Bake a long roller of dough, stuck well with cloves, and hang it in the cask.
248. To pass White Wine off for Champaign.
Rack it often from the lees; and when very brilliant, bottle it off:—this must be done between vintage time and the month of May.
It has (says Mr. Carnell) been a most absurd practice with many families to use green gooseberries, in order to imitate Champaign wine; but green fruit is by no means fit or proper for the making of any wine. Nor, indeed, is it at all necessary in the making an imitation of Champaign.
249. To make Wine sparkle like Champaign.
Take great care to rack off the wine well, and in March bottle it as quick as possible. The bottles must be very clean and dry, and the corks of the best sort, made of velvet or white cork. In two months after the wine will be in fine condition to drink.
250. To clear foul or ropy Wines.
Take 1 ounce of chalk, in powder,
½ an ounce of burnt alum,
the white of an egg, and
one pint of spring water.
Beat the whole up in a mortar, and pour it into the wine; after which, roll the cask ten minutes; and then place it on the stand, leaving the bung out for a few days. As soon as the wine is fine, rack it off.
Or, take 1 oz. of ground rice,
½ oz. of burnt alum, and
½ oz. of bay-salt.