Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-09-06
MUSTANG GEAPE WINE

|
| VIII you kindly tell me through TIE Ga
| ZETTE how 10 keep mustang grape wine for
! home use without the employment of either
| sugar or alcohol If sugar must he used
! what is the least proportion OF sugar that
| would keepit well2 Please answer soon. Is
! the grape season IS almost over, and much
! obligc \ LADY READER
| Fort Worth, Texas
! Lack of information on our part Is to the
| per cent of sacchariue matter contained IA
the juice of the mustang grape leaves your
question Z somewhat difficult one to
| answer. 1t may be possible that there is
! sugar enough in the mustang grape to cut
of all need of adding sugar in wine-mall-
ing, though we rather incline TO the opinion
that there is not. considering the grapes in
the wild state as gathered from the woods,
Juice of the scupperong grape requires
one and half pounds of good brown sugar
to the gallon of juice, to make first-class
wine. Notice that we 0say "brown sugar."
for the white sugars are not apt to be near
SO sweet as the brown sugars-most OF
them are more or less adultcrated with clu-
cose or grape sugar.
We think pound and half of sugar to
the gallon of juice would be entirely safe
for the mustang grape. Should this pro-
portion of sugar be too high you would soon
know it from the fact that the Juice would
not ferment. Having discovered this
trouble, which would manifest itself within
a week, you could apply a remedy in the
addition of little water.
No alcohol is needed if you use sugar
the Office of the sugar is simply to make al
cohol. Without this alcohol the juice, or
must" as wine-makers call it. would fer
ment too much and soon become vinegar
The sugar must be added at once, SO soon
as the juice is pressed from the grape.
An unfermented wine is often made from
various varieties of the grape. To make it.
place the grapes in kettle Of suitable size,
and add just water enough 10 prevent them
from scorching when heat is applied Boil
fifteen or twenty minutes and then remove
from the fire. All the grapes will be broken
by the boiling process So soon as cool
enough to handle place in strong cotton
sack and squeeze out the juice. Strain the
juice and put into common beer bottles
when cool. Set the bottles in vessel con
tanning water at about their own temporal
ture, and gradually bring up to the boil.
Now take out the bottles, one at 4 time,
and cork tightly as beer bottles are corked.
No wiring is necessary, but it might be well
to cover the heads of the corks with sealing
wax
This is unfermented wine. Stored away
in cool place it will usually keep in-
definitely. 1t makes a very nice and whole
some drink, and while people call it ''un-
fermcnted wine," it is really not wine at
all, but simply canned grape juice.
We cannot vouch for how the mustang
grape would serve the purpose of making
unfermented wine. It would make the
wine all right no doubt, but there may ex-
ist possibility that the peculiar acrid juice
in the skins of the species would be brought
out by the boiling, and would not prove
good in point OF either favor or effect in
the throat, wheu swallowed You know,
of course that this juice of the skins pro-
duces burning sensation in the throat il
swallowed when one is eating the grapes.
We don't know that anything of the kind
would attach 10 the unfermented wine.
neither DO we know that It would rot. OF |
course practical test would soon settle the |
question.