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96

USEFUL FORMULAS.

ants. Moreover, as the bottling draws to an end, the bottler deems it necessary

to tilt the cask so as to promote the flow. Owing to this disturbance the lees

collec.t about the tap and get sucked in, ancl so pass through to the bottle.

'rhe wine merchant or the head cellarman is then doubly surprised to find, six

or twelve months after bottling, that a certain number of bottles in t he bins

are clouded, and even at times in a state of fermentation. All these troubles

a re caused both by the cellarman's ig norance and the clefects of the tap.

When inserting the tap ancl giving it a final screw let it lie sideways so

that the wine as

it

runs down the nozzle does not fall direct. All bottling taps

should be made with t he nozzle inclining outwards-that is, downwards and

forwards. 'rbis prevents the wine fobbing as it rnns into the bottle. A side–

ways inclination of the tap is a still further aclvantage. When once you start

bottling, having turned the tap on you should not turn it off again until the

hogshead is empty. Turning on and turning off gives au impetus to the body

of the wine that is enough to rouse up the lees.

Have all the bottles clean and dry, the corks soaked in bot water and

the corking machine (with a

s~at

for the operator ) cleaned and oiled up r eady

for active service.

In selecting corks avoid those that are smooth, pale and soft, as they are

young corks and not to be trusted. The best cork is one of ab0ut ten yeari

growth or thereabouts, the age being calculated by the transverse markings,

each line indicating one year's growth. Corks should not be over and above

porous, nor should they be altogether without pores. l'Vorm-eaten or dusty

corks are too bad. to be used for corking wine, even for immediate use.

When corking, as the cork is driven in, a dir ty, black-looking water oozes

out, and as this hangs about the neck of the corking machine it is advisable

to wipe the neck r epeatedly, ancl when the r ag you use for the pmpose becomes

wet take another dry one.

If

you do not keep this black ooze cleared away

it will find its way into the neck of the bottle and spoil the wine.

Fill all bottles to withi n an in ch and a quarter of the top, as nearly as

you ca1i' judge, so as to leave as little space as possible between the bottom

of the cork and the win e.

If

you have slightly over-filled, toss a little out into

a vessel bandy-not the bottler's mouth if you can avoid it.

Having fill ed and corked, the next step is to stack the bottles away in

bins specially arranged for them, and in stores capable of being kept at an

even temperature all the year around. Ports for keeping should be daubed

on the upper surface with a whitewash brush, the whitewash being made without

size, as it is not likely to be rubbed off on account of the gentle handling it

is sure to get with the white caution mark on. Sealin g and label ing will have

to follow storage, as these aclclencla are peri shable and might spoil or lose their

freshness during a prolonged stay in t he bins. Be.fore labe li ng a nd seali ng,

clean the bottles with warm, dry cloths.