The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-09-01
Gpttlina State aollrnal.
FRIDAY EVENING, q SEPT ASH.
WINE MAKING.

and most saleable Concord wine the state
of maturity the grape should be when gath
cred. and the most convenient and cheapest
way Of abstracting the juice? After crush
ing, would it be well to delay pressing for
some hours? Are sugar and water neccs-
sary to make number one wine? How
much of each to the gallon of juice ? Is it
best to make the wine in a cool place ? /
would prefer to sch my grapes to some
wine company by the ton or the expressed
Juice. Are any of the wine establishments
at st. louis buying either, and about how
much do they propose to pay 2IoispI oS58a5'
s@i'1a 81 GALDER!n 'a
Lipingst0n county, H. 7.rk4-ss .rt544
With mature grapes, which contain the
proper amount Of saccharihe, the process of
wine-making will be very simple. I In the
first place the grapes should hang until
they are perfectly ripe, not merely ripe
enough to eat, but ripe for wine-making.
The best conditions are only reached IN
warm and dry seasons, Simply a ripe
Concord grape is not suitable for wine
they should hang after this until the .ber-
ries are somewhat shriveled and the shining
purple color of the skin becomes dub
purple, and may then be gathered and ,im-
mediately mashed, or in a dry place spread
on boards to remain twenty-four hours, or
until they have parted with any excess of
water they are supposed to contain. twill
be necessary, however, not to expose them
too long, for at this stage of 'ripeness the
Concord grape will keep but short time.
Wine-makers differ much as to the
time the mashed grapes should be kept in.
the tub before pressing, as well as to the
after treatment of the mash, especially after
the first light pressing of it is made. s
This difference is in part that some pre-
fer light, others darker colored wine
The first is made by MASKING the grapes as
soon as they are taken from the vines, and
at once subjecting them to gentle pressure.
The run obtained in this way makes the
White Concord, so-called. In this case,
however, the grapes are taken as soon as
they are fully ripe, without waiting for
them to shrivcl. After this first run is
taken, which does not extract more than
one-third of the juice, additional pressure
is given, and the mash is then returned, and
water and sugar are added, usually four to
five pounds or more of sugar to each gallon
of water. BY some the amount of water
thought best is one-half as much as the
juice first expressed, though it has not been
uncommon for some makers to add five
times this amount of water, and then by
the ald oil saccharometer, sugar IS put IN
to make the product obtained iromathe
second pressing weigh IRON elghty-hye to
one hundred. (Oscheole's scale.) 10 =,
This mixture ist usually allowed to stand
IN the tup from tWenty-four TO 1orty-elght
hours, OF longer, as the weather IS warm
or cold, and then pressed. The longer 1T
remains IN the tub the greater will be the
amount OF JUICE, besides 1t will be higher
colored. -
ms addition OF sugar water to the must
Is called galllzing; amt many OF our for
elgn WINE = makers a, strongly recommend tins
process on the ground tnat the ACIDS and
aroma arc SO diluted that the WINE will
more nearly correspond to that which IS
made abroad. 10 TINS It may be SAID that
those VINO nave NOT acquired 2 taste lor any
particular WINE, take as readily to our pure
American wines as to any other, and 1t Is
further worthy OF remark, that those who
nave once become accustomed to the use OF
the gained Products, lmperceptioiy come
10 prefer such as Is pure. AL the present
rateS OF grapes, say tnree Genus the pound,
gallon OF ooncord JUICE VIII cost less than
iorty cents. Az this low rate IL IS lmprac--
ticaole 10 adulterate, because the sugared
water VIII COST by twenty cents the gallon
more IMAM grape lulce state OF things
whicn may ultimate IN good, SINCE 1t VIII
IN n m all nrsnr fA