Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1868-04-17
WINE-MAKING.

I'VE clip from the american Journal Of HO1ti-
culture the following description of the mode CT
making wine at the Longwo House, as of in
terest to many of our readers who entering
upon the culture Of the grape with view to man
ufaCturlng Wlne.I
For the manufacture of wine, crop Of
well-ripened grapes is selected and pur-
chased in the vineyard late in October or
early in November, and man sent to SUI
perintend the gathering. All decayed or
imperfect berries are first removed from the
clusters, which are then cut from the stalk,
and taken in covered baskets to the wine
house. f lid or rather false head, hav-
ing innumerable holes, is fitted into the
mouth of capacious cask the clusters are
placed upon it, and the grapes worked
through into the cask, leaving the stems
on the head. Sternming and MASKING COM
pleted, the maatst may be allowed to stand
for some time on the skins of the grapes
before pressing, provided a colored wine is
desired otherwise it is Immediately pressed
out, and run into large fermenting casks
situated in the upper or warmer cellars
The writer noticed one of these casks, hay
ing capacity of over four thousand five
hundred gallons. The weight of must is
expected to be at least eighty five to ninety.
The fermentation thus begun lasts ten to
thirty days, varied by the heat of the
weather the gas evolved being allowed to
escape through water by means of a siphon,
thus preventing the access of air. The
effervescence having ceased, and a sedi-
ment deposited, the pure wine is racked
off in the following March, and conducted
down into numerous casks provided for the
storage of still wines in the deep cellars,
whose temperature ranges from 40 to so
deg. Fahrenheit the year round. These
casks have generally capacity of three
hundred to five hundred gallons; but a
number hold fifteen hundred or two thou
sand gallons each.
To produce sparkling wines, the still or
dry wine thus kept in store is forced up
again about the month of June, and run
into fresh casks and to each of these casks
there is now added measure of wine hav-
ing pure rock candy in solution sufficient
to induce a second fermentation. 1t is now
drawn out into bottles and these are
| securely corked, and are stacked In the up
per cellars till about the month of Septem-
Der, or until the fermentation begins to
burst them. The bottles requiring great
strength, they are imported from Folem-
bray, a town of Champagne in France: they
are as much superior to our best American
bottles as the best French plate-g is
superior to common American glass The
| French bottle will stand pressure of
the American will rarely bear more than
sixteen to eighteen, as shown by the ma
nometer used here Il testing them. The
neck of the French bottle is likewise more
uniform. No old or secondhand bottles
are used. The corks are also imported
| from Epernay.
This second fermeD tation having now
progressed as stated, it is arrested in great
measure by lowering the bottles into the
vaults built for storage of sparkling wine,
where they are stacked by scores of thou
sands, in long rows resembling cord-wood
each bottle being laid on its side, along
which now collects the sediment generated
by the fermentation. The development of
gas may not, however, wholly cease, as the
occasional bursting of bottles will show
In one hot August, some years ago, the gas
evolved by a slight excess of the rock-can-
DIV caused the destruction of fifty thousand
bottles. The wine thus spilled is, however,
conducted by continuance of stone gut
ters to a reservoir, and is distilled into
brandy; seven measures of wine making
one of brandy.
The bottled wine thus stacked in store
may remain undisturbed for years. When
wanted for market, the bottles, without
disturbance of their sediment, are carefully
placed in racks, their necks inclining down
wards, and are gradually raised day by
day, towards perpendicular and inverted
position, each bottle being every day
twirled about one-third round and back
again by hand several times !; which agita-
ton causes the sediment to collect gradu-
ally in the neck, leaving the wine above
perfectly clear. This operation requires
two to three weeks.
The bottles are now carefully elevated
from the cellar; and, as very skilful work
man removes each cork, the puff of gas ez-
pels all sediments process known as
sdisgorging, the bottle passes to
the hand Of another, who quickly adjusts