The cultivation of vineyards in southwestern France . pressing is then added, andeven the wine expressed at thefirst pressing, which is called set-thng of the shaft. All the puncheons are filledwith this first wine, which is thefinest, leaving a vacant space ofabout twenty-five pints. This va-cant space in each puncheon isfilled afterward with expressedwine, divided equally among allthe puncheons. As the marc is made up of thestalks of the bunches as well as ofthe skins of the berries, the wholemass being pressed together, ex- 240 VineT/ards of France pressed wine is more raw than tubwine, but
The cultivation of vineyards in southwestern France . pressing is then added, andeven the wine expressed at thefirst pressing, which is called set-thng of the shaft. All the puncheons are filledwith this first wine, which is thefinest, leaving a vacant space ofabout twenty-five pints. This va-cant space in each puncheon isfilled afterward with expressedwine, divided equally among allthe puncheons. As the marc is made up of thestalks of the bunches as well as ofthe skins of the berries, the wholemass being pressed together, ex- 240 VineT/ards of France pressed wine is more raw than tubwine, but at the same time itkeeps better. These are the two reasons whythis wine is apportioned amongall the puncheons, whereby thewine of all the puncheons of thesame vintage is made of a uniformquality. Strictly speaking, only two menare required at the press, one tostand at the front and the otherin the rear. However, it is wiserto employ three or even four fourth man may be dispensedwith except when it is necessarylo turn the press, and generally. Part IV 241 one finds sufficient help amonghis own people without having toresort to outsiders. Before placing the marc in thepress, the screw should be lubri-cated throughout its whole length,and also the bottom of the piv-oting hole. A dry, oilless whitesoap which does not soil is usedfor this lubrication. The less the screw projects,the less the danger of its beingbroken. This is the reason whyseveral stages of square woodenblocks, called by the wine-growercouettes or coussins, are in-serted between the planks and the 24-2 Vineyards of France beam. If the screw squeaks duringthe pressing, it should be lubri-cated again. The pressing shouldbe done leisurely and uniformly,and a rest should be taken fromtime to time in order to allow themarc to be thoroughly crushed. The cable, one end of whichis fastened to the pivot pole andthe other to the wheel, shouldbe wound twice around thelatter in the first stage of theoperation. During the
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Keywords: ., bo, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, booksubjectwineandwinemaking
