1860 A Treatise on the Manufacture , Imitation, Adulteration and Reduction of Foreign Wines, Brandies, .

34

WINE.

the perfect bruising of the fruit, as much air is absorbed in that process. But after the fer- 1nentation is well begun, the air must be ex– cluded; the French che1nist, Chaptal, recon1- mending the vats to be covered with boards and linen cloths, for the purpose of preserving the armna, which would otherwise escape. 5th. The greater the bulk the more perfect the wine. 6th. When the wine is ready to be racked off, it ought to be subjected to the operation of sulphuring,-that is, exposed to sulphurous acid, either by burning sulphur matches in the cask, or by the addition of ·wine impregnated with the acid, to render the glutinous 1natter incapable of re-exciting fermentation. After having obtained good wine, the preser- vation of it depends on its future manage1nent, every wine containing within itself the sources both of improvement and decline. Guard against sudden transition from cold to heat, or the reverse, as wines are very liable to become

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