ACQUIRED DEFECTS AND DISEASES.

Flat Wine—Flowers—Causes.—Flowers of wine are nothing but a kind of mould, in the form of a whitish scum or film, composed of microscopic fungi, the mycoderma vini and mycoderma aceti, already mentioned under the head of Fermentation, and which develop on the surface of wine left in contact with the air. This mould, or mother, communicates to the wine a disagreeable odor and flavor, and also a slight acidity, which the French call évent odor, or flavor éventé, and which may be called flatness. The development of these organisms is due principally to the direct exposure of the wine to the air, which favors their growth by the evaporation of a portion of the alcohol which exists at the surface of the liquid which is exposed, and a commencement of oxidation of that which remains. The result is that the surface of the wine becomes very weak in alcohol, and having lost its conservative principle, it moulds. This mould consists, as before remarked, of a vast number of small fungi. They have a bad flavor, and are impregnated with an acidity which comes from the action of the oxygen of the air upon the alcohol, converting it into acetic acid.

This disease develops more or less rapidly, according to the alcoholic strength of the wine and the temperature of the place where it is kept. Those common, weak wines, which have only from 7 to 8½ per cent. of alcohol, are the first attacked; on them flowers are developed in three or four days. Stronger wines, which contain from 10 to 11 per cent. of spirit, resist twice as long as the weaker ones. Fine wines of an equal strength resist better than the common kinds; and wines which contain more than 15 per cent. are not affected. During summer they are much sooner affected.

Machard is of the opinion that this flavor is due to the commencement of disorganization of the ferments remaining in the wine, which, as they begin to putrify, give off ammoniacal emanations. Maumené says that it is due to the loss of carbonic acid.

To Prevent Flatness, all agree that wines should be protected from the air; for this purpose they should be kept in casks constantly full, or in well corked bottles lying in a horizontal position. When it is necessary to leave ullage in the cask, a sulphur match must be burned, and the cask tightly bunged. (See [General Treatment], [Wine in Bottles], [Sulphuring], etc.)

In frequently drawing from the cask, the deterioration is retarded by taking care to admit the least possible amount of air, just enough to let the wine run, but the evil cannot be entirely prevented in this way; and by frequent sulphuring the wine will acquire a disagreeable sulphur flavor; therefore, ullage should never be left when it is possible to avoid it.

Treatment.—When the wines show flowers, but have not yet become flat, as in the case of new wines which have been neglected, and have not been filled up for a week or more, and are only affected at the surface, by filling up, the flowers may be caused to flow out at the bung. The cask must then be well bunged. It must afterwards be kept well filled, for besides the flat flavor that the flowers may give the wine, they will render it turbid on account of the acid ferments introduced, and cause it to become pricked in the end.

Wine badly flowered, and which has acquired a decided flavor of flatness, without being actually sour, should be filled up, and the flowers should be allowed to pass out of the bung; it should then be racked into a well sulphured cask, which must be completely filled. The flowers must not be allowed to become mixed with the wine. After racking, two or three quarts of old brandy to each 100 gallons should be added, or a few gallons of firm, full-bodied wine, as near as possible of the same natural flavor. It should then be well fined, using in preference the whites of eggs (one dozen for 100 gallons, and a handful of salt dissolved in a little water), and then it must be racked again as soon as clear.

The object of this treatment is to extract from the wine by racking the mould which causes the bad taste; to replace by fortifying, the alcohol lost by evaporation; and finally, by fining, to remove in the lees the acid ferments, which have developed in the form of flowers.

Yet those wines which have become badly affected through negligence are never completely restored, and if they are fine, delicate wines, they lose a large part of their value. Therefore, great care should be taken to prevent this disease, which in the end produces acidity, for, often, neglected wines are at the same time flat and pricked.

Some authors recommend that such a wine should be again mixed with a good, sound, fresh pomace, which has not been long in the vat, and allowed to ferment a second time; this is called passing it over the marc. Of course, this can only be done in the wine making season, and cannot be resorted to by those who do not make wine themselves, or who are at a distance from a wine maker.

When all else fails, they recommend that several large pieces of dry, fresh charcoal be suspended in the wine, attached to cords to draw them out by, Maigne says, for forty-eight hours, and Machard says, one or two weeks, renewing the charcoal from time to time till the taste is removed.

If the wine has already become acid, charcoal will not remove the flavor.

Sourness, Acidity, Pricked Wine—Causes.—Acidity is a sour taste caused by the alcohol of the wine being in part changed to acetic acid by the oxygen of the air. It is due to long contact with the air, and it is the oxygen which produces the change, as described under the head of Acetic Fermentation, and it is the more rapid, according as the temperature is more elevated, and the wine contains more ferments.

What Wines Liable to.—All wines whose fermentation is completed, and which have been fermented under ordinary circumstances—that is, those which have received no addition of alcohol, and no longer contain saccharine matter, are subject to this affection when left exposed to the air.

When they have been fortified up to 18 per cent. of alcohol, whether sweet or not, they do not sour until the alcohol has been enfeebled by evaporation.

If they contain sugar, although not fortified, a new fermentation takes place, and they do not acidify until the greater part of the sugar has been transformed into alcohol. Machard, however, says that wines which contain a good deal of sugar do often acidify, and in the experience of others, there is a continuous fermentation, which renders them very liable to become pricked.

As the acetic acid is formed at the expense of the alcohol, the more the wine contains of the former the less will it have of the latter.

Acidity is Prevented by giving wines proper care and attention, and by keeping them in suitable places, and by using the precautions indicated for flat or flowered wines, i.e., by avoiding long contact with the air. Flowers are the forerunners of acidity; yet they do not always appear before the wine is pricked, especially if the temperature is elevated, and the alcoholic strength considerable. In general, wines become pricked without producing flowers when they are exposed to the air at a temperature of 77° to 100° F.; acidity is produced under these conditions in a very rapid manner; and this is why extra precautions should be taken during hot weather. It should also be remembered that this vice comes either from the negligence of the cellar-man to guard the wines from contact with the air, or from the bad state of the casks, and storing in unsuitable places.

Treatment.—Acetic acid in wine may be in great part neutralized by several alkaline substances; but, if used, there remain in solution in the wine certain salts (acetates and tartrates) formed by the combination of the acetic and tartaric acid with the alkaline bases introduced. These alkaline substances not only neutralize the acetic acid, but also the vegetable acids contained in the wine. These neutral salts are not perfectly wholesome, being generally laxative in their nature. Moreover, the acetic acid cannot be completely neutralized by the employment of caustic alkalies (potash, soda, quicklime), and these bases decompose the wine and cause the dissolution and precipitation of the coloring matter, and render it unfit to drink by reason of the bitterness which they communicate. It is necessary, therefore, to choose for the treatment of pricked wines, those alkaline matters which are the most likely to neutralize the excess of acetic acid without altering the constitution of the wine, without precipitating their color, and which produce by combination the least soluble and least unwholesome salts.

Those which should be employed in preference to others are, carbonate of magnesium, tartrate of potassium, and lime water.

The following substances should only be employed when it is impossible to obtain those last mentioned, for the reason that the salts remaining in solution in the wine may cause loss of color, and even decomposition, if used in large doses, i. e., wood ashes (ashes from vine cuttings being preferred as containing much of the salts of potash); powdered chalk and marble (composed of the sub-carbonates of lime, marble dust being the purer); solutions of the sub-carbonates of potash, and of the sub-carbonates of soda, and plaster.

In Using the Substances, it is always best to experiment with a small quantity of wine, being careful to employ a dose proportioned to the extent of the degree of acidity. Thus, to a quart of wine add 15 or 20 grains of carbonate of magnesia (1 or 2 grammes per litre), little by little, shaking the bottle the while; again, but only when the wine is badly pricked, slack a suitable quantity of quicklime in water, and let it settle till the surface water becomes clear. Then add to the wine which has already received the carbonate of magnesia, 5 or 6 fluidrams of the lime water (2 centilitres), and shake the mixture; then pour in 2 or 3 fluidrams of alcohol (1 centilitre), and finally clarify it with albumen, using fresh milk in preference, from 1½ to 3 fluidrams to a quart (½ to 1 centilitre to a litre); cork the bottle, shake it well, and let it rest for three or four days, when by comparing the sample treated with the pricked wine, the effect will be seen.

This treatment varies according to the nature of the wine. If it is green and pricked, add 15 grains (1 gramme per litre) of tartrate of potassium to the magnesia; and if the wine has a dull color, after having added the milk, put in about 3 grains (22 centigrammes) of gelatine dissolved in about a fluidram (½ centilitre) of water; if the wine is turbid and hard to clarify, add a little more than a grain (8 centigrammes) of tannin in powder, before putting in the milk and gelatine.

Of course, the same proportion should be used in operating upon a larger quantity of wine.

If carbonate of magnesium, which is preferable to all others, cannot be obtained, the dose of lime water may be doubled, and in default of lime, powdered chalk, or marble and vine ash may be used, but with great prudence, and in smaller proportions, or solutions of the sub-carbonates of potash and soda. Great care should be exercised as to the quantity of the latter used, and they should not be employed in treating wine slightly attacked.

Mr. Boireau prefers the carbonate of magnesium to any other alkaline substance, because it affects the color less, and does not give bitterness to the pricked wines, nor render them unwholesome, as do the salts formed by alkalies with a potash, lime, or soda base. In medicine, carbonate of magnesium is used to correct sourness of the stomach (so also, we might add, is carbonate of sodium). For the same reason, decanted lime water is preferred to the sub-carbonate of lime, employed in the form of marble dust and powdered chalk; nevertheless, lime water in large doses makes a wine weak and bitter.

Brandy is added to these wines in order to replace the alcohol lost in the production of acetic acid. The preference given to milk for fining is founded upon the fact that it is alkaline, and therefore assists in removing the acid flavor of the wine while clarifying it. It is alkaline, however, only when it is fresh; skim-milk a day old is acid, and should not be used. Finally, the tartrate and carbonate of potassium employed to treat green and pricked wines, are used to neutralize the tartaric acid, and gelatine and tannin to facilitate the clarification and the precipitation of acid ferments.

Wines whose acid has been neutralized should be clarified, and then racked as soon as perfectly clear, according to the methods pointed out.

The acetic acid being formed at the expense of alcohol, the more acid the less alcohol, and hence the necessity of adding spirit, or, if the acidity is not too pronounced, of mixing with a full-bodied but ordinary wine; but those wines should not be kept, as they always retain acid principles, become dry, and turn again at the least contact with the air. If they are very bad, and their alcoholic strength much enfeebled, they had better be made into vinegar.

Machard’s Treatment.—Machard says that the most successful treatment for sour wine employed by him, is that founded upon the affinity of vegetable substances for acids, and that he has succeeded beyond his hopes in completely removing the acid from a wine which was so sour that it could not be drank without seriously disagreeing with the person drinking it. This is his method of proceeding.

He formed a long chaplet, six feet or so in length, by cutting carrots into short, thin pieces, and stringing them on a cord. This he suspended in the wine through the bung for six weeks, and at the end of the time he did not find the least trace of acetic acid, thereby accomplishing what he had for a long time in vain attempted. He says that this is the only treatment that succeeded with him, and he confidently recommends it to others. But he advises that the carrots be left in the wine at least a month and a half, protecting the wine from the air. And he says that there is no danger of injuring the wine by long contact with the carrots, or by using a large quantity of them.

Other Methods.—Maigne says that if the wine is only affected at the surface from leaving ullage in the cask, the bad air should be expelled by using a hand-bellows; when a piece of sulphur match will burn in the cask, the air has been purified. Then take a loaf of bread, warm as it comes from the oven, and place it upon the bung in such a way as to close it. When the loaf has become cold, remove it, rack the wine into a well sulphured cask, being careful to provide the faucet with a strainer of crape or similar fabric, so as to keep the flowers from becoming mixed with the wine. It will be observed that the bread absorbs a good deal of the acid, and the operation should be repeated as often as necessary.

Another plan is to take the meats of 60 walnuts for 100 gallons of wine, break each into four pieces, and roast them as you would coffee; throw them, still hot, into the cask, after having drawn out a few quarts of wine. Fine the wine, and rack when clear, and if the acidity is very bad, repeat the operation.

A half pound of roasted wheat will produce the same effect.

He also gives the following method for using marble dust.

Take of
White marble,12lbs.
Sugar,18lbs.
Animal charcoal, washed with boiling water, 6ozs.

Take of this from 3 to 6 lbs. to 100 gallons of wine, according to the degree of acidity; dissolve it in two or three gallons of the wine and pour into the cask. Shake it well, and continue the agitation from time to time, for twenty-four or thirty-six hours, till the wine has lost its acidity, taking care to leave the bung open to allow the escape of the carbonic acid which is generated. At the end of the time, add of cream of tartar one-half as much as the dose employed; shake again, from time to time, and at the end of five or six hours, draw the wine off and fine it. If, at the end of the first twenty-four hours, the wine is still acid, add a little more of the powder before putting in the cream of tartar.

In answer to the objections that the charcoal removes the color and bouquet of the wine, and that the acetate of potassium formed injures the wine, he says that the charcoal would not hurt a white wine, and would have but little effect upon a red wine; and as to the bouquet, that wines which have become sour have none, and that the acetate of potassium has no perceptible effect upon the health.

Instead of the preceding powder, the following may be employed:

White marble,in fine powder,12lbs.
Animal charcoal for ordinary wine,  4ozs.
for fine wine, 2ozs.
Sugar, 1lb.

From 5 to 7 lbs. of this are used for 100 gallons of wine, and one-half the quantity of cream of tartar in fine powder is then added, in the manner above mentioned.

Cask Flavor, or Barrel Flavor—Causes.—This, says Mr. Boireau, should not be confounded with the wood flavor derived from oak wood, and which wines habitually contract when stored in new casks, and which comes from aromatic principles contained in the oak. This barrel flavor is a bad taste, which appears to come from an essence of a disagreeable taste and smell, and which is the result of a special decay of the wood of the cask. This vice is rare. It is impossible for the cooper to prevent it, for he cannot recognize the staves so affected, so as to reject them. For those pieces of wood which have a disagreeable smell when worked, or show reddish veins, blotched with white, often produce casks which give no bad taste to the wine, while other staves selected with the utmost care, sometimes produce that effect, and even in the latter case it is impossible to point out the staves which cause the trouble. When such a cask is found, the only way is to draw off the wine, and not use the cask a second time.

The Treatment for wines which have contracted a bad taste of the cask, is to rack them into a sweet cask, previously sulphured, to remove them from contact with the wood which has caused the trouble. The bad taste may be lessened by mixing in the wine a quart or two of sweet oil, and thoroughly stirring it for five minutes, first removing a few quarts of wine from the cask to permit of the agitation. The oil is removed from the surface by means of a taster, or pipette, as the cask is filled up. The wine should then be thoroughly fined, either with whites of eggs or gelatine, according to its nature, and racked at the end of one or two weeks.

The reason for the treatment is that the fixed oil takes up the volatile essential oil, which apparently produces the bad flavor. The olive oil used contracts a decided flavor of the cask.

This treatment diminishes the cask flavor, but rarely entirely removes it.

Maigne says that to succeed well by this process, the oil should be frequently mixed with the wine, by stirring it often for two or three minutes at a time, during a period of eight days. It is also necessary that the oil be fresh, inodorous, and of good quality, and of the last crop.

The same author gives another process, that of mixing with the wine sufficient sugar or must to set up active fermentation. After the fermentation has ceased, fine and rack.

This author also mentions other methods of treatment, but as olive oil is the remedy more generally used, it is not worth while to give them at length; suffice it to say, that the substances recommended are, a roasted carrot suspended in the wine for a week; a couple of pounds of roasted wheat suspended in the wine for six or eight hours in a small sack; the use of roasted walnuts, as mentioned for sourness; and two or three ounces of bruised peach pits, soaked two weeks in the wine.

Mouldy Flavor—Bad Taste Produced by Foreign Matters.—Wine contracts a musty or mouldy flavor by its sojourn in casks which have become mouldy inside, on account of negligence and want of proper care, as by leaving them empty without sulphuring and bunging. (See [Casks].) The mould in empty casks is whitish, and consists of microscopic fungi, which are developed under the influence of humidity and darkness. The bad flavor appears to be due to the presence of an essential oil of a disagreeable taste and smell.

Prevention and Treatment.—It is prevented by carefully examining the casks before filling them, and by avoiding the use of those which have a mouldy smell. Wines affected by this flavor require the same treatment as those affected with cask flavor.

Maigne says that this taste may also be corrected by applying a loaf of warm bread to the open bung, or by suspending in the wine a half-baked loaf of milk bread. The operation should be repeated in three or four days.

Foreign Flavors.—Wines which have contracted foreign flavors, either by being kept in casks which have been used for liquors of decided flavors and odors, such as anisette, absinthe, rum, etc., or from contact with substances having good or bad odors, owe their taste to the dissolution in them of a part of the essential oil which those substances contain, and should be treated in the same manner. The chief thing is to remove the cause, by changing the cask, for if the foreign taste and smell become very marked, they cannot be completely destroyed; they can only be rendered tolerable by mixing them with sound wines.

Ropiness is the name applied to a viscous fermentation which takes place in wine, making it slimy in appearance. It is met with more particularly in white wines, which contain albuminous matters in suspension, and but little tannin. It is not a very serious difficulty, for it can be easily corrected. It is only necessary to tannify the wine by adding 12 or 15 quarts of tannified wine, well stirred in with a whip as in fining, or an ounce or two of tannin dissolved in alcohol for each 100 gallons. The tannin combines with the viscous matter and precipitates it, so that in removing the ropiness the wine is fined at the same time. It should be racked from the finings after about two weeks’ repose.

And we may add that grapes which produce wines predisposed to ropiness ought not to be stemmed, or the must should be fermented with at least a portion of the stems.

Mr. Machard says that this disease is also due sometimes to lack of tartaric acid, and that it may be cured by supplying this substance, and setting up fermentation again. For 100 gallons of wine, about a pound of tartaric acid should be dissolved in hot water, to which the same quantity of sugar is added, and when dissolved, the whole is poured warm into the cask containing the ropy wine. Then replace the bung, and give the cask a thorough rolling for six or eight minutes. A small hole is previously bored near the bung and closed with a spigot, which is removed after rolling the cask, to allow the gas to escape. After resting two or three days, the wine, which we suppose to be a white wine, should be fined with isinglass.

Ropy Wines in Bottles generally cure themselves, but they must not be disturbed until the deposit changes color and takes a brownish tinge. Then is the time to decant them for drinking.

Ropiness may also be Cured by passing the wine over the marc again. But only good, fresh pomace should be used, which is but a few days old. This is done by mixing the wine with the marc of three times the quantity of wine, and stirring from time to time till fermentation is established. After the fermentation, the press wine may be mixed with the rest.

The author does not state whether this is to be done in the case of white wine or red wine, or both, but it is apparent that it would be subjecting a white wine to a very unusual operation. Fresh lees may also be mixed with the wine instead of the marc. Sometimes it is only necessary to let the wine fall into one vessel from another at a little height, several times, or to give it a thorough agitation by stirring it, or by driving it about for a few hours in a vehicle over a rough road.

Alum has been sometimes recommended, but it is now condemned as unwholesome.

Other means have been suggested, but these will suffice; and it is agreed by all that tannin is the sovereign remedy.

It is best to avoid the use of sulphur in treating ropy wines, for fermentation is to be encouraged rather than checked.

Acrity.—An acrid taste, with which certain wines are affected as they grow old, is a sign of degeneration. Mr. Boireau says that he has reason to believe that this disease is due to the presence of acetic acid, coupled with the precipitation of the mucilages which give the mellow flavor to wine. It is more often observed in old, dry wine, improperly cared for, and consequently deprived of its fruity flavor.

The Proper Treatment is to remove the acetic acid by using a gramme or two per litre (60 to 120 grains to a gallon) of carbonate of magnesium. (See [Sourness], [Pricked Wines].) If the acrity is not too great, wines may be fortified, or mixed with a strong, young, clean-tasting wine of the same nature, after which they should be fined.

Bitterness, which is often a natural defect (which has already been considered), becomes an accidental defect when developed in old wines which were previously sound. It is almost always a commencement of degeneration. This bitter taste comes principally from those combinations which are formed by the dissolution of the coloring matter, and by the precipitation of the mucilaginous substances, the pectines, which give the wine unctuosity and its fruity flavor.

Treatment.—The way to diminish this bitterness is to fortify and regenerate the bitter wine which has entered on its decline, by mixing it with wine of the same nature, but young, stout, and full-bodied, and which have not yet reached maturity. The mixture should be fined with albumen, and racked after resting a fortnight. The wine may be improved in this way, but the bitterness will reappear in a few months. It should, therefore, be used as soon as possible.

Machard recommends the following: Fine the wine with eggs, and let it rest till clear. Burn in a clean cask a quarter or a half of a sulphur match (for 60 gallons), and pour in the bitter wine at once with the smoke in the cask, after having added to each litre of the wine about one gramme of tartaric acid (say 60 grains to the gallon), dissolved in warm water. It must then be mixed with from a fourth to a half of old wine, firm and well preserved. He says that a new wine to mix with it is not suitable, not having sufficient affinity for the old.

Where there is such a difference of opinion as there is between these two authors, one recommending the mixture of new wine, and the other forbidding it, every one had better experiment for himself with a small quantity, and after the cut wines have become thoroughly amalgamated, a choice can be made.

And yet, Mr. Machard says that if the bitterness is not very great, it is better to give them no other treatment than simply mixing them with younger ones, but which have a tendency to become sour, or are already slightly pricked.

Mr. Maumene Distinguishes Two Kinds of Bitterness: 1. The nitrogenous matters, under certain circumstances not well understood, appear to be changed into a bitter product, and entirely spoil the best wine. This effect depends especially upon the elevation of the temperature and the old age of the wine. He says that he knows of but one way to remove this bitterness, and that is to add a small quantity of lime. For example, 25 to 50 centigrammes per litre (say 15 to 30 grains per gallon). The lime should be perfectly new and fresh. It is slacked in a little water or wine, and poured into the cask; after stirring well, it is left to rest for two or three days, and then racked and fined. Probably the lime combines with the nitrogenous matters, gives an insoluble compound, which separates from the wine, and restores to it its former flavor. The wine ought to remain acid after this treatment. He says that it has succeeded with him a great number of times. 2. Another cause of bitterness appears to him to be the formation of the brown resin of ammoniacal aldehyde, under the influence of oxygen. The ferment which adheres to the inside of the cask gives a little ammonia by decomposition.

We see how the wine, under the influence of the air, produces a little aldehyde, the ammoniacal aldehyde, and finally the very bitter brown resin, whose formation was made known by Liebig. It is under these circumstances that sulphuring may be employed as a remedy. The sulphurous acid destroys the resinous matter in taking its oxygen to become sulphuric. There is then made sulphate of ammonia and pure aldehyde. These two substances by no means communicate to the wine the disagreeable flavor of the brown resin from which they are derived.

Another origin of bitterness is given, that of the oxidation of the coloring matter, but there is no positive proof of this any more than there is of the two causes mentioned by him. Unfortunately, the whole matter is hypothetical.

Fermentation and Taste of the Lees—Yeasty Flavor.—By the term fermentation in this connection we mean the malady which is known in different parts of France by various names, such as la pousse, vins montés, tournés, tarés, à l’échaud. It generally attacks those wines which are grown in low places, which come from poor varieties of grapes, or are produced in bad seasons, are weak, full of ferments, and thereby liable to work.

Mr. Boireau gives it the name of goût de travail, working taste, or fermentation flavor. He says that the taste is due to the presence of carbonic acid, disengaged during secondary alcoholic fermentation, by reason of saccharine matter contained in the wine, or of mucilaginous matters which give them their mellowness. The principal cause of fermentation is the presence of these matters joined with ferments, and takes place in an elevated temperature.

The yeasty flavor comes from the mixture in the wine of the lees and deposits already precipitated, and which are again brought into suspension by the movement of fermentation.

How Prevented.—Fermentation and the consequent taste of the lees are prevented by making and fermenting the wines under proper conditions, keeping them in an even temperature, and by separating them from their lees by well-timed rackings, as detailed in the chapters on General Treatment, Racking, etc.

Treatment.—The working is stopped by racking the wines into sulphured casks, and placing them in cellars of a cool and even temperature. (See [Sulphuring], etc.) If they have become turbid, they must be fined, and they must be left on the finings only as long as is strictly necessary for their clarification.

Machard recommends that about a quart of alcohol for 100 gallons of wine, or its equivalent of old brandy, be introduced into the sulphured cask before drawing the wine into it, and that it be fined in all cases.

Degeneration—Putrid Fermentation.—We are warned of degeneration in wines a long time in advance, in divers manners: by the loss of their fruity flavor, by bitterness, acrity, etc.; but the true symptoms in old wine are, the more abundant precipitation of their blue coloring matter, a heavy and tawny aspect, with a slightly putrid flavor. The principal causes are the same as those mentioned in speaking of the putrid decomposition in new wines, that is, feebleness in alcohol, and lack of tannin.

We know that by the time the tannin is transformed into gallic acid, the alcohol is diminished by slow evaporation, and it follows that wines which are too old have lost a part of those principles which give them their keeping qualities, alcohol and tannin.

The Duration of Different Wines is exceedingly unequal, and, like animate beings, they display marked differences in constitution. There are very feeble wines, as we have already seen, which are in the way of degeneration the first year, while others, firm and full-bodied, gain in quality for four, six, ten, and more years. As soon as it is seen that a wine, by its taste and appearance, has commenced to degenerate, it is important to arrest the degeneration at once.

Treatment.—Degeneration may be retarded by adding tannin, but it is preferable, in most cases, to mix the wine with younger wines of the same nature, firm, full-bodied, which are improving, and consequently possess an excess of those qualities which are wanting in the degenerating wine. (See [Wine in Bottles].)

CHAPTER XVI.
WINE IN BOTTLES.

When Ready for Bottling.—Wines should not be bottled till their insensible fermentation is entirely completed, have become entirely freed from deposits, excess of color, salts, and ferments, and have become perfectly bright. If they are bottled before these conditions are fulfilled, deposits are made in the bottles, the wines may contract bitterness and a taste of the lees, and if fermentation is violent, the bottles may burst. When they are bottled too young they are sure to deposit, and then they must be decanted.

The Length of Time that They Require to Remain in Wood before being ready for bottling, depends upon the strength and quality of the wines, and the conditions under which they are kept.

Weak wines, feeble in color and spirit, mature rapidly, while firm, full-bodied wines, rich in color and alcohol, require a longer time to become sufficiently ripe to admit of bottling.

The older writers say that wines should not be put into glass until they have become fully ripe, and have become tawny (if red), and have developed a bouquet. But Boireau says that this is not the proper practice. He says that wine is fit for bottling when freed from its sediment, and when there is hardly any deposit formed in the cask at the semi-annual racking—when its color is bright, and it has lost its roughness or harshness, which it possesses while young, and at the same time preserves its mellowness. If left in the cask till a bouquet is developed, wines will often be found to be in a decline by the time they are bottled, and will not keep as long as those bottled previous to the development of their bouquet, and while they still possess their fruity flavor. But greater precautions must be taken to insure their limpidity, or they will be liable to deposit heavily in the bottle. And Machard, who indicates aroma and color as signs of proper maturity, though laying more stress upon the taste, says that it is always better to be a little too soon than to wait till the wine passes the point.

Some wines are fit for the bottle at one year old, others require to be kept from two to six years, and some even ten years, or longer, in wood. White wine, generally speaking, matures earlier than red.

How Prepared for Bottling.—Although a wine may appear perfectly limpid to the eye, yet, when bottled, it may make a considerable deposit, and therefore, the only safety is to carefully rack and fine it to get rid of the insoluble matters in suspension. If it is not clear after one fining, it must be drawn off and the process repeated. When fined and cleared, it is better to rack again into a cask slightly sulphured, and allow it to rest for three or four weeks before drawing into the bottles; for if drawn from a cask still containing the finings, the sediment is liable to be stirred up by the movement of the liquid. If this is not done, the faucet should be fixed in place at the time of fining and before the wine has settled, and at the same time the cask should be slightly inclined forward and blocked in that position, and other precautions must be taken not to disturb the cask after the wine has cleared. If the wine is too feeble to allow of fining without injury, and one is sure of its perfect limpidity, the fining had better be dispensed with. Very young wines may be bottled after subjecting them to repeated finings, but it will deprive them of some of their good qualities. (See [Fining].) It often happens that a well-covered, or dark-colored wine will deposit considerable color in the bottle after one fining; such wine should be twice fined, and twice racked before fining, say, once in December or January, and again in March.

The Most Favorable Time for Bottling is during cool, dry weather, but in cellars of uniform temperature, it may be done at any time. It is better, if possible, to avoid warm or stormy weather, and those critical periods in the growth of the vine referred to in the chapter on Racking. Of course, the wine should not be bottled if it shows signs of fermentation.

Fig. 27.

Bottle Washer.

Fig. 28.

Fig. 29.

Bottle Drainers.

Bottles should always be carefully washed and drained before using. They are best washed by the use of a machine made for the purpose, which scrubs them inside—and sometimes, also, outside—with a brush ([fig. 27]). If only a small number of bottles are to be cleaned, it may be done by using the chain made for the purpose, or by putting in coarse sand or gravel and water, and thoroughly shaking them. Shot must not be used, for a portion of the lead will be dissolved by the water, and if any remains in the bottle it will be acted upon by the wine, and lead poisoning may result. In many cases it will be necessary only to rinse them out with clean water. Whether new or second-hand, they must be scrupulously clean before using. After the bottles are rinsed, they should be allowed to drain by leaving them inverted for an hour or two in a dry place; if they are left in a damp cellar, they are liable to contract a musty flavor within. They may be drained by placing the necks downward through holes bored in a plank, by inverting them in boxes or baskets, or by placing them upon pegs or nails driven into a post, and inclining upwards sufficiently to leave the opening of the bottle down, when the neck is slipped over the peg or nail. Figs. [28] and [29] show devices for the purpose. The bottles are sometimes rinsed out with wine, or if intended to contain very poor, weak wine, with a little brandy. This is done by pouring the liquor from one bottle to another.

It is best to use bottles uniform in size for each lot of wine, and certainly to reject those which are cracked, have large blisters, and those which are very thin. These latter, however, may be employed, if but little pressure is used in corking, but they should be placed by themselves, or on the top of the pile. No one would make use of such bottles except to store wine for his own consumption.

Clear and transparent bottles are used for white wine, and those of colored glass for red. Hock, however, is often put in brownish bottles, conical in shape. White wines which are perfectly limpid show to advantage in clear bottles, but red wines, if stored in such, are liable to lose their color by the action of light.

It is important that the glass of which wine bottles are made should not contain too much soda, potash, or lime, or they may combine with the acids, and injure the wine. By the use of crude soda, alkaline sulphites may be formed in the glass, and communicate an odor of sulphuretted hydrogen to the wine.

Fig. 30.

Reservoir for filling Bottles.

Fig. 31.

Bung Screw.

Filling the Bottles.—If the faucet has not previously been placed in the cask, it must now be done with great care, so as not to disturb any lees that may have remained at the last racking. The faucet should be put into the cask open, as for racking, and with very light blows of the hammer. A shallow dish or bucket is placed under the faucet in which the bottle stands. An ordinary brass faucet may be used, or the bottles may be filled much more rapidly by drawing the wine from the cask into a reservoir provided with as many faucets or tubes as bottles which it is desired to fill at the same time ([fig. 30]). The cask must be vented either by making a gimlet hole or two near the bung, or the bung must be removed. The latter, however, must not be done by blows with the bung-starter, but by using the bung screw ([fig. 31]), or the lees will be stirred up. The bottle should not be placed upright so that the wine will fall directly to the bottom, but should be slightly inclined so as to permit the wine to trickle down the inside, or a foam will be formed, and it will be difficult to fill the bottle. The workman having his empty bottles within reach, allows a little of the first wine to run into the dish, or into a bottle, which is put aside, as there may be some impurities in the faucet. The workman is seated in front of the cask, and the empty bottles are placed one at a time under the faucet as described. As soon as one bottle is filled, it is removed and another put in its place, without closing the faucet, and without loss of wine. The sediment would be disturbed by the shocks caused by opening and shutting the faucet.

If the needle is used in corking the bottles, they should be filled within a little more than an inch of the top, and if corked in the ordinary manner, only to within about two inches of the opening, leaving an inch of vacancy below the cork; always, however, depending somewhat upon the length of the corks used. This is continued, placing the full bottles in a convenient place, until the wine ceases to run at the faucet. The cask must then be slightly inclined forward, as described in the case of racking. At this stage, great care must be taken not to trouble the wine; and if a few bottles at the end contain that which is not clear, they should be put aside, to be decanted after settling. In drawing from the upper tiers of casks in piles, the basin must be elevated sufficiently to bring the bottle placed in it up to the faucet, or the latter may be connected with it by a hose.

Corks.—Only good corks should be used. They are supple and uniform in texture. Poor corks are sold in the market, in which is found a good deal of the dark, hard portion of the bark, which are not only liable to break the bottles by the great amount of pressure required to insert them, but also to discolor the wine, affect its flavor, and to permit it to leak out. Straight corks are used now-a-days, somewhat larger than the neck of the bottle, and are forced in by means of

Fig. 32.

Corking Machines.

Corking Machines.—These machines are of different forms and make, but are provided with a hollow cone through which the cork is forced by a piston, compressing it so that it easily goes into the neck of the bottle. Some work with a lever, and some with a crank. In the small hand-machine, the piston is pushed by the hand. The bottles may be made full enough so that the wine will touch the bottom of the cork, leaving no vacant space, if the needle is used in corking. This is a small, tapering, half-round, steel instrument, one-tenth of an inch in diameter, with a groove along the flat side. By placing this in the neck with the groove next the glass, the cork may be forced down to the wine, the air and surplus wine escaping by the groove. After the cork is driven home, the needle is removed. A piece of wire, provided with a handle, will answer the purpose. The handle of the needle (either a ring, or like that of a gimblet), is attached by a hinge, and turns down out of the way of the tube and piston of the machine. Some bottling machines have a needle attachment. Bottles corked by the use of this instrument do not contain a vacant space, and the wine keeps better, not being exposed to the action of the air, which would otherwise remain in the neck of the bottle, and not being shaken in transportation.

Fig. 33.

Corking Machines.

Figures [32] and [33] show corking machines with and without needles. In [fig. 33] two needles are also shown.

If the old-fashioned conical corks are used, they may be driven home with a small mallet, or wooden paddle, but the cylindrical corks are preferable, if the wine is to be kept long.

Preparation of the Corks.—In order to render them more supple, they are soaked for several hours in water. What is far better, however, is to steam them for two or three hours, or soak them in hot water. They should be allowed to drain, and then be dipped in wine like that to be bottled. Some dip them in alcohol to render them more slippery, and some again, put a drop or two of sweet oil on the surface of the water in which they are wet.

The Corks may be Driven down Flush with the opening of the bottle, or they may be left projecting a quarter of an inch, and if much larger than the neck of the bottle, a shoulder will be formed, as in the case of sparkling wines. The object of leaving the corks projecting a third of their length in bottling sparkling wines is, that they may be forced out with an explosion; and the shoulder completely closes the bottle, being wired down.

Sealing the Corks.—If the bottles are stored in a damp place where the corks are liable to rot, and also if they are to be kept more than two years, it is well to cover the ends of the corks with wax. This also prevents attacks by insects.

The Sealing Wax used should be sufficiently adhesive, but not too hard and brittle. Various receipts are given for its preparation, and the following is given by Boireau: Melt common pitch or turpentine over a slow fire, taking care not to allow it to boil over. When it is well melted, remove whatever impurities it contains, add a little tallow—a little less than an ounce of tallow to a pound of pitch. Its natural color is reddish, and is used without addition of coloring matter. Rosin may be substituted for the pitch. Instead of making this preparation, the fruit wax of commerce may be used. About the same quantity of tallow, however, should be added, if sealing wax is used, or otherwise it will be too brittle. The tallow may be replaced by beeswax with advantage.

An excellent bottle wax is said to be made by melting together two pounds rosin, one pound Burgundy pitch, one-fourth pound yellow wax, and one-eighth pound red wax. The wax may be replaced by three ounces of tallow. If too much tallow is added the cement will be too soft.

The Cement is Applied Hot.—It must be melted, and the bottle reversed and dipped into it, so that the wax will cover the end of the cork and a small part of the neck of the bottle, say down to the ring. It is entirely unnecessary to cover more of the neck of the bottle.

Coloring Matter may be added to these different cements, and any desired color produced. A little more than half an ounce of the following named substances is stirred in to one pound of the melted wax.

A brilliant red is produced by vermilion, a duller red by red ochre, black with animal black, yellow with orpiment, dark yellow with yellow ochre, and blue with Prussian blue. Green is made by mixing equal parts of blue and yellow, and other shades may be made by mixing the different colors to suit the taste.

Fig. 34.

Pincers for
Removing Wax.

Fig. 35.

Capsuler.

Capsules are now much used instead of wax. In preparing the bottled wine for shipment, where the corks have previously been waxed for storing in the cellar, capsules are also used. In this case, the wax is removed before the capsule is put on by means of a pair of pincers with roughened jaws ([fig. 34]). These capsules in different colors are sold by dealers in corks.

They are Put on by slipping one over the neck of the bottle as far as it will go, and then pressing it down closely all round. For this purpose, one turn is made around the end of the capsule with a stout cord fastened at one end, and the bottle is pushed forward with one hand, while the loose end of the string is pulled tight with the other, thus sliding the loop over the capsule and the neck of the bottle, and pressing it firmly in place. Instead of holding the cord with one hand, it may be attached to a pedal worked by the foot. A machine ([fig. 35]) is made with two posts or standards, one solid, to which one end of the cord, A, is attached, and the other playing on a hinge, to which the other end is fastened, and pulled tight by a pedal, B.

Fig. 36.

Piling Bottles.

Piling of Bottles.—Bottles may be stacked on the floor of the cellar in piles consisting of a single or a double range. The bed should be made level by arranging the soil, or by laying down strips of wood, and leveling them. The bottles should be laid horizontal. If the neck is down, the deposit will be on and near the cork, and will trouble the wine as it runs from the bottle. If the bottom is lower than the neck, the cork will not be kept wet, and the wine is liable to be injured by the air, as the cork is not perfectly air-tight. The bottles should be supported at two points, the neck and the bottom; the belly of the bottle needs no support. If two tiers of bottles are put in a pile, the bottoms are on the outside, with the necks at the middle of the pile. Laths are used to support the bottles, about three-eighths of an inch thick, and one inch or more wide. The lower row of one tier is made by laying down at the outside of the pile two laths to support the bottom end of the bottle, and one thick strip or sufficient laths are laid down to support the neck, inside the ring, and keep the bottle level. The next tier may be commenced by laying one or two laths on the necks of the bottles of the first one to support the necks of those of the other, the necks of the bottles of one tier lapping over those of the bottles of the other; the bottoms of those of this tier must be sufficiently elevated by laths to keep the bottles level. The next row of bottles is supported by laths laid on those below, one or two near the outer end of the lower ones, and a larger number on their necks. In this case the necks all point in, the bottoms being together ([fig. 36]). The bottles of each row should be sufficiently separated to allow those of the next row above to be supported by the laths without touching each other, and should be blocked after adjusting the distances. The piles may be made from three to six feet high, and must be supported at the ends, either by the cellar walls or posts.

Each tier may be made entirely independent of the other, by supporting the necks of the bottles of the next upper row on laths laid near the bottoms of those of the first row, one row having the necks pointing out, and the next one having them pointing the other way. In this case the bottles in a row may be separated an inch or more from each other, and blocked with bits of cork.

Fig. 37.

Bottle Rack.

Fig. 38.

Bottle Rack.

Racks and Bins for Bottles.—Instead of piling the bottles, they may be arranged in bins constructed for the purpose. The simplest is a frame of wood or iron of the desired length and height, and deep enough to accommodate one or two tiers of bottles. The lower bars on which the first row of bottles rests, should be so arranged as to support them in a level position, as already described for piling. If only one tier is to be made, only two bars at the bottom are necessary, but if double ranges are to be made, the frame must be deeper, and have a middle bar to support the necks of the bottles, the bottoms all being outside. The bottles are piled in these frames in the manner already described.

Instead of piling them in simple frames with the use of laths, racks are made with bars to support each row of bottles by itself, and so that any one bottle can be taken out without disturbing the rest. If the supports are of wood, they may be cut, or if of iron, bent in a form to fit each bottle, that is, in small half-circles in which the bottles rest, with smaller ones for the necks, or they may be straight. These bins may be made portable, and of any size to suit. (Figs. [37] and [38].)

Burrow’s Patent Slider Bin, made in England, has a separate compartment for each bottle.

Fig. 39.

Burrow’s Slider Bin.

Treatment of Wine in Bottles.—Sometimes it will be found that wine ferments in the bottle, becomes turbid, and makes a voluminous deposit, or may contract various maladies, such as bitterness, harshness, ropiness, or may become putrid. These effects result principally from bottling the wine too young, before insensible fermentation and the natural clearing has been completed, or they may be caused by changes of temperature, or too great age.

Fermentation in the Bottles is due to the same causes as fermentation in casks—changes of temperature, contact of the air, etc. It may be avoided by bottling at the proper time, carefully protecting the wine from the air by corking the bottles hermetically by the use of the needle, and keeping them in a cellar of even temperature. Boireau says that sweet and mellow wines are liable to ferment in bottles, especially if exposed to a high temperature, unless their alcoholic strength exceeds 15 per cent. Still wines which ferment in the bottle generally must be emptied into casks, and there treated as indicated in the chapter on Diseases. Temporary relief may be given by putting the bottles in a cooler place, and uncorking them for an hour or two to allow the gas to escape.

Deposits and Turbidity.—Wine, after being some time in glass, forms more or less deposit, according to its age, quality, and degree of limpidity at the time of bottling. The deposits consist almost entirely of coloring matter, and vegetable and mineral salts; sometimes they adhere to the sides of the bottle, and in some cases they render the wine turbid, and again they present the appearance of gravel when the wine contains much tartar.

In wines bottled too young, or which are made by mixing those of different natures, quite a voluminous deposit may be formed after they have remained a few years in glass. But good, natural wines, of good growth, well cared for, and bottled under proper conditions, scarcely commence to deposit at the end of one or two years. The deposit, however, will be increased, if the bottles are frequently disturbed, are transported long distances, undergo changes of temperature, or are kept so long that they begin to degenerate. If there is much deposit, it is apt to give the wine a bitter or acrid flavor, or a taste of the lees. Therefore, if the wines are of high quality, they should be decanted.

Mr. Boireau proceeds to say that if the deposit is small, and we are dealing with grand wines in bottles, which have contracted no bad taste, it is better not to decant them, for the operation is liable to cause a loss of a portion of the bouquet, especially if not done with proper precautions.

These directions only apply to those bottled wines which have deposited sediment, but which are nevertheless clear, and bright, and of a lively color. Those, however, which become and remain turbid, must be fined, and for this purpose they must be put into casks. If wines containing sediment are brought to the table without decanting, they are kept in nearly the same position as they occupied in the cellar, by using small baskets contrived for the purpose. (See [Decantation].)

Bitterness and Acrity, when not caused by deposits, are due to loss of the fruitiness and mellowness of the wine, which then has commenced to decline. The only remedy in case of fine wines which have preserved their bouquet, is to mix them with younger wines, mellow and perfectly bright. This should be done by decanting without contact with the air; but if they are seriously affected, they must be put into casks and the operation there performed; then they should be well fined before re-bottling.

Ropiness in bottled wines, which is due to lack of tannin, generally occurs in white wines which have been bottled before perfectly clear, and while they contained considerable nitrogenous and albuminous matters in suspension. The treatment is indicated elsewhere.

In most cases, if the wines are worn out, it will be necessary to put them into casks, and mix them with younger ones of the same quality.

Degeneration and Putridity.—Wine may be kept and improved in bottles, if properly treated, as long as its constituent principles remain soluble and in combination; but with the lapse of time, varying with different kinds, it begins to lose quality. This degeneration, says the author last quoted, announces itself a long time in advance, in the grand wines, by a loss of their unctuosity, of their fruity flavor, and by a bitter and sometimes acrid taste; and if they are kept for several years more, the fragrance of the bouquet is lost, and they contract a rancio or tawny flavor, which masks their natural flavor; they rapidly lose color, and form a deposit much more considerable than in the earlier years of their sojourn in bottles; and finally, when their degeneracy is advanced, they give off a slightly putrid odor.

As soon as high priced wines have attained their entire development in bottles, in order to prevent their decline, they should be carefully decanted into bottles with ground glass stoppers, previously rinsed with wine of the same kind.

Loss of color, joined with an abundant deposit, which is a sure sign of degeneration in the wines of the Gironde, do not mean the same in all other kinds. For instance, the red wines of Spain (and we may add, Portugal), and the sweet wines of Roussillon, which have a very dark color when young, almost entirely lose it after three or four years in bottle; they become tawny, without degenerating; but, quite to the contrary, their quality is improved.

It is observed, however, that in wines of these latter classes, whose alcoholic strength exceeds 15 per cent., the deposit is not so great, compared with the amount of coloring matter precipitated, as in wines of the first mentioned growth, and that the coloring matter adheres to the sides of the bottle, instead of falling to the bottom. Some of our California wines deposit a good deal of color in the bottle, even when fined. Probably a double fining would be advantageous in many cases.

As alcohol and tannin are the preservative principles of wines, those last longest which are best provided with them.

The cause of the degeneration of wine is the decomposition of its constituent parts, which thereby become insoluble, and are precipitated. The loss of tannin, which in time is transformed into gallic acid, takes from feeble wines their best conservator, and causes precipitation of the coloring matter. And it is observed in practice that wines which contain a great quantity of tannin last longer than those of the same alcoholic strength having less tannin.

Decantation consists in drawing a wine from the bottle containing it, so as to leave the sediment behind. It should be done without exposing the wine to the air.

The bottles should be brought from the cellar without changing their position, for if the deposit is disturbed, and the wine becomes cloudy, the bottles must rest till it has settled again. For this purpose they are laid in a basket, or other suitable receptacle, where they are inclined just enough so that the wine will not run out when the cork is removed ([fig. 40]). The cork must be drawn without disturbing the sediment, by using a corkscrew, which by means of a screw or lever, gradually removes it, and without a shock ([fig. 41]). The wine is slowly run into another clean bottle previously rinsed with the same kind of wine. If the wine is in its decline, rinse the bottles with old brandy.

Fig. 40.

Decanting Basket.

Fig. 41.

Corkscrews.

Fig. 42.

Decanting Instrument.

The Operation may be Performed by carefully pouring the wine into the empty bottle through a small funnel, which is provided with a strainer. By means of a light placed below the bottle, the sediment can be watched, and as soon as it is about to run out with the wine, the operation must cease. The new bottle must be filled up with the same kind of wine and immediately corked. In decanting in this manner, the bubbling of the air passing into the bottle as the wine runs out, is very apt to disturb the lees. This may be prevented by using a small tube, slightly curved, which connects the air outside with the vacant space in the bottle. In order to prevent access of the air, however, an instrument is used consisting of two conical corks, connected by a small rubber tube. Each cork is pierced with two holes; the one placed in the bottle to be emptied, besides the hole which receives the rubber hose through which the wine runs, is provided with one through which a bent tube is placed to admit the air; the hose passes through the other cork and conducts the wine into the other bottle, and this cork has another hole for the escape of the air ([fig. 42]).

CHAPTER XVII.
CUTTING OR MIXING WINES.

Most French Wines Mixed.—Maigne, speaking of the wines of France, says, that of one hundred wines in the market, perhaps there are not ten which are not produced by mixing several different kinds. Without doubt, he says, we should as much as possible preserve the products of the vine as they are given to us; but there are a multitude of cases where it is absolutely impossible to render them drinkable without mixing, or as wine men say, without cutting them with other wines.

When Necessary—Effect of.—In good years, almost all wines can be drank in their natural condition, but when the grapes have not become sufficiently ripe, the wines, even of good growths, lack quality, or preserve for a long time a roughness more or less marked, and always disagreeable. It is then necessary to mix them, especially if common wines, with better ones, to make them tolerable. It is not always necessary, however, that the season should be bad, in order that cutting should be proper. Wines naturally have, for a certain time, an earthy flavor and greenness which are unpleasant, which disappear by mixing. This is why ordinary wines of a moderate price, which have been mixed, are preferred by a great number of consumers to others which are higher in price but left in a state of nature. For example, a new, very dark-colored wine of good growth is not an agreeable drink; but if an old white wine of an inferior growth, but of good taste and constitution be added, it will be drank with pleasure.

Mixing the wine produces results similar to those caused by mixing the fruit, and it may be done by the wine maker as well as by the merchant. As they come from the vat, wines manifest the qualities and defects communicated by the vintage, and which are varied by a multitude of circumstances, such as the nature of the soil, varieties of grapes, temperature of the season, and the like.

Wines endowed with qualities which fit them to be kept in their natural condition, of course, are not mixed. But those which, on the other hand (and they are in the majority), have too much or too little color, are weak, flat, coarse, green, pasty, rough, lacking in bouquet, too strong, or too light, cannot be put on the market till they have been cut with other wines capable of giving them the qualities which they lack, and of remedying their defects. It will be understood that the mixture of a weak wine with a stronger one, of one lacking color with one which has too much, a light wine with a generous one, of a hard wine with a flat one, etc., a wine will be produced superior in quality to any one of those used.

For these reasons, in a viticultural district, when a producer cannot sell his wine of a bad year, he mixes it with that of the following year, if the latter is of a better quality; if he cannot mix it all, he may use it for ullage. In the same way, if he has new white wines which become discolored and turn yellow, he mingles them with very dark red wines, which then become more agreeable to drink.

It is said that the tithe wines used to be of superior quality. In certain communes of France, the inhabitants contributed to the priest’s cask a certain amount of their new wine, and this wine which represented a mixture of all the wines of the commune, had the reputation of being superior to any one of the others.

And the following case, quoted by Maigne, is given for what it is worth. A cask lay in a cellar into which they were accustomed to throw the leavings of all kinds of wine, such as from broken bottles, drippings, etc. It was intended to use the liquid upon diseased trees, but it was for some time forgotten. When found and brought out, the cellar-man tasted the singular mixture out of curiosity. It was found to be a delicious liquor, which gave delight at dessert; and it was with true grief that they saw its end approach!

In order to perform the operation successfully, an experienced man is required, who will be guided by his educated taste; and therefore, precise rules cannot be laid down, but there are certain general principles which it may be useful to state.

Wines of the same General Nature and Flavor should be used, and two of such wines may nevertheless be deficient in some particular respects, so that by mixing, the defects of the two will be corrected. Such wines are mixed, because they are said to marry better, and produce a more homogeneous liquid than those of different natures.

Fine Wines.—All agree that fine wines which have a bouquet and a future are best left in their natural condition, for their distinctive character will be destroyed by mixing with wines of a different nature and quality. Boireau says that experience proves that if such wines are mixed while young, even with old wine of good quality, they will never acquire that degree of fineness which they would have obtained if left by themselves; that they sooner loose their fruity flavor, and are more liable to make a deposit in the bottles.

There are cases, however, when cutting becomes necessary, as when the wine from being kept too long in casks, has commenced to decline, has lost its fruity flavor, has become acrid and dry; when made in a bad, cold season; and when they are too poor, green, or too feeble to keep well.

When wines are too old and worn out, they should be fortified with young wines of the same kind, produced, if possible, from the same vineyard, one or two, or at most, three years old, and possessing great mellowness. The amount of new wine to be used will depend upon the degree of degeneracy and the length of time they are to be kept. (See [Degeneration].)

Poor, weak wines, whose keeping qualities are doubted, should be mixed with young wine of a good year, firm and full-bodied, possessing as nearly as possible the same natural flavor.

The foregoing is intended to apply to feeble, delicate wines which have a flavor and bouquet, but which are not too green. Wines which have a future should not be sacrificed by using them to fortify others which are both feeble and green, for the excess of tartaric acid contained in the latter will totally destroy the mellowness of those used to fortify them. To mix with such wines, clean-tasting wines of the south should be used.

If the wines are too green, a portion of the acid may be neutralized, as described under the head of Greenness.

Ordinary Wines should be treated in such a way as to give them as much as possible the qualities sought in fine wines, and they should be cut with suitable wines of the same age to give them bouquet, flavor, and mellowness, or at least to remove their excessive dryness—a very difficult thing to do. It may be accomplished, in part, by mixing them with wines of the same growth, but whose bouquet and flavor are very expansive, and by adding neutral, mellow wines.

Sufficient Time Must be Given to the mixture to allow the different wines employed to become intimately combined, or their different flavors may be detected, which will not be the case when thoroughly amalgamated.

When Large Quantities of wine are used, the mixture is more nearly perfect than if mingled, cask by cask; and by operating upon the whole amount at one time in a large vat, a perfect uniformity will be insured.

An Entirely New Wine should not be mixed with an old one, as there is not sufficient affinity between them.

In an old wine, says Machard, all the constituents are in a state of complete quiet; they are well combined (melted) and homogeneous. If there is mixed with it a wine whose principles are equally well combined, no ulterior action will result. But if new principles are introduced, elements of a different nature, the equilibrium will be disturbed, there will infallibly result a reciprocal action and disorganization.

Very Green Wines should not be mixed with those containing much sugar for similar reasons, for the mixture is liable to be thrown into a state of violent fermentation, which it will be difficult to arrest. The reason given is that the green wine contains a good deal of ferment; but if both the wines are produced in the south, where the ferment contained in the dry wine is not abundant, the mixture may safely be made. So that, after all, we get back to the principle, that wines of widely different natures and origins should not be mixed, but keeping this in mind, a sweetish and a dry wine may be used to correct each other.

White Wines may sometimes be mixed with advantage with red ones, as before mentioned, but the former should not be employed too liberally.

Diseased Wines must not be mixed with sound ones, except in the few cases mentioned under Defects and Diseases. It is especially dangerous to cut a soured or pricked wine with a sound one, for the whole mass is liable to be lost.

Mixing Grapes.—It is doubtless always better, when practicable, to correct defects by mixing the grapes and fermenting the different kinds together, for then a more homogeneous wine will be formed; and, therefore, the intelligent grape grower will find out the defects of his wine, and remedy them by planting a sufficient quantity of other varieties for the purpose.

Precautions.—Care, however, must always be taken not to spoil a good wine by cutting it with a very common one, nor by mixing poor varieties with grapes of fine kinds.

Cheap wines, however, for immediate consumption, may admit a certain proportion of poor, common wine, into their composition, without inconvenience. In that case, the ferments of the common sorts will not have time to act and produce serious results.

If, however, they are to be kept for some time, or bottled, the effect will be bad, for the ferments always abundant in wines from the commoner varieties, are liable to become decomposed, and cause a disagreeable, nauseating flavor.

Whenever there is a doubt in the mind of the cellar-man as to whether certain wines should be mixed, it is always best to make a small sample first, clarify it, and leave it for a sufficient length of time, and judge of the result, before operating upon a large quantity.

CHAPTER XVIII.
WINE LEES, MARC, AND PIQUETTE.

The Residue of Wine Making, pomace and lees, are often placed immediately in the still, and their alcohol distilled off directly, but the result is better if the wine is first extracted, and distilled without putting the residue into the boiler, for it is liable to burn and give a disagreeable burnt flavor to the brandy.

I am indebted to Mr. Boireau, so often quoted, for what follows: