confusing wine making terms

[cobnuts]

I've got a Mrs Beeton ginger wine recipe, the final instructions of which are-

"Stir the wine every day for 14 days. Add the brandy. Stop the vessel down by degrees and in a few weeks it will be ready to bottle."

but what does 'stop the vessel down by degrees' mean?

[The Riff-Raff Element]

Little by little.

Presumably to make sure that as the fermantation slows, gradually closing the stopper will ensure there is a constant flow of gas out of the container to keep and nasties from drifting in. A bit like the logic for keeping biohazard labs at a slightly reduced pressure relative to the outside so that air rushes in when the door is opened rather than bugs rushing out.

[MKG]

Apart from which, I'd look around the net for a few more modern recipes. Certainly not one from the Blessed Beeton, who actually didn't know the inside of a kitchen from her backside.