Nebraska advertiser., 1868-07-30
How Pure wines are Made.

we copy the following article from
the last Rural World. We copy it be-
u it is an excellent article upon
the subject, and also because it is. fur
ther evidence of our own views here
tofore expressed:
"I see in a late number of the St.
Louis Democrat, that a French noble
man, Count POlignac, arrived here
lately for the purpose Ofbuyfng q tract
of land in this State and engaging in
wine grape-culture. Ifthis is so, then
it is safe to say that France is begin
ming to turn her eyes to this quarter
Of our country, and this might be hail
ed as one Of the signs of the times.
But this fact reminds me of the eff
forts now being made by another no.
bleman, an italian, to improve the
manufacture of wine in Italy by imi-
tating the best processes now used in
the foremost wine districts in France.
serviceable TO all vintagers, as the
publication Of the following relation
by the Italian press, will show.
Hoping earnestly that in it there
might be some thing interesting to the
vintagerss Of Missouri, I translate from
the Italian, and hope that, if not in
compatible, you win give the benefit
Of it or any part Of it, to your readers.
st. Louis July /. PETER SCANZI.
-
Count Augustus de Gori, ofFlor-
ence, sent into Burgundy MI. Joseph
Mucei to examine and study, on the
spot, the process under which wine is
made in that country. From Mr..
Mucei's relation a great many teach
ings might be obtained for this branch
of industry here at home, and to help
the cause we give it the publicity of
the press, that it may prove advanta-
geous to many of our fellow-citizens,
who are now engaged in the pursuit
Of wine-making in California.
"In the art of wine-making all ma
incubation is banished in Burgundy,
such as mixing grapes of different va
r~ieties, adding cOlOring substances or
alcoholic ingredients, and even dried
grapes. In the vineyards Of Burgun-
DIV the following rules are rigidIy en-
forced:
LIST. The planting of that particular
variety Of grape vine, best adapted to
the soil-and there the varieties are
only two, the Pinol on the hills, and
the Camel on the plains.
I'd. The grape vine is there planted
at the average depth of 20 centimeters,
and the ditch filed up with the same
dirt therefrom extracted, mixed with
deposits gathered from the gutter of
the roads, and dirt from the edges of
the fields. The space between the
vines is from 20 to so centimeters.
Only one shoot is allowed to each vine
and only one bud, or at most two is
left thereon. In October the young
vines are pruned and cut at the same
height of the stake, to-wit 60 to 20.
centimeters. The Burgundian eX-
poets from his vines not so much as to
quantity, but the choicest quality.
The ground is hoed five times through
the year, and with the greatest dill
gence. No animal manure is applied
as the wine would prove too soft,
and not so durable. Only the ashes
obtained from burning the recluse of
the wine press, are used for manure,
and it is sufficient.
3. We are at the vintage, at the
great festival and merry-making all
over the country, and the most i'm
pOrtant affair of the year. The ripe
ness of the crop is tested from day to.
day. An instrument for this purpose
has been invented, and if it does not
announce the requisite degree of ma
turity, then the municipal authority
enforce a pOstp0nement Ofthe vintage.
From the degree Of ripeness the vinta-
ger ascertains not 70 much the guam
THY as the quality of his wine, and
can therefrom make suTe of its value.
What is more he can, from year to
year, turn out an article Of uniform
quality, simply by leaving more or
less Of the rasps, LRasp is what is left
of the bunch deprived of the berries,
to ferment with the must. With an
ordinary ripeness of the grapes, one
half of the rasps are rejected greater
the ripeness larger the proportion of
rasps allowed to ferment. The must
is left to ferment from five to eight
davs, when il is run of. Too long
fermentation macerates the rasps.
forming thereby elements that would
in time corrupt the wine. When the
must has been run off at the proper
time, il has already taken from the
mass left behind its indispensable in
gradients. that is the tannin (tannino). |
Bv so doing the macerating Of the
rssps is avoided, and all aroma and
purity saved that goes to make the
wine delicate, rich and durable. The
mass left after fermentation is made
to give out under the press the residue
which is added to the whole Large
casks are then filed, and a second fer
mentation allowed to 60 urgently and
calmly. After this second IermenGa-
ton the wine is collected IN casks
of about two eetOItres capacity leav-
ing the sediment behind.