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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.