The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1886-05-02

WASHINGTON, d. O.. March Q, 1880.
Charles A . Wetmore, Esq:
DEAR SIR: AS there Is legislation pending ut the
present session OF Congress- which IL Intended to al
low the Of Spirits free OF tax, for the purpose OF
fortifying native wines, will thank yeu for state
ment showing under what circumstances and to
what degree the use Of spirits for such purpose is
necessary or desirable. Yours truly,
JOSEPH &. MILLER,
Commissioner Of Internal Revenue.
WARRINGTON, D. c., April 26, 1886.
Hon. -. s. Miller, Commissioner OF Internal Rene
nue., Treasury Department:
Sin: Replying to your favor OF March 8, 1886,
which have had the honor TO receive, permit me |
to make a brief resume OF certain operations
in Legitimate wincmaking, which relate to your In
quiry.
Technically, pure simple wine is the product OF |
fcrmented grapejuice, fermentcd with or without |
the SKINS seeds, pulp, and STEMS In practice, GER
tain wines receive an addition OF spirits to preserve
them from disease and loss OF saccharinc matter. |
With the exception OF certain simple treatments,
recognized as legitimate In caring for wine, no sub
stances which are not naturally part Of the grape
enter Into the composition OF strictly pure wine
Other fruits are also fermented and their products
should be recognized wines, II pure, Just a. the
dlstillates Of all fruits are, properly speaking,
brandy. Cider Is probably the purest aud simplest
| form Of such wines.
For practical purposes wines may be divided into
| two important classes, viz:
1st Absolutely dry wines, the natural sugar Of the
fruit being all converted by fermentation into aco
hol, spirit, and carbonc acid gas, the gas escap
| Ing, unless confined as with champagne. No con.
| sumner OF such wines expects to ind In them any
distilled spirits. broad distinction il made by
medical authority between the effects on the human
system Of the Of beverages, such as wine, which
Is the simple product Of fermentation, and distilled
spirits. Properly speaking, wine, unless fortified, Ii
alcoholic beverage; some OF the properties OF
alcohol, such as It's corrosive power and It's aten
daut Impurities fusel OIL etc., being the result OF
the operation OF distlllation. Distilled spirits re-
stored to wine never become reincorporated as they
were before distation. The spirit Of pure wine Is
not, at least so far as 1t may be considered with
reference to q beverage or medicine, denti-
cal with wine spirits after distlllation.
Knowing these things, wine consumers are cheated
and possibly injured whenever any wine, not recOg-
nxed as fortified or alcoholic, Is furnished to them
containing distilled spirits In any degree suicent to
materially AFFECT the strength OF the liquid.
Cd. Alcoholic, or fortified Wines These were origi-
nay invented in order to market wines that could
not be thoroughly fer mened, such the ports of
Portugal, tn 9 grapes containing more sugar than
would ferment out dry. Such wines, during storage
and transportation, always In danger OF disturb
ance, owing to the presence OF Preventative sub
stances, and In most cases become diseased and
ruined rs beverages. A certain percentage OF a.
cohol added to imperfcctly fermented wines checks
further fermentation and acts as preventative
Hence the practice Of fortifying sweet wines
! Custom has created demand for fortified sweet
wines, and also the addition OF sweetness to wines
such rs dry sherrles in which latter case they
| RI n
OF alcohol to some dry wines prevents also vine.
gar fermentation, when such Wines are exposed to
the atmosphere; hence, In making dry sherres by
natural processes as In Span the casks never being
kept full, two to four per cent OF alcohol is fire.
quenty added In case of necessity; further fortca
tIons not being required until the wine Is sweet
ened
good natural dry sherry may be wlue with nc
more strength than good Rhine wine.
u Other methods for preserving sweet wines are pos
u sble, but not generally practical; most Of such
methods are dependent on the use OF antiseptics
such sallcyc acid, suphlde of Soda etc., inuriou
10 the health OF consumers Some Of the "unfer
mented" -"non-acoholic," such as are occa
sonaly demanded for use in religious ceremonies
when there Ia an objection to fermented beverage
are really most noxlous authorizations Of
:, which In other countries are suppressed by law.
Two principles ought to be recognized In deter
y mining the legitimate character of genuine wines
~ viz:
LIST. Only those wlnes which contain saccharin
matter Of the types known to consumers as alcoholic
70 wines lqueurs or sherres which must be treate
by exposure to the action Of the atmosphere, shout
>, contain any distilled spirits Of suncient quantity
Affect their strength materially.
% 90. Dry wines, other than dry sherres require N
addition OF distilled spirits, and should not be rec0g
% nzed as genuine II fortified
~ The practice OF trade, more or less, mobiles tn
application OF the latter principle Wines are some
times too light In spirit to satisfy some consumers,
~ too weak to keep sound; such products II not
4, for dstlllation, should only be strengthened
~ blending (mixIngl with stronger and nrmer wnei
50 but the trade sometimes fortnes with dstille
spirits. This practice should not be encouraged, b.
70 the wlne.naker has 1t In his power TO oba
~ sufficient strength by less Objectionable metho
u viz: the addition of pure sugar to the grape-juiC
III during fermentation.
70 Young wines generally require certain length
III time to finally complete fermentation, and to fire.
f. themselves OF exhausted ferment. During this tim
II transported, they are liable to diseases caused
10 the presence of Preventative matter 1t is pra
er ce In trade to add small percentage of alcohol
o. such wines, when they attempt to place them befo
maturity on the market, or to resort to other met
" DDS some OF hinvolvethe use of aptlseptlcs
'n as sacyc acid. There is no excuse for such trea
no ments, except haste to realize on products Win
10 should be matured before offered for consumption
or the practice OF killing ferments, according to Pa
" tours method OF heating wines, should be followe
=. The strength OF wines produced by fermentat'
(, operates In preservation against wine diseases
er less degree than distilled spirits, illustrating In wi
itself the similar phenomena observed In the use
ne these substances as food; In other Words Its inn
he ence on forms Of life--for germs of ferment q
living orgauisms-s not apprecable In ordinary d
" wines; hence 1t often happens that very light VIII
1913 such as Bordeaux claret will keep and transp'
10y WELL while stronger Burgundy will easily spt
sre These difficulties can BIO overcome by good VIII
w. makers, or dealers, without the use OF dstill
hg spirits; blends can be made with wines of go
Try keeping qualities; nature grape tannin can
used to assist In completing tho DELEGATION Of vii
ID and due care In holding stocks can be exercls
ice until thorough maturity.
Practices Of trade and Of imitation wlne.mak
ier sometimes involve the use OF distilled spirits
other purposes than those which relate to sim
arc preservation Of their goods, The worst OF thu
consists In utilizing spirits, which can be bought
ia" less price than the equivalent strength of natu
wine, for the purpose OF stretching or lengthen
'he their merchandise, and 80 making compounds
'nu less cost than genuine wine. To Illustrate I
An operation, let me explain hypothetical case:
WI A pipe of claret Is delivered to the New Orei
lad marrot con,a,nIny Inv s,mn,e fermentation tan
cent OF alcohol, costing after transportation to Il
~ point say nfty cents per gallon. Proof spirits c
=, tain nifty per cent OF alcohol; and grain alcof
the tax paid may BIO purchased at about $l1o per pr
gallon according to market variations subject
'rh slight change OF prce) A mixture OF such aco
81 and water-ten per cent. strong-wOuld cost tweI
two cents. A further mixture OF the wine with
Sho water aud alcohol In equal parts would cost THU
six cents for the mixture per gallon, or fOurt
an cents less than the pure wine although tho acoh
An strength OF the compound Is cqna TO that OF
~ wine. Such mixtures are actually made, and
to further authorizations to conceal weakness
navor, color, etc. The cheaper the distilled splr
nou the more profitable Is this operation to the c.
ig l nounder. and the greater the inducement 10 d
ing frauds. AT the pont Of original nroduc,ion.
value OF ordinary grades OF wine Is therefore m
or less controlled by the price OF alcohol; In {
BIG fornia, for instance, our large vntages OF ord
dry wines, sold In bulk without cooperage, IA
my quite steadily in vicinity OF twenty-five cents
uall ann mi ahn ala