OCR Text |
Show Vi them remain till they have an Opportunity of felling them, taking Care to keep them full quite to the Bung, with a wooden Stopper. This is what they pra@tife in Chianti, where the beft Wines are made, and whence, from thofe Buts, they are drawn into Flasks, and carried, at the Expence of about a Crown fot a Mule Load, to Florence, in order for Exportation; but in other Places they draw them off into lefs Casks, of which Wines, except fome Carniguano’s, and thofe of Val @ Arno, few or none are exported, but ferve The Art of Brewing Wines (further than the Throwing into each great Butt, the Quantity of two or three Hatfuls of the chivicett Grapes they had preferved, and laid on Mats in the Sun for that Purpofe, which were pick’d from the Stalks, and are efteemed proper for their Wines to feed on, and which they call Governo) was not knownin Chianti, (tho? ie Hofts here practifed fomethinglike it, mixing the {mall Wines of this Countrywith the ftrone ones of other Parts ; and fining their Whitewines with Ifinglafs, Whites of Egos, Lime, for the Confumption of the Country: Some andthe like; and were thought to put Allom of thefe have a pleafant Flavour and Brisk- into their Red Wines to preferve them, and nefs, tho’ of no great Body, many of which will not keep the Summer over, except in cool Cellars, in the Places where made; fuch is the promote a Thirft in their Guefts) till, on thé breaking out ofthe firft French War, an Englifh Merchant from Bourdeaux cameinto thefe Parts, with a View to accommodate the Wines which hice Nature of this Country Wines in general nor are the choiceft Chianti’s exempt : Forat were made in the beft Parts of Chianti, and two Seafons of the Year, the Beginnings of were naturally of a true bright Ruby, with Fune and September, the one when the Grapes a pleafant Flavour, anda filky Softnels to the are in Flower, and the other when they begin to ripen, fome even of the beft Wines are apt to change, efpecially at this latter Seafon ; not that they turn eager, but take a moft un- pleafing Tafte, which renders them unfit, not only for Drinking, but even to make Vinegar of; and is called the Settembrine. And what Englifh Palates, then in love with the deepcolour’d rough Clarets ; who inftructed them firft in the making of Black Wines, with the L? Abrufio, or Wild Grape s which being mix’d with the Chianti’s, gave them a deeperColour, and a rougher Tafte; and being liked in England, gave the firft Occafion to great Quanti- is moft ftrange, is, that one Cask drawn out of the fame Vat fhall be infeéted, and another ties being fent thither every Year in Cafks: In not; but be perfeétly good, and yet both have been kept in the fame Cellar too. As this Change happens not to Wine in the firft that inftruéted them, for before their the making of which, the faid Gentleman was Cafks were, as above related, very unwieldy. Flafks, tho’ that will turn eager, Iamapt to attribute it to fome Fault infilling the Cask, This put themalfo (there being a Demandfor their Wines) upon increafing and enlarging their Cultivations, and making fome of them which muft always be keptfull, whicheither in fuch Places, as the Expofition was not very by letting alone too long, ’till the Decreafe be proper for; as alfo to cultivate in Vineyards too great, and the Pan or Scum, that there na- the faid L’ Abrufco, or Wild Grape, and which turally is on all Wine, thereby being too much certainly was the moft proper to mix withtheir dilated, is fubject to break, or elfe being broke other Grapes in the Vat, boiling them togeby hafty filling up, gives it that vile Tafte ot ther. So all fucceeded pretty well, ’till the a rotten Vine Leaf. * Year 1607, when the Vintage proving very But againft this there is a very ftrong Ob- bad, and there being a great Demandof their jection, that this Defect feizes the Wine at a particular Seafon, in September, over which if Wines for England, by mixing the low Wines with the high ones of Chianti, which that it gets, it will hold good for many Years. So the Cafe is worthy the Enquiry ofthe Naturalifts, whilft it is evident, at leaft for the Seafon were not very good, they brought thefe Wines into fuch a Difreputation, that they have never been able to regain their Credit, firft Year after it is made, Wines in general are, more or lefs, affected by the Circumftances tho’ they have fince, many times, had thofe that are good. wherein the Vines or Grapes at that time are; Whether it be that the Tafte of the People andif they get well over the time of the Grapes is run upon Portugal Wines, or fome other flowering,will keep good’till that of their be- Caufe, they have never been able, as I faid, to ginning to ripen. recoverit fo as to have any confiderable QuanAs for the time that the Wines are fit to tity exported in Cafks from thefe Parts; and drink, the poorer fort of People drink that of the Perfon that firft directed the Affair, had the the Plains almoft affoon as drawn off; but Diffatisfaction to fee his Projeét mifcarry, after from the 11th of Navember may be faid to be it had in a manner fucceeded, and himfelf its proper Seafon. reap’d confiderable Benefit thereby. Thofe of the Hills are a very pleafant Drink At prefent, therefore, what goes for Eng, about Chrifimas and during the Spring 5 but land is chiefly in Chefts, and no more Black *till Fune the Chianti’s are not efteemed to be Wines, as ufed to be formerly, and thefe are fit for Drinking, tho’ they are fit for Exporta- fent juft as they are made but ftill in Chianti, tion in Butts in December ; and in the Flafks and Chefts about the Beginning of February: as they have Cultivations of the Brufco Grape» if fooner fhipped off in that manner, tho’ apre fine, there will be a Sediment in the wild one, and becomes much larger and more generous) they continue to mix them with (which, however, is much different from the their other Grapes, Vi Vi Vv Vi which gives the great Colour Colour as well as 2 Roughnefs to their Wines, and is agreeable enough to the Englifh Tafte. Having thus acquainted you with what I making know and can learn in relation to the Wines and managing of Vineyards, and the they produce, it remains for me to add an where they might be delicious, and where they are but too common, becaufe they have never ftudied to give them that Finenefs. In order to have the Wine excellent, the Vines ought to be well expofed to the Sun, efpecially to the Souths and alfo on the De- cline, or in the manner of alittle Hill, rather than ona Plain. Vines fhould be well chofen, of and fhould be fuch as generally. produce none Storms, and Frofts, attends the Cultivation but {mall black Grapes: The Bottom of the Vines in Chianti, and the Parts contiguous 5 Soil fhould be good; a little ftony, and not, for in the Plains there is no fuch Thing ; naturally moift. The Grain of the Soil of and that is a very fmall kind ofa blackith, Champaign is very fine, and has a fingular or very dark-green Caterpillar, which in the Quality, that is not found in the other ‘“ProMonth of May attacks the young Shoots of Evil, that befides the ordinary ones of Hails, o, the Vines, when the Grapes are in Embry vinces, As thefe Kinds of Lands are light, there is Occafion to dung them from time to time, and to lay on new Earth: But the Dunging make a little Ring of Birdlime round the ought to be very fparingly dones too much Foot of each Vine, about eight Inches above of it will render the-Wine foft and infipid, the Ground, which none of thefe noxious and apt to'be ropy. “It-ought to be comInfects (which, I prefume, proceed from the and deftroys them 5 for which, however, they have a moft certain Remedy, which is, to Farth, and are not brought in the Air, as fome of the like are thought to be, though monly Cow-dung,. becaufe that is not fo hot moft effeétually provided that the Horfe-dung be {fo rotten, as Horfe-dung:: In ftrong Lands it may be thefe come generally with an eafterly, dry Wind) being able to pais, mingled with Horfe-dung and Sheeps-dung, does the Bufinefs; and as they in that Region that it may be reduced to.a Powder, and t providing againft them is become habitual to the Cultivators. dung, otherwife it would burn the Vines. Let it be laid ina Trench or Pit, and mix one Layer of Dung, and. another of new Earth, Khe Manner of making Wine it Champaign, and how it may be propagated in other Provinces, to bring it to Perfection. and let it lie and rot’ during a whole Winter 3 and towards the Month of February take from thence half a Basket for every Vine, efpecially for each new Plant, to help them to pufh forth. It is fufficient for a Vineyard to be dunged once in eight or ten Years, or an eighth or a tenth Part every Year. After the Dung has been carried, the Vines come almoft every Year, the Trouble offo there be but one half as muchas of the Cow- Wine is fo delicate a Liquor, and an Aliment fo proper to give Strength, andto pre- ferve Health, if us’d with Moderation, that one may very well wonder, that in moft of the Provinces of France, they make it with fo much Negligence, in all thofe Places, where ; , it might be excellent. The Champenois are exempted from this Reproach, and whether it be from a Deli- ought to be opened round about, and a littl Trench to be made round the Foot of t Vine, and to be buried! there at a proper time. Divers Perfons leave it there many Weeks before they bury it, but this is not the beft cacy of Tafte, or a Defire of making an AdWay ; for the Air, the Cold, or the Sun, vantage of their Wines, or a Facility in renbe apt to diffipate the moft fubtil Subdering them better, they have been always will but when it is neither too cold more induftrious to make them more exqul- {tance of it; hot, it may beleft open eight or ten fite, than thofe of the other Provinces of the nor too Days, to exhale its ill Savour, efpecially the Kingdom. they Dung ofSheep. It is true, itis fcarce fixty Years fince They give toa Vine four ordinary Dreffings, have ftudied to make pale Wine, whichis to their Seafons ; but it is proper to very near White ; but before, their Red Wine according of one Thing, which is'fcarcely Notice take than Neatnefs, and Care was made with more Champaign, which is, that they in obferved . Kingdom ofthe Wines any other of the of February, and or moI fhall not enter upon the ancient dern Difpute, as to the Preference between the Wines of Champaign and Burgundy; 1 cut their Vines in the Month even in January 3; inftead of which, they ought never to begin to cut themtill after the 14th Whenthey are cut before, they thall content myfelf with taking Notice ofall of February: forth fooner, and are expofed to Injury, that the People of Champaign have invented, to give the Finenefs and Agreeablenefs to their Wines ; and by the Obfervations that may be made therefrom, it will be eafy to fee that the fame may be imitated in other Provinces, fo as to come pretty, near that Lightnefs and Exquifitenefs. If thefe Effays fhall give Hopes of Succefs for the Future, the Wines of thofe Provinces might be brought to Perfection by Degrees puth and are fometimes kill’d, if any Hoart-Frofts come prefently after they have been cut. But when they ftay till after the 14th of the of Month of February, there is no Danger their being, injur’d by the Frofts. The Covetoufnels of Vignerons leads them to undertake the Cultivation of more Vines than they well can manage 5 and for this Reafon they cut their Hines in Fantary, which does an |