THE COMPOSITION OF WINE.
=Generally.=—Wine is not only composed of alcohol and water, which
are the two most prominent ingredients, but a great number of other
substances have been recognized, and others still are supposed to
exist. Some substances which are found in one wine may not exist in
another, or it may exist in a greater or less quantity. We know that
alcohol, water, and acids exist in all wines, in varying quantities;
that some are sweet, and contain sugar, and that others are dry,
thoroughly fermented, and contain none. We also know that the alcohol
in different wines may vary from 4 or 5 per cent. in piquette made
by washing the pomace with water, to 20 or 25 per cent. in the more
strongly fortified. And we know generally how a wine is modified as
to its taste and effect on the system, by such substances as water,
alcohol, sugar, and acid; but there are many substances whose effect
is but little known, and others again only known by their effects. The
science of chemistry has not yet been able to lay hold of them.
=Substances Recognized.=—The following table from Maumené indicates
the different substances contained in different wines, the letter F
indicating those produced by fermentation, the others existing in
the juice of the grape. It will be observed that the amount of acid
tartrate of potash (cream of tartar) mentioned is 5.5 grammes per litre
at most, and this is the quantity contained in a new wine, old wines
containing only one or two grammes per litre, and even less. This salt
is contained in the grapes, and is soluble in water, but insoluble in
alcohol, and, therefore, the greater part of it is precipitated as the
alcohol increases by fermentation, and is deposited with the lees. The
Report of the University of California, Department of Agriculture,
referred to in the preface, shows the amount contained in different
California wines and their lees.
Grammes.
{Water 9 volumes, 900 to 891
{Common Alcohol (Absolute or Pure), F. 1 volume, 80 to 79
{Other Alcohols (Butyric, Amylic, etc.) F.}
{Aldehydes (several?) F.}
{Ethers (Acetic, Butyric, œnanthic, etc.), }
{ contributing principally to the bouquet F.}
{Essential Oils (several) }
{Grape Sugar (Dextrose and Levulose) }
{Mannite F.}
{Mucilage, Gum, and Dextrin }
{Pectin }
{Coloring Matters (œnocyanine) }
{Fatty Matters (and Wax?) }
{Glycerin F.}
{Nitrogenous Matters (Albumin, Gliadin, etc.) }
{ Ferments }
{ }
{ {Acid Tartrate of Potash }
Neutral { { (5.5 grammes at most) }
Bodies. { { Neutral Tartrate of Lime }
{ { “ “ Ammonia }
{ { {Acid Tartrate of Alumina }
{ { { (simple, or with Potash.) }
{ {Vegetable.{Acid Tartrate of Iron (simple, }
{ { { or with Potash.) }
{ { {Racemates }
{ { {Acetates, Propionates, }
{ { { Butyrates, Lactates, etc. F.} 20-30
{ Salts.{ }
{ { {Sulphates } }
{ { {Nitrates } }
{ {Mineral. {Phosphates} With a base of }
{ { {Silicates } Potash, Soda, Lime,}
{ { {Chlorides } Magnesia, Alumina, }
{ { {Bromides } Oxide of Iron, }
{ {Iodides } Ammonia }
{ {Fluorides } }
{ }
}
{Carbonic (2.5 grammes at most) F.}
{Tartaric and Racemic (Gluco-tartaric?) }
{Malic }
{Citric }
Free {Tannic }
Acids. {Metapectic F.}
{Acetic F.}
{Lactic F.}
{Succinic F.}
{Butyric F.}—————————
{Valeric? F.}1000-1000
A few of the more important ones will be briefly noticed.
=Alcohol= is considerably lighter than water, and from the specific
gravity of any mixture of alcohol and pure water, the quantity of
spirit contained in it can readily be ascertained. (See Table IV.)
[Illustration: _Fig. 43._ French Still.]
=To Ascertain the Alcoholic Strength of Wine=, if it consisted of a
mixture of water and alcohol alone, it would only be necessary to learn
its specific gravity; but as all wines contain other substances which
affect the weight of the liquid, it becomes necessary to separate the
alcohol from the other matters by distillation; then by adding water
enough to make up the original volume of the wine assayed, we will have
simply a mixture of alcohol and water.
Small stills are sold in the market, with the necessary instruments
accompanying them, with which to perform the operation. In the
accompanying figure (43), which shows a French still, _L_ is a spirit
lamp, _B_ a glass boiler with a perforated stopper, _S_ a worm,
contained in the cooler _D_, which is kept filled with cold water,
as a condenser; _t_ is a rubber tube connecting the boiler with the
condenser, tightly fitted to the stopper of the former, and also to
the end of the worm. _E_ is a small hydrometer-jar, of glass, with a
foot, for measuring the wine to be distilled, and for catching the
distillate as it runs from the worm. It has three marks—the upper
one, _m_, indicating the height to which it is to be filled with the
wine, and also a ½ mark and a ⅓ mark. Sometimes it is provided with
a groove along one side to carry the thermometer. _A_ represents
the hydrometer, or alcoholometer, being a spindle, usually of glass,
similar in form to the saccharometer (_which see_), except that the
zero mark to which the alcoholometer sinks in distilled water, is at
the lower end of the stem, and the degrees are numbered from zero to
the upper end, each figure representing one per cent. of alcohol. _T_
is a thermometer, in its place in the jar with the hydrometer; _t′_ is
a small glass pipette to assist in filling the jar just to the mark.
To make use of the instruments, measure in the jar, _E_, the wine to
be distilled, by filling it up exactly to the upper mark, _m_, using
the pipette, _t′_, by which a little of the liquid can be sucked up,
and let out, drop by drop, by increasing and diminishing the pressure
of the finger applied to the upper opening. The wine so measured is
poured into the boiler, _B_, draining out the last drop, or the little
remaining may be rinsed out with a little water, which is poured into
the boiler with the wine without affecting the result. The boiler is
then placed over the lamp and connected with the condenser by means of
the rubber tube, and the condenser filled with cold water. Light the
lamp, and place the now empty jar under the lower end of the worm. The
vapor of the alcohol first passing from the boiler through the rubber
tube into the condenser, will there condense, and the liquid running
from the worm into the test tube will be almost pure alcohol, but as
the process goes on, more and more water comes out with the alcohol,
till the spirit has all passed over. If the strength of the wine
does not exceed 14 or 15 per cent., the alcohol will all have passed
over when one-third of the wine has been distilled, as will be shown
when the distillate reaches the ⅓ mark on the glass. If the strength
exceeds the above limit, one-half of the wine should be distilled. If,
therefore, on testing the wine, it is found to contain 16 per cent.
or more of spirit, and only one-third was distilled, another quantity
should be distilled, and about one-half allowed to pass over. It is
always safer, unless the wine is very weak, to distil over a little
more than a third. If you are operating on a wine which foams to such
an extent that a portion may pass through the tube into the condenser,
which would spoil the effect of the operation, this may be prevented
by putting into the boiler with the wine a pinch of tannic acid. In
operating on a wine which contains an appreciable amount of acetic
acid—is pricked—the acid ought to be neutralized before distillation,
as it is volatile, and will go over with the alcohol and effect the
result. This is easily done by adding to the wine caustic soda in
drops, till it completely changes color, red wine becoming blue, and
white wine, brown. These precautions, however, are generally omitted in
analyses for commercial purposes.
When the distillation is complete, add to the distillate sufficient
pure water (distilled water if possible), to make up the exact volume
of wine measured. To do this, take the jar containing the distillate
and hold it perpendicular, with the upper mark on a level with the eye,
and carefully let in the water, drop by drop, by means of the pipette.
The surface of the liquid will be seen to curve upward, owing to the
attraction of the glass, and the tube should be filled till the bottom
of the curve touches the mark; and the same precaution should be taken
in measuring the wine in the first place.
Now we have a mixture corresponding in volume with the wine, and
containing all the alcohol originally contained in the wine, and a
certain amount of water, and nothing else.
As the density of the liquid also depends upon the temperature, it
becomes necessary to have a fixed standard at which the test is made,
and this is 60° F. in this country, and I believe in all countries
except France, where it is 15° C., or 59° F. As the temperature affects
the volume, it is better to adjust it by cooling the distillate before
adding the last few drops of water, which may be done by dipping the
jar into cold water, or if it is too cold, by warming it with the hand.
The hydrometer used will be adjusted to a temperature of 60° F., or 15°
C., which is generally shown by directions accompanying the still, or
will be marked on the instrument. Let the hydrometer be perfectly clean
and dry, no moisture on the stem. Take the tip of the stem between
the thumb and forefinger and lower it into the distillate till it
floats, press it down with the finger very slightly, and let it come to
equilibrium. Place the eye on a level with the surface of the liquid,
and see where it cuts the stem, and the mark shows the percentage of
alcohol contained in the wine. Remember that the mark to be taken is
the one corresponding with the general surface of the liquid, not the
top of the meniscus, or curve. With care, a result can be obtained
sufficiently accurate for all commercial purposes.
[Illustration: _Fig. 44._ Monitor Still.]
A table is usually sold with these stills, showing the corrections
for different temperatures, so that by its use the reduction of the
temperature to the standard may be avoided.
Fig. 44 represents a still made in New York, called the Monitor Still.
=Ethers= are formed by alcohol in presence of the different acids
contained in the wine, and they take names corresponding to the acids,
occurring as compound ethers, the most common one being acetic ether.
They have a powerful and characteristic odor, known as the etherous
odor, which is somewhat disagreeable in the pure ether, but becomes
agreeable and resembles the aroma of fruit and flowers when greatly
diluted.
Among the important ethers contained in wine is _Oenanthic ether_,
which is said to give to wine its characteristic vinous smell, which
distinguishes it from any other fermented liquor.
=Sugar= is contained in many wines, especially sweet wines, and
exercises an important influence upon the flavor.
=To Estimate Sugar.=—The quantity of sugar contained in a sweet wine
may be estimated with sufficient accuracy, for commercial purposes,
in the following manner. A certain quantity of wine is measured in
the jar, and distilled in the same manner as in the estimation of
alcohol (_which see_), or the wine may be placed in a shallow dish on
a stove or over a lamp, and boiled slowly till the volume is reduced
one-half, when the alcohol will be all evaporated; then the original
volume should be restored by adding water. After it has rested for
a day or so, the greater part of the salts will crystallize and be
deposited, when the sugar strength can be ascertained by the use of the
saccharometer, in the usual way (_see page 8_). One degree, however,
should be deducted from the hydrometer reading.
=Mannite=, or the essential principle of _manna_, is produced in wine
when sugar undergoes _viscous fermentation_. Its flavor is similar to
that of sugar, and its composition is but little different from that of
the same substance.
=Mucilage.=—The grand red wines of the Médoc, and of some other
portions of the Gironde, and also the grand wines of Burgundy, says
Boireau, preserve in aging a pronounced fruity taste, an unctuosity, a
velvety mellowness, which, joined with their flavor and bouquet, make
these wines in good years the delight of the _gourmets_. This velvety
mellowness is found only in those seasons when the grapes ripen well.
In poor years, when the grapes do not become completely ripe, the
wines may have at times more or less distinctive flavor (_séve_), and
sometimes even a little bouquet, but they are dry, and the mellowness
is wanting.
Many ordinary wines possess while young, if they have been well made,
and are produced in favorable years, a marked fruity flavor; but in the
greater part of the wines of this kind, this mellowness does not last,
and disappears gradually with age, while in the grand wines of good
years, the unctuosity is more appreciable after the defecation of their
lees than while they are new.
The substance which in a measure produces this quality is called
_mucilage_ by Maumené and some others. Others, again, have given
it different names. Maumené says that it seems to be a sort of
intermediary substance between _cellulose_ and _dextrin_, and that its
nature is not yet known, but that it is a near neighbor of sugar.
Mr. Boireau believes that the mellowness is produced by a modification
of grape sugar, because, when not properly cared for, mellow wines
undergo an insensible fermentation, especially if they are in their
first and second years, and still contain ferments. Very often at the
end of these secondary fermentations, the unctuosity has disappeared,
and the wines have become dry. It seems, accordingly, that the
substance is capable of undergoing the same transformations as sugar
under the influence of ferments and heat.
=Pectose= is found in green grapes and other fruits, and by the acids
is changed into _pectin_, which is the gelatinizing principle, is
soluble in water, and may have some effect on the mellowness of wine.
Alcohol precipitates it in the form of jelly.
=Fatty Matters= have been found in wine lees, which may be extracted
from the seeds by long contact during fermentation, for it is known
that the seeds yield such matters.
=Glycerin= is mentioned among fatty matters, but it is known to be
produced by the fermentation of sugar, and is supposed to have its
influence on the flavor of wine.
=The Coloring Matter= of red wine has received the name of
_œnocyanine_. In its pure state it is blue, but is changed to red by
acids. The yellow and brown color of some white wines is due to the
oxidation of some of the matters contained in them. The change of
color in red wines is also due to the oxidation of the tannic acid,
thereby forming an insoluble compound, tannomelanic acid, which is
precipitated, carrying down the œnocyanine, and the wine gradually
becomes tawny.
=Aldehydes= are produced first in the transformation of alcohol into
an acid by oxidation, acetaldehyde occurring between alcohol and
acetic acid, as mentioned in Acetic Fermentation. When a weak wine is
exposed to the air it is gradually converted into vinegar, or acetic
acid. If free access of air is permitted, it may be converted at once
into acetic acid, but if the access of the air is very limited, or if
the wine is rich and strong, oxidation stops at the first stage, and
aldehyde is formed. It is a colorless liquid of a very suffocating
smell, having an etherous odor, and is supposed to have an important
influence on the flavor and bouquet of various wines. The strong wines
of southern countries which are kept in casks in ullage, exposed to the
action of the oxygen of the air, develop a certain amount of aldehyde
in time, and it is supposed that sherry owes some of its qualities to
this substance.
=Acids.=—We can only allude briefly to the acids which have been
recognized in wines. The principal one is _tartaric acid_, found in
considerable quantities in grapes, and is contained in the argols, or
crude cream of tartar, _bitartrate of potash_, which is deposited on
the inner walls of the casks in which the wine is kept. This substance
principally gives the acid taste to wine.
=Malic Acid=, or the acid of apples, is found; and of _citric acid_, or
the acid of lemons, traces have been recognized; also _pectic acid_,
derived from the pectose.
=Tannic Acid= is a very important ingredient in wine, and is frequently
mentioned in this work. (See _Fining, Tannin_.)
=Carbonic Acid.=—It has been shown in the chapter on Fermentation
that carbon dioxide is the gas produced by fermentation. This gas,
CO₂, was known to the old chemists as carbonic acid, or carbonic acid
gas, and the latter terms are frequently used in this work in the
sense of carbon dioxide, in accordance with common usage. But modern
chemistry teaches us that carbon dioxide, CO₂, is not an acid at all,
but in connection with water it takes up a molecule of the latter,
and becomes H₂CO₃, carbonic acid proper. The gas, however, as well
as the acid, exists in all wines, and to the former, sparkling wines
owe their effervescence. Its presence is important, exercising a
preservative effect by preventing their oxidation, and also by keeping
in dissolution substances which would otherwise cloud the wine. When
the wine is first fermented it is saturated with carbon dioxide,
and while it remains so, oxygen will not be absorbed, and hence its
preservative effect. Mr. Maumené even recommends resort to artificial
means to restore it, or to re-saturate the wine in case of its loss.
If, however, the precautions heretofore indicated for keeping table
wines are observed, the wine will be well preserved.
=Acetic Acid= is the result of oxidation, or _acetic fermentation_
(_which see_), and _lactic acid_ is derived from _lactic fermentation_,
but is regarded as accidental in wine, probably not existing in the
must, though it is found in some wines made from grapes which have been
bruised and broken a long time before using.
=Butyric Acid= is the product of _butyric fermentation_.
=Valeric Acid= is supposed to exist in wine from the distinctive odor
which is smelt in it under certain conditions.
=Succinic Acid= has been referred to as one of the products of
alcoholic fermentation.
=The Total Acids= in wine vary a good deal, but four or five per mille
is a fair average.
Space will not permit of more details on the various substances
contained in wine, but those who desire further information are
referred to the work of Maumené in French, and that of Thudichum and
Dupré in English.
=The Bouquet= proper of wines is a perfume containing different odors,
like that of a bouquet of flowers. It is very complex also in its
origin, and the matters contained in the wine which give rise to it are
but little known. It is variable, being different in different wines,
and all the odorous matters doubtless contribute to its existence,
such as œnanthic, and other ethers, the different alcohols, aldehydes,
and perhaps even certain essential oils. The varieties of grapes, the
season, and the soil, also have their effect, as well as the method of
vinification. It is believed, however, that the bouquet is principally
due to the ethers.
=Artificial Bouquet.=—In this connection, the experiments of Mr.
Maumené will be found interesting. He prepared one litre of a liquid
similar to wine, but without a sensible odor, by adding distilled water
to the distillate from a red wine of Bordeaux.
One drop of _aldehyde_ produced no appreciable odor.
Six drops of _acetic ether_ produced no sensible effect.
Nor did _crystallized acetic acid_ change the result.
He then added 5 grs. 5 of _cream of tartar_, 0 gr. 18 of _succinic
acid_, and 20 grs. of _glycerin_, without producing any odor in the
liquid.
On adding certain ethers a remarkable change was produced.
By adding two small drops of _œnanthic ether_ (obtained by distilling
fresh wine lees), the liquid instantly gave an odor of wine.
Then he added, drop by drop, one cubic centimetre (1000th part by
measure) of essence of pears, that is, the following mixture:
1 volume of valero-amylic ether.
6 volumes of alcohol of 36 per cent.
The first drops developed a bouquet which belongs to certain wines;
but by adding the whole amount mentioned, a pear odor was developed,
by which the liquid could be easily distinguished from wine. So he
prepared another litre of the liquid containing the same substances,
and added only two or three drops of essence of pears. He then added
two drops of ordinary butyric ether, and the bouquet resembled in a
remarkable degree that of a good Bouzy wine, and several persons took
it for a decolored wine. By varying the experiment, the bouquet of
wines can be imitated in a remarkable manner.
For those who are curious in such matters, I translate the following
from Boireau:
Artificial bouquets are produced by aromatic substances, or essential
oils, whose aroma is extracted or dissolved out by the help of alcohol.
The aromatic principle may be extracted either by a simple alcoholic
tincture, by digestion or distillation, by dissolving the oils
themselves, etc., and the process varies with the substance used.
The aromatic substances most frequently employed to produce artificial
bouquets in non-fortified wines, commencing with those which form
the base and whose aromas are more dominant, are: iris, strawberry,
gillyflower, the flower of the vine, mignonette, nutmeg, bitter almond,
fruit pits, sassafras, etc. The latter are rarely employed alone,
and play a secondary part by mixing with the two first, iris and
strawberry, whose aromas are quite distinctive.
=Iris.=—There are two varieties of this. The roots only are employed;
they are white, of an average diameter of 0 m. 02 (¾ in.), and of a
very irregular form. They are sold in pieces about 0 m. 05 (2 in.)
long, with the rootlets removed. They are largely employed in perfumery.
The root of the so-called Florence iris, which grows in Italy and the
south of France, has a pronounced violet odor. Another variety, which
grows in the north of France and in Germany, is sold under the name of
German iris. An experienced person can distinguish the two.
The perfume of the iris is with difficulty and incompletely extracted
by distillation; it is obtained by infusing the roots in alcohol, after
first reducing them to a powder by means of a grater. The operation
is long, but indispensable. The powder occurs in commerce, but in
that form the roots lose their aroma, and it is moreover liable to be
adulterated.
The tincture is prepared in the following proportions: old spirit
of wine of 85 per cent., 10 litres (2½ gallons); Florence iris, 1
kilogramme (2⅕ lb.), reduced to powder.
Bung or cork the vessel containing it, stir it about for a few minutes,
and then put it in a place of at least 68° F., but which does not go
beyond 95°. Shake it occasionally during two weeks, and then press and
filter it.
The tincture has a pronounced violet odor, and a harsh, bitter
after-taste.
It may be employed alone, in a very small dose, rarely exceeding 5
centilitres per hectolitre (13½ fluidrams to 26½ gallons). Oftener,
however, a few drops of the essential oil of gillyflower, etc., are
mixed with it.
=Strawberry.=—The preparation of an alcoholic infusion of strawberries
is very simple. Take fully ripe berries, pick them over and hull them,
and put them in a keg with a large bung. Ten kilogrammes of fruit to
12 litres of old spirits of wine of 85 per cent. (22 lbs. to 3⅛ gals.)
are used. After macerating for twenty-four hours, the liquor is drawn
off and filtered. It is a rose-colored liquor of a very pleasant aroma.
Then the fruit is crushed, and brandy of 50 per cent. is added, and
the whole is allowed to macerate for a month, and then the marc is
pressed. The second tincture has an odor and flavor inferior to the
first, and has more color. It is filtered, or what is better, distilled
in a water bath. In the latter way spirit of strawberry is obtained.
It is preferable to employ the liquor of the first infusion. This
aroma is generally used alone, and is much employed in the manufacture
of sparkling wines. Sometimes a small quantity of other aromatic
substances are added, allowing the strawberry to predominate. It is the
best modifier of the aroma of young wines.
The dose varies according to the degree of the aroma, from 2 to 10
centilitres per hectolitre (⅛ to ⅚ of a gill, or 5.4 to 27 fluidrams to
26.4 gals.)
=Gillyflower, or Stockgilly.=—The essential oil of this flower may be
extracted by pressure, by maceration, or by distillation, and is found
in commerce. To make the bouquet, the oil is used, or the concentrated
essence, which is produced by the distillation of the bruised flowers
with alcohol of 85 per cent., in the proportion of 300 grammes of
the flowers to 5 litres of alcohol (10½ oz. to 5¼ quarts). In the
absence of an alembic, the aroma may be extracted by infusion, as in
the case of iris, by macerating 100 grammes of the bruised flowers
to 1 litre of alcohol of 85 per cent. (3½ oz. to a quart) for eight
days, and filtering. Gillyflower is rarely used alone; but by adding
a very small quantity of it to iris, a good effect is produced, and
the perfume becomes more intimately mixed with the wine, for the oil
of gillyflower is heavier than water; but this aroma should never
predominate, and is best for old wines without bouquet.
=Vine Flowers= are gathered and the petals infused in alcohol of 85
per cent., in the proportion of 100 grammes of flowers to 5 litres of
alcohol (3½ oz. to 5¼ quarts). After macerating for eight days, it is
distilled in a water bath. This aroma, which is very volatile, is used
in the dose of 5 centilitres to a hectolitre (13.5 fluidrams to 26.4
gals.)
=Mignonette.=—The perfume of the mignonette, like that of many
other flowers, is obtained by picking the flowers from their stems,
bruising them, and placing them upon layers of cotton or pieces of
linen impregnated with fresh oil, or other sweet fats; oil of ben is
preferred. The flowers are renewed every four hours, till the cotton
or the cloth is charged with perfume. The oil or fat is removed by
pressure or otherwise, and the essential oil is dissolved out with
alcohol of 85 per cent., which is afterwards separated from the fixed
oil, and filtered. The extract of mignonette so obtained is employed
in the proportion of 1 to 5 centilitres to a hectolitre (2.7 to 13.5
fluidrams to 26.4 gals.) but oftener it is mixed with other perfumes.
=Nutmeg= is employed in the form of spirit distilled from the nuts over
the fire, 500 grammes of nuts to 10 litres of alcohol (1 lb. to 10½
quarts), or in the form of a tincture made with the same proportions
of nuts and alcohol, or a small quantity of the essential oil is mixed
with other aromatic substances. This preparation, particularly the
tincture or the distilled spirit, has a good effect. Being heavier than
water, it assists the mixture.
=Bitter Almonds and Fruit Pits.=—Their oil is found in commerce, and
its aroma is due to the hydrocyanic (prussic) acid contained in it,
which is poisonous, and therefore the oil should be employed in the
smallest doses.
=Sassafras.=—The essential oil is extracted from the wood and bark by
distillation, and can be purchased in the market. It is heavier than
wine, and fixes the lighter perfumes. It is used only secondarily, and
in very small quantities.
=Other Aromas= have been tried, but they can only be used as auxiliary
to the three first named, iris, gillyflower, and strawberry, because
their odors differ essentially from the natural bouquet of mellow wines.
=Effects.=—These preparations give wines a bouquet or aroma which
partakes of the substances employed, but they do not give the
distinctive flavor (_séve_) which characterizes fine wines, and the
result only flatters the sense of smell. These perfumes are very
volatile, and it does not require a very delicate or a much experienced
palate to distinguish them from the natural bouquet of wine, and
persons of delicate sensibilities are disturbed by them, if too
pronounced.
When a wine has been artificially perfumed, it still preserves its
taste and earthy flavor; it has simply changed its odor. Taste it
without smelling, and its distinctive flavor will be recognized. Mr.
Boireau says that, notwithstanding the contrary announcements of
interested manufacturers, they are not preserved like the natural
bouquets and flavors, but, little by little, they become enfeebled, and
are volatilized with time.
He says that the trade is inundated with the announcements of pretended
œnologists, chemists, etc., manufacturers of bouquets decorated with
such pompous names as Médoc Flavoring (_Séve du Médoc_), Bouquet of
Bordeaux, of Pomard, Bordeaux Extract, etc., and all these humbugs are
advertised as giving the most ordinary wines the true Médoc flavor,
etc., which, happily for the producers of Médoc, cannot be done.
It is better, as stated in the chapter on _Cutting Wines_, to improve
wines by mixing them with those having expansible flavors and odors,
rather than use these artificial bouquets.