At first the bottles are stacked in horizontal layers, and as the wine begins to mature the bottles arc placed in A-shaped racks. Thc bot tles are gradually worked neck downward, in order to bring the sediment, which forms dur ing the slow fermentation, down upon the cork. This is done by the workmen giving each bot tle a quick shake once or twice a day during a period of four to six weeks. In many of the champagne cellars a machine is used to accom plish the same result in less than half that time.
When the wine is taken to the finishing room, the sediment down on the cork is *dis gorged"— that is, the workman loosens the cork and the lively pressure of the c•as in the bottle forces out the sediment, leaving the body of the wine perfectly clear. Champagne in this state is 'brut' —almost absolutely °dry.' To please the taste and palate of consumers, the wine is sweetened by adding a little liqueur or 'dosage" as the French call it, composed of rock candy syrup dissoleed in old wine or brandy. The final operations comprise putting in a fine cork in the bottle, wiring and capping it, pasting on the label and casing the bottles in boxes for shipment. It has been figured that a bottle of champagne from start to (wish is handled about 2a) times.
Handling and Taking Care of It is always necessary to kei p casks or barrels of wine in a well-ventilated cool place. When wine is drawn off and when there is kiss from evaporation, the barrel should he up.
New wine soon begins to clear itself by the deposit of solid matte!, held in suspension. The thick deposit which forms at the bottom of the cask is called the lees. In order to prevent the lees from mixing with the liquid, wines are 'racked" or drawn off seat ral limes a year. The sudden changes of temperature in the spring and autumn disturb wines, and so it is the practice to rack them at these periods. When racking it is not thstrable to let the wine come in contact with the air. In order to obtain perfectly wines it is usually necessary to filter or clarify them.
The following method for clearing red wines, such as claret, etc., be recommended: Take the whites of five fresh for tcsry FAl gal lons of wine, beat them up into a loam Then put this foam into is gallon of the 'aisle to be fined and after beating it again pour the mix ture into the barrel Then take a stick and stir the whole barrel of wine until the foam appears at the bung hole, which should be in ;,bout 10 minutes.
Leave the bung off mer ni.tht. The mist day fill up the barrel with same kind of wine and drive in the hung. The wine should he bright in from 10 to dal-; if not, then COI up, and at the end of another week it should be.
For clearing white wine', such as Riesling, Hock, Sauterne, etc., take one wineglassful of dissolved isinglass for ci%ery 5.0 i?allons of wine. Beat this into a foam with a gallon of the wine to be fined. Pour it back into the cask and follow the dire-ction< aloe given for red wines Usually the white take a little longer time to clarify than do chants.
Some Diseases of Wine. Wines art auh jet to man) &stasis. They ,inert crane °sick.° Then they need anurstng ' and lur ing.
Acid Wines.—They arc due to the change of alcohol into acetic acid under the action of the air and heat. When wine has become acetic, there is no cure for it. A temporary improvement may be made by racking it into a cask strongly sulphured and clear it with six whites of egg to about 250 bottles. Some try to correct sour wine by mixing it with good, sound new wines or with fresh lees, but the cure is only temporary. Wines so corrected only have their acidity disguised, and must be used soon.
Greasy When wines turn greasy they cloud and rope like oil. White wines are more subject to this disease than red. Wines weak in alcohol and tannin are subject to the disease. Therefore, the addition of brandy spirits and tannic acid is recommended. Some also use half a pound of alum to a cask, which should he stirred thoroughly and racked off sev eral days afterward.
Flat or Cloudy This trouble is found in wines poor in alcohol and having an excess of albuminous material. Such wines can he improved by transferring them to a freshly sulphured cask and adding brandy. The wine should be fined and after a few days from 50 to (t0 grains of tartaric acid per 50 gallons should he added.
French Burgundy wines have been subject to this disease, which is not com mon in America. The trouble may he cor rected at the start by putting the wine in sul phured cask and adding sufficient alcohol, tan nin and tartaric acid.