The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-05-02
Italian Wine.

I'Virgil found it impossible to emu.
merate the different kinds of grapes and
their names, how much more so it the
case to-dayP But his praises of the
Falesn an w ne are well deserved
" hite Falern an is excel emit, and has
an aroma and bouquet o its own withal
strong and generous. Tuscany is de.
servedly proud o. her "Chianti." and
~ in San o. from any respectable fat.
toria" is not to e despised. But the
worst of Italian wines Is that you are
seldom sure of getting the same class
OF wine two years running.
The manner of making wine has not
changed since the me of Virgil. The
white oxen bring The grapes from
fields in vat placed on an unwieldy,
heavy Ox-"art painted scarlet, to the
tina n or plice where the ..tini"
or yatS are The grapes are emptied
ut into '.bigoneie," tall wooden pail
without handles, which the men ca nv
on their shou ders. The grapes arr
poured into the immense open watts,
where they are stamped upon nj hi
and morning by the b .re-les ged peas
ants to prevent the upper stra um o
grapes becoming acid by too long q
7ontact with the air. When the fer
mental on has ceased the clear murk il
run off q man gets into the vat ani
pitchforks the mu K into ..bigoncie'
again, which are empti d into the wine
press. As a pict rial sub ect this press
is delightful, but 1t is inconven ent ant
extremely wasteful. Two huge posts
of wood support an immense b ar
through which works a wooded screw,
hnishln at the bottom in square
block of wood with two square hole,
straight through it. Under this st nd.
what is called the '.gabia'' cage,
rolnd, vat-shaped. iron-clamped re.
ceptacle. mad of strong bars of wood
The murk is put into this and when j,
s full ''toppi," round slabs o wool
like colossal cheeses are piled on top o.
the muk. Then long pole is stuck
into one of the square HOES n the b, t
tom the S, rev, and to the other end
is hooked q rope, which is secured
r, ind turning pillar o wood about
eight feet OFT. with a handle, aga nsi
which three or. four men throw then
whole weight. Slowly, W tn many
ere ks and groans, the huge block Of
wood des ends on the round slab and
the rope c.rs round the pillar, while
fr m between t bars of t Q ess |
ushes out dark, tm bid. dirty looking
liquid, VIII CHI one can h I'd Y belle e |
will ever turn into ruby wine. This
operation is repeated by unh oking the
rope, lifting beam out of j $ hole
and carr, ing it On mans shoulder II
The hole behind, until the murk by
sheer physical force is pressed into y
mass and contains no more
liqu d.
Virgil's excellent advice about thor.
oughly seasoning and breaking up the
land before planting vines is carrie.
out to the letter in Use ny, where the
ditrher makes a trench at least six fee
deep, and four feet wide. called ..scasse
reale," which is left open to sun, wind
and rain for six months or a year before
it is again filled in, after having been
ina rough and ready manner
by pitching all available stones into the
bottom of the trench. The vine-cut.
tings, ''magliuoli or, better still. two
year-o!d rooted plants, '.barbatelie,
. e planted two on ca h side of young
maple tree destined for their support.
If Vim, va d is to be made, guin-
;unx system. recommended by Virgil,
s always followed, and you will still
hear the head of a gang of workmen
saying. ''they must be like soldiers,
in line. h-L0ngn.an's Maya.
.inc.