The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1858-05-29
From Dickens Household Words.
Wine no Mystery.

is now thrown open to the world. The Isle
Of the manufactures is uncovering not her
feet alone, but her hands and her head, and
soon there will be no such things as trade
secrets. Before the appearance OF certain
! articles in the eleventh and twelfth volumes
of Household Words, which described the
composition and manufacture OF French
/ Wines | had always held this wne-maklng
/ to be, of all secret and eXoteric manufactures
/ extant, the chief and head. It's mysteries
were second only to the Eieusinian mys-
teres TO which none but the choicest OF the
few could be admitted Professor Mulder
has also entered the gaps in the thick cellar
walls which we broke through, and now any
one who will, may learn as much about
vines and wine as the craitiest doctor in
+ the world.
/ No plant is more dependant on external
circumstances than the vine, and in none Is
there more variety. When Chaptal was
Minister of the Interior, he planted In the
Luxembourg gardens one thousand four
hundred varieties Of vine grown in France
alone; and the same law holds good whcr-
ever the plant is found. Light, heat, and
the pulverzation Of the soil affect the vine
more, perhaps than any other plant, all
powerful as they necessarily are IN the
growth and development OF the vegetable
world The chemical aud Illuminating rays
rircn and swecten better, th, ugh later, than
the caior!tic: thus. white grapes are the
sweetest, owing to the cas er passage OF ilsht
through their shiHS, by which 4 larger iorIn-
alton of sugar l. obtained; while the purple
grape ab>orbs the most heat, aud does not
in .eaerai come out so fue-havored Or 50
delicate as the white. As for fertilization,
our professor Icpuliates all organic sub
stances which putriiy quickly, holding only
TO the leaves and cuttings OF the vine. which
contain large percentage Of the a!kai so
ucedful 20 The plant, and to iuodoIous sub
stances OF slow decomposition, such as
wood, horn, ard bone black, (which con-
duce very much 10 lis fragrance" But IN
organic manuros, and especially aika,', are
Of primary importance; for, as all wines
contain cream Of tartar, (tartaric acid and
potash their quality i greatly determined
by the amount Of potash ~ the ground, this
being tne vineyards "staA oi life. Varieties
Of sol. though * .I,i.g 4 marked influence
Oh tie kind ui vine produced, do not by
tai, .yyr~iiy l., csS>.Il. ) exert deterIOrat-
iu. influence. q" "Wiae of very good quality,
hut VI ss..l.,.r bouquet, may he obtained
from very different soils. The best Bur
--lu = comes i.om clayey lime soil;
Champagne from q more thorough lime
te44u,ul nJn sandy soil. slaty sol.
produces YIN DE y, GauIe; sandy one,
Graves aUt NcL0c; ami : atty one the wine
Vi La3n-,-Ge, near Iol.Jr-'
Q.au.i'y -.l quality oi grape juice are
-t.. -.i, divorced - the vineyard. Some
-e.>,ns which have produced the largest
quantity Of w.ue have a.7o pToducc- Tue
..ur~t kinds; 40 others, when the sG?uiy
mas b-cu >eau-y, tae IeHty has been sG-
pryHe Ia the south " France, whore the
grapes arc a,.o",! 10 s-p% someu"eS To
H.. Dei-ai OF s.N and = Asll feet !iom the
ground la- quantity q! juice oota!a-G -
.,..l greater t4au IRON t.e short vines oi
, ti.e same district; UIt tEc Eviae - iaH'Trc'y
inferior, forming, in fact, the base OF that
vile aGu.t.lutioI, the "p qlcttc OF the
guiugue,t.s outside thc barriers. IGc ad-
,a,tqrc Of the short yinc-sta'k, as wei a.
ol lAe practice Ul stripping Oil the leaves
common ia France, is 10 -i9w the Gad.uon
from the heated earth during night TO con
rfgue Tie process Of ripyuIag without check
or DELAY. "a Italy, where tie sun : hotter,
the vines are i.s:oon,G n high and jeaiy
arbsrs-the grapes being there protected
from excess Ol neat aaI hight
Another reason for diversity oi quality Is
Gi;ef,... Ul A.Al. To t.iN together several
E.n., Vi grape would >p"! tie vintage; 30
would the admission Of Lecayed, unrpe, or
,r.i.ed buuc.es into thc ieTiueniIng vat; 50
would the mju-lng Ci wuiie or purple
rr:.u.S toE,t.,y-in part because the purple
ilrr-u ten or Se.Ve days carrier than the
ul,tc. 50 dat their union would be an an
. arLryUisul winch every well educated palate
F --out3 rcaU late. Care also should be taken
10 aiI the vat 1T once, 50 that fermentation
should be carried throughout the whole
mass Al tie same moment. II there be not
yuuuLA io. this, we.i-"dshed river sand or
clay nav be Usci a succedaneum.
The finest wines are made Of the same
k.uL Of graIe, scrupUlouSly separated from
every decayld, uErPc, or spoiled cluster
i, y.ucau nor or noiren makes the oes'
.GuGv. while ie g.may yields more
abundant but an inferior kind. These are
red wines, For wh te, lie pineau girls, le
cunlr blanc, and ic lcr,E!ut make the most
esteemed kinds From le fernint cones
the Hungarian Tokay. But wines change
their regulations Thus Orleans was once
far more priced than Burgundy; but the
see.saw OF the vineyard has now exalted
burgundy far above Orleans; so with others
. of Ike chameleon condition. Ciaret Is =
mere mixture of severa! kinds ot wine.
The chemical components OF grape juice
are grape and fruit sugars, gelatinous matter
ors.eetn. gum, tat, wax yege able aibumen,
and vegetable gluten, tartarc acid, both Tree
/ and combined with potash as cream OF tar
tar, partly also combined with lime. In
some analyses have been found raeemic
acid, ,nalic acid, partly free and party com
bpcd wiGh lime, taTtarate OF potash, ana
s'umiga: further, oxide of iron and OK dc
of maganese, sulphate OF potash, common
salt, phosphate Of lime, 'nagnesia and silicic
acid The skins, stones, and stalks all yleid
;anuic acid which tanic acid, turning brown
by exposure TO the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
i,Ig ia iact that Cinderella of the chemists
known as apothema-Gives its brown hue 10
funadu,t,ratcd) white wine, for there is 10
such thing as purely coiorless wine; even
tne celebrated Vino cebcdino called color
less. is pale yellow This is the reason,
TOO. why raislns are all uniformly dark
skinned, wh.ther they be of purple or white
cranes the t.unic acid in their skins turn
iag brow by exposu ure to the air in the pro-
cess of drying. The purple grape has,
besides this fannie acid, coloring matter oi
its OWL, which is properly distinct blue,
lat by the action OF acids is converted into
a deep red or purple. III unripe grapes sat
urat.d with acids it is bright red, as we
all have seen; and young wine is always
brighter and more brilliant than that which
las matured. As the grape ripens, so does
the skin, or rather the coloring matter, be
come more purple or blue. The less acid
l the darker the skin, till over-ripe purpi,
grapes become positively black. But ever
this deep color gradually changes by age al
we'll as by exposure, and the bright red o
the Young wine-due partly to an excess o
= phosphoric acid--by degrees s'bers am
mcllows into the "tawny port so dear t.
conuoisseurs: that is, the tAnic acid is con
yerted into apothema, and with the acid goe
the ruby-like color. In the best Bursund,
and colored Campagne the skins remain IL