The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1871-08-31
FOR TIE PRESS AND BANNER.
Wine Making.

requests from persons at diffcren
a places to give them, in detail, my
I method of making wine: and a
there may be others who might pos
sibIy be benefited by plain directions
in tho art Of wine-maliing J, | send yol
this. [ pretend to nothing new il
what [ will writc, but there arc many
of us who may protitably learn wha
is old.
This wine ( I send you q sample,
was made rs follows The grape;
(Scuppernong,) were gathered after
some two or three weeks of dry
weather; sheets were held at corper'
beneath the vines, into which thu
grapes were shaken, together with :
good many leaves, twigs, and trash
the last wcro separated from tho
grapes by pouring them slowly out
en- an inclined plain; tho green and
d,caycd ones were picked out. Then
tho grapes, without washing, were
mashed in wooden vessels by hand
and the juice pressed, which was put
into G clean sweet Scg resting on its
side in cellar well ventilated it was
filled full, (stick pin thcre.) There
was added whilst measuring in, one
pound of best white sugar to the gal
Ion, jugs were also filled with the
same to the amount OF one tenth OF
the Wine in the leg. These were set
beside the key. All were left open at
top. The grapes were very ripe and
sweet. If the weather is cloudy and
rainy previous to gathering, or if not
thoroughly ripe, tho juice will need
one ard q half or two pounds Of su-
gar to tho gallon. Blackberry juice
should have thrcc pounds. l have
made wine without sugar, that went
through safe without acctcus tcrmcn-
tation; but it was poor wine, and as
long as it continues to rain in Summer
time, here we will be compelled TO add
sugar to get wine with good body.
FERMENTATION.
This began in about twcnty-iour
hours and continued, rapidly, at first
boiling over and throwing off impuri-
ties for several days. Every morning
the keg was filed .frcm the jug. The
sugar was also stirred from the bot
tom with q clean stick, (not pinc.)
The fermentation was kept up-grad-
ually subsiding-for about one month,
when the buny was put in tight, and
the jug corkcd. In about three
months tho keg WAS opened and again
filled from the jug and closed alright.
At the end of one year faucet was
inserted without moving the kcg and
the wincd bottled. The corEs were
sof,encd in hot water and driven
tight. L use no scaling wax. The
kcg was never moved or shaken dur
ing the time Of making.
Racking is capital process for
making vinegar, but poor one for
making wine. You can make bet
ter wine ON the lees than in barr e
free from them. Some Of the best
wine l ever made stood two ycals
without drawing Off The art Of re-
huing wine upon tho lees was known
to the Jews The particular process
as it is now pracliscd in the island Of
Cyprus is described in Marili's TRAY
els. IT,
"Thc drcgs arc so much valuctl that
they are not sold with the wine in
vase unless particularly mentioned
Wotsou's Dictionary.
IF your grape are scarce, You may
increase the quantity of wine by add
ing to the marc and pomico as much
water as you have pressed juice, and
three pounds Of sugar to each gallon
Let the whole tcrmcnt toge: her 3 or 4
days, then press and proceed as with
the first. Mr.. Cook, an extensive
wine maker Of Georgia, and good au-
thority in this matter. says this last
will make even better wine than
the first.
For those who have no cellar and
who only make q few gallons Of wine
recommend a gallon. kcg or largo
Jug set in tho coolest part Of the
house, say fire place OH the north
side of the house. Follow the above
plan and keep q cloth over the mouth
to keep out gnats and reaches, and
you will get a clear good wine, in
stead Of tho muddy swectcncd stuff
"so-callcd" wine, but for which it
would bc hard to find an appropriate
name: There arc thousands of bot