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Show 7.7 Thofe who would make excellent Wines, never cut the Grapes till after the Sun has dry’d up the Dew which has fallen in the Night-time ; for this Moiftnefs, although it Liquor that they call Surméa. They haye Casks of fix-fcore Pots, or half Hogfheads of fixty Pots ranged upon Chantiers, or Stillings for Hogfheads, into which, by equal Portions, they caft in this firft Running ; and afterwards The Choice of are equally diftributed into the Tunstill they theCantons from whence the Wine is produc’d, are full. Upon which it ought to be obferv’d, that depends on the Difcernment that the Courtiers or Commiffioners ought to have, when they the unprefs'd Wine is the moft light, delicate, tafte the Wines that they would fend into other and leaft colour’d Liquor; that which comes Countries, and that which the Engli/b Gentle- of the firft Cut of the Prefs the moft tacy; and men ought to recommend to their Commif- that which comes from the fecond and third fioners who furnifh them with Winefor their Cut of the Prefs is more hard, red, and green; drinking. fo that thefe three Sorts of Qualities, being The Grapes being put into the fermenting united, make a Wine much better, more durable, Vat, throw up a great Scum, which, by the and better colour’d. Agitation, make to the Ears a continual All thefe Pieces or Tuns being full, they trembling, a little cluttering, and {pread abroad leave the Bung open, and the Wine in a fuch a Scent that is capable of intoxicating, Fury, fhakes and agitatesitfelf in fuch a manand perfumes the Houfes, and fpreadsitfelf all ner, that it fends all over the Cellar Fumes over the Town. that will intoxicate, and which are in fuch They do not let the Grapes lie ftill in the Motion, that a lighted Candle being carVat ; they ftir them and difturb them: The ried thither will be extinguifh’d:; Andif this Labourers trample them briskly three different Wine be put in an Effay, and be fhakenalitle times, for the Space of two Hours each time. with the Hand, and you ftop the Neck with And to give a clear Idea of the Manner of your Thumb, the Effaywill break in a thoutreating the Grapes in the Vat; affoon as they fand Pieces, begin to ferment in the Vat, they tread them In Burgundy, that which theycall an Effay, for two Hours at the leaft; fix Hoursafter is a little round Bottle, in Length about three they tread them again for as long time as be- or four Inches, and about two in Circumfefore ; and fix Hoursafter that they tread them rence, which grows lefg all of a fuddenat the the third time ; and after that they put them Top, in order to form a little Neck open, under the Prefs. having a little Rim to receive the Wine and It muft be obferv’d, that the Grapes of the Cork. Volnet, of Pomard and Beaune, being fermented ‘The Wine having caft its Fireand Scum out in the Vat in the Field, cannot be let ftand of the Casks ; eight Days after theyfill them above twelve or eighteen Hours there; thofe up again, and ftop them up with a Vine of Pomard a little lefs; thofe of Beaune fo Leaf, which they fpread over the Bung: long, ora little longer, according to the Deli- And left the Vapours of the Wine fhould catenefs of the Ground, and the Heat of the move this Leaf ont of its Place, they lay Grapes: For there are Vineyards behind the a little Stone upon it to keep it down; beHills of Beaune, the Grapes of which don’t caufe if they fhould put upon it a Seal or a begin to ferment till after they have been eight Bung, the Wine not having Air, would puth or ten Days inthe Vat. Note further, That to the Flead of the Casks ont: Five or fix Days give a Colour to the Wine, this depends on after they feal it, and near the Bung they the Time moreorlefs that it is left in the Vat. bore a Hole, and ftop the Hole which the As for Example, The Wines of Volnet have Gimlet has made in the Tun with litte Bit the Colour of a Partridge’s Eye. This is the of round pointed Wood, which they call a Faucet, which they take out from time to Caufe they do not leave the Grapes of this Ground buta verylittle time in the Vat ; and if they fhould let them be there but a little longer than they ought, the Wine would lofe its Delicacy, and would tafte of the Grapeftone or the Stalks, After the Grapes have been, according to their Quality, more or lefs time in the Vat, The Commiffioners and their Wine Conners and have been trodden, there’ fwims over a be but a rarefy’d Air, cools the Grapes, which being caft into the firft Vat, fufpends, and oftentimes hinders the Fermentation. Thofe they put the Grapes that remain on the Prefs, covetous Perfons that are more defirous of when the Swrméu has been drawn off: And the Quantity than the Quality, ufe not thefe whenthefe have been well prefs’d, all the LiPrecautions; but on the other hand, thofe quor that comes from them is equallydiftri. who.would make excellent Wines, do not put bated into thofe Pieces where they have already into the fame Vat any Grapes but thofe of the put the unprefs’d Wine: Andthen they open fame Vine; but almoft all the particular Per- the Prefs, and afterwards with a Planer they fons who have an hundred Perches of Vine- cut the preffed Marc three or four Fingers yard in different Cantons, mingle their Grapes thicknefs round about, and put the Parings in the one with the other, becaufe the ftrong the Middle, and afterwards prefs it again; then helps the weak, and the good mends that they cut it again, andprefs it the third time ; which is worfe; and, ina Word, that they and all the Liquors of thefe different Preffings maymake the Vatthe larger. VI Vi time to let the Spirits evaporate ; which Pre- caution prevents the Wine from burfting the Veffel. This is the Time when at Beaune are to is the Corners of feen the Merchants from all Europe who comé to fecure the beft Vats for athe their Kings, Princes and Mafters prove the Wines although they are not yet drinkable. ‘The Commiffioners are the publick Managers, to which all thofe who would have the Wines of Burgundy, addrefs themfelves either by Letters or in Perfon. ‘Thefe are the Judges, which from time out of Mind, from Father to Son, have certain Experience of all the Vats; who knowthe Cli- mates, Clofes and the Cantons from which they are produc’d, andall the good Cellars; to whomit is fufficient to write what Quantity of Wine one would have, and of what Diftrict or Canton one would have it of, and provided they have the Purchafe-money paid in the Space of the current Year, one maybe fure to be well ferv’d. ‘Thefe Managers having receiv’d all the Com- miffions from private Perfons, go to the Citizens, and fill their Effays of the different Vats which theyfind in good Cellars; and with the Tickets that they tie to the Neck of every little Bottle, or the Name of the Vat, with the Quantity of the Pieces of Wine which they contain, they carry them to their Houfes, and let them be unftopp’d ; they examine and attend them carefully, and by the different Changes, ‘Tafte and Colour, they fee the fu- ture Colours and Qualities of the Wines that are in the Tuns from which the Effays are taken. They alfo make yet another Proof with the Wine whichis in the Eflays: They take Glaffes, upon which they put a finking Paper, which they fpread, and whichjuts out over the Glaffes, and prefs their Finger to make a Concavity ; which may contain a fourth Part of a Glafs of Wine: The Liquor paffes bylittle and little, and filtres through the Paper, and {trains Drop by Drop in an imperceptible manner into the Glafs which re- Ceives it. By the Sight of the Wine which paffes through this Paper, they make good Conjectures founded upon a long Experience, concerning the deftinated Tafte, of the Colour, and the LaftingnefS of the Colour of the Wines they have proved. The Commiffioners having made their Purchafes according to the Orders which they have receiv’d from their Correfpondents and Merchants, they make Preparations to fend which he is to pay the Commiffioner, he fhal not demand more than fix Deniers per Li which will be the Sum of twelve Livres fix> Sous ; which being added to the three Livres above, make the Sum of fifteen Livres ten Sous ; a Sum which would amount to twelve or thirteen Shillings, according to the Exchange: And for this {mall Profit, the Commiffioner is oblig’d to advance his Moneyto the Citizens of whom he buys the Wines ;> and that too, when he does not receive his Payment from the Perfons to whom they are fent, as it fometimes happens: And the Commiffion- er that fhall be conviéted of taking more, whe- ther by Booksor other Proofs, will be punifh’d, as has beenfaid above. The Commiffioners having purchas'd and prov’d their Wines, according to the Orders they have recciv’d, they caufe the Tuns to be new hoop’d, and put Bars furrounded with Pins of Wood of the A/pen'Tree, and mark them with the Town Mark: And it ought to be obferv’d, that no other Country has a Right to imitate or counterfeit their fecond hooping ; and for the greater Surety, they put upon every Cask the Fire-mark, which is a B onthe Top, two Inches in Length, with the Cypherof the Year in which the Casks were fent from Beaune to go to anyotherPlace. Thefe are the Precautions that are taken at Beaune, by which the Wines that come from thence cannot be miftaken : A Caution otherwife not very neceffary, fince they manifeft themfelves fo plainly by their Delicacy and their Superiority above all other Wines in the Univerfe: They are befides very beneficial and properto eftablifh and to preferve Health; in this furpaffing the Wines of Champaign, which flatten the Tafte, and grate the Palate ; but which weaken and extenuate, eneryate, and render dull, as one may fay, the moft healthful Bodies ; and which alfo, according to fad Experience, and the Writings of the Learned, which I have read, breed the Gravel, theGout, and the Stone. After having given an Account ofthe Situation of the Town of Beaune, and the Hills which produce the Wines of Burgundy ; after having related the Manner ofcultivating their Vineyards, and of making their Wine; of them according to their Orders: And asto the proving it; of chufing it; of buying it, I Price of the Purchafe, they cannot deceive any Perfon without running great Rifques: For if they fhould make thofe which fend for thefe Wines pay more for them than they can buy them for in the Cellar, they would expofe themfelves to Hanging by an Arrét of the Parliament of Burgundy, who have made a thall, next, explain the different Qualities of the Wines which thefe divers Hills produce: And in order to this, I fhall divide what follows into three {mall Articles I fhall treat firft, of the Forward Wines; fecondly, of the Wines de Garde, or for keeping ; and therein I fhall treat of White Wines, and hall conclude in giving Lawfor the affuring the Fidelity of Commerce Inftructions for the different Methods that are of thofe Wines ; which orders, That the Com- to be us’d in bringing the Wines of Burgundy miffioners fhall take one Sol per Livre for as to London, and will advife how the Beaune Much as comes to fixty Livres ; and for what Wine may be fent to London in Bottles, exceeds this Sim, they fhall not take more than fix Deniers per Livre. Thus a private Perfon who thall receive for fix hundred Livres of Wine French Money, fhall pay three Livres to the Commifficner, for what he fhall have tent above fixty Livres ; and for the five hundred and forty which are over and above, for Ww The firft Article of the Wines of Primeur, or the Forward Wines, Wecall that the Wine of Primeur, which will not keep good more than one Year, or that can be kept but a few Months in the fe- cond Year, The |