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Chapter
XIX.
WINES
AND
WINE
MAKING
THE
grapes
are
not
removed
from
the
vine
until
they
are
quite
ripe.
As
the
maturation
not
only
of
dif-
ferent
varieties,
but
of
the
same
kind,
is
dependent
upon
the
season,
no
stated
period
can
be
fixed
for
the
commence-
ment
of
the
vintage.
The
grapes
are
ready
to
be
gathered
when
the
white
kind
becomes
of
a
brownish
yellow
color
and
the
red
or
blue
very
dark
purple
or
nearly
black.
Shears,
pruning
knives
or
scissors
are
used
for
the
removal
of
the
fruit
from
the
vine.
In
making
the
finer
wines,
previous
to
being
pressed,
the
bunches
are
carefully
examined,
and
any
unripe
or
damaged
grapes
are
picked
off
and
used
to
make
inferior
wine,
or
in
the
gathering
the unripe
specimens
are
left
on
the
branch
to
ripen.
The
blue
and
dark
varieties,
when
intended
for
the
best
wines,
are,
with
few
exceptions,
re-
moved
from
the
stalks
before
being
pressed;
the
white
grapes
are
pressed
with
the
stalks.
Except
with
those
grapes
which
produce
wines
that
are
likely
to
become
viscous
or
ropy, the
stalks
are
not
left
for
any
length
of
time
in
contact
with
the
grape
juice
or
must.
There
are
various
modes
of
separating
the
grapes
from
the
stalks.
One
method
consists
in
the
employment
of
a
wooden
fork
or
trident
}/%
yd.
or
more
in
length.
By
turning
this
round
in
a
wooden
pail
filled
with
the
fruit
the grapes
become
detached
from
the
stalks,
which
are
thus
brought
to
the
surface
and
removed.
In
another
contrivance
the
separation
is
effected
by
inclosing
the
bunches
in
cages
made
of
parallel
wires.
145
'