attained its maturity, or the season having been rainy, the must should be brought to the degree of consistence which it possesses in seasous when it is perfectly ripe. In either of these cases, a strong bodied wine may be obtained, which will ameliorate with age, providing the fermentation is properly conducted.
By varying the proportion of sugar, the strength of the wine may be varied; and, though this process will not give that rich perfume which constitutes the chief excellence of some wives, it will not destroy what the imperfect maturity of the fruit may have developed.
Though the sugar of the cane, as being most in use, is usually employed, in some cases it may be economical to extract the sugar of the grape itself, in years of perfect maturity, to apply in less favourable seasons.
There are countries, where, to absorb the excess of humidity, quick-lime is mixed with the must, and the custom of drying the grapes before treading them, has the same end in view.
Another principle, contained by the juice of the ripe grape, is tartaric acid, which may be detected by the simple evaporation of that fluid; but ver-juice, or the juice of unripe grapes, furnishes it in still greater quantity. It appears, from the experiments of the Marquis
