Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1867-07-19
Reported for the Journal.
REP 0RT
IN THE .BEsT NODE OF M&NUFACTU'
RING BLACKBERRY VINE -
Il. Il. SAUNDERS.
Published by Request of the society.
Made to the Cha

of refinement and cultivation. There Is
nothing gratifying and 1nv1goratlng TO
the whole system, when suitably taken, as
good winc-its freshness and peculiar arc
ma renders it very grateful to the stomach.
Good wine is the product OF good frnlt
only or that which has cone to maturity
under circumstances favorable to the devel-
opment of its best qualities for this reason
the best qualities of wine cannot be made
from wild Blackberries. Cultivation and
sunshine are necessary for the de7elopm ent
of the requisite amount Of sugar, and TIC
remove the excess of acid. l am doubtful,
if under the most favorable circumstances,
an excellent wine can be made OF Black
berries. I find by repeated tests that the
berries contain Citric, Mallic, Oxalic and
fannie Acid, besides some others, but
no Tartario Acid, which is character
istic of the Grape. Citrlc and Mallc
Acids are soluble in both Alcohol
and water, and therefore remain IN the
Wine communicating the acid taste
which the wine has The supposed medici-
nal properties of the wine [ think are due
to the Tannic Acid it contains, which be-
ing an astringent may have some effect
on the diseases of the bowels Now III
wine made of grapes, there is no Cltrc or
Mallic acid present and only Il small amount
of Tnnuic. which is derived from the oak
slaves, OF which the barrels are made
The Tartaric acid that exists IN the grape
Juice is soluble in water, but not soluble in
alchohOl, and as the sugar III the juice is
converted into alchohol, the Iartarlc Acid
falls to the bottom carrying with 1t most
of the Alkalies contained in the juice,
making Cream of Tartar or Bitartrate of
Potassa, and [ believe as long as such an
amount of Acids exist in Blackberry wine,
it is Il question whether it will be healthy
drink. One of the best tests of the value
and quality of wine, is the effect it prOdu-
ces when used III excess. Pure and heal
thy wine when drank to excess leaves no
headache or nervous debility whereas, the
effects of Blackberry wine are violent head
ache, nausia and nervousness, showing the
effects of the Acids held in solution in the
wine. [ believe the wine drank IN moder-
alton to be better than common WhlS-
key and that the manufacture of it will
| lead to making wine from grapes, than
| which there is no more healthtul drink.
have examined several samples of the
so-called Blackberry wine and find none OF
them come up to what is required Of good
wing. Good wine, when poured out,
should sparkle, be transparent, have Il
| pleasant taste and smell, must not be sour,
| should contain about 10 to 20 per cent
alcohol, and its specific gravity should not
| be greater than water. | have heard there
are some samples of Blackberry wine that
| possess all these qualities, but l have never
seen them. [ do not wish to be understood
Us discouraging the manufacture Of Black
berry wine, for [ think it good thing for
Us to practice on, to become familiar with
the art of wine making, so in Il few years.
when we all have vineyards, nc time need
| be lost in then having to learn. [ have no
=, +joI 90 10
ries when it can be made as cheap from
grapes, for grape wine is as superior to
! blackberry as u ripe grape is to a green
| blackberry; but until grapes are plentiful,
! everybody should use blackberrieS, as it
| Will be superior to the mixtures made and
sold by our Yankee brethren.
| Unit. blaci6berries are cult fated anlmOre
pains taken to select only thoroughly ripe
! berries, the amount of acid III them will have
to be reduced by the addition of water and
! sugar will have to be addedin order to furnish
alcohol enough to make the wine perma-
neut, for the sugar is not added to make it
sweet you add sugar to tea or coffee, but to
be converted into alcohol. The water is ad-
ded to dilute the acid and make it pleas
anter to the taste, as you would add water
| to Whiskey when too strong to drink. No
definite formula can be given as to the
| exact amount of sugar and water to be adj
ded, rs the quantity must vary with the
quantity already in the juice. Wine can
not be made twice alike unless the guam
tity is q termined, and the amount lacking
added in proper proportions. The amount
of sugar and water, as | have determined
by repeated tests varies from day to day
as it is affected by many circumstances,
such as change in the weather, or heavy
rain q few hours before the berries are
| 4l,n
damp soil or in the shade. A good wine
from blackberries unless accidentally can
not be made without an assay of the acid.
This can be done very readily by the use
of an acetometer. Ottos is the sim lest
and consists OF glass tube graduated 10
or II inches lii length and } inch wide and
| closed at the Dowfs-end. The tube is filled
to the line as with water, and then the
line O with juice and solution of ammo
MIA (sq. gr 994) added drop by drop and
the tube we'll shaken, keeping the mouth
| closed with the thumb. After more or less
ofthe solution Of Ammonia has been added it
will change to a violet color; this colorindf-
Gates the saturation Of the acid and the height
of the fluid in the tube shows the Quantity
| of acid in the juice. The lines marked rs,
&c, indicate whole per cent. and the
shorter ones per cent. Care should be
taken not to add too much ammonia. If
i the juice contains more than 6-10 of 10 per
cent. Tor practically l Id. in 81 gallons)
water must be added until it is reduced to
this amount, as it has been found by prac-
I teal experience that this amount makes
the best wine from grapes, and as no, ex-
periments are recorded Of the blackberry,
we will have to be governed by the expert
ments made with other fruits The amount
of water to be added to any number Of
gallons can be ascertained by the rule of
3, for if Id. acid requires q gallons water,
it is easy to ascertain how much l! lbs
acid requires, or the water can be poured in
a little at a time until the proper quantity is
added, care being taken to add it in very
i small quantities.
i The amount of sugar is to be determined
i by Must scale or Beaume's Hydrome-
ter, for liquids are heavier than water.-
Il This is constructed on the principle that
the instrument sinks the deeper into the
fluid the thinner it is or the less sugar it
contains. Oechrles' scale is the one most
in use. 1t consists of stem with g hoI-
low ball near it's lower end to make it swim
and q weight beneath to keep it in q
/ perpendicular position. The stem is