1933 Jack's Manual by J A Grohusko

jack's manual

The Cuvee

During the spring the merchant makes the"cuvee!' which is the assembling of a number of wines in one blend; depending upon the business of the merchant, it may be a few bottles or many thousand,and until finally disposed of it is known as the "special cuvee"of the year of blending."Vintage years"are the years of especially fine crops and in such years the cuvee is made as large as proper qualities permit. The making of the cuvee is the most delicate operation in the profession, requiring exquisite judgment in the selection of the wines to be blended to produce the perfect cuvee, a definite result being obtained only after a period of years, as the wine rounds out in maturity in the bottle. Bottling By the aid of mechanical apparatus the wine, to which is added a certain quantity of cane sugar,is put into new and care fully rinsed bottles. These are corked and the cork is held in by means of an iron clasp. The bottles are immediately stored on their sides in immense cellars, hewn from solid chalk. Forming the Sparkle The ferments which existed at the time of the vintage and had become dormant during the winter revive with the first warmth of spring and commence to act afresh. They decom pose the natural sugar still remaining from the vintage and transform it,as also the cane sugar added at the time of botding, into a supplementary amount of alcohol and carbonic acid gas; but this time the gas cannot escape, because the bottle is her metically sealed; instead it mixes thoroughly with the wine, producing that elegant sparkle so well known. This fermenta tion in the corked bottle generates a deposit which settles on the low side of the bottle and must be got rid of.This is effected by