The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1884-06-07
Italian Vino.

II Virgil found it impossible to emu
merate the different kinds OF grapes
and their names, how much more so Is
it the case to-dayp But his praises OF
the Faernian wine are well deserved.
| White Falernian is excellent and has
an aroma and bouquet of its own with
al strong and generous. Tuscany Is
deservcdly proud of her "Chiantl,,
and Win Santo" from any respectable
.fattoria" is not to be despised. But
the worst of Italian wines is that you
are seldom sure of getting the same
class of wines two years running.
The manner of making wine has been
changed since the time of Virgil The
white oxen bring the grapes from the
fields in vat placed on an unwieldy,
heavy ox-cart painted scarlet, to the
"tinaji" or place where the ''tini'' or
vats are. The grapes are emptied out
into "bigoncie," tall wooden pals
without handles, which the men carry
on their shoulders. The grapes are
poured into immense open watts, where
they are stamped upon night and morn
ing by the barefooted peasants to pre-
vent the upper stratum becoming acid
by too long contact with the air.
When the fermentation has ceased the
clear must be run off; man goes into
the vat and pitchforks the murk into
"bigoncie" again, which are emptied
into the wine press. Asa pictorial SUBJ
ject this press is delightful, but it is in
convenient and extremely wasteful.
Two huge posts of wood support an i'm
mense beam, through which works a
wooden screw. finishing at the bottom
in a square block of wood with two
square holes straight through it, I'm
der this is what is called the 'gabbia'
(cage), round, vat-shaped, IRON
clamped receptacle, made OF strong
bars of wood. The murk is put into
this, and when it is full "toppi," round
slabs of wood, like colossal cheeses, are
piled on top of the murk. Then long
pole is stuck into one of the square
holes ut the bottom of the screw, and
TO the other end is hooked rope,
which is secured round turning pill
lar of wood about feet off, with ham
die against which three or four men
throw their whole weight. Slowly.
with many creaks and groans, the huge
block Of wood descends on the round
slabs. and the rope curls round the pill
lar. while from between the bars OF the
press rushes forth dark, turbid, dirty
looking liquid, which one can hardly
believe will ever turn into ruby wine.
This operation is repeated by unlock
ing the rope, lifting the beam out of its
hole, and carrying it on mans shout
der to the hole behind, until the murk
by sheer physical force is pressed into
q compact mass and contains no more
liquid. ~
Virgirs excellent advice about thor
oughly seasoning and breaking up the
land before planting the vines is car
ried out to the letter in Tuscany, where
the ditcher makes trench at least six
feet deep and four feet wide, called
..scassO reale," which Is left open to
sun, wind and rain for six months or
year before it is again filed in, after
having been drained in rough and
ready manner by pitching all available
stones into the bottom Of the trench.
The vine-cuttings, "'magliuoli, or bet
ter still. two-year old rooted plants,
"barbatelle. (" are planted two on each
side of young maple tree destined
for their support Ii a vineyard is to
be made, the quincunx system, recon-.
mended by Virgil, is always followed,
and you will hear the head of gang
of workmen say, "they must be like SOL
diers, properly in line. ",.Longmans
MAGAZINE.