The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-07-29
Making Wine from Native Grapes.

The following receipt for making do
nestle wine from Catawba or Isabella
grapes. used by G.. A. Nicolls, Of Read
ing, Pa, In 1859 TO 1859, is commended
TO us by a gentleman who has tried 1t
successfully. Its directions have the
merit, rare in receipts, of being full and
precise: ...r; -1l. - s-r1
/. Select perfectly ripe bunches, and
then carefully pick off the stems and re-
move all grapes which are not quite ripe.
2. Squeeze the juice out, either by hand
or press, strain through a hair sieve,
and pour it at once into clean, sweet
barrel or keg, adding to the vessel two
gallons of water for every gallon of juice
made.
8. At the same time put in four pounds
of sifted sugar per gallon of juice.
4. In adding the two gallons of water
stated in section let ir strain through the
pulp, skins, ETC., of the residuum Of the
grapes after being squeezed.
5. Fill the vessel full up to the bung
hole, which cover with a sand-bag to al
low the fermentation to escape.
s. Watch the barrel daily. and clear or
Scrape away the sUuII, Which viii be
thrown out in large quantities.
Z. As the wine falls below the bung, fill
up daily latter clearing away the scum)
with sugar water, made with two pounds
of sugar to the gallon of water.
s. The fermentation will continue from
three to six weeks, according to the wealth
er. When it has ceased, | pour into the
bung hole about one gill of brandy to the
gallon of Juice, to flow over the surface and
prevent its souring; but the brandy may
not be indispensable. Then bung the YES
sci up tight. - sH
8. During the cold weather.. in say the
following February, when the wine Is per-
fectly still and clear, draw it off into any
other clean vessels, then quickly clean,
scald and rinse thoroughly the barrel in
which the wine was made, and return the
wine to it, bung it ap, and draw 1t of as
required for use.
10. If you wish to make very palata-
Bile champagne, have the champagne bot
ties ready when you rack off the wine as
stated in section9: put tablespoonful
of common syrup in each quart bottle;
then fill with the wine, leaving about u
inches clear below the bottom OF the cork,
which fasten very securely with strong
twine, as the pressure of the fixed air to
escape is very great.
IL. The wine will improve by age, after
the operation described in section 9.
II. An old brandy or whisky barrel is
the best (see section p. Never use a new
barrel, as the wine will taste Of the wood.
Is. About fifteen pounds of grapes will
give one gallon of juice. The ripper the
grapes the better the yield of the juice.
One gallon of grapes in lunches weighs
about four and a half pounds.
IA. Keep the wine in the cellar. where
it will not be exposed to extremes. OF tenn
perature. -,
10. An approximate estimate of the
quantities required for a 30-gallon barrel
will be as follows: -
To Make Thirty Gallons of Wi1e.-l5O
lbs grapes, yielding 10 gallons juice; 20
gallons water, strained through the pulp
residuum (see section Al; 40 lbs of sifted
sugar p pints of common brandy. See
section 8. .-----..r
If carefully made, the wine will be
wholesome and palatable, with a flavor
like grape Juice Madeira. 1t was preferred
to all Others at the Washington hospitals
during the war OF 1876, and was re-
ported 70 have been the means OF saving
| the lives of some of the soldiers.