Historical Document · 1845

The Wine Merchant s Manual A Treatise on the Fining, Preparation of Finings, and General Management of Wines

Author: Smeed
Year: 1845
Type: Historical Document

wine

THE WINE MERCHANT'S MANUAL : A TREATISE ON THE FINING, PREPARATION OF FININGS, AND GENERAL MANAGEMENT OF WINES, BEING THE RESULT OF FORTY YEARS’ PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE IN THE TREATMENT OF THE DIFFERENT WINES CONSUMED IN THIS COUNTRY. By T. SMEED. LONDON: SMITH, ELDER AND CO., 65, CORNHILL. 1845. London: Printed by Strswart & MURRAY, Old Bailey. t_ PREFACE. Turs little Essay on the Treatment and Fining of Wines is presented to the trade, in the hope that it may prove generally vseful both to the merchant and the cooper. If there is one species of knowledge more es- sential to a wine merchant than another, it is a perfect acquaintance with the most wholesome, safe, and efficient treatment of his wines, I should premise that this treatise is not the product of mere theory, or founded on other books on the subject, but is the result of above forty years’ extensive and uninterrupted experience in the management of wines, aided by the instruc- tion of which I had the advantage in early life from old practical coopers. Without noticing the many systems which ex- perience has exploded, or going further into the iv PREFACE. details of the manufacture of wines than is neces- sary to elucidate my system, I shall confine my- self entirely to the treatment which wines require at the hands of the importer or merchant when they come into his possession ; and by explaining the nature, principle, and application of fining, and the mode of subduing the harsh and coarse qualities which are occasionally exhibited, to enable every merchant or his cellarman to pursue a safe, simple, wholesome, and certain mode of treatment, adapted to every variety of wines, un- der all circumstances. It is also my object to show the benefit to be derived from attentive racking; and the most efficacious method of discharging the colour of white wines, as well as to show the occasional expediency of blending wines, and give a few general hints necessary to be observed in the cellar. \ CONTENTS. PAGE THE SUBJECT CONSIDERED ATLARGE . . . 1 ON THE APPLICATION OF FININGS . . . - 40 TO MAKE FININGS FROM RHENISH STUM ALONE . 44 TO DISCHARGE TH COLOUR OF WHITE WINES . - 46 TO REDUCE A HIGH-COLOURED WINE TO A LIGHT GOLD COLOUR. . . . . . . 49 TO OBTAIN A PERFECTLY PALE WINE . . . 50 PREPARATION OF MILK . . ° . - 52 ON BLENDING WHITE WINES’ .« . . . . 54 TO REMEDY ACCIDENTAL MALADIES IN WINES . 56 GENERAL REMARKS . . ° . . . . 58 ON FINING RHENISH AND FRENCH WHITE WINES 60 RACKING . . . . . . . - 63 RHENISH AND FRENCH WINES .« . . . . 65 DIFFERENCE OF TREATMENT NECESSARY FOR WINES 67 OF PORT WINES . . . . . . . 72 RHENISH AND FRENCH RED WINES . . . 75 Digitized » Google ON THE TREATMENT AND FINING OF WINES. Ir is well known to those experienced in the trade, that the wines of the highest character are- the produce of fruit favourably vintaged, after a propitious season, when the grapes have attained their full ripeness. The culture of the grape and the making of wines are now conducted, in most countries, with greater attention than formerly; more care ig generally bestowed on all that concerns the vin- tage, namely, in the selection of the grapes, at the gathering, the cleanliness of the vessels used in the fermentation, and in all the other details essential to the production of a clean and pure wine. Notwithstanding the adoption of all these “means and appliances,” we must not forget, B 2 ON THE TREATMENT AND that, from the operation of various causes,—the nature of the soil, accidents of weather, or an unfavourable vintage,—an inferior quality of wine will sometimes be produced; and it is on the treatment necessary to the improvement and pre- servation of such wines that I shall presently offer the results of my experience. It will generally be found that wines of the first class and character arrive in better condi- tion, as regards appearance and retention of lee, than wines of inferior quality. It is also well known to merchants and men of experience, that pure and generous wines gradually ameliorate and develope their valuable properties without artificial aid, needing only a simple treatment, and an ordinary but efficient fining, to perfect their condition and brilliancy for bottling. It will occasionally happen, when this class of wine is allowed to remain too long a time under finings, that a few flyers, or some light substance having too much buoyancy to remain long in adhesion to the subsided lee, after once fining, will ascend and become suspended again in the wine, in & greater or less degree. This will sometimes occur to an extent to render it prudent to rack the wine, in which case the repetition of a light fining becomes necessary; but it is very Seldom that the finest description of wines re- FINING OF WINES. 3 quires to be subjected to any further process, pro- vided that the finings used are properly prepared and applied. The ordinary wines imported owe their charac- ter, in the first instance, much to the nature of the season, to the mode adopted in the vintage and manufacture, and to other contingencies, on which I shall have frequent occasion to remark. Such is the difference arising from the nature of the grape, soil, and climate, that some wines will readily deposit their tartarous qualities, whilst other wines will retain them in suspension ; and, when the latter is the case, the development of their more generous properties becomes retarded, and the influence of the unfavourable quality disengaged, deprives the wine of its chance of amelioration. It is on such an occasion that the skill of the merchant or cooper is called into requisition, in order to the extraction of the quality so inconsistent with vinous purity. A fining efficacious to the remedy of this defect has long been a desideratum with all who are con- cerned in the management of wines. Many kinds and qualities of wine, when coming into the hands of the importer or merchant, require a specific fining for the complete liberation of those noxious qualities: this can only be accomplished by the application of suitable finings, combined 4 ON THE TREATMENT AND with the process of racking. This system is abso- lutely essential to render such wines clean and fit for consumption. Now, as regards wines that are free from such defects, we know that it is attributable to the due balance of the desirable constituent properties present in the fruit, when subjected to the press, combined with the care and skill required to be exercised in the process of fermentation. The grower, or factor, when these advantages are se- cured, is enabled to produce a pure, perfect, and grateful wine. The shipper, importer, or mer- chant, has only then to apply an ordinary fining, properly prepared, to effect the perfect condition of such wines. When the merchant takes into his stock any quantity of wine intended for immediate con- sumption, of whatever description, the process of fining follows, as a matter of course; and he ad- ministers himself, or leaves to the cellarman to administer, such fining, and in such proportion, as he deems necessary to perfect the subsidence of lee, and expecting, doubtless, to insure the bril- liancy of the wine, and to improve, as far as possible, its general condition. After a reasonable time allowed for that purpose, he probably finds it bright, and from the apparent brightness and condition of the wine, the merchant will deter- FINING OF WINES, 5 mine on the expediency of bottling it, as occasion may require. Relying upon the quality of the finings used, he calculates on a continuation of the brilliancy of the wine bottled ; and supposing the finings to have been appropriate, and due attention to have been bestowed on it in other respects, he will, so far, have performed his duty. But supposing that, at no distant period, flyers make their appearance in the wine, or it exhibits a dulness, or probably becomes gradually cloudy, and ultimately foul, to what cause will it be attri- butable? Such a result has very frequently been a subject of complaint, and it not only brings discredit on the merchant, but is often attended with serious inconvenience and loss. It is quite evident that this must arise from mismanagement in some shape or other, or from the inefficiency of the fining applied, and occasionally to both of these causes. Important, however, as is due attention in the treatment of wines, much depends on the effi- ciency of a fining, and that efficiency depends on the preparation of it. Livery person concerned in the management of wines-knows that isin- glas is the principal ingredient used, and that it is the most pure and appropriate of ordinary finings for white wines, when properly prepared. But the system that has been, and is at the pre- B3 6 ON THE TREATMENT AND sent time, adopted by many, of dissolving isinglas for wine finings, is far from being proper. The mode most efficacious and practically applicable to all white wines has long occupied the attention of the trade. The system adopted in many in- stances has- been found but partially effec- tive, and that even when the isinglas has been proved to be of the finest quality, which suffi- ciently demonstrates a defect in preparation. Various plans are followed both by the fining- makers and the merchants who make their own. A great proportion of the finings vended is made with strong acidulous liquids variously com- pounded. These acids do not form the basis essential to the completion of a fining, so as to render its action effective and incorporate the mat- ter precipitated with the subsided lee,—a result in- dispensable to the brilliancy of the wine. In fact, these compositions in some instances operate quite adversely, and are decidedly objectionable on ac- count of the abominable odour which they emit, and with which wines have in many instances become imbued. The frequent failures ensuing from the use of finings thus improperly com- pounded sufficiently prove the fallacy of many of the systems pursued. The subject is one of the utmost importance to every one concerned in the trade, and if a uniform system can be FINING OF WINES. 7 pointed out (which I propose to do) for the preparation of a fining perfectly simple in its pro- perties, and efficacious and practically applicable to all white wines, the advantages would be un- questionable. The main point to be regarded in the formation of a fining for all description of white wines, is the action of precipitation upon, and combination with, certain particles suspended in the wine, indispensable to secure stability of lee—a process essential to the permanent brilliancy of white wines. In the course of my remarks, I shall have frequent occasion to advert to the mode of pre- paring finings, in order that every one may clearly understand the relative properties and true consti- tuents of a fining. Without, of course, asserting that there is no system of fining at present in use which is not _ objectionable, I have no hesitation in affirming, that the true principle in the preparation of finings is very imperfectly practised, and that the mode generally pursued is very defective. The objects to be regarded, as I have already observed, in the preparation of a jining from tsinglas, is the intrinsic purity, sympathy, and coexisting principle of the ingredients used in dis- solving the isinglas ;—secondly, the steady action of the fining in effecting the precipitation of the suspended particles present in wines, and their 8 ON THE TREATMENT AND permanent adherence to the sediment when com- pletely formed into lee. These are qualities in- dispensable in the preparation of a jining, to which alone we can look for the maintenance of the brilliancy of wines. The method employed by many is founded upon principles the very reverse of these, and in some instances operates injuriously upon the quality of the wine. Many of the ingredients used in the dissolving process absolutely tend to the dissolution of the lee ; in fact, the modes often resorted to are in every respect futile-—the invention of some idle habit; they serve no real object, and yet they are used by persons who are too careless to inquire into the subject, and who are probably wholly incapable of assigning any reason for the results. It must, I imagine, be very evident to any per- son of ordinary experience, that the condition, amelioration, and preservation of wine in bottle, depend wholly on the degree of its previous con- dition and maturity in wood, and to the perfect freedom from all detrimental particles which it might at any time have held in suspension. It is highly necessary that this fact be borne particu- larly in mind, the brilliancy of wines in bottle being wholly dependent on it. Every cooper and cellarman of experience, who has watched the action, progress, and ultimate re- FINING OF WINES. 9 sults of finings, variously prepared, must admit the impropriety of dissolving isinglas with strong acids, stale cyder, and other powerful acidulous liquids. I admit that the isinglas may readily be dissolved with such compounds, and that the brilliancy of the wine may apparently be per- fected; but in nineteen instances out of twenty the wine so fined and bottled becomes, at no dis- tant period, flyery or foul. If we introduce in the composition of a fining any ingredient possessing, in however small a degree, the fermentative prin- ciple, we immediately hazard the steadiness of the lee, which is readily acted upon by any fermentative application; and thus a reaction takes place in the sediment formed, and the lee becomes disturbed. Consequently, what one part of the fining perfects, the other subverts; in which case, the lighter particles of subsided matter, from their natural buoyancy, separate and ascend, and we perceive the particles floating in the wine. Thus it is with wine when it assumes a dull or cloudy appearance after having once attained brilliancy: the defect is generally attributable to one and the same cause. It must, I think, be manifest to those who well consider this subject, that a very essential and important point in the preparation of an ordi- nary fining for white wines, is the fitness of the ingredients used in dissolving the isinglas; its 10 ON THE TREATMENT AND coefficient influence on the precipitant substances, in causing their permanent incorporation with the sedimental lee. These relative principles must exist in the composition of a perfect fining ; and, as I have already observed, it is only by a fining combining these affinities and immutable pro- perties, that we are enabled to effect the con- dition and brilliancy of wines, with a certainty of their retaining that condition for any length of time after being bottled. I have already mentioned, that it is not my de- sign to dwell upon the manufacture of wines; but in order satisfactorily to enter upon the merits of the treatment applicable to the different varieties, it is absolutely necessary to notice the cause of the difference of quality. I shall merely make such allusions as will enable me to explain my views upon certain points relative to the necessity for the variation of finings; and I feel convinced that I shall be enabled to lay down a system that shall be applicable under all circumstances, and to all descriptions of wines. Now, for example, we know that the purity, and every other desirable property of wine, are owing, in the first instance, to the state of sound- ness, maturity, and perfection of the grape, and to the abundance of the saccharine property present when submitted to the preas: yet the saccharine FINING OF WINES. 11 principle will remain inactive, unless it is com- bined with other natural qualities in quantity sufficient to cause that mysterious change neces- sary to perfect the fermentation. The second essen- tial for a pure and perfect wine, is the judicious mode pursued and the attention exercised in the fermentation. Thus the factor or shipper is enabled on these favourable occasions to obtain such wines in a state of purity ; and here we arrive at a point to which I am desirous of drawing the especial attention of my reader. or the sake of illustra- tion, we will suppose that a portion of such wine has been received, and found to be a clean, pure, generous wine. In this case we have only to fol- low one general rule as regards the fining; assuming that they are white wines, we need but the finest quality of isinglas, appropriately prepared (the direction for which will be found in another part of this little work) to effect their perfect condition and brilliancy; and, in the other case, we require but the white of fresh eggs for red wines of a like good quality. Now, as regards the treatment of this quality of wines, there can be no difficulty in deciding on the preferable mode; namely, the most simple. The necessity of properly preparing the isinglas, to render the fining efficacious, must be borne in mind. 12 ON THE TREATMENT AND It may not be thought out of place if I here hint at the propriety of securing, after a particu- larly fine vintage, as large a portion of the wine as may be convenient, I think it will be admitted that the import and shipping houses of respecta- bility are always willing to afford the merchant every facility on such an occasion. At all events, it behoves the merchant to be alive to the advan- tages of securing a portion of the wines, exceeding his immediate wants, for many obvious reasons ; one (the most prominent) of which is the value of such wines in blending and bringing up other wines wanting character, probably the produce of a less favourable vintage. There are many cir- cumstances under which the blending of wines, when skilfully managed, becomes as satisfactory to the consumer as it is advantageous to the merchant. . The respectable shipping houses and foreign correspondents invariably endeavour every season, and particularly on the occasion of a favourable vintage, to procure a portion of the choicest wines commensurate with their expectation of orders for shipment; and it is obviously their interest to be- stow such attention on these wines, both previously to, and at the time of, shipment, as shall render them as clean as possible, and thereby ensure their progression to maturity and the development of FINING OF WINES. 13 their vinous properties ; thus leaving little for the future management of the importer or merchant. ‘When these results are satisfactory, and the mer- chant is convinced the wines have been properly treated, he has only to apply an ordinary fining to perfect the condition of that wine, when intended for the bottle. In order to perform this necessary operation with success, the merchant's first care should be to place the wine in a situation the temperature of which is suited to its character : this is a point very essential in promoting the per- fect and permanent brilliancy of the wine. It is then equally important that the finings be pure, appropriate, and judiciously applied: all this being effected, the merchant may look forward to the attainment of the object desired. Much might be said of the great advantages ‘which the opulent and influential houses possess over others less fortunate ; but as such advantages are, I presume, generally familiar to the trade, it would be useless to lengthen this treatise by dwelling upon them. We know that particularly good vintages do not often follow in quick suc- cession; that the most opulent houses, notwith- standing their anxious endeavours to procure and ship their wines in the most perfect condition, are occasionally to some extent, from unavoidable accidents, foiled in their object, especially in the © 4 ON THE TREATMENT AND event of a succession of unfavourable vintages. The full, fruity, pure wines retained in store, adapted for blending, have probably become ex- hausted, which leaves but one obvious alternative to the shipper. To this point he directs his ope- rations, and applies the most judicious treatment his means afford for the general improvement of the wines intended to be shipped. However, in seasons unfavourable to the vintage, the merchant must expect to find some portion of the wines short of perfection ; the tartarous and other quali- ties opposed to the vinous properties exist more abundantly. This defect, after the voyage and the allowance of a little time for maturing, may in a great measure be remedied. There are means simply and conveniently applicable, which it is unquestionably expedient for the merchant to adopt for the amelioration and preservation of such wines. It is not so much to the species of vine itself, as it is to the nature and quality of the soil and climate in which the grape grows, that wines owe their peculiarities of flavour, fragrance, and general excellence. Nevertheless, the productions of these favoured spots are not invariably exempt from the common accidents that frequently operate unfavourably both on the vine itself and the pro- duct. Despite the care of the cultivator, canker PINING OF WINES. 15 and several other diseases frequently affect the vine, and the unfavourableness of a season acts prejudicially on the grape; indeed, the accidents tending to the deterioration of the fruit in its progress to maturity are innumerable. When the grape becomes affected from any of these natural causes, the injury, as a matter of course, extends to the produce of the press, however careful and judicious may have been the management of the frabricator. Now, on the arrival, or reception into store, of any wines little or much affected from the causes just referred to, the propriety of submitting them to a simple and wholesome process of fining will not Be disputed. Indeed, all wines that exhibit any defects on their arrival ought to be subjected to this process, and then carefully racked ; for this simple reason, that, as the wine gains age, it naturally continues to precipitate its extraneous particles, and, at proper periods in its progress to maturity, we are enabled, by an appropriate auxiliary fining, with the ordinary fining of isinglas or eggs, and judicious treatment in other respects, to assist and finally complete the sub- sidence of all superfluous matter, and thus en- hance the purity and wholesomeness of the wine. We know that wines, the product of fruit that has imbibed any obnoxious quality, are, after 16 ON THE TREATMENT AND undergoing fermentation, chiefly dependent for their future character on judicious management during their progress to maturity. If, therefore, we find, on the arrival of wines, or on receiving them into stock, that this important process has been neglected, and that there is a predominance of some quality opposed to the vinous property, it unquestionably becomes the duty of the im- porter or merchant to adopt the means necessary to free such wines as far as possible from the objectionable quality. It may here be observed, that, although this has been a subject which has engaged the attention of most persons in the wine trade, it is acknowledged that the system pursued for thus correcting and improving the flavour of wines, has been generally inefficient to the end purposed, the finings usually employed having been unsuitable to the purpose. It must be very evident, that before any per- manent improvement can possibly be effected in ‘wines possessing any degree of coarseness, harsh- ness, &c., we must remove, by an appropriate fining, the existing defects; then, by carefully racking the wine, we separate it from all objec- tionable matter which it previously retained in suspension, thus affording the vinous proper- ties the power of development. It will not be improper here to impress on the mind of the FINING OF WINES. 17 young cooper, that wines which have not fully deposited their impurities will invariably improve from the operation of careful racking after the application of efficient finings ; in fact, it is the only system practically applicable for the attain- ment of their ultimate condition. I may also, before I proceed further, urge upon him the expediency of performing these operations with all wines of ordinary and inferior quality, whether designed for bottling or blending. If intended for bottling, they invariably require to be once or twice properly fined and carefully racked, other- wise they seldom retain their brilliancy ; and if intended for blending, the cleaner we can get them the better. If, in the fabrication of wines, there should be a deficiency of the saccharine property, a generous wine will not be produced ; but if the saccharine property, and other essential qualities present in the grapes when submitted to the press, should be tolerably proportioned, the fruit moderately free from decay and extraneous matter, a good ordi- nary wine will be the result. When the sac- charine property proves abundant in the grape, and the fruit itself is pure and free from defect, a wine possessing the highest qualities and charac- ter will be produced, if proper attention be exer- cised in the fermentation. c3 18 ON THE TREATMENT AND When inequalities in the saccharine property and other vegetable qualities necessary to produce fermentation occur, different results will be exhi- bited. When there is a deficiency of the sac- charine property, and a predominance of any quality foreign to the vinous purity, in the grapes when submitted to the press, the result will be the production of inferior wines, varying in quality proportionably to the foreign matter with which the fruit became charged. We know that sugar, tartarous and malic acid, vegetable extract, and aqueous matter, are the ingredients in the com- position of the grape; and, as I have already observed, according as these qualities vary in quantity in the fruit previous to its conversion into wine, different results are produced. Hence arises the variety in the qualities of wines. Now, if we admit the existence of defectiveness in the grape, even in a slight degree, previously to its conversion into wine, we need no great argu- ment to show that a corresponding defectiveness will be exhibited in wines after their having com- pleted their fermentation. Experience sufficiently proves, that the quality opposed to the production of a pure wine does not readily disengage itself by free deposits, and when left suspended in wines it deprives them of their proper flavour. Moreover, the same defects will be discoverable in the wine FINING OF WINES. 19 in bottle, and will prove as injurious to its pre- servation as it will to its appearance. It is to the treatment of the ordinary, or what may be termed the second and third class wines, that I shall now proceed to advert ; and here it may not be amiss to observe, that the casual shippers frequently send off their wines before they have had sufficient time to deposit their impurities ; in short, wines are shipped in diffe- rent stages of condition, and it is principally from this cause that we meet with so many vari- ous qualities of wines in the market. As regards the treatment of the ordinary or coarse description of wines, I need scarcely ob- serve, that the adaptation of a fining for remedying the defects I have adverted to, has engaged the attention of every practical man concerned in the management of wines; but to attempt to enu- merate one-half the ingredients that have been employed, the mode of preparation and applica- tion, would be as tedious as it is unnecessary ; I shall therefore content myself by a brief reference to what has commonly been used ;—thus, pre- pared chalk or lime has been applied previously to the use of the ordinary finings, in the proportion of half a pound or a pound to a pipe or butt of wine. Various calcined earths have been similarly ap- plied ; Spanish earth and prepared chalk mixed 20 ON THE TREATMENT AND together, in the proportion of a pound of the for- mer to half a pound of the latter, have also very frequently been used to a pipe or butt of wine; but the chief advantage of this mixture is found in its application to wines that have become scuddy, in which single instance its use is not only not improper, but will generally be found to pro- duce the desired effect, particularly in such wines as may be affected from their having been transported in skins. Gypsum and similar in- gredients have been, and are now, used in various ways; but I hold them to be utterly unsuited to the purpose. In some countries a sort of lime- stone is obtained, which, when baked and pul- verized, is employed occasionally with some little advantage. However, these methods generally fail in producing the full effect desired; their advantages are but partial, and the use of them is often more injurious than beneficial. Their earthy qualities render them generally inappropriate, and constitute a grave objection to their adoption. Without retorting upon the advocates of these old practices (assuming they have been pur- sued with the best intentions), I must express my conviction, that they have often been employed by persons ignorant of the true principle of treat- ment. What we have first to regard in a fining is its freedom from any peculiar smell or flavour, as it FINING OF WINES, 21 is very evident that those qualities will be com- municated to the wine; and although this may rarely be detected, it will at all times be prudent to bear in mind the precaution, especially in the case of delicate wines. Secondly, the power of the materials of which the fining is composed, to effect the entire subsidence of the obnoxious sub- stances. Thirdly, its stability when in combina- tion with the sedimental lee, so essential to perfect and complete the brilliancy of the wine. Now, with regard to the ordinary and inferior class of wines, we have, in most instances, two objects in view,—the riddance of all objectionable quali- _ ties, in order to get them into the best possible state of condition in wood previously to showing them for sale, &c.; and the retention of their brilliancy. The treatment necessary to the improvement of the ordinary and inferior quality of wines, is to some, I am aware, but a secondary consideration. To the holders, however, of such wines, it is obviously a matter of importance, and one which is well worth their attention. I shall here make 8 few observations upon the action of the usual finings of isinglas and the whites of eggs, and, at the same time, point out an auxiliary, really efficacious and practically applicable, for the im- provement and preservation of this class of wines. 22 ON THE TREATMENT AND Its peculiar operation in connection with isinglas or eggs, together with its purity, renders it eminently adapted to the purpose. However, as on this subject, as well perhaps as on others, pre- judice often prevails over thorough experience, some of my readers may differ from my views; I shall, nevertheless, freely give my opinion on the mode of treatment for which I contend, and which is founded upon long practical expe- rience. It is well known to all those conversant with the management of wines, that isinglas or the white of eggs is admirably adapted, when pro- perly prepared, for finings for all kinds of wines, and all-efficient for wines possessing intrinsic purity. It must, at the same time, be allowed, that neither the one nor the other has much influence on that extraneous and tartarous quality to which the occasional coarseness and harshness exhibited in wines are attributable. I presume it will be admitted, that it is both prudent and expedient to free such wines as have retained in a greater or less degree the unfa- vourable qualities derived from the grape, from the defects already adverted to. It must, I think, be evident, that if such obnoxious qualities are not worked out in the course of fermentation, or corrected shortly after the completion of that pro- cess, the wine cannot possibly progress or improve FINING OF WINES. 23 in flavour; but if left to remain in that state, it gradually deteriorates, from the influence of those noxious matters imperceptibly suspended in it. Now, in these instances of coarseness, harsh- ness, or other incidental defects in wines, isinglas or the white of eggs has this beneficial effect, as it has upon all sorts of wine: it assists the precipi- tation of such matter, perfects the compactness of the lee formed ; and this is the extent of its in- fluence. There is no property in either the one or the other tending to neutralize or correct the excit- ing quality of the coarseness and other defects in wines. That both are admirably adapted for finings for all qualities of wines is indisputable. Neverthe- less, if an auxiliary ingredient intrinsically whole- some can be brought in to operate upon, and to remedy to a considerable extent, the defects ad- verted to, surely the expediency of its adoption will be obvious; and here it may be remarked, that were this system more generally acted upon before the symptoms of decay become apparent, @ greater portion of the ordinary wines would leave their bonded habitations. We are well aware, that, notwithstanding the attention be- stowed by the cultivator and factor, a portion of ordinary wines will unavoidably be produced, the quantity and quality being dependent on the in- 24 ON THE TREATMENT AND fluence of the season. Those who are familiar with the trade know also that wines from various causes are frequently shipped in an imperfected state. The amelioration of wine depends inva- riably upon the presence of foreign matter in con- tact with it; therefore I contend that such wines as have been more or less affected by any un- favourable quality existing in the grape, and transmitted to its produce, require and deserve, at the hands of the importer or merchant on their coming into their possession, a large share of their attention, and that much may often be done in way of improvement by a judicious mode of treatment. From the preceding remarks it will be obvious, that, if we possess any means of remedying these casual defects, by converting the obnoxious mat- ter into a perfect subsidence of lee, and, by thus separating the wine from it, we preserve and en- hance its wholesomeness, it is our own fault if we do not take advantage of the system. Now long and careful investigation has discovered a means of perfectly accomplishing this purpose; the me- thod is acknowledged by those who have adopted it to be based upon the soundest principle, and those scientifically experienced have pronounced it to be unsurpassed in certainty and simplicity. All those substances which we find diffused in FINING OF WINES. 25 wines that form what may be termed the natural lees, are easily separated by the finings prepared with isinglas, or with the aid of the whites of eggs; simply for this reason, the predisposition of these substances to separate and precipitate them- selves, renders it merely necessary that they be combined with heavier matter to effect their total subsidence. But if it be borne in mind that the noxious quality causing pungency and other de- fects in wines, to which allusion has been particu- larly made, is retained principally in an incorpo- rated and undecomposed state of fluidity, and diffused through the whole body of the wine; it will be evident that an auxiliary fining, specifically calculated to disunite the obnoxious matter, is not only a desideratum, but absolutely indispensable. Pre-eminently adapted to this purpose is the Con- creT Mari. The concret marin is by no means a new pre- paration, it being well known to a few. It is composed of marine shells, of which there are some peculiarly adapted to the purpose; but the vast improvement that has recently been effected in the sublimation of this article has originated in my suggestions, the result of much consideration, and several experiments on the subject. Where the coneret marin is brought into use, it will establish a uniform mode of treatment with D 26 ON THE TREATMENT AND all those wines that are in any degree affected by the causes referred to. ‘<The concrete cannot pos- sibly be surpassed for its intrinsic purity. It is more tasteless than isinglas or eggs, and the little fragrancy it possesses is decidedly preferable to either. In every instance in which I have used the concrete, in its present state, I have succeeded in perfectly divesting wines of the coarseness and other qualities opposed to their true flavour, being assisted of course by the ordinary finings, com- bined with attention and cleanliness in the opera- tion of racking, so needful on these occasions. The favourable influence which the concrete has on wines may be perceived in a few days. I trust I may not be thought presumptuous, if I here refer to a complimentary remark, in a letter I received from a merchant in the vicinity of Bor- deaux, who, in the autumn of 1843, possessed a considerable stock of vin de grave, which, for the most part, assumed an unfavourable character, and continued in a very indifferent condition. He had solicited my advice as to the best mode of treatment to be adopted. His letter is dated last October :— “ With respect to the application of the method you were kind enough to advise me to pursue with my vin de grave last autumn, I am happy to inform you that it answered exceedingly well. FINING OF WINES. 27 I succeeded in perfecting their condition com- pletely, and they improved much beyond my ex- pectation, and, as you justly observed, I have found the adoption equally advantageous in other wines; indeed it has yielded most excellent re- sults, which to me have been of great im- portance.” The coneret marin is applied with the greatest advantage to wines, as it is peculiarly adapted to counteract and neutralize all acescency, a material point in the treatment of those of the ordinary class. I am aware there bave been many absurd and ridiculous ingredients employed occasionally for various objects, and regarded by some as great secrets. I could specify sufficient to filla volume, but it would be a waste of time, and foreign to my purpose. The instructions contained in this little work are intended to render the manage- ment of wines easy to all connected with the trade; to propound a system free from intricacy and infallible in practice, and guided by which the merchant may ensure the preservation of his ‘wines, and prevent or remedy the various acci- dents to which they are liable. I have endeavoured in my preceding remarks to describe the action of a fining, and the necessity for its modification to the different qualities of wines; I shall here make a few observations 28 ON THE TREATMENT AND upon the well-known fact of wines becoming Jyery, cloudy, or foul, both in wood and bottle, after having been fined and become bright. The real cause in some instances is not easily to be defined. I freely confess it has often puzzled me to account for it; when, however, it does happen, it operates to the annoyance of the mer- chant in a variety of ways; and when occurring to wine in bottle, after being sent out, will, of course, injure his reputation with the consumer ; indeed, the inconvenience and loss accruing to the merchant from such occurrences on some occa- sions, are very serious. It is a subject to which the young cooper, or any person desiring to become skilled in the management of wines, ought particularly to devote much of his attention. I may, perhaps, differ from some of my readers on the causes of these accidents ; however, I shall candidly express my opinion on the subject, and explain the method I have adopted to obviate them. It must often have been observed by most merchants and coopers of experience, that flyers have occasionally appeared and afterwards dis- appeared in wines in wood, after t