The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1878-07-31
ITO MAKESCUPPERNONG WINE.

from all other grapes. And whoever
has Hussman's or Remelin's work on
wine making will find the directions
therein as entirely applicable to the
'scuppernong as they are to the other
American grapes of which they more
especially treat.
But write for those who are not
caring to learn the rationale of the
process and who arc not possessed of
saccharometers, acidimetels, and 9TH
er requisites for scientific wine max
ing.
First. Be sure to use perfectly
ripe grapes, if possible to avoid those
that are not. This, however, is not
very easy to do, as the scuppernong
does not by any means ripen its crop
all atonce. And even the most care
full hands will gather more or less
partially ripe fruit, while trying to
gather only that which is fully ripe
while careless hands will gather
large proportion of green fruit unless
closely watched.
Second. The next processis mash
ing the grapes (Which is best done in
anil having wooden or stone rollers
set 3 of an inch a part,) and express
ing the juice which must be done in
awooden press, as the oxygenization
of a metallic mill or press imparis
the flavor of the vine. The Juice
may be pressedout Immediately after
MASKING, or this operation can be de-
ferred from IL to "a hours, (the must
and husks being kept in a covered
yesseD till fermentation has begun.
Leaving the must on the husks, for
awhile, gives the wine a higher color
and more aroma.
Third. Writers on the grape, at
the North (where the scuppernong
dosen't grow speak desparagingly of
1T as a wine grape, because it is usual
to add sugar to it in making wine.
They depreciate any" doctoring Gas
they call it, of the pure must and say
that grape that will not make wine
without any additions to its must is
unfit for the purpose. Now let me
assure the uninitiated that this is all
"bosh. Even with the best varieties
of the gitiS 0ineterr0 and in the most
-.-kaxGSed wine districts of Europe ad-
ditions are made to the grape must
and the wine improved thereby. As
for our native American grapes the
must of all Of them, except perhaps
the Delaware, needs " doctering" and
is doctored more than the scupper-
nong. / believe that from scupper-
nongs all of which are ripe, a better
wine can be made without "doctor-
ing" than can be made without it
from any other American grape, not
of the seuppernong family, unless it
be the Delaware. But as there is
almost certain to be more or less Of
green or but partially ripe scupper-
nongs gathered with the others, from
one to two pounds of good white
sugar should be added to each gallon
of its must. Most other grapes have
an excess of acid, Of tannin, and OF
FITNESS" requiring not only sugar,
but water, to be added in order to
neutralize them. Not so with the
perfectly ripe scuppernong, and even
the unripe needs only slight addi-
tion of sugar.
Fourth. The must is now poured
into clear casks, till they are full, and
the long end of q siphon inserted
tightly in the bung hole Of each cask,
with its shorter end emptyiDg into
a dish of water. THIS allows the es-
cape Of gas from the vessel while
preventing the ingress of air during.
fermentation. The casks should be
in situation of which the tempera-
ture will be as low ana equable as
may be--a cellar of course to be pre-
lered-th though it is a mistake to sup
pose cellar to be an absolute pre-
requisite to making very good wine.
Fifth. After active fermentation
is over, say in about month, it will
be found that the vessels lack con-
siderable of being full +; when the con-
tents OF one Of the smaller ones lit is
better to have them of graduated
sizes) should be used for filing the
others, and they must be kept quite
full ali the time and the bungs tight.
Sixth. Some cold clear day in
February the wine should be racked
off. 1. e, the clear wine drawn off
from the settings or "lees" into other
clean casks, which also must be made
and kept quite full and tight.
The utmost cleanliness should be
observed in all the manipuiations OF