The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-09-11

dingy, furry appearance, not at all calculated
10 caii Iorth on the part of the observer either
an eloquent or poetic description. Late in
the season, however, when the grapes have ripen.
ed, ana the tops of the vines have covered their
cerulean.hued supporters, the vast expanse of
green tonnage is at least refreshing to the eve, if
nothing else. If the season has been favorable.
eacn vine will produce from two to five small
Duncnes but when the reverse is the case, as
was was the vintage OF 1853, single bunch is with
dihcuity discovered. Many, on the contrary
yield no fruit; still the labor and attention can
by no means be spared or relaxed, An unpro
ducnye vine requiring as much of both as its
more richly freighted neighbor, in hopes that
on the following year it may make amends
Inc latter part of September and the beginning
OF october Is generally the period chosen for
gatnering the grapes-an operation requiring
the assistance not only of all the inhabitants of
the district, but affording also ample means of
employment for an immense number of stray.
glers who rush in from every quarter. This
event is by no means the pleasant romantic
and picturesque affair We have been taught to
think it, being, on the contrary, regular hard
days work, and plenty of it. 1t must be done
IN hurry, too, as heavy rain or frost would
be great damage to the ripe grapes; there
lore, when the gathering commences, no delay
Is permitted In bringing it to final close; and
from all can learn, and 1 state it for the bene-
Mt OF my bachelor friends, the season of the
vintage is not conducive to love. making, other
authors to the contrary notwithstanding, the
young females engaged therein being generally
so fatigued after the labors of the day, and, I
blush to add, so dirty, that the soft side of a
plank is much preferred to the Establishments
OF Cupid, or worshipping at the shrine of his
naughty mamma. After being picked the
punches are carefully culled over by the old
women of the establishment, and the choice
ones being placed in casks containing one hun
dred htres-a litre being fraction more than
quart-are sold to the buyers from the differ.
ent houses, although in many instances large
proprietor will have his own pressoir or wine
press, through which, for a consideration, his
poorer neighbors are permitted to pass the pro-
duce of their little patch. This system, how
ever, Is fast falling into disuse, as the better
and heavier houses in the trade invariably OBJ.
ject to purchasing in that shape, preferring
much to buy the fruit in bunches and make the
DRESSINGS themselves. The press most general
ly used is the old fashioned perpendicular affair,
but OF late years, among other improvements,
the lateral press has been introduced, and when
once used is invariably preferred.
When the grapes have been delivered to the
purchaser, great care being taken to avoid any
unnecessary motion, they are heaped up on the
platform of the press, through the bottom of
which openings are left for the rapid escape of
the juice to the watts below; and that portion
OF 1t which is first produced without artificial
pressure, and denominated "the first droppings
OF the grape" is placed aside, and reserved for
the highest grades of wine, the quantity of
which, of course, is very limited. The lever
is then applied with moderate force, so as not
to discolor the wine by bruising and MASKING
the skins. This pressing furnishes wine of the
first quality, known here as the Cabinet and
Imperial brands; another turn of the screw
produces material for the second quality vines
sold here at from twelve to fourteen dollars, and
rejoices under an infinity of names and brands,
whilst still another yields the lower quality and
hnany, some White grapes being added, the
screws are put on to their utmost tension, produ.
cling strong, piquante, red wine, which is re-
served for the use of the workmen of the estab.
hshment. The various DRESSINGS are then put
into casks, properly marked, and slowed away
until the first fermentation (which takes place
almost immediately is over, after which it is
sacked and fined twice, and oftener if required.
and, if the summer has been wet and cold, or
the season backward, so that the wines are de-
hcient of the required amount of the saccharine
matter, knowledge of which is arrived at not
only by tasting, but also by the rise of an in
strument known as the "sacchometer," the de-
hciency is made up by the addition of pure
sugar candy. This, however, does not often
happen, and is only resorted to when the Juice
gives unmistakable evidence of its necessity !;
and it lS at this point when Nature apparently
languishes in a measure in her operations, that
Art is called in to her assistance, both by the
addition of foreign substances, and the inter.
mixing of the produce of different localities.
BEDDING, in his "History of Modern Wines"
says mixtures are not often made of the
effervescing wines. They generally remain the
pure production of the spots the names of which
they bear" So far from this being true, exact
ly the reverse is the case, for no Champagne
wine would be considered even second quality,
that did not possess delicacy of flavor, we'll
defined bouquet, and a certa; in degree Of body.
TO obtain these reauisites, it has been found
absolutely necessary to commingle the produce
OF various vineyards, each of them possessing
in an eminent degree one of these characters,
tics, and by this means infuse qualities into the
vine 'artihciallY, which cannot be acquired nat.
nrally To achieve this satisfactorily, the taster
of the establishment who must, of course, pos.
sess fine taste and approved palate, prepares
a mixture, by taking certain portion of the
juice from the Versinay district as basis, to
vineyards, and another from those of Mareuil,
Avizes, or possibly Epernay, carefully noting
the proportion from each. This mixture is then
tested ana discussed, and if in his Judgment it
lacks delicacY, bouquet, or body, the quality
lacking is furnished by the addition of 80 much
OF the product of that district possessing the
required characteristic necessary to remedy the
defect 1t will thus be seen that a most i'm
portant element in a good hossa IS the posses
sion of an accurate and experienced faster, for
on his Judgment and taste depends the oharsc.
ter of an establishment and its brand of wine.
The details of the mixture once arranged, O
large vat or tun, holding from seventy-6ve to
one hundred casks, is then filed, the same
combinations being closely observed in the
enlarged proportions, and the contents are
thoroughly blended and amalgamated, so that
every bottle of that curfe or 10: map De exactly
Gli.e. Formerly, and in some large establish.
ments the practice holds good to this day, it
was the custom, after ascertaining the proper
tons of the MIXTURE, to effect the combination
in in casks containing one hundred and sixty
litres, rendering it impossible to get more than
two hundred bottles of uniform quality. To
remedy this evil, the huge tuns used in the
Rheingan for equalizing the German wines
were introduced, lby the old house of Mumm,
Gelsler, Co.. which not only removed the
defect, but also, by rendering the other opera
lions more perfect, materially improved the
character OF the wine. After q proper interval,
the wine is drawn from this vat into hogsheads,
and thence Immediately put into bottles, which
are placed away in deep cold cellars, construct
ed with great care and at heavy expense, ex-
pressly to receive them. Early in the spring
they undergo the secondary fermentation, which
produces the mousse, or sparkling qualities of
the wine, and it is at this period that the Ger
bonic acid gas, sometimees proving TOO powerful,
Causes the immense destrn ction of BOTTLES and