narrow strips of membrane. This is only a dried seaweed of 
a gelatinous nature, and has yery little value as a wine-fining. It is throwing 
money away to purchase it. Most of the so-called isinglass sold is a fine- 
quality gelatine, which must not be confounded with the real article. If real 
isinglass can be procured, the dose is one-third of an ounce to every 100 
gallons of wine; it must be shredded as finely as possible into a basin, and 
covered with water and left from twelve to twenty-four hours. At the end of 
this time it will have absorbed water and swollen considerably. Pour off the 
water, and work the isinglass with the fingers until all hard lumps have dis- 
appeared. ‘Then add halt-a-pint of boiling water, well stirring till the isinglass 
is dissolved. Dilute further with some of the wine to be fined, and then pour 
the whole into the cask, well mixing with the fining-rod as already explained. 
Gelatine is by far the cheapest and easiest managed fining for white wine. 
It is met with in two forms—in brilliant transparent thin sheets, about 
8 inches long by 3 broad; the best quality colourless, the inferior slightly 
yellow, and the same cut up into shreds more or less fine and put up in cardboard 
boxes. The substance sold as Nelson’sisinglass is ordinary gelatine, and makes 
a very good fining, but the French gelatine in fine sheets is better and more 
econoinical. 
‘An average amount for fining is from one-third to half-an-ounce for every 
20 gallons. ‘The shreds or sheets must be soaked in water in a pudding-basin 
until quite soft, without any hard or horny lumps—a quarter of an hour is 
usually long enough. Then pour off the water, draining it well, and immerse 
the basin in a pan or saucepan of hot water until all the gelatine has melted, 
which it will do in a minute or two. Stir in gradually some of the wine to be 
fined until the basin is nearly full, and then mix the contents with a gallon or 
two of the wine in any convenient receptacle, stirring it all the time. Then 
pour the whole into the cask and stir for some minutes. It is particularly 
recommended that the melted gelatine be not poured into the cask insufficiently 
diluted, as in cold weather, with the wine at a low temperature, the gelatine is 
liable to coagulate and fall to the bottom without acting on the wine. By well 
diluting the gelatine with wine, and continuing to stir whilst mixing, this 
danger will be avoided. 
Milk.—Some writers advocate milk asa fining. Under no circumstances 
should sound wine be fined with this substance. It can be used for clearing 
yinegar—lL pint to each 20 gallons. 
Many kinds of patent finings are advertised and pushed as being very 
efficacions and economical, but they are as a matter of fact only other forms 
of the finings above referred to. Those in form of powders are merely the 
albumen of blood or eggs dried and powdered. ‘Those which are in a liquid 
state are solutions of gelatine cooked under pressure at a temperature ot 250 
