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Beverages

A

Icoholic

It

is

advisable

that

wines

so

treated

should

be

drunk

as

soon

as

possible.

Wine

sometimes

has

an

unpleasant

musty

taste,

which

it

has

acquired

from

being

put

into

a

dirty

cask

or

into

one

that

has

been

unused

for

some

time.

This

bad

flavor,

which

is

known

as

caskiness,

may

generally

be

removed

by

vigorously

agitating

the

wine

for

sone

time with

a

little

sweet

oil

or

almond

oil.

The

cause

of

the

bad

taste

is

the

presence

of

an

essential

oil,

which

the

fixed

oil

com-

bines

with

and

carries

to

the

surface,

whence

it

may

be

skimmed

off,

or

the

wine

lying

under

it

may

be

drawn

off.

A

little

coarsely

powdered

and

freshly

burnt

charcoal,

or

some

slices

of

bread

toasted

until

they

become

black,

or

a

little

bruised

mustard

seed

sometimes

effects

the

removal

of

the

objectionable

taste.

Mellowing

Wines.

Cover

the

orifices

of

the

vessel

con-

taining

it

with

bladder

closely

fastened,

instead

of

the

usual

materials,

and

an

aqueous

exhalation

will

pass

through

the

bladder,

leaving

some

fine

crystallizations

on

the

surface

of

the

wine,

which,

when

skimmed

off,

leaves

the

wine

in

a

highly

improved

state

of

flavor.

Remnants

of

wine

covered

in

this

manner, whether

in

bottles

or

in

casks,

will

not

turn

mouldy

as

when

stopped

in

the usual

way,

but

will

be

improved

instead

of

being

deteriorated.

Ripening.

To

promote

the

maturation

or

ripening

of

wine

various

plans

are

adopted

by

the

growers

and

deal-

ers.

One

of

the

safest

ways

of

hastening

this,

especially

for

strong

wines,

is

not

to

rack

them

until

they

have

stood

15

or

18

months

upon

the

lees,

or,

whether

crude

or

racked,

keeping

them

at

a

temperature

ranging

between

55

and

65°

F.

in

a

cellar

free

from

draughts

and

not

too

dry.

Full

or

heavy

sherries

or

ports,

when

bottled

and

treated

in

this

manner,

ripen

very

quickly

in

a

temperate

situation.

Racking.

Racking

should

be

performed

in

cool

weather

and

preferably

early

in

the

spring.

A

clean

siphon,

well

managed,

answers

better

for

this

purpose

than

a cock

or

faucet.

The

bottoms,

or

thick

portion,

may

be

strained

through

a wine

bag

and

added

to

some

other

inferior

wine.

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