1910 Jack's Manual by J A Grohusko

and terminating in the first half of November. The grapes are allowed to attain the extreme ^degree of ripeness, and, after taking a deep golden color, they finally, under the influ- ence of the mycoderma "Botrytis Cinerea," become over-ripe, a state absolutely necessary to ensure the quality of the future wine. The berry subsequently becomes browned and roasted, the skin gets thin and cracks, and a sugary juice oozes from it. Little by little, each berry advances to this state until the whole bunch forms, so to speak, but one mass of juicy fruit. It may easily be imagined how fragile the grapes are when they get to this degree of maturity, and how, whilst they gain if the weather remains line, they are likely to suffer if it becomes rainy. The gathering is effected in small quantities at a time, and only as each bunch of grapes attains the advanced state described above, f Sometimes, and especially in the first growths, each berry is gathered separately and more or less quickly, according to the weather. When rainy, the operations are suspended and resumed when it becomes dry again. Jt is easy to see that quantity here is sacrificed to quality, and that the expenses of wine making, under such circum- stances, must necessarily be high. It often requires as many as six successive pickings to gather one bunch. The cost of cultivating vineyards in the Sauternes district is esti- mated to range from 1000 to 1200 francs per hectare, in- clusive of grape-picking and purchase of casks; the yield per hectare may be roughly estimated at from 4 to 7 hogs- heads, according to the vintage. Vintaged by ordinary methods, the wines would yield at least one-third more. In the superior growths, there are three selections or "tries," the first, comprising the berries which have dried somewhat after becoming over-ripe, yields what is known as "vin de tete." The second selection comprises the berries in a some- what less advanced state and yields a larger quantity; the third includes the remainder of the grapes, which, although ripe, have not attained the same degree of maturity as the others; the wine pressed from it is called "vin de queue" and is relatively unimportant in quantity. The grapes are pressed rapidly, so as to prevent the wine from taking too deep a color from the skin. The must which flows from the press is at once put into casks, where the fermentation takes place almost immediately and lasts several weeks, the duration depending on the style of the wine and on the temperature. The quality is approximately judged by the musts, but it is only after the first racking, generally when the winter is over, that a definite opinion can be formed. Four rackings a year are necessary, sometimes five for wines of the first picking; a daily inspection, tasting and filling of the casks, are requisite to ensure proper treatment.

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