Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-11-14
SWIMMING In BURGUNDY
Why the Human Feet and Body Are Used in
European Wine Making.
from Flagg's European Vineyards

European Wlne-Making.
From Flagg's European Vineyards
The sight near at hand of "a stern
round tower of other days. admonished
me I was entering the dominion of
Chateau la Tour, one of the three reign
ing houses of Hauf Medoc, by decree of
the Bordean chamber of commerce and
the suffrages of p1incely drinkers the
world over, ranking number one in a
| classification of select sixty chosen from
| among many thousand vignobles of a
| district where all is choice and fine Sur
rounded by field of little low vines az
| insignificant to look at as any of the
| others, stood handsome new chateau,
| with press house, store houses, stables,
etc. close by, while apart from all and
rising from among the hop-o,my- thump
trellis was stately antique tower, CIV
ing dignity, character, interest and name
to the place. A gentleman of distinguished
look, with two ladies was walking to-
ward the house as I drew near. / saluted
him and asked permission to walk about
the property. ''If Monsieur will be good
enough to wait moment the regisseur
viii be here and conduct him" The
regisseur or conductor coming up,
was presented and turned over to him.
He showed me the press house. A pile
of grapes already stemmed was heaped
in conical form on the pressolr, and five
or six men with trousers rolled above the
knees were trOdding about in a circle,
tramping the pile underfoot, beginning
at the outer circumference and gradually
contracting their circle until they met in
the middle and on top of the cone. This
they cali "fouler pied crushing with
feet.
There might be a cleaner way of doing
the thing. 1 don't believe there could
be fouler. The regisseur made no
apology for the sight, nor did the trot-
tiers seem in the least ashamed. Wher-
ever went that day, except at the Aver
Gus farm and Chateau LATTE, this mode
Of crushing was in practice. 1t is said
no other 80 efectually brushes the pulp
without breaking the seed. In fact, that
it is important to the quality of the wine
that it be trodden out with the naked
feet. 1t is also said, and very truly, that
soap and water will clean the feet as well
as the hands.
AT one place visited I>enquired of
the workman if they washed their feet
before trampling the grapes, and was
told that they dl5 not. One of them en-
lightened my ignorance by explaining
that wine had the power to fling off all
impurities, so that it was of no conse-
quence how free they made with it. No
doubt there is a good deal to be SAID on
the other side of this question of dirt
l confess that what 1 saw and heard dis
turbed my old notion--at all events, the
Medoc vintagers acted as if quite sure of
their chemical deductions, and would
walk with bare feet slap-dash through
puddle and mud and mount the JUICY
! heap with the assured tread of
men firmly grounded IN their prin-
ciples.
| AT the "Hospice'' at Bllgny, in the
provice of Burgundy, the property OF an
endowed hospital of Beaune, l found the
arrangements excellent. The vats,which
| are constructed like those CT Medoc, only
lower and wider in proportion to their
| height, hold about thousand gallons
| each. Often 1t is necessary to resort to
artificial heat In aid to their fermentation,
| but so long as things work we'll IN the
| watts nothing of this kind is needed. But
there IS another mode OF rousing up the
slackening process, and at the same time
bringing the skins and seeds which have
settled to the bottom Into contact with
the new-made alcohol, so that the latter
may combine well with the colorlng mat
| ter they may contain.
Thisl consists In stirring up the whole
mass from bottom to top. 1t is done
twice during the process of fermentation.
1t takes four men TO do it we'll Naked
as Adam when he was good, and then
they go in-into the wine vat-chin deep
they 60 in, with feet and hands, fingers
and toes, turn over, stir about and mix
the liquid that was getting clear with the
pomac that was depositing itself, and
Make the cruel thick and slab,
And, like hell broth, boil and bubble.
The nice. sweet Bordelais man only
puts his foot in it. but the Burgundian
goes the whole figure. 1t is done to give
the wine full body. They call it fer
mentlng on the skin. He who explained
this to my astonished mind avowed it
with the simple frankness OF Fiji canni-
bal, but admits his tondness for what he
calls "long pork But the Fiji people
are only heathens. At the Hospice I
first heard of this strange custom, but re.
peatcd inquiries afterward confirmed the
story. Nor is the custom confined to
Burgundy alone, or to France alone.
"Once," said they, 'our wines fermented
on the skin only one or two days, and
were light in color and taste; but the con-
sumers of late years demand a deeper
color and richer taste, so in we go.n
Stirring up with poles was tried, but
the warmth of the human body was still
wanting, and the result, they said. was
not good; besides, it was hard work.
A RAILROAD Is projected to connect
Antioch and Lagrangeville, Cal, :. dis
lance OF 165 miles. It is to be single
frnnlr no