Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1846-01-17
How they make Port w ne.

The time in which the vintage commences,
varies in different years abont month-from
the early part OF September to the middle Of Oc-
tober. At that period there are 10000 Gale
gos employed in the district, and about 10000
Portuguese, men, women aud children. Az
soon "a the vintage is over. the Spaniards return
TO their own homes. each man with from 90 10
30 shllings in his pocket. which he has recei-
we'd in wages. When once the vintage has
commenced. time is invaluable. The vineyards
are crowded with persons. rome plucking the
sound grapes. and filling large hampers with
them others separating the rotten or dry bunch.
ga wi lie the Gallegos are employed in carrying
the baskets down the deep sices Of the hills, on
their backs. The presses nre stone tanks, raj.
sed high from the floor, ABOUT two or three feet
deep and from twenty 10 thirty square A boy
stands in the centre, and rakes tile grapes as
they are thrown in so as to form en- even sur
face; when full, twenty or thirty men. with
bare feet and legs, jump in, md, to the sound
ofgui,ars, pipes fildles, and Of their own voices,
continue dancing. or rather treading, from Tor.
,y to fifty hours, with six hours intervening be-
tween every eighteen, TIL The juice is complete.
ly expressed, and the skin perfectly bruised, 80
as to extract every particle Of color. It is found
necessary 10 leave in the stalks, in order 10 i'm
part that asiringent quality so much admired in
port wine, as well as TO aid fermentation. Al.
ter the men are withdrawn, the juice, The husks.
| and stalks are allowed TO ferment together
| from two to six days; the husks and stalks then
rise to the top. and form complete cake. BY
this means the color is still further extracted
from the skin. II is very critical time, much
depending on the judgment and practice Of the
superintendent as TO the right moment to dra W
off the liquor; for so active is the fermentation,
that it may be, If allowed to remain too long in
the press, completely spoiled, Nothing but
long experience can enable a person to Judge
on this point; and many young merchants who
have attempted to do 80 have had cause to re.
pent their interference with the farmers bust.
ness. The taste of the wine before drawn of
into the toneis is sweet, nauseous, and scken.
ing, and il is Of dark muddy color. SO tha, one
can with difficulty believe il can ever become
the bright, sparkling, and astsnrens Auid II ap.
pears in the course OF two or three years. The
tonels, or va,s into which the wine is drawn are
in building on lower spot than the one which
contains the press, a channel leading from it ia
them. They contain frequently thirty pipes
each. The period when the wine is thus drawn
off the time when the rich and generous quail.
tiles Of the grape are to be retained, lost, ne.
yer to be restored. From the rich nature ofthe
Douro grape, the fermentation, once begun will
no, stop Of i's own accord (cven when the wine
is drawn off from the husks) till it has caused
it to become bitter liquid. almost. If not en-.
tircly. undrnka5le and useless, and finally vine.
| gar. To retain, therefore, those much priced
qualities, it is absolutely necessary to add iran.
dya, the very critical moment, so difficult to
| decide, before that stage which produces the
bitterness commences Kingston's Lusi;ur.
ian Sketches.