Nebraska advertiser. [volume] (Brownville, Nemaha County, N.T. [Neb.]) 1856-1882, 1862-09-13
From the Country GentIeman.l
ChaDter on WIne.MakIng.

AS grape culture has become an sin
stltutlon" of this Countr6, / propose 10
make few remarks on domestic wine
making for the benefit of your grape
growing readers.
In order to make the best WINE that
the kind of grape grown will admit, al
low the fruit to remain on the till fully
matore, then pick carefully, and remove
from the clusIars all unripe or imperfect
grapes then put your selected, best ones
into tight cask we'll cleaned In small
quantities; say about bushel at a time,
which are to be moshed with common
clothes FOUNDER. or a similar instrument
till the pulp and seeds become well sep
rrated, and the juice of the grapes are
thoroughly expressed.
My remarks will be confined to wine
making by those who merely desiae to
make barrel or less tor '' home consum-
ption; ;" and who are not expected TO De
provided with the facilities that profsssed
wine makers possess
Having pounded the first basket Of
grBpes, turn the contents of the Cask In
another vessel, and proceed as before
till all your grapes are beaten or mashed
when you may proceed to express the
must or pure juice of the grape, entirely
separated from the skins, pulp and seeds
Jf the fruit.
In the absence of wine press, this
may be done by placing the mash in
strong bag, made of strainer cloth, and
then press out the must in any manner
that may be the most feasible. For ex-
pressing few gallons, it may be done
with the mere hands, bat when a barreI
or more is made, some lever should be
brought TO bear upon the bag, in order 10
express the most of the must
My system of applying the lever is as
follows: first set large wash.tub against
the studding of the side of my barn floor,
upon which lay board, upon the centre
of which the bag of mash is placed.
ihen nail strip of plank to a stud, of
the right height 10 receive the end Of the
lever, which. is made of plank. and about
eight inches vide where il cones 10 cou-
tass Win The baff, and abons sishs feet
long, being tapered of from the bag q
four inches wide al the handie Tho
pressure exerted by such lever. will to
apt 10 rend the bag, unless quite strong,
and but very little must viii be lost, thro'
the cheapness Of such temporary press.
On this plan enough grapes may be
mashed, and the must expressed, to make
a barrel Of wine, in half day, by one
person.
The next question IS, what is to be done
with the must, whether it be five, ten, or
thirty gallons! Shall sugar or spirits Of
any kind be added TO il?
Ii Is contended by some people, that by
adding anything at all TO the pure juice
of the grape, 1t destroys the value of the
wine In their estimation, and makes rather
cordial than wine.
Mr. Longworth, the celebrated wine
maker of Ohio, adds nothing whatever to
the must Of the Catswba grape, from
which most of the Ohio domestic wines
are made. He puts the must of a score
or more Of vineyards into large Cistern,
then drains it off into large casks for fer
mentatlon, alter which the wine is bottled,
and in due time time sent TO market but
in no case, believe, till it is year old.
But Mr.. Longworth's wines are not
palatable to most American tastes, aud
are considered by many people as but a
grade better than our best bottled cider,
although he finds sale for large quan;i-
ties at SIS to S. per dozen bottles. Nor
are the wines of other Ohio grape-grow-
ers, who adhere to the pure JUICE prInCi-
pie, any better.
The addition Of sugar-the pure gram
ulated, or best white coffee, should be
used, if any, At the rate of TWO 20 three
pounds per gallon-ihe latter quantity
preferred in ali cases, where the expense
il not considered.
The.next question is, slisll aey kind Of
spirits be usedg Some wine makers con-
tend that it is impossible to make really
good wine without adding spirits. have
my opinion on that point, which is, in a
measure, that 1t greatly depends on the
variety Of grape used, whether spirit Of
any kind is absolutely necessary, III order
to make a really good wine, as the best
Judges would pronounce it. There are
some varieties of grape from which, 10 my
opinion, it is impossible to make good
wine without the addition of spirits,
while other kinds make a saleable wine
without it. If spirits be used, let itr &c
alcohol, which is without flavor, or what
is called squire spirits" which is much
cheaper article, not half SO strong, and
also wholly free from any favor aside
from that of strength. 1t Is not general
Iy kept 90 sale at the stores, but may bs
obtained at any distillery where alcohol
is made. Three gallons Of alcohol. 30
per cent. proof. such as is usually sold by
druggists, or six gallons of pure spirits,
10 barrel of wine, is the maxlnun 'has
should be used while half that quantity
will generally suffice to keep the wine
from souring, when the warm weather OF
the following season comes on.
EXCELLENT CRACKERs.-TO four
teen cups of -four, add one cup of
lard, two teaspoons soda, four DO. ol