Alcohol / by C.R. Francis.

  • Francis, C. R. (Charles Richard), 1821-1901
Date:
1889
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Alcohol / by C.R. Francis. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    propertiesthe truth being that they neither nourish nor pre- serve, any more than gentian, quassia, or any other bitter. The belief is, however, deep-rooted; and, consequently, the culti- vation of the hop plant proceeds, pari passu, with the annual growth (and destruction) of the barley. The only true preserva- tive is the alcohol, which, however, itself becomes decomposed if it be exposed to the air. Wines.—The favourable reputation of fermented wines is even less merited than that of malt liquor, which does contain, as a rule, a certain amount of (saccharine) nutriment; whilst wine is, in most cases, little else than spirit and water, coloured: wilh certain adjuncts, not deserving of the importance generally attached to them by the public and even—I say it with all respect —by some medical practitioners. These adjuncts consist of various acids, of which the chief are malic, and tartaric, acid—the riper the grape the more, in some cases, of the latter,—and tannin. They exist in grape juice also, but in greater quantity; fermen- tation tending to lessen it. Some acids, not in the grape juice before fermentation, are there after it, being formed during the process. These acids are carbonic, succinic, and formic, acid. The several acids, both before and after fermentation, act upon the alcohol, and form ether (oenanthic), which has a special influence upon the nervous system,—and aldehyde, which is, simply, a part of the alcohol deprived of its water. The two together— the aldehyde and the ether—cause the much prized bouquet, or aroma, characteristic of some wines. (In some aromatic wines a a kind of essential oil is also formed.) Wines, like other alcoholic drinks, become acid if exposed to the air, and, so, lose their aroma. Continental wines are rarely met with, pure, out of their own country. Adulteration and fortification are, in many cases, commenced before they leave it. The Portuguese Government will not allow genuine port to be exported; and this wine, as obtainable in England, is probably the most adulterated of all! Not only are good and inferior wines—the latter preponderating —mixed together, but thickening, firing, and colouring with elderberry, or damson, juice, caramel, or logwood, are resorted to;—the resulting concoction being far removed from the (sup- posed) full-bodied port prescribed by the physician and prized by the bon vivant. At Bordeaux, the better clarets are mixed with those that are inferior, and fortified, for English consumption, with brandy. At Cadiz, the natural wines of Spain are dealt with in a similar way, and,' so, lose their rich ethereal flavour. Burgundy, the wine-maker’s “child of anxiety,” has to be very carefully “doctored” to bring it to the required popular stan- dard. The extent to which the manipulation (!) of wine is sometimes carried, before it reaches the consumer, may be con-
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