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Wine-tast′er.

A tube for withdrawing liquors from a jar, bottle, or cask. It has a larger opening at the lower end and a smaller one at the top. Being thrust in at the bung-hole of a wine-cask, for instance, it fills to the level of the wine outside of it. The upper end being then stopped by the finger, [2786] the tube is withdrawn and holds the liquid. A burette will answer for taking a sample from a bottle.

a in the accompanying cut shows a glass wine-taster discovered at Pompeii. The larger end was plunged into the amphora, and the small hole at the upper end stopped by the finger while the utensil was lifted out of the pot of wine.

b is the ordinary taster used by wine-merchants and others. Known as a sampling-tube or velinche. Sometimes called a thief-tube.

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