756. Remedy for Decomposition in Wines

756.    Remedy for Decomposition in Wines. As soon as discovered add tartaric acid in the proportion of 13/4 ounces to every 20 gallons of the wine, and let it rest for a few days, when, if the wine has not regained its natural color, a little more tartaric acid must be added.

757. Sweating In and Fretting In Wine

757.     Sweating In and Fretting In Wine. The technical terms "sweating in" and "fretting in" are applied to the partial production of a second fermentation, for the purpose of mellowing down the flavor of foreign ingredients (chiefly brandy) added to wine. For this purpose 4 or 5 pounds sugar or honey, with a little crude tartar (dissolved), are commonly added per hogshead; and when the wine is wanted in haste, 1 or 2 spoonfuls of yeast, or a few braised vine leaves are also mixed in, the cask being placed in a moderately warm situation until the new fermentation is established, when it is removed to the wine-cellar, and, after a few days, fined down.

758. To Remove Mustiness from Wine

758.      To Remove Mustiness from Wine. The disagreeable taste in wine, generally known as mustiness, is occasioned by the presence of an essential oil. This may be removed by adding a little sweet or almond oil, and then violently stirring the wine for some time. The fixed oil attracts and seizes on the essential oil, and rises with it to the surface, when it is easily skimmed off, or the liquid under it drawn off. A few slices of burnt or toasted bread, or a little bruised mustard seed or coarsely powdered charcoal, will often have the same effect.

759. Pasteur's Method of Preserving Wines

759.    Pasteur's Method of Preserving Wines. M. Pasteur announced some time ago that wines became spoiled in consequence of the presence of microscopic organisms, which could be destroyed by exposing the wine, for a few moments only, to a temperature of 131° Fahr. A committee of experts was appointed to make a comparative examination of wines which had and which had not been subjected to heat; M. Lapparent being President, and M. Dumas and M. Pasteur assisting. They concluded that the preservation of wine in bottles is greatly improved by heating; that the destruction of the germs is perfect, without the least impairment of the taste, color, or limpidity of the wines.

760. To Determine the Nature of Acidity in Wine

760.      To Determine the Nature of Acidity in Wine. If wine has undergone the acetous fermentation, then convert it at once into vinegar by one of the usual modes. But if its acidity proceeds from an excess of tartaric acid, this defect may be remedied by shaking the wine with a concentrated solution of neutral tartrate of potassa, which, with the surplus of tartaric acid, will form bitar-trate of potassa, and precipitate as such. To discover the nature of the acidity, neutralize an ounce or so of the wine with some carbonate of soda, then add a small quantity of sulphuric acid, and boil up; if acetic acid or vinegar be present, it will be perceptible by its odor. (See No. 751 (To Remedy Sour Wine).)