that the wine has received an addition of dis-
tilled spirit, or been fortified. Wines of deli-
cate flavour will not bear fortifying, the alcohol
added being usually derived from the fermenta-
tion of artifically -prepared grape sugar, and con-
taining the coarsely-flavoured alcohol knowTi
as fusU oil. A fortified wine may contain a
good deal of sugar, for the addition of spirit to
a fermenting liquid checks, more or less com-
pletely, the further change of the sugar.
" Wines under 26" of proof spirit pay on im-
portation a duty of Is. a gallon ; those over 26°
and under 42*^ pay 2s. 6d. Large and increas-
ing quantities of natural wines now come into
this country-. Even of Spanish wines so im-
ported about one-half are of natural strength,
while the average of all Spanish ^vines does not
show much over 28 per cent, of proof-spirit —
rather less than 14 per cent, of absolute alcohol.
" The following table shows the quantities of
alcohol, of fixed acids — calculated as tartaric
acid — of acetic acid, of sugar, of ethers, and of
mineral matter or ash, contained in fair ave-
rage samples of eight different kinds of wines
commonly consumed in Europe. One imperial
pint of each of the following wines contains
about : —
r^;
^
Name of Wine.
Alcohol
(absolute).
IP
♦^2
Sugar.
1
11
oz.
ST.
^•
gr.
nz. gr.
p:r.
CT-
Hock . .
1
219
39
18
none
4
16
Claret . .
1
306
31
18
0 9
6
IS
Champagne
Burgundy .
1
343
20
10
1 120 ' 5
20
2
18
24
17
0 10 ! 6
18
Carlowitz .
2
3o
36
19
none | 5
16
Sherry . .
3
147
24
12
0 236 : 4
38
Madeira
3
218
26
18
0 175 \ 5
33
Port. . .
3
218
23
12
0 359 1 6
20
"The different wines made in this country
from rhubarb stalks, gooseberries, currants,
cowslips, elderbemes, oranges, &c., contain
oxalic, malic, and other acids, besides the
tartaric acid which is the chief acid of the
grape. Now these acids are not thrown out of
the liquor after fermentation, as is the case to
a great extent with the wine from grapes.
Thus sugar has to be added to mask the acidity
of these liqueurs, and in consequence they are
not so wholesome as the natural imported
wines. But it must not be supposed that
grapes are entirely free from all acids save
tartaric, or that the analyses as above given re-
present every constituent of the wines we have
included in the table.
" The ethers of wines pre\'iously alluded to
include a number of compounds not yet com-
pletely analysed or imderstood. Some of them,
however, have been examined pretty fully,
and even exactly imitated by chemical means.
(Enanthate, butyrate, and acetate of ethyl are
the names given to some of the best known of
these ethers. These ethers enter into the com-
position of the artificial "oil of cognac" and
various flavouring essences."
Wines, Bottling of. — Bottling can never
be looked on as an unimportant matter, seeing
that upon the process depend in a great measure
Page 2312
Presented as published in 1892. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
that the wine has received an addition of distilled spirit, or been fortified. Wines of delicate flavour will not bear fortifying, the alcohol added being usually derived from the fermentation of artificially-prepared grape sugar, and containing the coarsely-flavoured alcohol known as fusel oil. A fortified wine may contain a good deal of sugar, for the addition of spirit to a fermenting liquid checks, more or less completely, the further change of the sugar.
" Wines under 26° of proof spirit pay on importation a duty of Is. a gallon ; those over 26° and under 42° pay 2s. 6d. Large and increasing quantities of natural wines now come into this country-. Even of Spanish wines so imported about one-half are of natural strength, while the average of all Spanish wines does not show much over 28 per cent, of proof-spirit — rather less than 14 per cent, of absolute alcohol.
" The following table shows the quantities of alcohol, of fixed acids — calculated as tartaric acid — of acetic acid, of sugar, of ethers, and of mineral matter or ash, contained in fair average samples of eight different kinds of wines commonly consumed in Europe. One imperial pint of each of the following wines contains about : —
r^;
^
Name of Wine.
Alcohol (absolute).
IP
♦^2
Sugar.
oz.
ST.
^•
gr.
nz. gr.
p:r.
CT-
Hock . .
none
Claret . .
0 9
IS
Champagne Burgundy .
1 120 ' 5
0 10 ! 6
Carlowitz .
3o
none | 5
Sherry . .
0 236 : 4
Madeira
0 175 \ 5
Port. . .
0 359 1 6
"The different wines made in this country from rhubarb stalks, gooseberries, currants, cowslips, elderbemes, oranges, &c., contain oxalic, malic, and other acids, besides the tartaric acid which is the chief acid of the grape. Now these acids are not thrown out of the liquor after fermentation, as is the case to a great extent with the wine from grapes. Thus sugar has to be added to mask the acidity of these liqueurs, and in consequence they are not so wholesome as the natural imported wines. But it must not be supposed that grapes are entirely free from all acids save tartaric, or that the analyses as above given represent every constituent of the wines we have included in the table.
" The ethers of wines previously alluded to include a number of compounds not yet completely analysed or understood. Some of them, however, have been examined pretty fully, and even exactly imitated by chemical means. (Enanthate, butyrate, and acetate of ethyl are the names given to some of the best known of these ethers. These ethers enter into the composition of the artificial "oil of cognac" and various flavouring essences."
Wines, Bottling of. — Bottling can never be looked on as an unimportant matter, seeing that upon the process depend in a great measure