The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1902-02-20


DR.. Pierce's Pleasant Pellets cleanse the
bowels and stimulate the sluggish liver.
across all the highways and byways, but
earth has been brought from the valleys
and vines planted in it on rocky lodges
which from below look inaccessible to
any thing but mountain goats. Con-
noisseurs declare that for richness of
body, deliciousness of flavor and immu-
nifty from injury from improper treat
ment. these upland wines of Madeira
are unequalled in the whole wide world
Madeira wine Of the choicest grade is
made from mixture of white and dark
purple grapes; and from light claret
color, when fresh from the vintage, it
gradually pales to rich topaz in its
cobwebby old age. This kind costs the
gourmet not less than five dollars the
bottle, even in the vineyard, and in it's
ripe age is found only in the cellars and
on the boards of royalty and million
aires.
The centre of the grape growing
region is the Estreito district. Vintage
time in Madeira. from the middle of
September to the middle of October, is
the gayest season of the year Then
the peasants. working all day among
the vines, are heard singing and i'm
provising their doggerel poetry Like
New England huskings in the early
days labor is united with festive en-
joyment, and though all are busy as
bees from dawn till dark, the season is
regarded as holiday. Women and
girls go into the vineyards with their
great fiat baskets pick the grapes and
bring them to the press, carefully
balanced on their heads. Then every
bunch must be ''Schalhdo' is.
picked over-the good and Indifferent
separated, and the very best reserved
for the costliest Wine Then the fruit
is thrown into the so-called press"
/ (which is nothing but a wide, clumsy,
wooden trough, into which men jump
barefoOted, let us hope not unwashed),
! their trousers rolled above the knees
and perspiration trickling down their
| faces as they trample out the juice.
| They have ancient precedent for this
method of Wine-making which was evil
IDENTIFY in vogue in Bible times; else
why the passage, ''IIe hath trodden the
wine press alone?"
The advantage of pressing out the
! juice with the feet is explained by the
= fact that while machinery would also
crush the stems and seeds, so that their
bitterness would mix with the pure
juice, flesh gives way before such
obstacles. After the first expression
has beef drawn off, the remaining
portion is put into a sack, hung up and
reduced to lever pressure. The juice
is conveyed to the storehouse in goat
skins, which are thought to give an
additional flavor, and later emptied into
casks. The process of fermentation
occupies about five weeks. After the
juice has been taken out of the wine
press, water is thrown in upon the re-
fuse, and this undergoes the same
process as the pure juice, making what
is called agoa-pe, literally foot WATER"
which is certainly not an appetiZing
name. 1T is the cheapest of wine, re-
tailed at the ventas to the poorest
classes; and, strange to say, its intoxi-
eating properties are far greater than
the wines which have more grape juice
III them. Soon as their days work is
done, the peasants have grand frolic
is SO delightful that their dances are
held in the open air, and everywhere,
| till nearly morning, you hear the tune
full stunning of the queer little native
guitars. Everybody dances and every
| body sings-if not with perfect grace
and harmony, at least with abandon
and hearty enjoyment.
Soon as the wine. has ceased ferment-
ing it is drawn Off the lees and put into
sweet casks, where it is clarified-usu-
ally with gypsum, sometimes with OK
blood, or with eggs; and soupcon of
brandy, (also made from the grape, is
| added to each pipe of wine, to pre-
vent the acetous fermentation. The
grapes that make the best wine are not
those which are most agreeable to the
taste as fruit. The finest wines now
made in Madeira are known as Malm
sey, Sercial, Buel, Tinto and Burgundy
Madeira. Of course the best and cost
Hest is malmsey; though favorite au-
thor-who ought to know, if expe-
rience is good teacher-has this to
say of Sercial: at is called dry
wine; and of a variety, if taken in full