Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1816-09-30
EXPERIMENTS ON FOREIGN
VINES.
BY Dr.. Rsece.
From the seventh number of the Ga
Zette OF Health.

y Zette OF Health.
4 It's proper to observe, thst all Wines
,lna uraIly possess proportion of alcohol.
lI(asdent spirit but to tn. Foreign Wines
"a quantity is added to prevent theirrun-
ming into the acetous fermentation dur
ling their voyage to this country and
this is proportioped to the quality Of the
Wine. In order, therefore, 20 ascertain
1.-THE quantity the different Wines con-
tain on an average, the experiments have
been made on Wines from different yen-
ders. Brandy ard Rum, are sold at Diff
ferent degrees Of strength: indeed. some
termed White Brandy and White Rum
are highly recti6ed. The Brandy and
Ram. employed in the following Expert
ments, we're obtained from respectable
Vine Merchant, who was desired to send
samples of the articles as generally sold
Ito the public.
/ A bettle of Port Wine, containing 60
lounces, which had been in bottle seven
years, produced ounces and Z drachms
of alcohol, (ardent spirit.)
/ Ditto OF Port Wine, containing Is IA
LOUNGES, one year in bottle and two years
lin wood, 2 ourtccs, s drachms.
Ditto of Pale Sherry, three years old
containing IS ounces, produced three
LOUNGES.
Ditto Of MADEIRA, two years old, con.
ltaining IS Ia ounces, 2 ounces i've
drachms.
Ditto Cape ditto, one year ord, con-
tanning rs ounces, 1-2 ounces.
Ditto Old Heck, containing 81 ounces,
lnearly an ounce.
| Ditto Brandy, containing "a ounces, 10
ioxnceS.
Ditto Rum, containing "a IL ounces, 9
( l-2 ounces.
A quart Of public house ale, not bot
tiled, from the brewery Of MIR. Wyatt, II
Iounce.
From quart Of common drasght por-,
tier, from the brewery of Messrs. Elliott
land Co. 81 d,achms.
From the foregoing results, it appears
that four bot,les, either of port, sherry!
|or Madeira, contain more ardent spirits
than bottle Of brandy.
Three bottles of sherry arc equal toI
lone bottle Of rum.
That 10 bottles Of hook, or 10 quarts
Fof ale, or l4t quarts Of porter, are equal
to bottle OF brandy.
The residuum Of port wine contains an
astringente1tract, andmore tartaric acid
than that of Madeira, and the Sherry less
than Madeira. In one bottle Of port, al
small portion Of vitrioIc acid was detect-l
ed. The hook also contains a consider
fable of tartaric acid. The residuum cti
the rum contains raw sugar, and theI
brandy burnt sugar, with pungeant a.
|romatic, resembling capsicuin. The re-
s,dnum ofthe ale and porter was very Bit
ter, aud the spirit Of the former was
Slightly favored with the essential oil OF
the hop. Both contain saccharine matter.
As tonic medicine. the preference isl
generally given to port wine, on account
LOT its astrin2ency, but in cases OF midi
gestien and irratibility d the bowels, the
tartaric ac.l is very great objection to-
it When this wine is % what the mer-
chants term) the fret, i is practice
with some to add to it alittle vittiolic a.
Icid, which more efeetuaDy checks it than
brandy. Sherry wine appears to be the
Ibest rermented, and more free from tar
taric acid and saccharinematter than any
other. It is, however, 4 best emily di.
|iate spirit. Brandy is Preferable to rum,
on account of being entirely free from
sugar.
From the New YORK Courier.
tcoMmIrNYc.rED