1892 Drinks of the world

n

DRINKS.

viiitaglag of this wine

is an extremely complicated

and delicate affair. In order to insure the excessive softness and rich liqueur character which are its dis- tinguishing qualities, the grapes, naturally excessively sweet and juicy, are allowed to dry on their stalks, preserved, as it were, by the rays of the sun, until they become covered with a kind of down, which gives to them an almost mouldy appearance. During this period, the fruit, under the influe.nce of the sun, ferments within its skin, thereby attaining the requisite degree of ripeness, akin to rottenness. " On the occasion of the vintage, as it is absolutely essential that the grapes should be gathered, not only when perfectly dry, but also warm, the cutters never commence work until the sun has attained a certain height, and invariably suspend their labours when rain threatens, or mists begin to rise. At the first gathering they detach simply the graims r Sties, or such grapes as have dried after arriving at proper maturity, rejecting those which have shrivelled with- out thoroughly ripening, and, from the former, a wine of extreme softness and density, termed creme de titCy is produced. "By the time the first gathering has terminated, other grapes will have sufficiently ripened and rotted, or dried, and both sorts are now detached, yielding the wine called vin de tete, distinguished by equc^l softness with the creme de tite, but combined with a larger amount of alcohol, and greater delicacy of

At

ensues,

a delay generally

flavour.

point,

this

being re-

according to the state of the weather, it