Historical Document · 1852

Handbook of Wines Practical, Theoretical, and Historical

Author: McMullen
Year: 1852
Type: Historical Document

wine

HAND-BOOK oF ‘ WINKS, PRACTICAL, THEORETICAL, AND HISTORICAL ; WITH A DESCRIPTION OF FOREIGN SPIRITS AND LIQUEURS. . BY THOMAS M°MULLEN. Knowledge is indeed as necessary as light, and In this coming age most fairly promises to be as common as water, and as free as air. But asit has been wisely ordained that light should have no color, water no taste, and air no odor, eo knowledge aleo should be equally pare, and without ad- mixtare. If it comes to us through the medium of prejudice, it will be ; through the channels of castom, it will be adulterated; through the Gothic walls of the college or of the cloister, it will smell of the lamp.—CoLtom. e NEW-YORK: D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, 200 BROADWAY. M.DCCC.LU. Chem 7918.52 . ’ e Gl. . ee vee fa one Yel foe? oof“ 7 . 8 Meany HAD Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1862, by * . THOMAS MoMULLEN, in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New-York, PREFACE. THE publication of this volume originated in the numerous inquiries made for authentic information upon the subject of Wines. In the preparation of the work all extraneous matter and useless details have been excluded ; condensation is studied with- out omitting what is most useful and interesting ; the materials are derived from a long practical ex- ’ perience, and from the most valuable sources of information. From the extensive nomenclature of wines, it has been deemed desirable to treat of such only as are known in commerce and consumption. To describe every variety, therefore, would be foreign to the purpose ; and even if it were accomplished, it would doubtless prove uninteresting to the majority of readers. , The authorities consulted comprise all worthy of note, including Henderson, Redding, Jullien, McCulloch, Ure, Brande, Morewood, Pereira, the Aa* vi PREFACE. enumeration of which will obviate the necessity of interrupting the narrative and incumbering the work with notes. A glance at the Table of Contents will prepare the reader for the variety of the volume, and an Index of the several Wines treated of will enable him to refer to any particular kind. A supplement is added, containing a list of all the known Wines, Spirits, and Liquors, and the countries in which they are produced. , T. M. New-Yors, Feb. 9th, 1852. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I.—Or ram Vine. Regions of culture—Climate—Latitude and elevation—Countrice in which most productive—Causes that influence difference in quality—Primitive seat—Natural and artificial distribution— description of the plant—Superiority and distinction above all others—Introduction into Europe—Soils and sites most favorable—Innumerable varietica—Modes of training, prun- ing, and culture—Longevity—Fruitfulness—Usefulness—Su- perstitions applications...,.......0sceccccescueeseseerccees CHAPTER II.—Or rue Gnarx. Erroneous opinions of its properties—Size—Flavor derived from the soil—Qualities determined by varieties of the plant, soil, and situation—Flavor produced by degrees of pressure—Ex- traordinary size—Dietetio and restorative properties........ CHAPTER IUI.—Or rae Vuorraex. The first wine grower—Abundance of the Eastern vineyards— The vintage an ancient jubilee—Vintage at Xerez—Period for gathering the grape—Vintage operations in France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal—Modes of pressing the grapes and fer- mentation—Wine made without pressing—Must, ita value and use—Mork, its useful purposes and medivinal properties Pause 11 Ww viii CONTENTS. PAGE CHAPTER IV.—Or Ferwewrartion. Primary cause unknown — Temperature — Principle — Process— Time required—Color—Essential ingredientse—Secondary fer- mentation—Precipitation and invisible fermentation........ 26 CHAPTER V.—Or Wu. Different from other fermented beverages—Causes of the extreme variety in species and quality—Modes of obtaining different kinds—Color derived from the skin of the grape—Division of red and white—Still—Dry—Sparkling—S weet—Strong— ‘Weak—Three kinds made from one species of grape........ 30 CHAPTER VI.—Or Wuee. Principles which originate the bouquet and aroma—Difiiculty of distinguishing qualities—Dofinition of the properties—Flavor of new and mature wines—Odor and flavor chiefly referable to the soil—Causes of erroneous descriptions—Ingredients of wine—Classic delineation of perfect wine—Properties which constitute differences—Comparison of red and white wines— Durability of fine wine and how distinguished from ordinary 87 CHAPTER VII.—Or ras Woves or Francs. Introduction of the vine—France the vineyard of the earth—The superiority of her wines above all others—Their variety and durability—Wine cultivation one of her most important branches of industry —— Wines of the Gironde—Claret and ite various growths—Grave wines—Grand summary of the wines of the Gironde—Champagne—Still—Creaming—High sparkling—Classic description of creaming Champagne—Gen- eral observations on Champagne—Manufacture—Burgundy and ite various growths—Controversy as to the comparative merits of Champagne and Burgundy—Hermitage—Cote Rotie —Ronsillon—Rivesaltes—Frontignac—Vin de Paille—St. Pé- Fai—Vin de Garde...........c cece cece eseecceneee ceeceeess 46 CHAPTER VIII.—Or rae Wines or Spain. Tho climate and position of Spain render its natural advantages & unparalleled—Non-application of science to the manufacture of CONTENTS. 1x PacE wine provents her being the first wine country in the world— Sherry or Xerez—Amontillado—Vino de Pasto—Manzanilla— Oloroso—Sack—Paxaretta—Pedro Ximenes—Lagrima de Ma- lago—Tent—Val de Penas—Beni Carlos—Majorca and Minorca 79 CHAPTER IX.—Or ras Woes or Maprma. “ Introduction of the vine—Madeira wine distinguished for its ex- traordinary durability and superiority—Malmsey—Sercial— Boal—Tinto—Tinta—Verdeilho.......ee.eeeeeeee vesareeeee 90 CHAPTER X.—Or raz Wns or Porrueat. Introduction of Port wines into England—Beginning of adultera- tion—Royal wine company and its operations—Alto Douro— 4 Mode of manufacture—Oporto—Description of good Port— Colares—Barra-a-Barra—Bucellas—Termo—Arinto—Lisbon— St. Ubes Malmsey—Carcaveilos.. seeecececseesceresce 98 CHAPTER XIJ.—Or rae Wives or GERMANY. Epoch of the vine in Germany—Latitade of cultivation—Locality of the best vineyards—Mode of manufagture—Capacious wine J veasels—Preservation and improvement of the wines—Gene- ° ral qualities—Absence of alcohol—Celebrated vintages—Jo- hannisberger — Steinberger — Radesheimer — Hockheimer— _ Moselle—Unrivelled durability—W holesomeness............ 104 CHAPTER XII.—-Or trae Wines or THE Cananies. Introduction of the vine—Howell’s description of Canary—Vido- - nia—Malvasia—Sack—Teneriffe....... ereescccecsescceccoes LIE CHAPTER XIil.—Or raz Wuves or Itaty. The natural capabilities of the country grossly neglected—Wine growers more intent on quantity than quality—The manufac- ture of wines conducted in a slovenly, careless manner— Wines of Asti—Lacryma Christi.............. seccarccess - 116 CHAPTER XIV.—Or rae Woves or Story. Great ignorance and neglect displayed in the cultivation of the vine, and in the manufacture of wine—Sicily Madeira—Syra- + ouse—Messina—Val di Mazara.........scccccsccccccccceves ARB x CONTENTS, aon CHAPTER XV.—Or THE Woves or Honeary. Early introduction of the vine—Quality of wines superior—Quan- tity considerable—Tokay—Tokay Ausbruch—Tokay Maslas— Mode of manufacture—Extravagant Prices—Relative and in- trinsic quality and value..........cee cee sceeceencecce acces 1 CHAPTER XVI.—Or tHe Wines or Greror. Climate and soil highly propitious—System of manufacture bad-— Cyprus—Commandaria, its fabulous restorative properties— Great durability—Wines of the smaller Grock islands....... 181 CHAPTER XVII.—Oy vax Wavzs or Pxnsus. Persia the native country of the vine—Secret and excessive indul- gence of the Turks and Mohammedans—Varieties made at Shiraz—Great similarity to Madeira...........0ssee0e seccee 186 CHAPTER XVII.—Or rae Waves or raz Cars or Goon Horx. Their inferior qualities—Constantia and Cape Hock exceptions... 189 . CHAPTER XIX.—Mmoxiantes. Vinum Theologicum—Vino Santo—Pure Juice—Vin de Liqueur— Vin Fou—Frozen wine—Dibs—Covering wines—Boiled wines —TOrM8.... cc eccecccccecccscececscececsccceccevars seeees 141 CHAPTER XX.—Or tax Conszrvation or Wines. Amolioration—Age and maturity—Keeping of wines—Wine cellar FUDZi.. cece cc cce eee c ence seeescsncs we eeeeeee eeeeeee 150 CHAPTER XXI.—Or rar Mrxmve or Wrves. Description and qualities sought for in good wines—The difficulty of procuring perfect wine, especially Port—The wines of France among the pureet—Sweet wines easy of imitation— High color—Artificial flavors and sophistications—Origin of the practice, and necessity for its discontinuance........... 161 CONTENTS. xi pags CHAPTER XXII.—Or tHe Apvutreration or Wrvzs. s Temptation and facility for the practice of fraud—Brandy and sweetness the grand agents—Mode of discovering counterfeit wines—Spurious Champagne—Port—Foreign imitations..... 168 CHAPTER XXIII.—Or rae Frine anv Borriine or Wines. Principle of fining—Russian isinglass and whites of eggs—Effecta and design—Mode of operation—To test the brilliancy of wine —Period for bottling—Security against pricked wines....... 174 CHAPTER XXIV.—Or Toe Pourcnasine or Wives. Difficulty of choosing—Pretension in taste—Merit of some wines founded on fashion and caprice—The best means of procuring good wine—Perfect taste a rare gift—Wine should be chosen for intrinsic merit, not for name, brand, vintage, age, nor cheapness—Security against being imposed upon........... 179 CHAPTER XXV.—Or tHe Prorenties, Uses, anpD Errzors or Wines. Oenanthio ether—Sugar—Alcohol—Acid—Tartrates—Color—Bou- quet—Aroma—Use and abuse—President Jefferson—Doctor Sigmond—Doctor Adam Clarke—The Romans—Effects of wine dependent upon quality, quantity, and tho necessity existing for its use—Indigestibility induced by mingling sey- eral sorts—Singular effect of some wines—Effects of wine used $i MOMOPRUON 6 ci msc ascsccenoeceneacsbdedssecsessebnecse 184 CHAPTER XXVI.—Or tue Drerertc anp Menican Quatre Tirs oF WINES. The mission of Bacchus—Deplorable effects of the abuse of wine —Influence on national character—Partiality of the Muses to jelding to ita fascination—De- ita temperate use—Danger of lig shtful poison—General medical effects described—Particular of Claret, Champagne, Burgundy, Port, Claret, Sherry, Madeira, Vins de Liqueur, Hock,.......-.seeeeeeeeeeeeeees 199 CHAPTER XXVIL—Or run Art or Datrxmnye Wroxe. Intemperance not induced by pure wine—The abuse, not the use of wine condemned—Art of drinking wine—Mode practised xii CONTENTS. PAGE by different nations—Wines at public and private entertain- ments—The French mode usually adopted—Wine glasses and cups—The object of taking wine—The true enjoyer—The abuser of it—Moderation the only safety............seeeeee 216 CHAPTER XXVIII.—Micx..anis. Icing wine—Coffee after wine—Bumper glass—Wassail bowl— Pledging and drinking healths—Hip! Hip! Hurrah!........ 226 CHAPTER XXIX.—Wme Provenss anv Sayines......... 281 CHAPTER XXX.—Or raz Wows or Tae Ancrmnts. Description of the most celebrated—Maturing—Designation of vintages—Purchasing— Wine vessela—Wine cupe—Modes of drinking—Banquete—Dinner arrangements—Libations to the gods—Chaplets and garlands—Pledging and drinking healths —Ruler of the feast—Order in using wines—similarity in an- cient and modern convivial customS..........eeseeeeres wees 287 ALOOHOLIO STRENGTH OF WINES.......ccccccccc cece cecceccesees 261 INDEX OF WINES... 0c cc cece ccce cece ceccscerecceescnecces ooeee 268 Lar oF ALL THE KNOWN Wines AND THE CounTRIks IN WHICH PRODUCED.......0006 eo eeecnee errr rrr . 265 Forrien Srmrm............ seve ccc ecceccecnee wee cect ee eeeees 299 Liqvzvrs.—Introduction and invention—Absynthe—Alkermes— Anisette—Curagoa—Kirschenwasser—Maraschino de Zara— Noyeau—Ratafla......... see ccccenccnsecces a eseeseercececs 818 Lar oF ALL THE KNOWN ALooHoLio Liquors aND THE CouNTEIES IN WHICH PRODUCED... .ccceccccccccscccecscccssccessecees OBL HAND-BOOK OF WINES. CHAPTER I. OF THE VINE. REGIONS OF CULTURE-—-CLIMATE—LATITUDE AND ELEVATION— COUNTRIES IN WHICH MOST PRODUCTIVE—CAUSES THAT IN- FLUENCE DIFFERENCE IN QUALITY—PRIMITIVE SEAT—NATU- BAL AND ARTIFICIAL DISTRIBUTION—DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT—SUPERIORITY AND DISTINCTION ABOVE ALL OTHERS — INTRODUCTION INTO EUROPE—SOILS AND SITES MOST FAVORABLE—INNUMERABLE VARIETIES—MODES OF TRAINING, PRUNING AND CULTURE—LQNGEVITY—FRUITFULNESS—USE- FULNESS—SUPERSTITIOUS APPLICATIONS. THE regions of culture for the vine do not lie parallel to the equator, but in an oblique direction from north- east to southwest, from about 85° to 52° north lati- tuda In the inland parts of France and Germany, the utmost limits of it are about 49° or 50°, but the further north the produce is the more inferior. It is thought that the climate most congenial to the culture of the vine extends from the 85th to the 50th degree of north latitude; and it is between 1 2 THE VINE. these points that the most celebrated vineyards, and the countries richest in wines are placed. In some places, as the Crimea and the southern parts of Russia, it does not exceed 47° or 48° of lati- tude. In Asia the vine does not flourish in a higher latitude, since none are to be found to grow more northerly than Astracan and the foot of Mount Cau- casus. In the new world, the southern States are the most congenial to the vine, and the northern seem unfriendly to its culture. It is true that the vine is found considerably to the north of this con- tinent ; but it is stunted and impoverished in growth in proportion to its distance from a certain latitude, generally that of 37°. The vine appears to occupy two belts on the earth’s surface, both of which lie in the warmer re- gions of the temperate zones, seldom exceeding 51° in the northern,.and rarely approaching 40° in the southern hemisphere, and is chiefly confined to an elevation of 2,460 feet above the level of the sea. In Switzerland this elevation is limited to 1,760 feet ; in Hungary to 900 feet; on the Alps to 2,000 feet; in Teneriffe to 2,500 feet; but in the Apennines aod Sicily the extent is 3,000, while it does not grow at all in the high lands of tropical America; yet according to Jacquemont, in his journey to India, the vine prospers at the height of 10,000 feet above the level of the sea; but much of this diver- sity depends on ordinary circumstances. It seems, however, that the produce of the vine attains a maximum in the south of Europe and the western THE VINE. 8 parts of Asia. This, perhaps, may be owing, not so much to climate, as to the superior state of cultiva- tion bestowed upon it. The higher the latitude, the more inclined to acidity is the grape; hence the difference between the Rhenish, Sicilian, and Gre- cian wines. The strength is also influenced by the proximity to the equator, for which reason, Madeira wine is stronger than that of northern latitudes. Considering these relations to be correct, it is evident that it is not altogether on temperature or climate, but to other causes, the success in the culti- vation of the vine, as regards both quality and quantity, must be attributed. If the growth of the vine depended upon temperature, then the vicinity of London would afford better vineyards than that of Zurich or Geneva: the summer heat of Moscow is higher than that of Paris, yet grapes in the former ripen only under glasses. In Madeira and the Canary Islands, the mean temperature is not much lower than in Algiers and Cairo; yet the culture of the vine is very considerable in these islands, whereas in Algiers the temperature already is too high, and in Cairo, the vine is planted only for the sake of its shade. The vine frequently occurs wild in the Caucasus and the islands of the Levant, and though every thing combines to point out these and the western portions of Asia as its original home, yet to deter- mine its primitive seat is still more difficult than its artificial distribution. That it came from the Hast there is no reason to doubt, yet the name of him 4 THE VINE. who first cultivated it from the wild plant is lost in the oblivion of past time, unless the mention of Noah in holy writ may be supposed to fix the name of the discoverer, prior to the Dionysius of the Greeks, or the Bala Rama of the Hindoos. Alexander the Great found the wild vine on the banks of the Hydas- pes. The mountains of Ferdistan, in Persia, it is very probable, supplied the vines which were first amelio- rated by man; the wine of Shiraz is still made of vines grown upon these hills. The wild creeper with its harsh fruit is general in the East. In America up- wards of seventy kinds of wild vineare known. From Egypt, Palestine, or Asia Minor, into the Greek islands, the transition of the vine was natural, as well as from the islands to the mainland of Greece, and then along the shores of the Mediterranean to the Straits of Hercules. Vines were cultivated in France before the time of the Cesars; first, itis believed, at Marseilles. They were found both there and at Nar- bonne, when Julius Cesar conquered Gaul. The grape which gives the rich wines of Frontignan, ‘Lunel and Rivesaltes, is traditionally asserted to have been imported into that country from the East, as late as the twelfth century, during the crusades, out of Palestine or the island of Cyprus. The vine was introduced into Germany later; the first vineyards } being on the Rhine, in a cleared portion of the Black Forest. The vine is a variable plant; the leaves more or ! less lobed, smooth, pubescent or downy; flat or crisp; pale or deep green; the branches prostrate, THE VINE. 5 climbing, or erect, tender or hard; the bunches loose or compact, ovate or cylindrical ; the berries red, yellow or purple, watery or fleshy, globose, ovate or oblong; sweet, musky or austere; seeded or seedless. It is universally admitted to be the most fruitful and valuable of all plants; among the Orientals it is preferred to every other, not only on account of its fruit, but the delightful arbour which it forms during the heat of the day; the Jews con- sidered it the most noble of plants, for which reason it is frequently used by the prophets to represent the Jewish nation; but the greatest honor that has ever been put upon this tree was when our Saviour de- clared, “I am the true Vine.” Although the vine does not show a preference for any particular soil, yet limits for its cultivation seem to have been prescribed by nature which no ingenu- ity of man can surmount. A stony or gravelly soil is best adapted for the successful cultivation of the vine, as it allows the roots to penetrate freely in all direc- tions, while a sufficient degree of moisture reaches them, and they are protected from the scorching in- fluence of the sun by the stratum of pebbles or débris which forms the surface, and which, in the colder climates, may be useful in reflecting the heat toward the branches and fruit of the plant. Volcanic soils are eminently adapted for the growth of the vine, and all wines produced from these soils, are in most respects superior in body and flavor to those grown upon any other. The best wines of Italy are produced in the neighborhood of Vesuvius; the 6 THE VINE. famous Tokay wine is also made in a volcanic dis- trict; Madeira, and some of the richest wines of the south of France are derived from such soils; Her- mitage is grown among the débris of granite rocks, so is also Val de Penas, a celebrated Spanish wine, alleged to be one of the finest red wines in the world. However, the vhief consideration isto find a soil sufficiently porous, and, at the same time, re- taining but little moisture; and for this purpose, almost every combination of earths and rocks will answer. The most favorable situation for a vineyard is upon a rising ground or hill, facing the southeast, sheltered from the cold winds and frosts, and the situation should not be too confined— = BDETtOS, Bacchus amat colles.” Bacchus loves the sunny hills. Although a south-eastern aspect is esteemed the best position for a vineyard, yet this rule is not without exceptions, for some of the best wines of Champagne are grown in a northern aspect; and several of the finest vineyards of Burgundy lie towards the east; but in such cases, we may fairly presume that these apparent disadvantages of situa- tion are counterbalanced by favorable peculiarities of the soil, or other unknown circumstances. The varieties of the vine are very numerous. CHapraL, when Minister of the Interior, collected in THE VINE. the nursery of the Luxembourg upwards of four- teen hundred sorts, from the different provinces of France, of which, about one thousand appear worthy of a particular description; and Don Sumvon Roxas CLEMENTE, to whom we are indebted for the most scientific work on the subject, enumerates about two hundred and fifty varieties, as cultivated in the kingdom of Andalusia alone. In the Gironde seven varieties are grown for white wines alone. The pineaw and its varieties afford the wines of Burgundy and Champagne. There are eighteen varieties of this plant. Her- mitage is now produced from the Scyras, or Shiraz grape, ‘supposed to have been originally Persian, the grape of Shiraz being the finest in the world The Céte Rotie comes from the serine. In Madeira there are many varieties of the vine, the Verdeilho seems to recall the French verdot. They have also a species called tinto, from the Spanish tintilla, and Sercial, from the Hock grape. The grape of Candia was planted there from the East. A French grape from near Orleans produces, on the Rhine, the best German wines. ; The modes of planting, of training, and of prop- ping the vine, which vary in different countries, and, above all, the methods of pruning it, have a great effect on its produce. The fruit of high vines never ripens so well as that of suchas are trained Jow, which receive the benefit of the reflected as well as the direct solar rays, and of the warm exhalations ’ that ascend from the earth. In those districts where 8 . THE VINE. the culture of the plant is best understood, it is sel- dom allowed to rise higher than two or three feet : at Tokay, it is cut and formed into a pollard, at a span from the ground; and in general it may be es- tablished as a maxim, that the nearer its branches are to the soil, provided they do not come in contact with it, the better will be the fruit produced. Where it is permitted to grow without check, it will ascend to the top of the highest trees, and distribute its shoots in all directions, but the grapes which it bears will become proportionally bad, and the wine pre- pared from them will be hard and austere; for the greater the quantity of fruit, the worse the quality will prove. Even in the southern provinces of France, when the vine is allowed to exceed two metres in height, it gives a wine of little value or durability. , There are few plants more likely to deteriorate by neglect or mismanagement than the vine. A single year of slovenly culture, an injudicious mode of pruning, or the substitution of new plants for old, may ruin the reputation of a vineyard for ever. The age to which the vine bears well is from sixty to seventy years, or more; and in the common course of things, it is six or seven years before it is in full bearing. In part of the Gironde, the vine does not bear well beyond forty years. In others ona sandy or stony soil, it will liveand bear well to one hundred and fifty or more. Bosc says a vine in Bur- gundy had reached four hundred years, and in some THE VINE. 9 Italian vineyards plants three centuries old still flourish and bear. The ancients gave the vine a longevity of six hundred years. The fruitfulness of the vine is almost fabulous. In Spain, vines have been seen to bear upwards of two thousand bunches of grapes; the vine in the garden of Hampton Court Palace, in England, bore, one year, 2,500 bunches, and at Hanover, in Penn- sylvania, a vine, in the year 1840, bore four thou- sand bunches. There is no part of the vine which is not adapted for some useful purpose. In Switzerland, the leaves of the vine are applied to medicinal or surgical uses. In cuts and green wounds they are esteemed a sove- reign remedy. Decoctions of the juice of the leaves are used in poultices with great advantage. The leaves afford an agreeable tea, requiring more sugar than that of China; and it is said greatly strengthens the nerves. The prunings well bruised and pressed, yield excellent vinegar. The leaves and tendrils bruised, and the juice fermented, give a pleasant light drink of a vinous character. The leaves are also excellent food for cows, sheep, and hogs, when other food is scarce; but they are of so much more importance in the vineyard, that they are rarely spared for the purpose. In such cases they must not be taken until they begin to fall off They are then gathered, put in a dry place, and sometimes salted, pressed, and left to ferment. In some places they are stratified with straw, and then afford still more excellent fodder. Animals are sometimes 10 THE VINE. turned into the vineyards, after the vintage, to browse upon the leaves. Vine branches furnish potash and salt when burned; basket work is fabri- cated from them; and the bark is used for. bands to tie the vines to the props., The ink for printing the notes of the Bank of England is made from the calcined leaves and seeds of grapes, and forms one of the finest and darkest imprints that can be found. That a plant so useful has its superstitious appli- cations, need be matter of no surprise. Not only do the leaves decorate the hair of the village girls, in some of the southern vine countries, but the mode of plucking them under certain spells, is thought to discover to the vintage lasses the truth or falsehood of their lovers. CHAPTER II. OF THE GRAPE. ERRONEOUS OPINIONS OF ITS PROPERTIES—SIZE—FLAVOR DERIVED FROM THE SOIL—QUALITIES DETERMINED BY VARIETIES OF THE PLANT, SOIL AND SITUATION—-FLAVOR PRODUCED BY DEGREES OF PRESSURE—EXTRAORDINARY SIZE—DIETETIC AND RESTORATIVE PROPERTIES. THE grape is considered one of the most delicious, valuable, and esteemed fruits. Its origin and use have been coeval with creation. Milton seems to have entertained the opinion that it was the fruit of which our first parents had eaten, when he says, “ Soon as the force of that fallacious fruit, That with exhilarating vapor bland About their spirits had played, and inmost powers Made err, was now exhaled.” The ancient Rabbins held similar views rthe yine being considered by them as the tree so strictly pro- hibited by the Almighty. Doctor Lightfoot and other theologians were of the same belief; but these statements are deserving of little consideration, it being well known that the juice of the grape has 12 THE GRAPE. no inebriating quality, and that to produce intoxi- cation, it must undergo fermentation. The grape differs in size, flavor, and color; some- times it is globular or oval in form; sometimes large and sweet in taste, while there are varieties almost as small as a pea, of a harsh, crabbed, disagreeable flavor; the color also differs very much, from a rich violet to a jet black, or a white, green, or golden hue; the color is wholly in the skin, the pulp of every kind of grape, save one variety, having the same internal hue. The general qualities of the fruit are the same in all countries; they only vary in degree as the action of the sun in a genial climate matures more or less those virtues upon which the excellence of the juice depends. The flavor of the grape is influenced to a great degree by the soil on which the vine grows, and from which it derives its nurture; and it need scarcely be remarked that upon its perfection depends the goodness of the wine. The different qualities are always determined by the species or variety of the vine which produces it; of some kinds the fruit is naturally hard or rough; of others it is sweet and mild: some varieties contain much saccharine matter; in others the mucilaginous extractive principle abounds. Nor can these dis- tinctions be, in all cases, ascertained by the taste; for two gyapes may appear almost equally sweet, and yet on examination present very different constitu- ents. Thus the ripe muscadine grape of Fuencaral was found by Proust to yield 30 per cent. of solid sugar, and the wine which is made from it is always THE GRAPE. 13 very sweet and generous; but the chasselas of Fon- tainbleau, though an exquisite grape to the palate, affords very little sugar, and the wine which it fur- nishes is dry and indifferent ; for its sweetness pro- ceeds not so much from the proper sugar of the grape, as from the superabundance of the mucoso- saccharine matter. , Of all the fruits, the grape is perhaps the most susceptible of alteration in its nature, from the qual- ities of the soil where it grows: and the immense variety of vines ought probably to be referred to the operation of this cause, rather than to original differences in the species, or to the mode of culture to which they are subjected. In general, as has been before observed, the lighter and more porous soils are best suited to the vine; for although the plant will shoot up with great vigor, and yield an abundant crop of grapes, in rich and moist ground, yet the excellence of the fruit is commonly in the inverse ratio of the Juxuriance of the growth. It may be almost superfluous to remark, that the characters of the grape must vary according to the nature of the seasons. In a cold year it will not attain its proper maturity, and will be deficient in flavor and saccharine matter. Hence the wine which it furnishes will be weak and harsh, and liable to ropiness and acescency. When the season is rainy the produce will be increased; but it will be poor and insipid, and will generally be found to contain a large portion of malic acid, which gives to it a pe- culiar flavor, always most perceptible in those wines 14 THE GRAPE. that are most devoid of spirit. A moderate degree of humidity, however, is essential to the welfare of the vine. In northerly situations, the grape seldom ac- quires a due maturity; and the wines that are occa- sionally made from it, are weak, acescent, and desti- tute of the generous flavor which distinguishes those ‘produced in more favored regions. In warmer cli- mates, on the other hand, the saccharine matter pre- dominates, and becomes too concentrated to expe- rience a complete decomposition. When the vine is transplanted from a southern to a northern Iati- tude, the quality of its fruit soon becomes impaired ; but it improves when carried from a cold to a warm climate. The chasselas of Fontainbleau is believed to be the progeny of the Cyprus grape, with which Francis I. planted his vineyards of Fontainbleau and Couci; and one of the richest Malaga wines is furnished by a grape that is said to have originally come from the banks of the Rhine. When a grape is gently squeezed, the sweetest portion of the pulp will be found to be the first which protrudes; and it is only by increased and continued pressure, that the extractive and more acid contents of the central vesicles and cortical substance will be forced out. This explains the reason why the juice which is obtained previously to the treading of the grapes, undergoes little or no fermentation; and further demonstrates the neces- sity of a full and thorough pressure of the vintage, in order to effect that due admixture of the saccha- THE GRAPE. 15 Fine and extractive principles which is essential to perfect fermentation. _ The size to which the grape attains appears in- credible. Schulz states that near Acre, in Palestine, he saw bunches of grapes that weighed from ten to twelve pounds. At Damascus are found bunches that weigh from twenty to thirty pounds; and Ma- ritia relates that in Syria he has seen grapes of such extraordinary size, that a bunch of them would be a sufficient load for one man. At Welbeck, in Eng- land, a Mr. Speechley grew a species called Syrian, a bunch of which weighed nineteen and one half pounds, and measured twenty-one inches in length and four and one half feet in circumference. The size of the grape is no criterion of excellence, the larger description generally being inferior in flavor to the smaller, and not adapted for wine making. Grapes when fully ripe and of good quality, are among the most refreshing and healthful of fruits; they are generally laxative, and in a large quantity somewhat diuretic. In Syria the inspissated juice of ripe grapes is used in febrile and inflammatory complaints. They have been recommended as an article of diet in phthisis, and are particularly wholesome and restorative when eaten with the morning dew- upon them; hence in many wine countries they are regularly served up at breakfast, not only as a zest but asa luxury. At Vevay, in Switzerland, the physicians of Geneva order patients to subsist, during the vintage, altogether on a grape diet, the period of which is usually three weeks; 16 THE GRAPE. this regimen is termed ‘Cure de Raisins.” The com- mon daily allowance is seven pounds of grapes without taking any other sort of sustenance, not even a drink of any description. Numerous instan- ces are on record of persons suffering from consump- tion and other diseases, having been perfectly re- stored; and in cases of insanity, the same regimen is said to be very efficacious in restoring the patient to a sound state of mind. The renovating power of the grape must therefore be a matter worthy of investigation and research by the medical faculty. During the year 1850 a grape diet was prescribed by the medical advisers of the Empress of Russia for the recovery of her health. — eee ee tee CHAPTER III. OF THE VINTAGE. THE FIRST WINE GROWER—ABUNDANCE OF THE EASTERN VINE- YARDS-~THE VINTAGE AN ANCIENT JUBILEE——VINTAGE AT XEREZ—PERIOD FOR GATHERING THE GRAPE—VINTAGE OPER- ATIONS IN FRANCE, ITALY, SPAIN AND PORTUGAL—-MODES OF PRESSING THE GRAPES AND FERMENTATION—WINE MADE WITHOUT PRESSING—MUST, ITS vAtue AND USE-——MURK, ITS USEFUL PURPOSES AND MEDICINAL PROPERTIES. Tue art of expressing and fermenting the juice of the grape appears to have been practised from the remotest antiquity. The sacred writings tell us'that Noah planted a vineyard soon after the deluge (Gen. ix. 20), and a modern Latin poet ingeniously repre- sents the vine asa gift from Heaven, to console mankind for the miseries entailed upon them by that grand catastrophe! “Omnia vastatis ergo quum cerneret arvis Desolata Deus, nobis felicia vini Dona dedit; tristes hominum quo munere fovit* Reliquias mundi solutus vite ruinam.” - Pradium Rusticum, lib.’xi. When God looked down from heaven's high throne On “ earth in ruin laid, 18 THE VINTAGE, No fields with smiling plenty strewn No verdant hill, no fertile glade, Lo! Man, God’s brightest work was sad, No sun was given on him to shine ; But with one gift God made man glad, Repairing ruin with the vine. In following the course of Scripture narrative it appears that as the descendants of Noah increased, the vine, as supplying the means of a more comfortable subsistence, was cultivated to a considerable extent. Palestine early abounded in excellent vineyards; so great was their number that, of the simple inherit- ance belonging to the tribe of Judah alone (in order to denote the superabundant produce), it was meta- phorically said, that he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of the grape; and it is fur- ther added that the land of Canaan was abundant in wine and vineyards. In all wine countries the general vintage or grape harvest takes place during the months of September and October, and is usually a period of great rejoi- cing and festivity. The vineyard then presents a lively and animated scene, all are busily employed ; “ Some to unload the fertile branches run, Some dry the blackening clusters in the sun, Others to tread the liquid harvest join ; The groaning presses foam with floods of wine.” The vintage is immemorially an ancient jubilee, of which, when, as is rarely the case, there is no joyous celebration, the toil of the laborer becomes doubly THE VINTAGE. 19 onerous, the bosoms usually cheerful are oppressed, and the gripe of poverty clutches its toil-worn victims with redoubled violence, “ At Xerez in Spain it is the all-absorbing, all-en- grossing moment of the year; it commences about the 20th September and occupies about a fortnight ; * into these brief moments the hearts, bodies, and souls of men are condensed; even Venus, the queen of neighboring Cadiz, and who, during the other three hundred and fifty-one days of the year, allies herself willingly to Bacchus, is now forgotten. Nobles and commoners, merchants and priests, talk of nothing but wine, which then and there monopolizes man, and is to Xerez what the water is to Grand Cairo, when the rising of the Nile is at once a pleasure and a profit.”* The proper moment for gathering the grape is agreed to be when the pellicle is thin and transparent, not breaking easily between the teeth; when the color is deep; if the grape be white, when it takes a gray tint; if red, when it puts on a dark color, or if violet, adeep black. The stems of the clusters, when they have become in substance like wood, los- ing their green hue, and resembling the main branches of the vine in texture is another sign; and, finally, when from the pendent cluster the grape gives way readily; the fruit, particularly in the south, being al- lowed to shrivel up by the sun’s action, if required for the sweet and luscious wines. The time of the vintage being fixed, the * Forde. 20 THE VINTAGE, gathering is begun as early in the day as pos- sible after the sun has dissipated the dew, and is conducted with as much rapidity as possible, if the weather continues fair, so as to terminate the pressing in one day. If this cannot be done, the vintage is suspended ; for the fermentation in a warm or even moderate temperature, is far more energetic than in cold weather. It.ruins the durability of the wine if the fruit is gathered and fermented at such a time. In some parts of Spain the vintage lasts for - several weeks, so as to ensure maturity to all the grapes. In some countries the clusters are cut off the plant with a knife; in France the scissors are used, and in ruder countries, the hand only is applied, a mode in- jurious to the grape as well as to the vine. In the better vine districts, the grapes are plucked from the - bunches; in the others, placed entire in the press, stems and all. The astringent principle lodged in the stems is thought to be beneficial, and to impart to the wine a capacity of endurance. . - The vintage operations in France are conducted with more attention and regard to cleanliness than in any other wine country ; and the treatment of the fruit at the vintage is more or less agreeable to science, in proportion as the wine made is in demand beyond the limits of local consumption ; they usual- ly make three separate gatherings of the fruit. The first includes all the finest and ripest bunches; all dry, spoiled, unripe or rotten grapes, or such as have been eaten into by insects, are cleared from the clus- THE VINTAGE. 21 ters. The second gathering implies naturally a second pressing ; the grapes are not quite as ripe as for the first pressing. The last gathering and press- ing consist of the inferior grapes. The gathered fruit is deposited as lightly as possible in a basket or wooden vessel, and removed with great care to pre- vent its being bruised; otherwise, in making white wines from colored grapes, it is apt to impart a red or purple color to the wi