Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1866-09-20

aJ rs. q
ways be treated as above described Ibavo
tbeen somewhat particular upon this subject
fbut its Importance to the wine-maker will
be q sufficient apology .------.-.-..
4 81 =. Very respectfully, ,..,
"a, ..l.i ss anYcqrs ob,t serY'f, -
A. J. BUTNER
Whiteville, n. G.
Cultivation of the Grape and Vvine-M.I,,o,,
I" 'Hioof in North Ro esFolina.
IliessyS. Editors: + 1n,1lGf w.
In my last number I gave the process %
making wine, and put it into barrels. ofto,
suitable preparation by sulphuring. viii
now proceed to the further treatment ~ tLa
wine ga -s,.-......, 'Ne
I T. In. the next..spring after it has boor
laid down in your cellar, for a cellar l. -
dispensable to the vine maker saw on sou,
clear, bracing day in January. rack i nfg
into barrels, previously fumigated as aboro
described. Do not pour the dregs into
your new barrel, as your object now is, n
clear and line Jour wines Therefore as
as soon as you observe the wine Won are
hacking OF becoming turbid, stop DRAWING
FIJI the barrel well up to the bung, and
Keep IL full TO that point all the ENSUING
summer About the time the Scuppernon%
|
weather Of spring has set in, you will oh
serve a new fermentation in your wine nv,
cracking and slightly kissing sound in the
barrel. This need not alarm or surprise
YOU; for it takes place with all new wines
and not only does them no injury but
tends to. perfect and mellow them durina
the coming summer You NAV even
detect another fermentation tbn
spring after this-all of which !,
perfectly natural, and results in maturing
and strengthening your wine-a most i'm
portant item before you throw the wine
into market However, this second fer
mentatlon will subside in very short time
when the wine will become quiet, and com.
fmence perceptibly to improve in flavor and
color. Your cellar, all the time, should be-
dry and as sweet as lime and cleanlincss
can render it. And here let me observe
once more, that without having cellar tLr
wine maker has not supplied himself withaU
the requisites for his business. I stated in
a previous paper, and may, perhaps. be in
dulged in a little repetition, as my object is
to have wine properly made, that bv the
| addition Of sugar in the quantities above
gwen, superior and very sweet Scuppcr-
nong could be produced and also, that. by
adding small per cent. of brandy. the
same end might be attained and that this
last appeared to me to be the preferable
method, for the reason that in this way no
foreign flavor would be added to the wine.
and no taste but that of Scuppernongg grapes
would ever be detected in it, But let me
beseech you, and all wine-makers, as You
respect your. duty toward one of the
choicest favors of Providence, do not mru-
der your juice by the introduction Of apple
brandy rmiserable bourbon or corn whisky.
1t is this last horrible outrage, that has
deteriorated the qualities of our generous
Scuppernong, and caused it to be "ecH spa
Ken off,; and L here enter against it, ever
more, my most solem protest and denuncia-
ton.
If you use spirits of any sort, let if
be Brandy made out of the pomace of Scup-
pernong grapes, after you have done with
them at the press, and which can be used
most proftably for that purpose. Throw
the whole mass up into hoPsheads, or
number OF barrels unheaded, and after
time, all the juice they contain will collect
at the bottom, and may be easily drawn off,
When it has fermented to the proper de-
gree, distill it carefully, as you would cider
or apple-pomace, and you will obtain
Brandy with the Scuppernong flavor, which
age viii render equal to any grape brandy
you have ever sampled. Add this to yo1i
new wine, before it has gone into ferupl-
tatlen, that is, as soon as it comes from the
press, In such quantity as experience shall
demonstrate to be sufficient, and you can
certainly make a still Scuppernong to which
age will give an aroma not surpassed by7
that OF any other wine Nor will it re-
quire a very large addition of brandy
to check the fermentation of your wine,
so as TO keep it sweet, and turn out q
inely-tlavored and luscious article
L cannot but believe this will be the pro-
cess finally adopted to obtain sweet Scup-
pernong wine of the still kind, and OF the
finest flavor. For sparkling wine, sugar
must be added, as it is in the manufacture
OF French Champagne. Indeed, if wine
5ugared as heretofore directed. be bottled
in the Spring after it is made and laid down
Oh the side SO that none of the gas can g..
cape, it will effervesce whenever ]. is
opened. .5' tas..-..tt. ....
But the proper treatment of this last
kind of wine III the bottle, viz to clear it
Of the dregs precipitated during its fernen-
tation, will demand the skill and nice man
ipulation of trained Champaign maker
And when vineyards have been planted OF
I large scale, as / trust they will be exc
ong, he is the operator who will have to he
Introduced, or your Champagne will pro-
aabty always hold sediment in tho bottle,
md thus become muddy during transporta-
ion to market. Such skill as his will be
equlred to clear the wine in your bottle by
lischarging the lees according to a process
veil understood in all Champagne cellcrs.
t IS useless to detail the mode Of treatment
y tAese papers all / would impress upon
he manufacturer of sparkling Scuppcr-
long IS this, to get a practised Frencl
nan into his cellar, and commit tn
management of that kind of wine to him.
i the vineyard be an extensive one, IS il
'ught to be, he will be we'll able t. aracr-
70 the. expense, and thus have his work
lone to perfection.
Finally this will, of course, he done.
nd then we shall drink sparkling wines
rom our own cellars, made Of pare
rape juice, and shall find a ma:hct
'mong the appreciative all over the
VIDE extent of this country, and perhaPs
'oApete: in other markets with whatever
he Champagne districts of France, or any
,ther part of Europe may deliver as Their
lnest products in that line. This may
perhaps, seem to he an extravagant cuio-
'lum but nevertheless true, and eypen-
nee will prove it true. ] have now accom-.
'lshed all intended in these articles
ave shown where, and how to plant you