Historical Document · 1826

The Vintner s and Brewer s Guide--Manufacturing Wines, Malted Liquors, Cider, Perry, Vinegar, Spirits, etc

Author: Anon
Year: 1826
Type: Historical Document

distilling

ed A774 VINTNER’S, BREWER’S, Spirit Werehant’s, AND LICENSED VICTUALLER’S GUIDE; CONTAINING THE HISTORY, THEORY, AND PRACTICE OF MANUFACTURING WINES, FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC, MALT LIQUORS; CIDER; PERRY; VINEGAR; SPIRITS ; $ LIQUEURS; ESSENCES; CORDIALs, ANN COMPOUNDS. . : —>— AN EXTENSIVE COLLECTION OF THE MOST APPROVED RECEIPTS, Applicable to the various Subjects, Many of which were never before published. NUMEROUS IMPORTANT HINTS ON CELLARING, Aud the general Management of all the Articles enumerated; the whole carefully corrected by recent Experiments, and collected from the best Authorities. Also, a Description of the SaccHAROMETER, and the varius’ HypDrRomeEters, with their Uses. <p TABLES, SHEWING THE DIFFERENCE IN QUANTITY AND VALUE BETWEEW THE OLD AND NEW IMPERIAL MEASURES, ° NX Selections from, and Abstracts of, all the Acts of Parliament relating to the Excise Laws, Licences, and the Laws affecting pers, Publi 9 Ce Together with various useful Tables,and miscellaneous Matters, fer constant Reference, —_—~————— By A PRACTICAL MAN. ———__——————— The whole arranged, with particular attention to the interests of those to whom it is addressed, as well as for the use of - PRIVATE FAMILIES, GENTLEMEN'S BUTLERS, &c. London: W. WETTON, FLEET STREET; J: M. RICHARDSON, CORNHILL { GOSSLING AND EGLEY, NEW BOND STREET; AND H. R. THOMAS, HANOVER STREET, HANOVER SQUARE- 1826. 272. va PRINTED BY T. BRETTELL, RUPERT STREET, HAYMARKET, . LONDON. . mn PREFACE. a Tue intention of this work is to present, to that part of the public to whom it is addressed, the History and DESCRIPTION of Wines, foreign and domestic, malt liquors, cider, perry, vinegar, spirits, liqueurs, cordials, and compounds, with the present improved mode of manufacturing them, both on a large and limited scale; a numerous and valuable Col- . lection of Recetpts, never before published, which have been used for many years by persons in very. extensive business; and a copious selection from those of established credit, carefully revised, and adapted to the present improved state of science. It is hoped that such a publication will prove highly advantageous to the manufacturers of, and dealers in, the various articles treated on; so much information having never before been brought together in so condensed a form, comprehending instructions to meet almost every possible occurrence. In the First Part will be found a ‘Hi istory of Wine, from the earliest period; the causes a . vi - PREFACE. of so great a diversity in its quality, arising from climate, cultivation, and the various methods of conducting the fermentative pro- cess; the treatment necessary for its preserva- tion and improvement in this country, as well as the general management thereof; as also of wines made from fruits of British growth, as imitations or substitutes for the more expensive ones of foreign production; and the various processes for manufacturing them on scientific principles, at considerable length. The SEcoND PaRT contains a treatise on brewing, comprehending porter, and a variety of ales, (commonly known or distin- guished by the names of London, Burton, Welsh, &c.) with a description of the various qualities of malt and hops, and substitutes for them. In the Turrp Part is shewn the princi- ples of fermentation, and the distillation of spirits of every denomination, viz. alcohol, brandy, rum, geneva, whisky, and spirits produced from a variety of substances pos- sessing the flavour of the essential oil con- tained in them: a numerous collection of forms for the composition of ‘cordials and PREFACE. Vil compounds ofevery description ; an important feature in which is, the great facility of pre- paring them to any extent that can be required, so contrived that they may. be , increased or diminished, with very little cal- culation ; a set of receipts for those most in - -use, on the small scale of one quart, which _ -can be mixed ready for use, in merely the .time required to put the articles together ; and, for the purpose of further convenience, forms are given for the preparation of a — variety of essences, to be kept always ready, . for increasing, at pleasure, the flavour of the various compounds, as well as for making -them direct, and for any other use to which .they may be applicable. The foregoing, as relates to compounds, is peculiar to the pre- - sent work, nothing of the kind having hitherto appeared in print, and will be found of the — greatest importance to the compounder, whe- ther rectifier or retail dealer: the rectifier will .find the use of ‘esseutial oils, when procured genuine, facilitate the progress of his business . very considerably, saving time and labour to ,an extent that but few are aware of, and thus .enable him to compete successfully with his “viii PREFACE. ‘rivals in trade; to the retail dealer, the ad- vantage will be in proportion to the extent of ‘his business; and every one will find a great ‘advantage in using them. The Fourru Part relates to the ma- ‘nufacture of cider, perry, mead, and vine- gar; for which purpose general directions and receipts will be found, sufficient to enable any one possessing the materials to manufac- ture those articles. The FirtH Part, on cellaring, contains very comprehensive directions for the ma- nagement of wines under every circumstance requiring attention; the treatment of porter, ales, and beer, as relates to fining, preserv- ing, and correcting when necessary, also as to reducing, flavouring, colouring, fining, and the general management of spirits; toge- ther with a number of forms for the prepara- tion of various articles of general utility. In the SixtH Part is a description of the various hydrometers and saccharometers, and the manner of using them. The hydro- meter being an instrument of the most essen- tial service to all dealers in spirits; in fact, it is an indispensable requisite, as no business PREFACE. ix to any extent can be properly conducted without it : in cases likely to lead to litigation, none should be depended on except the hydro- meter sanctioned by Act of Parliament, made by Mr. R..B. Bate, Poultry, London. The saccharometer is an instrument indispensable to the economic brewer, distiller, and vinegar manufacturer, enabling him to manage his worts with the greatest accuracy, and thus be. more certain of producing an uniform strength; taking care that the fermentative process is gone through in a proper manner, as that is an essential requisite in the produc- tion of good beer and vinegar, and also to the quantity of spirit a certain portion of material is capable of producing. ._ The SEVENTH Part contains very copi- ous extracts from, and. abstracts of, a great number of. Acts of Parliament relating to the excise laws, excise atid other licences, affect- ing all dealers in wines, spirits, malt liquors, &c.; also abstracts of the laws particularly applicable to sankeepers and publicans, as to their liabilities to their guests, which are often found of considerable importance to them. The E1eHTtH Part contains numerous a3 x PREFACE. tables, of the highest importance to every one using measures for liquids of every descrip- tion, as the new imperial measure becomes, on the first of January, 1826, the only legal measure, heavy penalties attaching to the use of any other after that day; these tables en- able every one to ascertain, ina moment, the proportion that any number of gallons of the old measure bears to the new measure, and the comparative value of each. There are also other tables, for ascertaining the quantity of liquid in casks of various dimensions, by _ the dipping rule. . Having described the contents of the volume, it only remains to observe, that no means of information have been neglected,—no pains or expense spared, to procure from authen- tic sources,—from persons of long experience, and ‘by ‘numerous experiments, under the superintendence of scientific men, every thing connected with the various subjects treated on, that can contribute to the interests of the patrons of the work, who have so nu- merously supported it, or to the advantage of the public i in general. CONTENTS. A. Actvrry in wine, ale, &c. todestroy. . . 258 Aleohol. . . . . 144 Ale, Burton e 6 - . 1830 -———~ London . . . . ib. ——.strong . .. . 131 —— Welsh . . . . 132 —— bottling of . . . 296 —— finings for ° . 242 — — gallon, size of - » 869 -—— Stale, tocorrect . 213 —— to prevent its be- coming stale . . . ib, —— to restore when flat... » 242 Arrack, imitation ‘of. - 261 Articles prohibited, list 244 of... . B. Beer,table . . . 133 ——— boiling and hop- pingof . . . . . 118 —— bottling of . . . 226 ——‘brewingof. . . 103 —— ‘cooling worts of . 114 —— fermentation of . 115 — ‘finings for . . . 242 —— ginger, Nos, 1 & 2 191, 192 ——— spruce, brown. . ib. white. . ib. —— stale, to correct . 243 —— stale, to bring for- “ward. . 1.0.0.) 244 — 0, Beer, to prevent its be- coming stale . . . 243 —+— to restore when . flat 2... - 212 —— yeast. . . «. . 119 Bitters, ale ... . . 256 ——gin 2... . 255 ——pul.. .... 256 —spirit. . . . . ib. —wine.. . . . © ib. Bottling . . . . . 226 Brandy, French . - 151 —— blackness of, to re- move... . 254 -—— British, to make . 156 ——.carraway, to make 180 —— cherry, to make 182, 188 ——flavour of, to im- prove. . . . 251 —— from potato-apples 156 —— new, to give it all the properties of old . 251 —— raspberry, to make 189 —— shrub, to make 183, 187 —— sophistication of ©. 154 — to colour and fla- vour. . .. . . 247 —— to prevent the de- terioration of . . . 157 Brewing, origin of . . 102 —— signs which direct the processes in . . 122 —— water for. . . . 108 —— utensils used in , 122 Brown stout . . °. . 130 xii CONTENTS. c Page Capillaire, tomake . . 259 Casks, preparation of . 18 —— to clean and sweeten 220 Cellaring . . « « « 218 Cider . . o's « « 194 — bottling of . . . 206 — draught. . . . 204 — inferior . . . . 205 —prime ... . 201 —— use of, when con- centrated . . . . 205 —vinegar . . « . 215 Clarification ... . . 223 Colouring, brandy, to make. . . . - . 261 —— for beer, to make . 119 —ofwine .-.. . 28,63 Cordéals and Compounds, 173 — aniseed ... 176,181 ——carraway .. ib. -ib. —— clove . . 176, 177,181 ——cinnamon . 178,182 ——citron . . 177,181 ~— coriander . . . 178 —gin, various . . 174 ——king’s ... . 178 ——lovage . . 177,182 —orange ... . 177 —— peppermint. 176,180 -—— prince’s . . . . 179 ——punch ... « ib. ——queen’s . . 178, 182 —ratafia . . 162,185 —— usquebangh 179, 183 Crank, tomake . . . 198 . "D.. Distillation . . .. - 137 E. Easenccs. . 2 2 « Essence of almond, bitter 171 — angelica. . . . 173 - 169 Page Essence of aniseed . . 172 —carraway .. . lil — cassia. . .. . ib. —cinnamon .. . 170 — clove. .. . . ib. —forgin . . . . 172 — of juniper . . . 171 — lemon. . .. . ib. ——nutmeg. . . . 172 — orange ... - sth —— peppermint. . . _ for porter - + » 241 Exciselaws . .-. . 277 —licences. . . . 306 F. Filtering bag, descrip- tionof . 2. « . Finings,alum. . . . 247- —forbeer. . . » 242 — for wine. . 225, 240 — manner of using . 225 G. Geneva. . . . « - 160 ——tomanage . . . 254 —— blackness, to re- move from . . . « ib. H. Heading, No.) . . . 260 —No2 ... . ib Hops, quality of . . 110 ° — substitutes for . 134 Hydrometer . . . . 262 — directions forusing 268 — Clarke’s, descrip- tionof . 2... e — Dicas’s, descrip- tim of . +. . . 268 —— Quin’s, description of. . . 2. . «6 » 265 —— Sykes’s, description . 269 OF. 6 © © «© CONTENTS. ‘ I. Imperial Gallon, size of 369 L. Laws relating to Publi~ cans... Leaven or yeast. . Lemonade. . . . Licences, mode of trans- ferring . . . . » 254 Lime Water, to prepare 222 ‘Liqueurs . . . . 184 Anisette | de “Bour- deaux. . . i Créme de Noyau 183, 187 Ditto Orange . . . 186 Curagoa. . . . . 184 Nectaf, Imperial . . 187 Noyau, French . . 185 Ditto, Martinique . 186 Marasquin diZara . ib. Ratafa .. .. Ditto de Cassis . . 184 Ditto de Cérises . . ib. Ditto de Framboises . 185 Ditto de Noyau . . ib. M. Malting, description of 104 Malt,amber . . . . 108 ——brown ... . ib. —pale .. «+ ib. —— grinding of... 109 — substitute for . . 134 Mashing, directions for 111 . Match, how to prepare 221 Mee cowslip Dot — Sack... .. ib Measures, bill for esta- blishing uniformity in 255 a tables of proportion of... . -—— ditto, proportionate valueof. . . . . 868 Oyster powder, to pre- pare. ww... 221 ) Perry . o + « 207 Pop, Imperial” + + + 192 Porter . . 2°. 2 . 123 —— bottling of . . . 226 —— brown stout . . 130 —— essence for making upof . oe es 241 — finings for « . . 212. ——lLondon . . . . 129 —— Ditto, to brew three barrele . . . . . 128 —— tocorrect stale . 243 —to bring forward . 244 —— to restore when flat 212 Punch . . .. . » 189 ——cordial . . . .179 ——milk . . - 190 — Norfolk, No. 1, . 191 — Ditto, No. 2,. . ib, Purl, Roman, to prepare 193 R. Rum o «. « 158, 251 — to "remove black- - nessof . . . 254 —— lowering of. . . 252 —— reducing a pun- cheonof . . . 253 —— shrub, to prepare various . 183, 188 Saccharometer, Bate’s . 271 Long’s . . . . 272 Spirit, molasses. . . 168 —ofwine. .. . 144 —— quantity. of, in wine, &c. 2. . « - ——raisine . . . : 168 “xiv CONTENTS. Page eos Page Spirit, sugar . . . . 167 | Vinegar,raisin . . . 217 —wine. .. . . 162 | ——sugar. « . . .-236 Spirits... 1. . 137 —— bead proof of . . 249° —— distillation of . . 137 —— purchasing of . . 369 —— reducing of 245, 370 —— to reniove colour from"... . — rules for calculating strengthof. . . . 871 Stout, brown. . . . 130 Sugar, preparation of, as a substitute for malt. 135 —spirit. . . . . 167 Syrup; to'prepare . . 174 — of elderberries. . 258 258 T. Tincture ofeapsicum . 257 ——~cudbear . . . ib. ——redsanders. . . ib. ——saltoftartar . . 256 -—— turmeric . . . 257 Tables . . . . . . 255 ~— for guaging. . . 365 —— proportion of wine gallon to imperial gal- ‘lon . ww... 860 -——-. proportion of ale gallon to imperial gal- lon 2. www —— proportion of Trish gallon to imperial gal- lon. . - «' « 362 — proportionate value per wine gallon and imperial gallon . . 363 NV. Vine . « o « 240 —eider oe ee 6 B16 —currant. . . . 217 -—— gooseberry . . « ib. ‘me oilof. 2. . . Ww. Whisky. . . . . . 162 Wines, foreign . . . 1 —— acidity of, to cor- rect. . . . . 29, 258 —— bottling of . . . 226 —— casks, preparation of... 2. wes 18 —— clarification of. . 25 —— colouringof. . 28, 63 —— docteringof . . 258 —— fermentation of . 13 ——— finings for . 225, 240 —— flavouring of . . 23 ditto, and co- louringof . . . . 226 —— foreign, racking of 228 —— frettinginof . . 26 —— gallon, sizeof. . 369 history of . . . 1 — landing and cellar- ingof. . . . . . 227 —— management of . 20 —— medication of. . 26 —— mustiness of, to re- move. . .... 30 - 165 —— pricked,to recover 229 —— principles of mak- ings . 2 2. es OG —— quantity ofspiritin 57 — rackingof . . . 228 — ditto and sul- phuringof . . . . 24 — ropiness of,.to re- move... .- . 80 w—— spirit . . . . 162 —— theory ofmanufac- turing. . 2. i. . 48 —— varietiesof. . . 69 —— vintageof ... 9 — Bucellas; to ma- mage .. « « « + « 237 — CONTENTS. “ Page Wine, Calcavella, to ma- , MOge . . ww ew 2 BIO —— Champagne . 16, 21 —— Claret, to colour . 238 — ditto, to improve. 239 “—— ditto, to manage. 237 —— ditto, or Port, to make taste rougher . 240 -—— Hermitage, red, to manage . . . . . 239 ditto white . ib. —— Hock, to manage . 240 —— Lisbon, to fine a pipeof . . . . . 236 —— ditto, to manage . ib. —— Madeira. . 23, 235 —— ditto, to manage ib. —— Malaga. . . . 240 —— Malmsey . . 239 —_— —— Mountain . : . 240 —— Muscadine. . . ib. —— Paceretta . . . ibe —— Port. .... — ditto, to fine a pipe + 231 —— ditto, to manage andimprove . . ..230 —* ditto, white, to — fnme . . . 1 . . 232 —— Sack, to manage . 210 -—— Sherry . . . . 23 —— Sherry, pale, to fnme . . . . . . 284 —— ditto, to manage . 232 -—— Teneriffe, to ma- nage... 1. . 235 —— Tent, tomanage. 240 —— Vidonia, to ma- n oe eo ee 6 285 Vin de Grave, to manage... . . 240 —— white, to improve 211 Wines, imitation. . . 64 —— Canary... . 77 —— Champagne, (two varieties). . . . . 82 —— Cyprus... . 77 23 OF. . ew ww XV Page Wines, imitation —— Frontignaé . . 76 ~-—— Madeira (three va- rieties) . . . . 81, 82 —— Mountain . . . 77 —— Port (three varie- ties) . . . . . 78,79 —— Sherry,(three va- rieties) . . . . 79, 80 Wines, British, . . . 64 —— apricot. . . . 94 —— blackberry. . . 93 — birch. .... 99 —— cherry (two varie. ties) . 2 ww —cowslip. .. a currant, black, (three varieties) . . 87 — ditto, mixed . 86 —wz ditto, red . . 85 —~— ditto, white, (five varieties) 69, 73, 85, 86 ——damson. . . . 100 —— elder (five varie- ties) 2 2. —— ginger (three va- rieties) . . 1. gooseberry (eight varieties). 64, 73, 83, 84 —— grape (four varie- ties) . . . 70, 74, 100 —— lemon (two varie- tie) . ow. —molberry . . . ib. -—— mixed fruit (three varieties). . . . . 88 ——— orange (three va- vieties) . 1. . . . 98 — parsnip - . : . ib lum... . . 94 -—— from vine leaves . 71 — quince. . . . 98 —— raisin (two varie-. ties) . . . . . 75, 97 —— raspberry (two va- rieties), oe ew ew ew - 89 . 101 98 Xvi CONTENTS: Poge Page Wines, British (twa . Y. —— strawberry (two Yeast, artificial . . . 260 _Yarieties). ee we —— or leaven . - 42 ——tumip .... 9 |e ofber... i. 119° : . THE : , VINTHER'S, BREWER'S, SPIRIT MERCHANT'S, AND LECENSED VICTUALLER'S GUIDE. PART I. OF WINES. - The early History of Wine. Tr is impossible to fix the era when mankind first discovered fermented liquors.—Some historians have ascribed the discovery to Noah, others to Saturn, others to Bacchus, &c.*: in short, almost every country in which the vine is indigenous has boasted of some individual or native deity, to whom the honour has been attributed; and if we reflect upon ® Among a number of fictions, the following is at least amusing : The Persian emperor who founded Persepolis, being extremely fond of grapes, put some into jars to preserve them; tasting them while fermenting; he found them so bad, that ke put them back, and matked poison on the jar. His favourite mistress, from some cause weary of life, drank the liquor, which (the fermentation being at an end,) was so pleasant as to reconcile her to life, instead of poisoning her. The emperor found out what had taken place, and the discovery of producing wine from the juice of the e eape was the resalt, B 2 ' ‘HISTORY OF WINE. the simplicity of the processes essentially necessary to be had recourse to in making wine, it will appear exceedingly probable that the discovery was not made by one person or country exclusively, but by different individuals and nations, at very different periods. ° Different kinds of wine were. known at a very early period; and.as civilization and luxury ad- vanced, the number ‘was greatly extended. Hence the cultivation of the vine became an object of importance, and many new varieties were produced, which, favoured by soil and situation, rendered particular places more famous than others. Thus the ancient Romans not only possessed a great variety of native wines, but, in the days of their greatest splendour, those also of distant and more favoured climes, as the Vinum Chium, Lesbium, Leucadium, Rhodium, ke: &e. Little is known respecting the modes of manufae- _ turing some of the most -celebrated of the ancient wines. The general processes, however, did not perhaps differ much from those at present in use. The. fruit was collected, bruised by the feet, and _ subjected.to pressure, as now practised. - Both Greeks and Romans appear to have fre- quently concentrated their wines, either by sporta- neous evaporation, or by boiling. or this purpose, ' the wine was sometimes introduced into bladders or large jars, and exposed in the chimney to the HISTORY OF WINE. 8 héat of fire, or in the upper parts of the house to the heat of the sun. Sometimes the fruit was con- verted into raisins by drying, and the wine prepared from such fruit was denominated passum. At other times the must was reduced by boiling to one half. This formed the vinum defructum: occasionally even to one third, when it was termed saps. By one, or. perhaps more of these methods, the wines were reduced to the state of syrup, or in some instances — ever to dryness, and were capable of being preserved for a very long time. Thus Aristotle states, that the Arcadian wines required to be diluted with water before they were drank, as indeed was the case with most of the ancient wines; and ‘Pliny speaks of wines as: thick: as honey, which it was necessary. to dissolve in warm water, and filter through linen, before they were used. Pliny mentions Staphylus as the first who mixed wine with water; but Athenseus gives the credit of it to Amphytryon, king of Athens. On this occasion a fable was invented, that Bacchus, having been struck by a thunderbolt, and being all inflamed, was presently cast into the nymphs’ bath to be extinguished. ' These remarks, however, are applied by the above authors chiefly to very old wines. Thus the wine compared by Pliny to honey had: ‘been made two hundred years before; indeed, wines of a hundred years old, and upwards, seem not to have been a HISTORY OF WIRE: ameonaion among the dumuriotae eltivenis of atidient Rome. . mon, Dota Gio: . Seven: years was the shortest’ period; ‘according to ‘Aristotle and Galen, for keeping s wine before it was fit for drinking. a - Sir Edward Barry, in his Observations, Historical, Critical, and Medical,-onthe Wines of the'Axcients, suggests that our best modern wines, especially those of a delicate texture and flavour, may betiore effectually preserved in earthen -vessels of a larget size than our bottles, well glazed externally -arfd int ternally ; that dry sand is: preferable for covering the hottles in. the binns to saw dust; afd that.a small anti-cellar, built before all large-cellars, would be a considerable defence and improvement. - The ancients were fond of giving their wines-an artificial flavour, and for this purpose they intro- duced pitch, turpentine, and different herbs into the _ must ;—a practice still followed by the modern Greeks. . Such are the principal faets known respecting the celebrated ancient wines,.which, as Chaptal' justly remarks, appear in general to have- rather désetved the name of extracts or syrups, than wines." ‘They must have been sweet and little fermented, and ebn sequently have contained a very small proportion of alcohol. Indeed, it is difficult to suppose how. they could contain any spirit whatever, or possess in éon- Sequence any intoxicating properties... HIATORY OF. WINE: 5 icabhe Weve xefaarka, however, can be only. -appli- cable to those wines whicl: the refinements of luxuty or capsice had xendened valuable, from their:wncom- JRop, pemrgence, gx the tliieulty with whricis ahey were procured. 1< Winetkept.in-a cook vault;. and: well secured’ from the external air, will preserve its texture entire in all.the constituest -parts,: aud. sufficiently strong’ for IBARY. Vearas 88 appears not only from old' wines, but..othey foreign fermented liquors, ‘ particularly thove.of China, . prepared from a decoction of rice, which, being well closed down in-the vessel, and ‘bu- wied.deep under ground, will continue for a long sexes of years, rich, generous, and good; as the. his- tories of that country universally. agree in assuring us. eet : - oe -It is certain that the ancients were. well acquainted with the fermentative process, and ordinarily took adyantage of it in the formation of their wines ; -hence it is extremely probable that the wines used in the primitive states of society, and, perhaps, at all $imes used by the common people, consisted simply of the. fermented juice of the grape, and therefore diffared in no respects. whatever from the wines in common use at the present time. General Principles of Wine Making. We shall consider this interesting subject under two principal points of view: first, the manufacture 6 HISTORY OF WINE. of wine from grapes, and, second, from other fruits. First, the manufacturing of wine from grapes is liable to be influenced by a great variety of cireum: stances, such as climate, soil, aspect, season, &c.; of some of the most important of which we shall take a cursory view. The vine is a native of the middle regions of the temperate zone, that is to say, between the latitudes of twenty-five and fifty degrees; and here only does it fourish and mature its fruit in absolute perfection. Indeed, a belt, comprised between the latitudes of forty and fifty degrees, may ‘be said to include all the most celebrated vineyards of the northern hemisphere; those, namely, of Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Austria,. Styria, Carinthia, Hungary, Transylvania, and part of Greece. The vine grows beyond the latitude of fifty de- gress, but its juices are austere, and without the requisite degree of ‘saccharine matter to form good wine. The fine aromatic odour and flavour of its fruit, also, are not developed much beyond this lati- tude. In the southern hemisphere, which is colder than the northern, the vine flourishes somewhat nearer the equator. The vine grows in every wil, b but that which is light and gravelly is best adapted for its cultivation. It flourishes extremely well, also, in volcanic coun- tries. Thus, some of the best wines in Italy are made in the neighbourhood of Vesuvius. The nae 8& FEF FT HISTORY OF ‘WINE. 7. famous 'Tokay wine is also made in a voleanic dis- trict, as are several of the best French wines; many parts of the south of France bearing evident marks of extinct voleanoes. ‘The vine also flourishes well in primitive countries, and especially among the débris of granite rocks; thus the celebrated Her- mitage wine is made from a soil of this description. The same climate, soil, and mode of culture, however, often produce wines of very different qualities. Position and aspect alone, all other cir- cumstances being the same, make a prodigious difference. The same vineyard, for example, ac- cording as its different parts have a northern or southern aspect, will produce wines of opposite cha- racters ; a8 will also the same hill, at its top, middle, and bottom. The aspect most favourable for 4 vineyard is upon a rising ground or hill, facmg the south-east, and the situation should not be ‘too ¢on- fined. If the soil be not favourable for the vine, no art can make it so. Manure of different sorts will, indeed, render the fruit more abundant, but the wine will suffer in quality. The best manure is stated to be the dung of pigeons.or poultry. Burnt _ gea-wrack, also, is a favourite manure with some. Fat and putrid manures are absolutely to be re- jected, as they destroy the wine altogether, by viti- ating its flavour. The qualities of wines are very much affected by - the seasons. In cloudy and wet seasons the wine is 8 HISTORY “OF SWENEs always inferior. : Rain i is most..te be dreaded at the season ;of the vintage: Moderate rejns,, just, after the ve season, of bloom, are of. great advantage, pad cayse-the fruit to swell very. rapidly. - Rough. Minds are very prejudicial to vineyards: mists: are still more 80; especially during the season of blooin, as they are apt to destroy the flower, and consequently. the fruit: the reason of this is,. perhaps, DOf Very evident, but:it seems to depend, in part, upgn ge rapid evaporation of the moisture I¢ft by the fags, when the sun breaks through, them, and :the ;exeaty and sudden change of temperature . which takes place in consequence. Too great a degree of heat is injurious to the vine; the perfection of: theiy fryit depends upon a due equilibrium between the quan- tity of water affording aliment to the plant, and the degree of heat necessary to elaborate this water into its juices, ~'Towards the northern limits of the vine country, the plants are always supported on poles; and in: cold and wet seasons they sometimes strip off ‘the leaves, or twist the stalks of the clusters, in order to suppress vegetation and facilitate the ripening of the grapes: but in warmer: climates, an the contrary; the earth requires to be shielded from the heat, atid here ‘the: vine is generally left to-spread over thé ground, and thus by its foliage to protect the soil, as well as its fruit, from the direct rays of the sun. - RISTOR¥ OF WTRET 3 - ofa ge bubs bod rhe Vintage. sds. eyt els oH oe the ‘wtimost ibipottance, i in the amit’ Ef Wines, ‘té attend to the precise moment wheh thi prpés' ‘havél arrived at’ their full’ ‘maturity 3 ; “and then: arid “not ‘before, ought the vintage in ‘general ’ to éénmence.’ This may ‘be ‘known’ by the followitig ‘ibis : yi wa! Mie grech end of the cluster becomes brown.” vile | The cluster becomes pendent. “By! Tepe ‘Seed loses its hardness, and he ag Beddmneés ‘thin and: transparent. oe oe The cluster and seeds are easily detachéd. <! §& “Hie juice is sweet, blahd, thick, and clatamy: ' 16! The kernels of” the seeds are free from’ ge titiotis matter. -»itD He fall of the leaves denotes rather the approach, of winter than the maturity of the fruit, especially i in’ the more northern climates ; this, therefore, is a ‘fal-' letious ‘igi :’nevertheless, when the frost has Been ab‘ severe’ as-td destroy the leaves, it will seldom be propet to-délay the vintage much longer, as the fruit’ cah ‘hatdly' be éxpected after this to becomi¢e ripeé’;’ atid by délay, it may stand’a chance of being spoiled’ enfitely: “k Dan or -b@n: the! contrary; in the mianufacture of particular t ‘wines; the grapes are permitted to remain till they witWer,’Ur théy are gathered and dried in the’ sun.’ Thus‘ the celebrated Tokay wine is made of dried’ fruit ; as are, also, many of the luscious wines of . a& 10 HISTORY OF WINE. Italy. Some of the French wines, likewise, are made with fruit that has been suffered to ripen and wither upon the vines. It is desirable, in general, that the weather should _ he settled, and the soil and fruit dry, during the vintage. It is therefore recommended to abstain . from gathering till the sun has dispersed the dew. As a general rule, this is proper; but.in Cham- _ pagne they commence gathering the fruit before the sun has risen, and cease their labours about nine o'clock, unless there be a fog, when they continue to gather all day; by.this means they improve the whiteness and briskness of their wine, which are the qualities that chiefly render them celebrated :—they also increase their quantity. Thus it is found im Champagne, that they gain a tun in every twenty- four where they collect the fruit moist with dew, and a great deal_more if there happens to be a fog. When the fruit is ripe, a proper number of .expe- rienced hands should be procured, so as to be able, in a single day, to fill the fermenting tub or vat, in order to insure an uniform degree of fermentation. Women are commonly employed for the purpose, but the presence of an intelligent male overseer is absolutely necessary. In some parts.of France the fruit is separated with scissors; in others, with the nail; and in Champagne they use a knife.. The scissors are undoubtedly preferable, as they do not shake the stock. The ripe fruit- only should be HISTORY OF WINE. ll collected, if the object be to make good wine; and what is unripe or decayed, should be carefully re- jected; indeed, they have always two or three sepa< rate vintages in those countries where they are careful of the quality of their wines; and the wine made first is always considered the best. In those parts, on the contrary, where the wine is chiefly ‘distilled, as in - Languedoc and Provence, they usually collect all the fruit, indiscriminately, at one time.’ In some districts, where the finest: wines are made, as in Bourdeaux, &c. the fruit is carefully. picked, and only the prime of: the clusters taken. On the con- trary, they carefully avoid having the fruit too ripe in Champagne, and other districts, where sparkling wines are chiefly manufactured, and prefer the- pre- sence of a certain proportion of unripe fruit. “It need scarcely be remarked, that the greatest care ‘should be taken to prevent the fruit being bruised or otherwise damaged. The next important step is the management of the fruit after it has been collected. In different ‘countries, different preliminary stepe are pursued before the fruit is submitted to pressure. Thus in Spain, especially in’ the neighbourhood of St. Lucar, they leave the fruit exposed for two days to the rays of the sun:- In Lorraine, part of Italy, in Calabria, and the island of: Cypras, as before ob- served, they dry the fruit conipletely ; and this is q2 HISTORY: OF 1 WANE. shes ease. in the menufactine. of all she, ridh white wines, PP Gt ta ages -< A, question thet has beet mnuch. agitated: 3 is, whe ther it be advantageous to.strip the:gaapds ftomsthe Btalkd,and remove the latter,or suffer them to remain? Both’ these. methods have --their: advocates 3; but Chaptel remarks,. very propesly, ‘that nehen quglé to be followed exelusively.. I¢ is ttne,. the) seme celebrated. ‘cheiniet observes, that the stems: havera Fewgh and auetere taste; but this appesrs.to-ha af advantage to some wines, especially: thosd niade, ih the more northern districts, where the slight astrin, gency imparted by the stems, corrects their insipility, ahd-appears to’ have. thé property of ‘making theta keep’ better; perhaps by rendering the. fermentation. mate complete.: In the neighbourheod of : Bour:- deaux, indeed, they remgve the stalks from the xed. grapes, in the manufacturing.of their beat. winess but they modify that part of the process;.ini-samet degree, according to.the ripeness‘of the ‘fruit :. when. ‘the fruit is unripe, or has been injured by the frost, they remove nearly the whole of the stalks; but if the fruit be’ over-ripe, they leave a very: lazgeiyiro- portion of them. <A certain portion, however,. is _ always permitted to remain, with the view of: faci- litating the fermentative process, and rendering: it more perfect. From the white ‘grapes, the stalks are never removed. In short, in the colder districts, HISTORY te eC 48 whore dhis wikes'arciof an inferior ‘quality, or whee . ‘the object is to render the wines as strong as-pios- aible,.with the view of distilling ther, ‘the - stim, in gtneval,) dei mot .requite to’ be removed ; but im Warmer cotmtries; where’ the ‘finersfluvoured ‘and ticher wines: are mantfactured, every thing: liable te affevt these desirable .qualizies :is’ to ‘be carefully re. iioved, ‘andthe stems amony::the rest: . Fhe stems are separated in‘ various ways: sometimes: bycagi- tatin:the. grapes. iri the vessels in. which. they-are depdsited,- with three-pronged forks, sometiines by ‘eoarse: sidves, made of oziers, ‘&e.. - a The next important step is toruising the. fruit, whidh is wenerally performed by treading them swith the feet in perforated tubs, or baskets, placed dver the: wit or tub destivied to ‘receive the must. . This thode of bruising grapes, though perhaps as ancient as-wine-making itself, is very imperfect, as a-gueab Geal-of' the: fruit remains unbroken. . In-Englandy we: e throu: ‘adopt the use of machinery. 2 > - Fhe juice, or must, as it is termed, j is. no.naenes. ia. the.-va¢ than it- usually beging to ferment. . The, vineus fermentation is influenced by. sevenal ‘cieewra-. ‘stances, such as. temperature, - presence. of the-ein; the :velume .of the muat, &c.. A tempenqture.of. about fifty-five degrees is required to. enable it ta ‘commence ; it is, however, much influenced by the ‘14 _ HISTORY OF WINE. bulk or quantity of the must. It is a well-esta- blished fact, that the greater the quantity, the more violent is the fermentation. An experienced manufacturer of wine, therefore, ‘will take care to proportion the quantity of must to the qualities of his fruit, or rather, perhaps to those of the wine which it is his object to procure: the sweeter and- more lusctous the must, the greater the quantity, in general, which it will be proper to sub- mit to the fermentative process in one mass. Other important circumstances which influence the fermentative process are, the quantities and due relative proportions to one another of the necessary principles. The saccharine and fermentative prin- ciples, tartar and water, are the principles essential to the production of wine. The sweetest grapes do not always make the best wine, nor actually con- tain the greatest quantity of sugar, at least of real sugar, such as is proper for the formation of aleohol. Pure saccharine matter, however, will not ferment alone, but requires a certain proportion of other principles to put it in motion. When the must Sontains too large a proportion of water, the fer- mentative process is feeble, and the wine is conse-. quently bad. The ancients obviated this, as before mentioned, by boiling the must ;—a practice still sometimes followed in the northern districts, especi- ally in wet seasons. ‘The same object is gained by drying the fruit; and sometimes by the introduc. HISTORY OF WINE. 15 tion of lime into the vat. The juice of the grape always contains a certain proportion of tartar. This quantity is greater, in general, as the quantity of sugar is less. If the juice contains too large a pro- ‘portion of sugar in relation to the tartar, it is cus- tomary to add a portion ef the latter principle, On the contrary, if the saccharine principle be deficient and the tartar in excess, sugar is tobe added.. The fermentative-process is accompanied by. the production of heat, by the disengagement of ¢arbe- nic acid gas, and the formation of alcohol. Another important circumstance, however, which ‘takes place during this process, is the colouring of the must. The juice of the black grape, as well as of the white, is nearly colourless; and if the fermen- tation be not permitted to take place in contact -with the husks or marc, a colourless wine is obtained in all cases.. The colour of red wine is derived from the marc, by permitting the wine to ferment in con- tact with it; the colouring principle of the marc or of husks being soluble in alcohol. Hence,-when alcohol begins to be- developed by the fermen- tative process, it acts upon the colouring principle and dissolves it, and the must beeomes coloured. The following are the principal facts connected with this part of the subject. -The wine is more- coloured, the longer the fermentative process is continued ;-and, Dice. versa, the wine ‘is more coloured, in ‘propor- tion as the fruit is more ripe and less watery. Wine obtained by ‘pressure is more ‘coloured than other wm HISTORY OF NWTERI wine; utd lastly, wines: manufaeturedin the .sovitly sre in -general deeper ‘coloured: than these: produced: in more northern distrieté... 6 ei a9 ' Great attention and practical. knowlpdze! eee neu. quired in managing the fermentdtion-propevly,:as-on! ‘this maportant process depend’ entirely the: fusure. -quelities of the wines:. The same frait-in different: seabons, and from various’ causes, requires to be ands naged differently ; and- almost every: kind of:wines requires a different, and in some cases 1an.éppesita;) mode of treatment. . Thus the fine bouquet of Burw: gundy is completely dissipated by a too violentwr! ‘lasting fermentation; while, on the contraty, the fermicntation of the strong wines of. Languedov;: celebrated chiefly for the quantity of alcohol ‘whieh. they contain, ought to be long and complete - Ix Champagne they collect the fruit, destined to fofm their white wines, while moist with dew or mist :. on the contrary, in the manufacture of their red wines, they prefer fruit as dry as possible. In the former. case the fermentative process is so languid, as often't to require a gentle heat ; in the batter, so-vielent as: to.require to be moderated. We