Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1864-07-30

grapes, and, raised under various circum-
| stances, differ from one another, Neverthe-
less, their constitution is so much the same
that they all pass through the same process
to reach that condition called wine and he
who understands, and is capable of control
ing the process in one case. will have no
difficulty i'll the other of making the best
that the quality of the juice at his command
will afford.
In order TO insure that regularity in the
process 10y which the juice becomes wine,
certain rules are to lc observed as follows:
l. he grapes should be well and equally
bruised, for the juice that first flows CON
tains little mucOso-saccharinc matter, and
consequently, does not ferment freely That
substance Is contained chiefly in the insolu-
ble organized parts, and the skin, which
also contains tl.a greatest part of the acid.
the rcscnous eXtractive, and the Colorinp
principle. ?. The fermentation should be
conducted at n temperature of sixty to sixty
five degrees Fahrenheit, below which it.
languishes, and above which it proceeds too
slowly, that evil man he remedied by the
addition of II little boiling must. 3. The
contract of air is essential in the commerce
ment, and this affords another reason for the
asorbed in that stage of the process. But
after the fcrihentatour is established, the
air should be extended for the sake of pre-
serving the aroma and, to secure this, the
Frcncn chemist, Chaptal. who paid much
attention to the manufacture of wines, re-
commcnds the vats to be covered with
boards and lines cloths. 4. The greater the
bulk OF material, the more prefect the wine.
D. W hen the wine is perfected and racked
of, 1t should be sulphured by burning sui
pher matches within the casks intended to
contain 1t, i'll order to restrain, within Il Ger
ain degree the further fermentation
The moment Of drawing off the wine, after
fermentation, is of great Importance, but no
rule can be prescribed for it. 1t would be
impossible to limit to certain number of
days an operation liable to so many vicissi-
tudcs as much through the qualities of the
grapes as other circumstances. But as the
great object Of fermentation is the CONVEX
sion of the expressed juice or must into
wine, no drawing should take place until
that is Effected
When good wine is actually produced.
much of the advantage expected from the
possession of it depends upon the future
management and preservation of it; for every
wine contains within itself the sources Of
both improvement and decline The chief
points to he attended to are, guarding
against viClssitudcs of temerature and the
contact of air. Wines in the cask. or in
wood as the term Is, are liable to become
sour, either by II sudden transition from
cold to heat or the reverse; and the same
susceptibility to aCesCenCy is favored by de-
icct OF proper tining. But this process
should not be frequently repeated, as it i'm
pairs the flavor and body of the liquor
Wines are mcllowcd by the slow prccipita-
tion Of the tartar when carries down with
1t the coloring matter and the salt of lime;
and tins occurs in the ratio of the evolution
of the alcohol during the continued Gradu-
al fermentation, which goes on even after
the wine is bottled. This would strengthen
wine in the cask, were it not balanced by
the evaporation Of alcohol through the sides
of the cask. \ curious fact, however, must
not be forgotten, namely; that whilst the
wine becomes weaker when kept in cask,
it becomes much improved in its other
qualities; fact which is illustrated by the
improvement OF Madeira by its transporta-
tions to India, or keeping it in q warm
place.
There are many tanClcs to be gratifed in
the taste of wine, ana it may be varousy
modified to suit them. II taste of wine
slightly acid rimilar to that OF the Rhcnish,
is desired, some t0rtarCOuS acid may be
added to the muat
If the wine DC required sweet, the must
should be drained in snch II manner that il
may retain as little rs possible of the lees,
and let il afterwards 1crment itself Some
sugarcd matter might he joined to it,
If the wine should be wanted delicate, and
of a ligh! color, the must should not be suf-
tcred TO have long action on the lees, from
which it takes principals that augment the
fermentation, and dissolve, in consequence
the mucilagcnous parts, together with the
coloriag matter.
Should strong wine, of good body, be
pFeterred the must ought to be suffered to
remain tic longer ON the dregs, in case the
grapes do not afford it ofsuIiicicnt strenglu
As regards what are called domestic wines
any one who will take care to understand
the principals here laid down, may exercise
his jud"mc"t IN following RECIPES, and mod
lily the produot OF his manufacture to suit
his own taste