Nebraska advertiser., 1868-09-03
FERMENTATION

the stems, is next thrown into watts
and allowed to ferment. The watts are
large casks, generally without bulge,
the largest at the bottom, and open at
the top. In some Of the large houses
they are covered with loose boards in
others the boards are jOinted and made
Theoretically close by p~lastering with
cement or clay; in others there is
merely a floating mass of stems; and
in others there is no covering at all
except the scum Of stems, skins, seeds
ETC., which rise to the surface.
After the fermentation has ceased
andthe wine becomes clear, tits drawn
off and put away in close casks, which
in France are almost uniformly of the
size called " barrique, " holding about
fifty gallons. In Burgundy these are
kept above ground and in the light
until spring, andthen pUtinto cellars,
while in the Bordeaux country they
remain in the light in stOre-houses
above ground until one or two years
old, and then removed to dark rooms
on the same level. A careful way OF
making red wine out of grapes not
Efully ripened is to allow it to remain
in the watts for a sufficiently long time
after fermentation to let the greenness
held, in suspense, settle to the bot
tom.
At "Latour, " in the vintage OF
1865. they allowed the wine to remain
in the vata whole month, though the
formation was probably complete in
halfOf the time. After brewing of
the remaining undissOlved pOmace, it
is pressed andmade into a wine of in
feriorquality. 1t is eommOnin France
and it would be sometimes necessary
in some parts of America, to provide
means of warming the wine-house up
to at least 20 degrees of 4" Centigrade,n
or 68 degrees of Fahrenheit, as we'll as
to introduce steam heat into the watts
themselves, which is done by means
Of a tin pipe, entering to the right of
the faucet and a little above the bot
tom of the vat, bending to the bottom
and rising again in the form of a letter
u, and then passing out at the same
distance from it, the steam entering
at one end and the condensed vapoT
escaping at the other; but heat is only
applied in cold seasons and when the
grapes are badly ripened.
In France, the fruit of different va
rieties are commonly mixed tOe ether,
and generally but little account is ia
ken Of "cesaye" Variety as compared
with the quality of soil. Well-infor-
med persons, however, r disposed
to complain of the introduction which
has been quite general of recent years
of course varieties grown for quantity
rather than quality.
There is one variety of vine COM
monty e e on rich soil and deemed
unfit for poor ground, except where
grown for brandy, as in COgnac, that
may possibly be of value to us. It is
called ala fOllen 1.-THE crazy zen rag
att" from enraged). Except in its
infancy it needs no stakes, but holds
itself erect by the strength of its stalk,
which is trained about one foot high,
and from which the cane or branches
shoot out with great vigor, like those
of the oster willow prunned low.
Every winter all the branches are cut
back to two or three eyes, and during
the season the ground is cultivated in
the usual manner, but further than
this 1t demands no attention. There
is ne summer pruning nor any tving.
winter or summer. 1t is never hurt
by frost, is proof against all disease.
and is unfailing in its fruiting. and
yields, when in good condition, 1900
to 1900 gallons Of wine per acre. Its
most favorable soil is sandy loan. and
when grown on such, its wine. which
is quite strong, is worth 40 cents Der
gallon. OF that produced about Bor-
deaux, a good deal is mixed with
coarse red wine and made into claret
for American consumption. Of itself
it will not make red wine. It is posi-
bic that this hardy vine or grape will
stand our severe winters, and, with or
without winter covering, obtain a
footing in American soil. Generally
it is a bad policy to introduce a coarse
plant of any sort; but we have so vast
a spread of land that is too rich for
growing delicate wines, no matter
what variety of plants is tried. and of
late the mildew and rot have been SO
discouragingly fatal in many parts al
the country, it might be well to give
the en- ragatt" a trial, and. since we
must drink the juice baptized with
the namese of st. Julian - Chateau
Margaux," and all the saints efMedoc
we may as well enjoy the satisfaction
and the very large profit of raising il
ourselves.
Not only do the French mix differ
ent kinds of grapes in the vat and on
the press, but they freely compound
together different kinds of wine in
every stage Of mutiny. This is done