The racking is done in a very simple way, either by a siphon or by a tap placed in the bottom of the vat, at the interior orifice of which a grating or birch broom has been placed to retain the pippins and impurities. The wine is caught in large tubs, and then filled into casks which have previously been scrupulously cleaned.
When the vat has been emptied of wine, a residue is found iu it composed of stems, skins, and pippins, as well as a vsriety of vegetable de'bris, froth;and albuminoid matters combined with tannin. The wine contained in it is removed by pressure. The mass is placed in the press, and the wine which runs from it is added to that already obtained without pressure. After the first pressing, the mass is turned over and pressed again till the fourth time. The product of the first pressing is the strongest, that of the last is the hardest, the most sharp, and the most deeply coloured. Often the products of these several pressings are mixed in separate casks to produce a deeply coloured wine that will keep very long ; at other tbnes it is mixed with the unpressed wine to give it strength and a slight astringency, and to obtain one uniform product from the whole vintage.
The solid mass of skins, &c., assumes almost the hardness of stone when well pressed, and is applied to several purposes. In some countries, it is used for brandy making ; in others it is treated with water to form a thin vinous drink for the labourers. Elsewhere, it is employed in the manu facture of verdigris ; and again, of vinegar. It is widely applied to cattle feeding, and may be burnt to produce alkali. The pippins form excellent poultry food, and yield oil.
When the must has undergone its due period of active fermentation and has been plsced in casks, it has by no means reached its laat degree of elaboration. There is still a modified amount of fer mentation to be undergone, after which the inert alcohol deposits itself at the bottom of the vessel with the greater part of the insoluble suspended matters, thus constituting the " lees." In order that the wine may acquire its due degree of spirit, it is essential that all the convertible sugar be transformed into alcohol by the slow fermentation which follows the e.ctive process in the vat ; besides which, it must be made to keep by separating the deposits, the foreign suspended matters, and the soluble substances, which might cause an alteration in it. The work thus entailed consti
tutes the duty of the cellarman, but before alluding to the several points involved, it will be neces sary to say a few words about the cellars where the wine is worked and stored as well as about the preparation of the tubs and casks for its reception.
Maturation and Storage. Vaults and above-ground Cellars.—The following rules should be observed with regard to wine vault :— 1. The vault should face the north, the temperature being then much less variable; 2, It should be chep enough to -ensure the temperature being constant; 3, Its humidity must be constant without being too great, for excess of moisture mildews the papers, taps, &c., while dryness may cause the casks to open and let out the wine ; 4, The light must be very subdued ; 5, /t must be absolutely secure from disturbance, for the shaking caused by the passage of waggons along a road, or by a thunderstorm, stirs up the lees, mixes it with the wine a,nd provokes acidification ; 6, All green wood, vinegar, or other substances likely to ferment must he kept away from the vault. Aecordingly the vault must he excavated several fathoms beneath the surface of the earth; the outlets must face the north ; it must be distant from all roads, factories, strertms, &c., and must be vaulted over. The best vaults are generally those cut in solid rock. Above-ground cellars are built where the soil is sandy. They should unite as far ELS possible the same conditions as the underground va,ults. The Bordeaux cellar is made in the following way :—It is built as near to the fermenting vats RS possible, of varying length, a,nd about 20 to 25 yards broad. The floor may be on the same level as the earth outside, but the a,ir is fresher when the floor is lowered a few inches, in the case of dry soil; but where the soil is wet it should rather be raised a little. It should be shaded on the. south by tall trees or by a building ; the windows, of very small dimensions, are pierced in the north wall. It is celled with plaster or planking. Four rows of casks are placed in it, two down the middle and one along each side, supported on long beams a few inches above the floor.