Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 2.djvu/776

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ing frozen in thefc two operations, is a real concentrated Wine, as appears by its colour, confiftence, tafte, and fmell ; for it now has all thefe properties in a much larger degree, than while it contained fo much fuperfiuous moifture of a merely aqueous kind. It therefore becomes a nobler and richer Wine, than could any way be procured without fuch a contrivance. For as, by this means, two thirds of the quantity are taken away in the better forts of Wine, and three fourths in the weaker, what remains mult needs poffefs three or four times the ftrength and virtues of the fame quantity of the crude Wine. This operation, though it be perfect in regard to Wines, yet does not fucceed fo well in regard to the malt liquors. The experiment has been fairly tried by Stahl on a gallon of ftrong malt drink, and the fuccefs was as follows : The ice feparated in the firft operation, when thawed by heat, refolved into a liquor of the colour and tafte of fmall beer ; and the fecond concentration afforded an ice of much the fame kind, which might have palled for ordinary fmall beer, but foraflafhy wa- tery tafte that manifeftly predominated in it. The liquor un- frozen was but a pint and half by meafure, but it was ex- tremely rich and thick, and feemed very ftrong and fpir'ttuous, and perfectly aromatic, or highly flavoured. The confiftence was fomewhat like that of a thin fyrup, and it had a pleafing foftnefs that fheathed the acrimony of the fpirit, and covered the bitter tafte of the hop.

The mucilaginous nature which is predominant in all malt liquors, occafions a great inaccuracy in this experiment, as not fuffering the water to run clear, or be feparated from the richer tincture of the malt, nor letting the condenfed liquor be obtained clean from the ice ; but as the lofs occafioned by this is not great, and the liquor is much cheaper than Wine, if this fhould ever come into ufe in the large way, the thawed liquor of the ice might be ufed again in a new brewing, and fo the lofs of that part of the ftrength which was carried away by the freezing be recovered.

The phlegm of IVine, feparated by this operation, when it has not fucceeded perfectly well, carries off fomething alfo of the flavour and tafte of the Wine ; and this need not be fuppofed all loft, tor this liquor alone will, if ftrong enough, ferve excellently to make vinegar, or if not fo much impregnated as to do for that purpofe, it will ferve the vinegar-makers in- ftead of other water, and be of fo much advantage in the pro- cefs, as fully to make up for the quantity of Wine loft. The frozen part, or ice, confifts only of the watery part of the Wine, and may be thrown away, and the liquid part re- tains all the ftrength, and is to be preferved. This will never grow four, mufty, or mouldy afterwards, and may at any time be reduced to Wine of the common kind again, by ad- ding to it as much water as will make it up to the quantity that it was before.

Wines, in general may by this method be reduced to any de- gree of vinofity or perfection. Thus, for example, if a, Wine of a moderate ftrength have a third part of its water taken away, in form of ice by congelation, the remaining part will thereby be doubled in ftrength and goodnefs : for if we allow, in the better forts of Wine, that one third part, which is near the truth, is truly good or vinous, and two third parts are no- thing but water, one third part of the good Wine being blend- ed among the two third parts of water, of no ftrength nor value ; it follows, that if one of thefe third parts of water be taken away, and all the Wine left, that which was before but one third Wine, is now one half Wine, no way reduced in its ftrength, and therefore the whole muft be ftronger in that proportion.

But if this operation of congelation be carried to the utmoft, and be practifed on a large quantity of Wine, and with a very intenfe cold, and the ice taken away feveral times, and the Wine, thus freed from a part of its water, again and again expofed, it will be found that good Wines will be reduced to one fixch part of their original quantity j and the vintner will eafily find out the ufe of this remaining fixth part, which is a true quintcflence of Wine, and will be of the utmoft benefit, j by mixing in fmall quantities with- poor and low-flavoured Wines, to meliorate and improve them ; and even to convert the low-flavoured and leaft valuable ones into thofe very Wines -from which this condenfed. part was procured. Glauber laboured hard at bringing this- fort of thing to bear, and attempted it with what he called the quinteflence or effential oil of Wine ; but this, though prepared ever fo curioufly from the very fineft Wines, was never found to anfwer well on the trial, but retained a nidorousand difagreeable flavour, different from that of the Wine. Glauber's method, therefore, which was excellent in theory, is by this method of congelation re- duced to practice, and that with little trouble, and the great- eft advantage.

The benefit and advantage of this method of congelation, if reduced to practice in the large way, in the Wine countries, muft be evident to every body. Concentrated Wines, in this manner, might be fent into foreign countries, inftead of Wine and water, which is what is ufually now fent, the Wines they export being loaded, and in danger of being fpoiled by three ( or four times their own quantity of unneccilary, fuperfiuous, and prejudicial water.

The bufinefs is, how to perform the operation, "for Wine- 8

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countries being in general hot countries, the bufinefs of freez- ing will not be fo eafily carried on there as in the cold ones : but this is an objection eafily folved by obferving, that in moft of the Wine countries that we are acquainted with, there are hills and mountains, the tops of which are covered with fnow all the year round ; and all who are acquainted with natural philofophy, very well know, that where there is fnow to be had, there will be nodifficulty'about freezing. The difficulty refts therefore not in the matter of freezing, but in the reducing the Wines, when thus concentrated, to their due and natural ftate again ; for though the addition of water alone does this in a tolerable manner, yet better means may certainly be found on farther trials. The way of ufing poor Wines, and fuch as in themfelves are of little ufe or va- lue, is always a good one, and is fufficiently advantageous ; becaufe what there is in the price of thefe above water, is made up to the proprietor in the quantity of the final produce; water could only give the fame quantity of the Wine that there was originally, and before the condensation ; but thefe Wines will bear to be mixed in fo much larger a quantity, that the produce will warrant the gaining by the practice. This method is not practicable to advantage in the Wine coun- tries alone. Dr. Shaw afllires us, that he has himfelf experi- mented it here, and with the ufe of proper freezing mixtures, has reduced Wines in England to a much fmaller quantity, in proportion to the whole, than in the ftrongert of Stahl's experiments. It is evident that, by how much the quan- tity is fmaller, by fo much it is richer and ftronger, provided that the operation has been properly performed. The Doctor allures us, the noble effence or rob, thus prepared, is capable of working almoft miracles, by turning water into Wine, and the like ; but that, in order to its fucceeding well, there re- quires great care in the operator, when the congelation is re- peated the laft times. Shaw's Chemical EfTays. Stahl's Con- centrat. Vin. -

Difeajes of Wines. All Wines, malt liquors, and vinegars, which are well made, and perfect in their kind, will grow fine of themfelves, barely by Handing ; fo that if they do not thus grow fine in a reafonable time, it is a fign that they la- bour under fome difeafe; that is, they are too aqueous, too acid, too alkaline, or they tend to putrefaction, or the like. In all thefe cafes, which may properly enough be called the difeafe s of Wines, fuitable remedies are required before the Wines will grow fine. The moft general remedy hitherto known for all the difeafes of Wines, is a prudent ufe of tarta- rized fpirit of Wine, which not only enriches, bu,t difpofes ail ordinary Wines to grow fine. Shaw's Lectures, p. 209. .

Extemporaneous Wine. A hundred weight of good treacle will produce, according to the art of the diftiller, from four to feven gallons of pure alcohol ; that is, from eight to four- teen gallons of the common-proof melafles fpirit. The ft ill - bottoms have many ufes. The diftillers fcald and recover their mufty cafks with them, and they may be ufed for all thofe purpofes of cleanfing where argol is required. Mr. Boyle's acid fpirit of Wine, or a fpirit very like it, may alfo be procured from them, and a matter analogous to what Bec- cher calls the media fubjlantia vini. This liquor gives a du- rable extemporaneous Wine.

Fining of Wines. See the article Fining.

Low Wines, in the diftillery, the term for the fpirituous liquor diftilled immediately from the fermented matter, and continued running fo long, that the laft of it was not at all inflammable. This liquor is afterwards rectified to a proof-fpirtt of the ftrength of brandy, and thence to a rectified fpirit, called al- cohol, pr fpirit of Wine. Shaw's Lectures, p. 216.,

Wine Lees. The diftillation of Wine lees into fpirit is con- ducted very much in the fame manner with that of the malt- wafh, when diftilled with the mealy part in it : The princi- pal difference is on this account, that the. .oil of the malt be- ing very naufeous and difagreeable, the utmoft care ifi.to.be ufed to keep it back in all the procefles of primary diftillation, and of rectification; whereas, on the other hand, the oil of the Wine lees being a very agreeable and pleafant one., as-much care as poflible is to be taken to bring it over with the fpirit. Glauber has written .a peculiar treatife on this fubjt&t/ in which, without touching upon the moft advantageous, pro- duction of all, he has proved the work to be fo .very profitable, that the whole .ufually-pafles for one of his, wild flights, rather than a folid bufinefs-. ■■ ; ■-,;■•' •

The' method of diftilling a liquid ,lee for its fpirit, is a thing very univeifally known ; but the advantageous thing, on this bafts, is the diftilling a dry lee prefted and preferveil, and the managing the bufinefs in fuch a manner as at firft or laft to procure and feparate all its valuable parts. The fblidlee, here mentioned, is that ufually fold to the' hatters in England, and is the fame-thing that in France and other Wine countries the vinegar-makers difpofe of in cakes,, after they have pref- fed out all the Wine, ahd which is afterwards burn^, and makes what Lemery and others cull rineres clavellati ; and the Englifl), gravelled ajhes, a fixed alkalr falt-like pot-afti. ' This lee, when to be ufed for diftilling, mould, be that of the French Wines, and either fuch as is, newly preffed, or has been well fecured by packingan a clofe manner in tight cafks, with fome proper contrivance of dry land, or the like, to keep

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