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[Page 102]

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[indecipherable] use of the sulphur match as imparting a twang difficult, if even to be got rid of.  They said too that two casks of white wine of a batch rarely are altogether alike some much better than others, some fining easily, others not, some the color varying.  I am told too they do not mind how rotten the grapes are of which white wine is made, but I shall have more about this.  There has been much rain the last ten days and almost constant dull weather.  To my great surprise they prefer such weather to bright dry weather for the grapes when nearly ripe.  Mr. Guestier said this "fat greasy" weather is just what we want.  The grapes become much larger, yield more, and we know from experience that the wine is richer & more mellow.  The fomentation in this mild some what muggy weather is much more regular and active, and always ends in the produce of much better wine.  I have seen several implements today very simple & useful.  1st in tapping a cask to draw off a sample in a glass after the hole is pierced with a common [indecipherable] they introduce a small local silver tube thus [see drawing] only I have made the end of the cask small & the tube much too large.  It is not over 6 or 7 inches long.  By being introduced into the [indecipherable] hole & two inches into the wine, the latter comes out quite clean of bits of wood & is not clouded by the dirt on the wood.  So also they use a very handily shaped little glass [Lynch?] for drawing off a glass full from the bung.  Their mode of stacking bottles also particularly struck me and a machine for filtering & mellowing brandy.  The corks, bottling, sealing, putting on sheet [indecipherable] capsules all attracted my attention.  I shall witness them again until I get familiar with their methods & shall try to see their fine wine.  The weather seems to be clearing off so that I shall be able

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