Emmet H. Rixford

“ Wines naturally have, for a certain time, an earthy flavor and greenness which are unpleasant, which disappear by mixing. This is why ordinary wines of a moderate price, which have been mixed, are preferred by a great number of consumers to others which are higher in price but left in a state of nature. For example, a new, very dark-colored wine of good growth is not an agreeable drink; but if an old white wine of an inferior growth, but of good taste and constitution be added, it will be drank with pleasure. ”

“ It is true that white wine may be made from white grapes by the process that is employed in making red wine from colored grapes, but then it ceases to be what is commonly called white wine, and possesses all the characteristics of red wine except its color, which of itself has little effect upon the wine, except to change its appearance; for when white wine has been colored by the addition of a small quantity of very dark wine, it remains white wine still in all its other characteristics, and the difference is readily detected by experts. ”

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

“ When the active fermentation ceases, whatever has been thrown up in the form of a dirty scum will settle to the bottom with the rest of the lees, and is no more injurious than the latter. If, however, the foam is allowed to run over by keeping the barrels full, a portion of the yeasty parts will be thrown out, fermentation will not go on as tumultuously nor be as complete, and the wine will longer retain a portion of its sweetness. ”

“ A New Wine, when first fermented, is quite different from one even a few months old, in respect to color, flavor, and aroma. But the quality which it may acquire depends upon the proportion of different substances which it contains. Some wines, poor in alcohol and deficient in tannin, will develop their best qualities and begin to degenerate very soon after fermentation. Such should be consumed as soon as their insensible fermentation is completed; it is useless to attempt to age them; while those which are stout, firm and full-bodied must be kept several years to be completely developed. ”

“ They go through the phases of their life with a rapidity fatal to their good qualities; nevertheless, this fact may be utilized to hasten the epoch when wine may be used or put upon the market; also to produce dry wines, to vinify sweet ones, and to age those of good body. If, therefore, his theory is well founded—and we know that fermentation once established is more active, if the mass is great—the intelligent man will act in this behalf as circumstances require. ”

“ When we take into consideration that every pound of glucose and water added to a must will diminish the price of every gallon of wine produced, it is probable that but little, if anything, could be gained even by the use of this article; for the product will not bring the price of an honest wine, and in the long run will destroy the reputation of our wines, and reflect injury upon every wine maker in the State. ”

“ If every grower in the State will only devote a portion of his ground to the cultivation of the choicest varieties of grapes, making sure that he knows what he is cultivating, will use the best methods of vinification, preserve each kind of wine by itself, or keep a careful record of his blends, and will age and rear the different products according to the best and most intelligent methods, the writer confidently expects that favored spots will be found in time which will produce wines that will compare favorably with the fine wines of Europe ”

“ Mannite, or the essential principle of manna, is produced in wine when sugar undergoes viscous fermentation. Its flavor is similar to that of sugar, and its composition is but little different from that of the same substance.
Mucilage.—The grand red wines of the Médoc, and of some other portions of the Gironde, and also the grand wines of Burgundy, says Boireau, preserve in aging a pronounced fruity taste, an unctuosity, a velvety mellowness, which, joined with their flavor and bouquet, make these wines in good years the delight of the gourmets. ”

“ The only advantage to be gained by leaving a wine in the vat after the active fermentation is finished, is in the way of color. When it is desirable—if it ever is—to produce a dark-colored wine at the expense of other good qualities, it may be left in the vat to soak. Such wines have their use, and that is to mix with those which lack color, but it is much better to mix in a quantity of grapes which naturally produce good color.
In making Fine Wines, a dark color is not looked for nor desired, but rather a bright and lively red ”

“ But in time, as the sugar disappears, the alcohol becomes enfeebled by evaporation, and then acetic fermentation sets in, as in the weaker wines.
In the sherry countries it is considered necessary that the wine should be exposed to the action of the air, and therefore the casks are not kept full, and flowers are considered a good sign. In a few instances, where the wines are strong enough to bear it, aging may be hastened by some exposure to the air, but great care must be taken that they are not left too long under its influence, or disorganization may ensue. ”

“ The intelligent wine maker, then, who wishes to know what will be the alcoholic strength of the wine produced by the must which he is about to subject to the action of fermentation, will test the must to ascertain what percentage of sugar it contains. ”

“ Aging Generally.—Before subjecting a wine to any of the processes for artificial aging, care should be taken, says Mr. Boireau, to precipitate the matters held in suspension, and to render it perfectly limpid.
Grand wines, however, should never be subjected to the treatment, for if a premature development of bouquet is obtained, it is at the expense of that precious quality, mellowness. For to-day, gourmets and consumers of refined taste do not select wines which have a bouquet, if they are also dry and harsh to the palate; such wines are only too plenty. ”

“ Roughness is due to the astringency given to the wine by the tannin when in excess. Tannin is useful for the preservation and the clarification of wines, and those which contain much, with an equal amount of alcohol, keep much longer than those which contain less, and undergo transportation better, and are considered more healthful.
Roughness is Not a Fault, it is rather an excess of good quality, if the rough wines have no after-taste of the stems, bitterness, earthy flavor, acrity, and possess a high degree of spirit, a fruity flavor, and a good color. ”

“ He considers, however, as do some others who condemn the use of glucose, that the use of refined cane sugar is unobjectionable if used in small quantities and merely to fortify the must when it needs it. There are many authors, however, who speak highly of the wines produced by the addition of sugar and water to the skins after the juice has been drawn off, but it does not seem reasonable that a good wine can be made in that manner. If a good must contained only water, sugar, and acids, then there would be reason for believing that the wine so made would be good. ”

“ Although all these ingredients doubtless have important effects upon the quality of the wine produced by fermentation, the acid giving zest and freshness of taste, and the other minor ingredients, smoothness or harshness, as the case may be, yet the principal one that we have to deal with is the sugar, and it is the only one that the practical wine maker will give much attention to, although in those countries where the grape in some seasons does not ripen, the amount of acid is an important element to be taken into consideration in testing the specific gravity of the must. ”

“ In default of green wine, crystalized tartaric acid may be used, which is very soluble in wine. A small amount should be first experimented with, in order to learn just how much to use to change the blue of the wine to red, for we must not forget that this acid gives greenness to the wine and thereby renders it less healthful.
If the wines are so weak in alcohol that they have but little color, and that is blue and dull, they have a tendency to putridity. In this case, the blue color is in fact only a commencement of decomposition. ”

“ It is best, however, that they should be sufficiently dry that mould will not form on the cask, for a bad taste may thereby be communicated to the wine. Therefore, cellars should not be constructed in very damp places, should have the soil of the floor well compacted, should be well drained, and well cemented, and if necessary, the floor may be covered with a bed a foot deep composed of a mixture of lime, sand, and gravel, or cinders, or the like, well beaten down, and the whole covered with dry sand. Nothing should be left in the cellar which naturally gathers moisture. ”

“ He goes on to say that wines subjected to the action of heat in direct contact with the air, loss by evaporation a part of their alcohol; the oxygen deprives them of a part of their color, and if the influence is prolonged, they become weak and greatly deteriorated. Exposed to heat in imperfectly closed vessels, they deposit, and take the tawny flavor (goût de rancio) if their alcoholic strength exceeds 16 per cent.; but if feeble in spirit, and they remain long in this condition, the oxygen transforms a part of their alcohol into vinegar. ”

“ There are cases, however, when cutting becomes necessary, as when the wine from being kept too long in casks, has commenced to decline, has lost its fruity flavor, has become acrid and dry; when made in a bad, cold season; and when they are too poor, green, or too feeble to keep well.
When wines are too old and worn out, they should be fortified with young wines of the same kind, produced, if possible, from the same vineyard, one or two, or at most, three years old, and possessing great mellowness. ”

“ We know that alcohol, water, and acids exist in all wines, in varying quantities; that some are sweet, and contain sugar, and that others are dry, thoroughly fermented, and contain none. We also know that the alcohol in different wines may vary from 4 or 5 per cent. in piquette made by washing the pomace with water, to 20 or 25 per cent. in the more strongly fortified. And we know generally how a wine is modified as to its taste and effect on the system, by such substances as water, alcohol, sugar, and acid ”

“ There is a vast field open to the wine maker of this State, for we have differences of soil and climate suitable for the production of a wonderful variety of wines. But every man must decide for himself what kind of wine his soil and situation are best adapted to produce, and his aim then should be to produce the best of that kind. ”

“ It is always safer, unless the wine is very weak, to distil over a little more than a third. If you are operating on a wine which foams to such an extent that a portion may pass through the tube into [Pg 189] the condenser, which would spoil the effect of the operation, this may be prevented by putting into the boiler with the wine a pinch of tannic acid. In operating on a wine which contains an appreciable amount of acetic acid—is pricked—the acid ought to be neutralized before distillation, as it is volatile, and will go over with the alcohol and effect the result. ”

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

“ Methods of Crushing.—It is well known that in Europe the grapes are usually crushed by being trodden with the feet of men, usually barefooted, but sometimes in wooden shoes, and many of the best writers of to-day are of the opinion that the wine is better when the grapes have been well trodden with the bare feet, for by thoroughly rubbing the skins and pounding them into a pulp without breaking the seeds, they think that more color and aroma are developed than can be obtained by simply crushing them, as in a machine, and afterwards fermenting. ”

“ Those defects due to the nature of the soil, to fertilizers employed, to bad processes in wine making, and to the abundance of common, poor varieties of grapes. It is evident that defects of this class may exist in the wines from the moment when they leave the fermenting vat, or the press, and they are as follows: earthy flavor, greenness, roughness, bitterness, flavor of the stems, acidity, want of alcohol, lack of color, dull, bluish, leaden color, flavor of the lees, and tendency to putrid decomposition. ”

“ The capacity depends upon the quantity of wine to be made in a season, varying from 1000 gallons to 2500 gallons and more, and a sufficient number should be provided that when wine making has commenced, it can be carried on without interruption till the crop is worked up. The number of workmen must be considered as well as the amount of grapes, and everything ought to be so arranged that the fermentation will be finished in the first tank filled, by the time the last one is full, so that the first can be emptied and filled again, and then the second, and so on. ”

“ When they have attained their entire development and the separation of the lees is complete, they must be bottled, for they will lose their qualities if left in casks. In bottles they arrive at perfection; they acquire bouquet while they preserve their mellowness, but in casks, they finally lose their fruity flavor and velvety smoothness, and become dry. ”