The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-07-01
Doctoring Wines In France.

Thus no one Of the rooms 1 vislteu ma'
buster than tnat devoted 10 WIZ WIZ ons nm,
In lxSy out OF eighteen tDvuSa a,are six
dred and seventeen analyses ihaee, ~
- cAe go hmndred and nifty were Oh
,,inas The nroportion Is only IN hecpine
LIZ ,ha eonsunptlon OF the Guy, Wh'Sh
average about one hundred anu MP .., n,a,,
lion dollars a year yea: s am which from the
VIII sne "a the end Of the life history OF
y sSn,,In 81 French wine, combine 10 rum
its character IL. ,,,,,b making Even IL
ihes. rai nrocess be followed, and the
the ma ,'ade honestly by fermenting fresh
ives there are various dangerous s'aess
eyhich make manipulations necessary
sunpose that the grapes nave peeh, per
Sorce gathered before properly ripe. Ihere
is an excess OF acid In the ferment when
ronsf he counteracted, and the sugar must
he Increased. There are deilcate ana APP
proved methods for accomplishing tniS'
but they are not always handled ski
fulv or conscientiously, and some OF mem
give opportunity for sort OF oIiciai
Watering; that is, prescribe a Formula
which saws the wine ana deiidHus
enorgh water to double the vintage.
~ the wine escapes in making. II is
subject 10 a multitude OF maladies aitei
wards which must be treated' anu ~
happens sometimes, as In huiha,I ny. ~
cine. that the remedy is worse tnan shs
disease. ntharge lor ehai ~ t,Tr,ansformed
into acetate Of lead. Alum is frequently
used In diseased wines 20 give thtm
a certain youthfulness; SAT- anu p'as'ef
are standard remedies. But an excess vi
any one OF these supstahcs 10, vi oar,air
en1ployment in connection with certain
other substances. may result III COLT
mounds positively ruinous TO the health
With such manipulations IL is 0niy IN
abusing them. wllfulIy or isnvI 49, ~ t''1 e.
themselves harmful. and --e chlef OF
tbern is watering. Thirty years ago 'hls
was done in a bold ana gross way,
simply by adding so much water. III was
a fraud. but nobodys healtn was i ~ Ia
81 the defrauder. Wine weakened oy
water is strengthened by alcohols OF In,
ferior qualities made from grams ana
beets, producing drunkenness niucn more
quickly than the natural alconol, anu III
falling more fatal results. TO restore the
coior tost in watering, various cOlOring
matters. animal and vegetable, are USED
The very bouquet is initiated. =,
But science does still more for the DE-
frauder than this. All Of these processes
suppose basis or grape JuiHe, r,,tho,,
has found a way to make VINE WI t.It
this supposed essential. and SO perlsct!y
that connoisseurs and chemists hesitate
TO pronounce II false.
BY mixing alcohol, water, same anu
coIorinr matters. and a substance known
as tho oil az French wine. composition
is produced which many an expert VIII
pass as a natural wine: There Is one ser
ious difficulty about this product now
ever The oil which furnishes its SAVIOR
and bounuet Is. unhappily. a DANGEROUS
poison small quantity Of which Injected
into the veins Of dog kills him In less
than an hour. - ..
II is the business Of the LABORATORY 10
faIsifcations limited at above have been
u -actised on the samples sent to IT, tx
pert tasters begin the work, and give their
Judgment on SAVIOR. color. bouquet me
chemist then takes IT, testing all us iihs1
and volatile qualities by his sure and
delicate processes.