The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-12-29
farm aud 6arden.
conducted by DR.. THOMAS POLLARD State
Commissioner of Agriculture
Wine Making.

general manager vi Che nohIlOello wine
Company, prepared by request for the
4th Annual Report of Commissioner Of
Agriculture, on wine making in the
Piedmont region.
The Monticello Wine Company was
organised in May, 1878, cellars built and
furnished with casks. watts, press grape
mill and other necessary fixtures during
that summer, making the first wine from
crop of that year during September, o.
tober. and November There was not at
the time sufficient grapes planted to
make it remunerative, which was re-
cognised by the few grape growers who
combined to start it. 1t was built In
order to afford sure home market for
grapes, and thus encourage their culture.
as it had been ascertained that we could
not depend upon shipping to Northern
cities. There is always part of the
crop unfit to ship; some of the most pro-
ftable varieties are not fit for table use.
and it is only for limited time each
year that remunerative prices are OBJ
tanned 1t is absolutely necessary to
have a local market at fair figures to
make grape culture a success. Our eel
lar is forty feet wide, one hundred feet
deep, two stories in ground, one story
above for pressing and fermenting. 1t is
in hill side, rock blasted out thirty feet
IN depth. Average temperature in lower
cellar, sixty degrees. Grapes are de-
livered in upper story level with ground,
in the rear, passed through grape mill
merely to break the skin; if white, then
pressed at once; if red, put in fermen-
ting watts to remain from forty EIGHT to
seventy-two hours, according to tempera-
ture, which is desired to be seventy de-
grees. Here the wine is made and no
rule can be laid down it depends on the
taste, smell and hearing to determine
when to draw it off. A Spite is put near
bottom of vat, with bundles of fresh
grape vines on inside held down by
weight to let juice filter through without
clogging up. Some grapes stand pressing
after drawn off, others not. The Juice is
IN violent fermentation, and is conducted
by rubber hose to five hundred and one
thousand gallon casks in story below,
where its fermentation is watched till
about February, when it is racked off
and conducted in similar manner to
casks in cellar proper, to permanently
remain. Here it requires to be racked
three times the first year, and once after
that Just before it is shipped. To hasten
maturity the larger casks when fined are
emptied into one hundred and sixty gal
lon casks. The red Concord is good at
one year old, and does not improve be-
yond two. The Nortons should not in
justice be put on market under two
years, and will probably continue to i'm
prove for ten years. It is of heavy
Burgundy nature and equal to the best
of them with age. Vessels used are all
split white oak, and absolute cleanli-
ness, and thorough scrubbing of every
thing used with pure, good, water, is of
the very first Importance in making
wine, from the gathering of the grape
to the drinking of the wine. Consid-
cradle Ices are sold to cigar manufacture
ers. Our grapes abound in beautiful
color; superabundant in MOI ton, and to
perfection in the ruby Ives. Coloring
matter so largely used in foreign, and
needed in some of the Western and most
of California red wines, is not used,
wanted or needed here. If, as happens
occasionally, the red Concord be deficient
IN color, then it is easily brought up and
improved by blending small portion OF
Ives, Clinton or Norton. i1e
We make only still-dry wines; no
sparkling, nor sickening, sweet wines
we make them absolutely pure. O.,
grape juice properly fermented-and call
each by name of grape, except White
Concord, which we name Hook" Red
Concord we name Virginia claret. y
They are both made from the same Con.
cord grape. Good choice lots rot shaken
up by hauling, are put in press at once
from grinder and gently pressed, yielding
near one-third Of juice, which makes
straw-colored Hock-when made into
claret they are only fermented Con the
husk) and not pressed. Galhzing, /. e.,
adding water (sometimes as much as one
third and bringing it up on must scale
BY addition of grape sugar, we have
never touched. 1t is in almost universal
practice West, though of late years in
diminished degree. In theory it is pretty
and profitable. Blending water and su-
gar with juice you can get it up to stand
ard on Saccharometer, and that test
would be good was sugar in grapes the
only ingredient essential to the making
of wine, but as that is not true, and the
other ingredients are not and cannot be
c1tyr,lio1 Mill 80 &C.,. -