,transcriber's ,note3 ,this text file comes in several versions4 ,the unicode_/utf-#h version 7file name ending in -#j7 is best and should be used if your text reader or browser can handle it4 ,the latin-#a version 7file name ending in #h7 is similar but not as precise4 ,the ,,ascii-#g version 7file name without extra numeral7 should be used only as a last resort4 ,errors are listed at the end of the text4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,disgorging1 ,,liqueuring1 ,,corking1 ,,stringing1 ,,and ,,wiring ,,of ,,champagne 7,frontispiece7 ,,facts ,,about ,,champagne and ,,other ,,sparkling ,,wines1 ,collected ,during ,numerous ,visits to the ,champagne and ,other ,viticultural ,districts of ,france1 and the ,principal ,remaining ,wine-,producing ,countries of ,europe4 by ,,henry ,,vizetelly1 ,chevalier of the ,order of ,franz ,josef4 ,wine ,juror for ,great ,britain at the ,vienna and ,paris ,exhibitions of #ahgc and #ahgh4 ,author of ,the ,wines of the ,world ,characterized and ,classed1 c4 ,,with ,,one ,,hundred ,,and ,,twelve ,,illustrations1 ,drawn by ,jules ,pelcoq1 ,w4 ,prater1 ,bertall1 etc41 ,from ,original ,sketches4 ,london3 ,ward1 ,lock1 and ,co41 ,salisbury ,square4 #ahgi4 ,this little book scarcely needs a preface1 as it speaks sufficiently for itself4 ,it is for the most part the result of studies on the spot of everything of interest connected with the various sparkling wines which it professes to describe4 ,neither pains nor expense have been spared to render it both accurate and complete1 and the large number of authentic engravings with which it is illustrated will conduce1 it is hoped1 to its value4 ,uniform with the present work and the ,author's ,facts ,about ,sherry1 ,,facts ,,about ,,port ,,and ,,madeira1 ,including ,chapters on the ,wines ,vintaged ,around ,lisbon and the ,wines of ,teneriffe4 ,illustrated with #hj ,engravings from ,original ,sketches4 ,,contents4 ,,page4 ,i4--,,the ,,origin ,,of ,,champagne4 ,the ,early ,vineyards of the ,champagne-- ,their ,produce esteemed by ,popes and ,kings1 ,courtiers and ,prelates-- ,controversy regarding the rival ,merits of the ,wines of ,burgundy and the ,champagne-- ,dom ,perignon's happy ,discovery of ,sparkling ,wine-- ,its ,patrons under ,louis ,quatorze and the ,regency-- ,the ,ancient ,church and ,abbey of ,hautvillers-- ,farre and ,co4's ,champagne ,cellars-- ,the ,abbey of ,st4 ,peter now a ,farm-- ,existing ,remains of the ,monastic ,buildings-- ,the ,tombs and ,decorations of the ,ancient ,church-- ,the ,last ,resting-,place of ,dom ,perignon-- ,the ,legend of the ,holy ,dove-- ,good ,champagne the ,result of ,labour1 ,skill1 ,minute ,precaution1 and ,careful ,observation #i ,,ii4--,,the ,,vintage ,,in ,,the ,,champagne4 ,,the ,,vineyards ,,of ,,the ,,river4 ,ay1 the ,vineyard of ,golden ,plants-- ,summoning the ,vintagers by ,beat of ,drum-- ,excitement in the ,surrounding ,villages-- ,the ,pickers at ,work-- ,sorting the ,grapes-- ,grapes ,gathered at ,sunrise the ,best-- ,varieties of ,vines in the ,ay ,vineyards-- ,few of the ,growers in the ,champagne ,crush their own ,grapes-- ,squeezing the ,grapes in the ,pressoir and ,drawing off the ,must-- ,cheerful ,glasses ,round-- ,the ,vintage at ,mareuil-- ,bringing in the ,grapes on ,mules and ,donkeys-- ,the ,vineyards of ,avenay1 ,mutigny1 and ,cumires-- ,damery and ,adrienne ,lecouvreur1 ,marchal de ,saxe1 and the obese ,anna ,iwanowna-- ,the ,vineyards of the ,cte d',epernay-- ,boursault and its ,chteau-- ,pierry and its ,vineyard ,cellars-- ,the ,clos ,st4 ,pierre-- ,moussy and ,vinay-- ,a ,hermit's ,cave and a ,miraculous ,fountain-- ,ablois ,st4 ,martin-- ,the ,cte d',avize-- ,the ,grand ,premier ,cr of ,cramant-- ,avize and its ,wines-- ,the ,vineyards of ,oger and ,le ,mesnil-- ,the ,old ,town of ,vertus and its ,vine-clad ,slopes-- ,their ,red ,wine formerly celebrated #bj ,,iii4--,,the ,,vineyards ,,of ,,the ,,mountain4 ,the ,wine of ,sillery-- ,origin of its ,renown-- ,the ,marchale d',estres a successful ,marchande de ,vin-- ,from ,reims to ,sillery-- ,failure of the ,jacquesson ,vineyards-- ,chteau of ,sillery-- ,wine ,making at ,m4 ,fortel's-- ,sillery sec-- ,the ,vintage and ,vendangeoirs at ,verzenay-- ,the ,verzy ,vineyards-- ,edward ,,iii4 at the ,abbey of ,st4 ,basle-- ,from ,reims to ,bouzy-- ,the ,herring ,procession at ,st4 ,remi-- ,rilly1 ,chigny1 and ,ludes-- ,the ,knights ,templars' ,pot of ,wine-- ,mailly and the ,view over the ,plains of the ,champagne-- ,wine ,making at ,mailly-- ,the ,village in the ,wood-- ,village and ,chteau of ,louvois-- ,louis-le-,grand's ,war ,minister-- ,bouzy1 its ,vineyards and ,church ,steeple1 and the ,lottery of the ,great ,gold ,ingot-- ,,mm4 ,werl's and ,mot and ,chandon's ,vendangeoirs-- ,pressing the ,grapes-- ,still ,red ,bouzy-- ,ambonnay-- ,a ,peasant ,proprietor-- ,the ,vineyards of ,ville-,dommange and ,sacy1 ,hermonville1 and ,st4 ,thierry-- ,the ,still ,red ,wine of the latter #cb ,,iv4--,,the ,,vines ,,of ,,the ,,champagne ,,and ,,the ,,system ,,of ,,cultivation4 ,the ,vines chiefly of the ,pineau ,variety-- ,the ,plant dor of ,ay1 the ,plant vert dor1 the ,plant gris1 and the ,epinette-- ,the ,soil of the ,vineyards-- ,close ,mode of ,plantation-- ,the ,operation of ,provinage-- ,the ,stems of the ,vines never more than ,three ,years ,old-- ,fixing the ,stakes to the ,vines-- ,manuring and ,general ,cultivation-- ,spring ,frosts in the ,champagne-- ,various ,modes of ,protecting the ,vines against them-- ,dr4 ,guyot's ,system-- ,the ,parasites that ,prey upon the ,vines #db ,v4--,,preparation ,,of ,,champagne4 ,treatment of ,champagne after it comes from the ,wine-,press-- ,racking and ,blending of the ,wine-- ,deficiency and ,excess of ,effervescence-- ,strength and ,form of ,champagne ,bottles-- ,the ,tirage or ,bottling of the ,wine-- ,the ,process of ,gas-making commences-- ,inevitable ,breakage follows-- ,wine ,stacked in ,piles-- ,formation of ,sediment-- ,bottles placed sur pointe and ,daily ,shaken-- ,effect of this occupation on those incessantly engaged in it-- ,claws and ,masks-- ,champagne ,cellars-- ,their ,construction and ,aspect-- ,transforming the vin brut into ,champagne-- ,disgorging and ,liqueuring the ,wine-- ,the ,corking1 ,stringing1 ,wiring1 and ,amalgamating-- ,the ,wine's ,agitated ,existence comes to an ,end-- ,the ,bottles have their ,toilettes made-- ,champagne sets out on its beneficial ,pilgrimage #dh ,,vi4--,,the ,,reims ,,champagne ,,establishments4 ,messrs4 ,werl and ,co41 successors to the ,veuve ,clicquot-,ponsardin-- ,their ,offices and ,cellars on the site of a ,former ,commanderie of the ,templars-- ,origin of the ,celebrity of ,madame ,clicquot's ,wines-- ,m4 ,werl and his ,son-- ,the ,forty-five ,cellars of the ,clicquot-,werl ,establishment-- ,our ,tour of ,inspection-- ,ingenious ,liqueuring ,machine-- ,an ,explosion and its ,consequences-- ,m4 ,werl's ,gallery of ,paintings-- ,madame ,clicquot's ,renaissance ,house and its ,picturesque ,bas-reliefs-- ,the ,werl ,vineyards and ,vendangeoirs-- ,m4 ,louis ,roederer's ,establishment-- ,heidsieck and ,co4 and their ,famous ,monopole ,brand-- ,the ,firm ,founded in the ,last ,century-- ,their various ,establishments ,inside and ,outside ,reims-- ,the ,matured ,wines ,shipped by them #fc ,,vii4--,,the ,,reims ,,establishments 7continued74 ,the ,firm of ,g4 ,h4 ,mumm and ,co4-- ,their ,large ,shipments to the ,united ,states-- ,their ,establishments in the ,rue ,andrieux and the ,rue ,coquebert-- ,bottle-,washing with ,glass ,beads-- ,the ,cuve and the ,tirage-- ,g4 ,h4 ,mumm and ,co4's ,vendangeoirs at ,verzenay-- ,their ,various ,wines-- ,the ,gate of ,mars-- ,the ,establishment of ,m4 ,gustave ,gibert on the ,site of the ,chteau des ,archevques-- ,his ,cellars in the ,vaults of ,st4 ,peter's ,abbey and beneath the old ,htel des ,fermes in the ,place ,royale-- ,louis ,,xv4 and ,jean ,baptiste ,colbert-- ,m4 ,gibert's ,wines-- ,jules ,mumm and ,co41 and ,ruinart pre et fils-- ,house of the ,musicians-- ,the ,counts de la ,marck-- ,the ,brotherhood of ,minstrels of ,reims-- ,establishment of ,prinet et fils-- ,their ,cellars of ,three ,stories in ,solid ,masonry-- ,their ,soft1 ,light1 and ,delicate ,wines-- ,a ,rare ,still ,verzenay-- ,m4 ,duchtel-,ohaus's ,establishment and ,renaissance ,house-- ,his ,cellars in the ,cour ,st4 ,jacques and ,outside the ,porte ,dieu-,lumire #gd ,,viii4--,,the ,,reims ,,establishments 7continued74 ,m4 ,ernest ,irroy's ,cellars1 ,vineyards1 and ,vendangeoirs-- ,recognition by the ,reims ,agricultural ,association of his ,plantations of ,vines-- ,his ,wines and their ,popularity at the best ,london ,clubs-- ,messrs4 ,binet fils and ,co4's ,establishment-- ,wines ,sold by the ,firm to ,shippers-- ,their ,cellars-- ,samples of ,fine ,still ,ay and ,bouzy-- ,their ,still ,sillery1 ,vintage #aheg1 and their ,creaming ,vin ,brut1 ,vintage #ahfe-- ,the ,offices and ,cellars of ,messrs4 ,charles ,farre and ,co4-- ,testing the ,wine before ,bottling-- ,a ,promenade between ,bottles in ,piles and ,racks-- ,repute in which these ,wines are held in ,england and on the ,continent-- ,the ,new ,establishment of ,fisse1 ,thirion1 and ,co4 in the ,place de ,betheny-- ,its ,construction exclusively in ,stone1 ,brick1 and ,iron-- ,the ,vast ,celliers of ,two ,stories-- ,bottling the ,wine by the ,aid of ,machinery-- ,the ,cool and ,lofty ,cellars-- ,ingenious ,method of ,securing the ,corks1 rendering the ,uncorking exceedingly simple-- ,the ,wines ,shipped by the ,firm #hf ,,ix4--,,the ,,reims ,,establishments 7concluded74 ,la ,prison de ,bonne ,semaine-- ,mary ,queen of ,scots at ,reims-- ,messrs4 ,pommery and ,greno's ,offices-- ,a ,fine ,collection of ,faence-- ,the ,rue des ,anglais a former ,refuge of ,english ,catholics-- ,remains of the ,old ,university of ,reims-- ,ancient ,roman ,tower and ,curious ,grotto-- ,the handsome ,castellated ,pommery ,establishment-- ,the ,spacious ,cellier and ,huge ,carved ,cuve ,tun-- ,the ,descent to the ,cellars-- ,their ,great ,extent-- ,these ,lofty ,subterranean ,chambers ,originally ,quarries-- ,ancient ,places of ,refuge of the ,early ,christians and the ,protestants-- ,madame ,pommery's ,splendid ,cuve of #ahfh-- ,messrs4 de ,st4 ,marceaux and ,co4's ,new ,establishment in the ,avenue de ,sillery-- ,its ,garden-,court and ,circular ,shaft-- ,animated ,scene in the ,large ,packing ,hall-- ,lowering ,bottled ,wine to the ,cellars-- ,great ,depth and ,extent of these ,cellars-- ,messrs4 de ,st4 ,marceaux and ,co4's ,various ,wines #ic ,x4--,,epernay ,,champagne ,,establishments4 ,early ,records of the ,mot ,family at ,reims and ,epernay-- ,jean ,remi ,mot ,founder of the ,commerce in ,champagne ,wines-- ,extracts from the ,old ,account-,books of the ,mots-- ,first ,sales of ,sparkling ,wines-- ,sales to ,england in #aghh-- ,milords ,farnham and ,findlater-- ,jean ,remi ,mot receives the ,emperor ,napoleon1 ,josephine1 and the ,king of ,westphalia-- ,the ,firm of ,mot and ,chandon ,constituted-- ,their ,establishment in the ,rue du ,commerce-- ,delivering and ,washing the ,new ,bottles-- ,the ,numerous ,vineyards and ,vendangeoirs of the ,firm-- ,making the ,cuve in ,vats of #ab1jjj ,gallons-- ,the ,bottling of the ,wine by #bjj ,hands-- ,a ,hundred ,thousand ,bottles ,completed ,daily-- #bj1jjj ,francs' worth of ,broken ,glass in ,two ,years-- ,a ,subterranean ,city1 with miles of ,streets1 ,cross ,roads1 ,open ,spaces1 ,tramways1 and ,stations-- ,the ,ancient ,entrance to these ,vaults-- ,tablet ,commemorative of the ,visit of ,napoleon ,i4-- ,millions of ,bottles of ,champagne in ,piles and ,racks-- ,the ,original ,vaults known as ,siberia-- ,scene in the ,packing ,hall-- ,messrs4 ,mot and ,chandon's ,large and ,complete ,staff-- ,provision for ,illness and ,old ,age-- ,annual ,fte ,given by the ,firm-- ,their ,famous ,star ,brand-- ,m4 ,perrier-,jout1 the lucky ,grandson of a little ,epernay ,grocer-- ,his ,offices and ,cellars-- ,his ,wine ,classed according to its ,deserts-- ,messrs4 ,roussillon and ,co4's ,establishment-- ,the ,recognition accorded to their ,wines-- ,their ,stock of ,old ,vintages-- ,the ,extensive ,establishment of ,messrs4 ,pol ,roger and ,co4-- ,their ,large ,stock of the ,fine #ahgd ,vintage-- ,preparations for the ,tirage-- ,their ,vast ,fireproof ,cellier and its ,admirable ,temperature-- ,their ,lofty and ,capacious ,cellars of ,two ,stories #aja ,,xi4--,,champagne ,,establishments ,,at ,,ay ,,and ,,mareuil4 ,the ,establishment of ,deutz and ,geldermann-- ,drawing off the ,cuve-- ,mode of ,excavating ,cellars in the ,champagne-- ,the ,firm's ,new ,cellars1 ,vineyards1 and ,vendangeoir-- ,the old ,chteau of ,ay and its ,terraced ,garden-- ,the ,gambling ,propensities of ,balthazar ,constance ,dang-,doray1 a former ,owner of the ,chteau-- ,the ,picturesque ,situation and ,aspect of ,messrs4 ,ayala's ,establishment-- ,a ,promenade through their ,cellars-- ,m4 ,duminy's ,cellars and ,wines-- ,his new ,model ,construction-- ,the ,house ,founded in #ahad-- ,messrs4 ,bollinger's ,establishment-- ,their ,vineyard of ,la ,grange-- ,the ,tirage in ,progress-- ,the ,fine ,cellars of the ,firm-- ,messrs4 ,pfungst frres and ,co4's ,cellars-- ,their ,dry ,champagnes of #ahfh1 '#gj1 '#gb1 and '#gd-- ,the ,old ,church of ,ay and its ,decorations of ,grapes and ,vineleaves-- ,the ,vendangeoir of ,henri ,quatre-- ,the ,montebello ,establishment at ,mareuil-- ,the ,chteau formerly the ,property of the ,dukes of ,orleans-- ,a ,titled ,champagne ,firm-- ,the ,brilliant ,career of ,marshal ,lannes-- ,a ,promenade through the ,montebello ,establishment-- ,the ,press ,house1 the ,cuve ,vat1 the ,packing-,room1 the ,offices1 and the ,cellars-- ,portraits and ,relics at the ,chteau-- ,the ,establishment of ,bruch-,foucher and ,co4-- ,the handsome ,carved ,gigantic ,cuve ,tun-- ,the ,cellars and their ,lofty ,shafts-- ,the ,wines of the ,firm #aag ,,xii4--,,champagne ,,establishments ,,at ,,atize ,,and ,,rilly4 ,avize the ,centre of the ,white ,grape ,district-- ,its ,situation and ,aspect-- ,the ,establishment of ,giesler and ,co4-- ,the ,tirage and the ,cuve-- ,vin ,brut in ,racks and on ,tables-- ,the ,packing-,hall1 the ,extensive ,cellars1 and the ,disgorging ,cellier-- ,bottle ,stores and ,bottle-,washing ,machines-- ,messrs4 ,giesler's ,wine-,presses at ,avize and ,vendangeoir at ,bouzy-- ,their ,vineyards and their ,purchases of ,grapes-- ,reputation of the ,giesler ,brand-- ,the ,establishment of ,m4 ,charles de ,cazanove-- ,a ,tame ,young ,boar-- ,boar-,hunting in the ,champagne-- ,m4 de ,cazanove's ,commodious ,cellars and ,carefully-,selected ,wines-- ,vineyards ,owned by ,him and ,his ,family-- ,reputation of his ,wines in ,paris and their ,growing ,popularity in ,england-- ,interesting ,view from ,m4 de ,cazanove's ,terraced ,garden-- ,the ,vintaging of the ,white ,grapes in the ,champagne-- ,roper frres' ,establishment at ,rilly-la-,montague-- ,their ,cellars ,penetrated by ,roots of ,trees-- ,some ,samples of ,fine ,old ,champagnes-- ,the ,principal ,chlons ,establishments-- ,poem on ,champagne by ,m4 ,amaury de ,cazanove #abi ,,xiii4--,,sparkling ,,saumur ,,and ,,sparkling ,,sauternes4 ,the ,sparkling ,wines of the ,loire often palmed off as ,champagnes-- ,the ,finer qualities ,improve with ,age-- ,anjou the ,cradle of the ,plantagenet ,kings-- ,saumur and its ,dominating ,feudal ,chteau und ,antique ,htel de ,ville-- ,its ,sinister ,rue des ,payens and ,steep ,tortuons ,grande ,rue-- ,the ,vineyards of the ,coteau of ,saumur-- ,abandoned ,stone ,quarries converted into ,dwellings-- ,the ,vintage in ,progress-- ,old-fashioned ,pressoirs-- ,the ,making of the ,wine-- ,the ,vouvray ,vineyards-- ,balzac's ,picture of ,la ,valle ,coquette-- ,the ,village of ,vouvray and the ,chteau of ,moucontour-- ,vernou with its ,reminiscences of ,sully and ,ppin-le-,bref-- ,the ,vineyards around ,saumur-- ,remarkable ,ancient ,dolmens-- ,ackerman-,laurance's ,establishment at ,saint-,florent-- ,their ,extensive ,cellars1 ,ancient and ,modern-- ,treatment of the ,newly-,vintaged ,wine-- ,the ,cuve-- ,proportions of ,wine from ,black and ,white ,grapes-- ,the ,bottling and ,disgorging of the ,wine and ,finishing ,operations-- ,the ,chteau of ,varrains and the ,establishment of ,m4 ,louis ,duvau an-- ,his ,cellars a succession of ,gloomy ,galleries-- ,the ,disgorging of the ,wine accomplished in a ,melodramatic-looking ,cave-- ,m4 ,duvau's ,vineyard-- ,his ,sparkling ,saumur of ,various ,ages-- ,marked ,superiority of the more ,matured ,samples-- ,m4 ,alfred ,ronsteaux's ,establishments at ,saint-,florent and ,saint-,cyr-- ,his convenient ,celliers and extensive ,cellars-- ,mingling of ,wine from the ,champagne with the finer ,sparkling ,saumur-- ,his ,vineyard at ,la ,perrire-- ,m4 ,e4 ,normandin's ,sparkling ,sauternes ,manufactory at ,chteauneuf-- ,angoulme and its ,ancient ,fortifications-- ,vin de ,colombar-- ,m4 ,normandin's ,sparkling ,sauternes ,cuve-- ,his ,cellars near ,chteauneuf-- ,high recognition accorded to the ,wine at the ,concours ,rgional d',angoulme #aci ,,xiv4--,,the ,,sparkling ,,wines ,,of ,,burgundy ,,and ,,the ,,jura4 ,sparkling ,wines of the ,cte d',or at the ,paris ,exhibition-- ,chambertin1 ,romane1 and ,vougeot-- ,burgundy ,wines and ,vines formerly the ,presents of ,princes-- ,vintaging ,sparkling ,burgundies-- ,their ,after-,treatment in the ,cellars-- ,excess of ,breakage-- ,similarity of ,proceeding to that followed in the ,champagne-- ,principal ,manufacturers of ,sparkling ,burgundies-- ,sparkling ,wines of ,tonnerre1 the birthplace of the ,chevalier d',eon-- ,the ,vin d',arbanne of ,bar-sur-,aube-- ,death there of the ,bastard de ,bourbon-- ,madame de la ,motto's ,ostentatious ,display and ,arrest there-- ,sparkling ,wines of the ,beaujolais-- ,the ,mont-,bronilly ,vineyards-- ,ancient ,reputation of the ,wines of the ,jura-- ,the ,vin ,jaune of ,arbois beloved of ,henri ,quatre-- ,rhymes by him in its ,honour-- ,lons-le-,saulnier-- ,vineyards yielding the ,sparkling ,jura ,wines-- ,their ,vintaging and ,subsequent ,treatment-- ,their ,high ,alcoholic ,strength and ,general ,drawbacks #aeg ,,xv4--,,the ,,sparkling ,,wines ,,of ,,the ,,south ,,of ,,france4 ,sparkling ,wines of ,auvergne1 ,guienne1 ,dauphin1 and ,languedoc-- ,sparkling ,saint-,pray the ,champagne of the ,south-- ,valence with its ,reminiscences of ,pius ,,vi4 and ,napoleon ,i4-- ,the ,horns of ,crussol on the ,banks of the ,rhne-- ,vintage ,scene at ,saint-,pray-- ,the ,vines and ,vineyards ,producing ,sparkling ,wine-- ,manipulation of ,sparkling ,saint-,pray-- ,its ,abundance of ,natural ,sugar-- ,the ,cellars of ,m4 de ,saint-,prix and ,samples of his ,wines-- ,sparkling ,cte-,rotie1 ,chteau-,grill1 and ,hermitage-- ,annual ,production and ,principal ,markets of ,sparkling ,saint-,pray-- ,clairette de ,die-- ,the ,porte ,rouge of ,die ,cathedral-- ,how the ,die ,wine is ,made-- ,the ,sparkling ,white and ,rose-,coloured ,muscatels of ,die-- ,sparkling ,wines of ,vercheny and ,lagrasse-- ,barnave and the ,royal ,flight to ,varennes-- ,narbonne formerly a ,miniature ,rome1 now ,noted merely for its ,wine and ,honey-- ,fte of the ,black ,virgin at ,limoux-- ,preference given to the ,new ,wine over the ,miraculous ,water-- ,blanquette of ,limoux and ,how it is ,made-- ,characteristics of this ,overrated ,wine #afe ,,xvi4--,,the ,,sparkling ,,wines ,,of ,,germany4 ,origin of ,sparkling ,hock and ,moselle-- ,sparkling ,german ,wines ,first ,made on the ,neckar-- ,heilbronn1 and ,gtz von ,berlichingen of the ,iron ,hand-- ,lauteren of ,mayence and ,rambs of ,trves turn their attention to ,sparkling ,wines-- ,change of late years in the ,character of ,sparkling ,hocks and ,moselles-- ,difference between them and ,moussirender ,rheinwein-- ,vintaging of ,black and ,white ,grapes for ,sparkling ,wine-- ,the ,treatment which ,german ,sparkling ,wines ,undergo-- ,artificial ,flavouring and ,perfuming of ,sparkling ,moselles-- ,fine ,natural ,bouquet of ,high-,class ,sparkling ,hocks-- ,impetus given to the ,manufacture of ,german ,sparkling ,wines during the ,franco-,german ,war-- ,annual ,production-- ,deinhard and ,co4's ,splendid ,new ,cellars at ,coblenz-- ,the ,firm's ,collection of ,choice ,rhine and ,moselle ,wines-- ,their ,trade in ,german ,sparkling ,wines-- ,their ,sources of ,supply-- ,the ,vintaging and ,after-,treatment of their ,wines-- ,characteristics of their ,sparkling ,hocks and ,moselles #agb ,,xvii4--,,the ,,sparkling ,,wines ,,of ,,germany 7continued74 ,from ,coblenz to ,rdesheim-- ,ewald and ,co4's ,establishment and its ,pleasant ,situation-- ,their ,fine ,vaulted ,cellars and ,convenient ,accessories-- ,their ,supplies of ,wine drawn from the most favoured ,localities-- ,the ,celebrated ,vineyards of the ,rheingau-- ,eltville and the extensive ,establishment of ,matheus ,mller-- ,his ,vast ,stocks of ,still and ,sparkling ,german ,wines-- ,the ,vineyards laid under contribution for the latter-- ,m4 ,mller's ,sparkling ,johannisberger1 ,champagne1 and ,red ,sparkling ,assmannshauser-- ,the ,site of ,gutenberg's ,birthplace at ,mayence occupied by the ,offices and ,wine-cellars of ,lauteren ,sohn-- ,the ,sparkling ,wine ,establishment of the ,firm and their ,fine ,collection of ,hocks and ,moselles-- ,the ,hochheim ,sparkling ,wine ,association-- ,foundation of the ,establishment-- ,its ,superior ,sparkling ,hocks and ,moselles-- ,the ,sparkling ,wine ,establishments of ,stock and ,sons at ,creuznach in the ,nahe ,valley1 of ,kessler and ,co4 at ,esslingen1 on the ,neckar1 and of ,m4 ,oppmann at ,wrzburg-- ,the ,historic ,cellars of the ,king of ,bavaria beneath the ,residenz-- ,the ,establishment of ,f4 ,a4 ,siligmller #ahc ,,xviii4--,,the ,,sparkling ,,wines ,,of ,,austro-,,hungary1 ,,switzerland1 ,,italy1 ,,spain1 ,,russia1 ,c4 ,sparkling ,voslauer-- ,the ,sparkling ,wine ,manufactories of ,graz-- ,establishment of ,kleinoscheg ,brothers-- ,vintaging and ,treatment of ,styrian ,champagnes-- ,sparkling ,red1 ,rose1 and ,white ,wines of ,hungary-- ,the ,establishment of ,hubert and ,habermann at ,pressburg-- ,sparkling ,wines of ,croatia1 ,galicia1 ,bohemia1 ,moravia1 ,dalmatia1 the ,tyrol1 ,transylvania1 and the ,banat-- ,neuchtel ,champagne-- ,sparkling ,wine ,factories at ,vevay and ,sion-- ,the ,vevay ,vineyards-- ,establishment of ,de ,riedmatten and ,de ,quay-- ,sparkling ,muscatel1 ,malmsey1 ,brachetto1 ,castagnolo1 and ,lacryma ,christi of ,italy-- ,sparkling ,wines of ,spain1 ,greece1 ,algeria1 and ,russia-- ,the ,krimski and ,donski ,champagnes-- ,the ,latter ,chiefly ,consumed at the ,great ,russian ,fairs #aif ,,xix4--,,the ,,sparkling ,,wines ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states4 ,earliest ,efforts at ,wine-,making in ,america-- ,failures to ,acclimatise ,european ,vines-- ,wines ,made by the ,swiss ,settlers and the ,mission ,fathers-- ,the ,yield of the ,mission ,vineyards-- ,the ,monster ,vine of the ,montecito ,valley-- ,the ,catawba ,vine and its ,general ,cultivation-- ,mr4 ,longworth one of the ,founders of ,american ,viticulture-- ,fresh ,attempts to make ,sparkling ,wine at ,cincinnati-- ,existing ,sparkling ,wine ,manufactures there-- ,longfellow's ,song in ,praise of ,catawba-- ,the ,kelley ,island ,wine ,company-- ,vintaging and ,treatment of their ,sparkling ,wines-- ,decrease of ,consumption-- ,the ,vineyards of ,hammondsport-- ,varieties of ,grapes used for ,sparkling ,wines-- ,the ,vintage-- ,after ,treatment of the ,wines-- ,the ,pleasant ,valley and ,urbana ,wine ,companies and their ,various ,brands-- ,californian ,sparkling ,wines-- ,the ,buena ,vista ,vinicultural ,society of ,san ,francisco-- ,its ,early ,failures and ,eventual ,success in ,manufacturing ,sparkling ,wines-- ,the ,vintage in ,california-- ,chinese ,vintagers-- ,how the ,wine is ,made-- ,american ,spurious ,sparkling ,wines #bjc ,,xx4--,,concluding ,,facts ,,and ,,hints4 ,dry and ,sweet ,champagnes-- ,their ,sparkling ,properties-- ,form of ,champagne ,glasses-- ,style of ,sparkling ,wines ,consumed in ,different ,countries-- ,the ,colour and ,alcoholic ,strength of ,champagne-- ,champagne ,approved of by the ,faculty-- ,its ,use in ,nervous ,derangements-- ,the ,icing of ,champagne-- ,scarcity of ,grand ,vintages in the ,champagne-- ,the ,quality of the ,wine has little influence on the ,price-- ,prices realised by the ,ay and ,verzenay ,crs in ,grand ,years-- ,suggestions for laying down ,champagnes of ,grand ,vintages-- ,the ,improvement they ,develop after a few ,years-- ,the ,wine of #ahgd-- ,the proper kind of ,cellar to lay down ,champagne in-- ,advantages of ,burrow's ,patent ,slider ,wine ,bins-- ,increase in the ,consumption of ,champagne-- ,tabular ,statement of ,stocks1 ,exports1 and ,home ,consumption from #ahdd-e to #ahgg-h-- ,when to ,serve ,champagne at a ,dinner ,party-- ,charles ,dickens's dictum that its proper place is at a ,ball-- ,advantageous ,effect of ,champagne at an ,ordinary ,british ,dinner ,party-- ,sparkling ,wine ,cups #bab ,,the ,,principal ,,sparkling ,,wine ,,brands #bbe ,illustrated ,text3 ,,facts ,,about ,,champagne ,,and ,,other ,,sparkling ,,wines4 ,i4--,,the ,,origin ,,of ,,champagne4 ,the ,early ,vineyards of the ,champagne-- ,their ,produce esteemed by ,popes and ,kings1 ,courtiers and ,prelates-- ,controversy regarding the rival ,merits of the ,wines of ,burgundy and the ,champagne-- ,dom ,perignon's happy ,discovery of ,sparkling ,wine-- ,its ,patrons under ,louis ,quatorze and the ,regency-- ,the ,ancient ,church and ,abbey of ,hautvillers-- ,farre and ,co4's ,champagne ,cellars-- ,the ,abbey of ,st4 ,peter now a ,farm-- ,existing ,remains of the ,monastic ,buildings-- ,the ,tombs and ,decorations of the ,ancient ,church-- ,the ,last ,resting-,place of ,dom ,perignon--,the ,legend of the ,holy ,dove-- ,good ,champagne the ,result of ,labour1 ,skill1 ,minute ,precaution1 and ,careful ,observation4 ,strong men1 we know1 lived before ,agamemnon2 and strong wine was made in the fair province of ,champagne long before the days of the sagacious ,dom ,perignon1 to whom we are indebted for the sparkling vintage known under the now familiar name4 ,the chalky slopes that border the ,marne were early recognised as offering special advantages for the culture of the vine4 ,the priests and monks1 whose vows of sobriety certainly did not lessen their appreciation of the good things of this life1 and the produce of whose vineyards usually enjoyed a higher reputation than that of their lay neighbours1 were clever enough to seize upon the most eligible sites1 and quick to spread abroad the fame of their wines4 ,st4 ,remi1 baptiser of ,clovis1 the first ,christian king in ,france1 at the end of the fifth century left by will1 to various churches1 the vineyards which he owned at ,reims and ,laon1 together with the vilains employed in their cultivation4 ,some three and a half centuries later we find worthy ,bishop ,pardulus of ,laon imitating ,paul's advice to ,timothy1 and urging ,archbishop ,hincmar to drink of the wines of ,epernay and ,reims for his stomach's sake4 ,the crusade-preaching ,pope1 ,urban ,,ii41 who was born among the vineyards of the ,champagne1 dearly loved the wine of ,ay2 and his energetic appeals to the princes of ,europe to take up arms for the deliverance of the ,holy ,sepulchre may have owed some of their eloquence to his favourite beverage4 ,the red wine of the ,champagne sparkled on the boards of monarchs in the ,middle ,ages when they sat at meat amidst their mailclad chivalry1 and quaffed mighty beakers to the confusion of the ,paynim4 ,henry of ,andely has sung in his fabliau of the ,bataille des ,vins1 how1 when stout ,philip ,augustus and his chaplain constituted themselves the earliest known wine-jury1 the crs of ,espernai1 ,auviler1 ,chaalons1 and ,reims were amongst those which found most favour in their eyes1 though nearly a couple of centuries elapsed before ,eustace ,deschamps recorded in verse the rival merits of those of ,cumires and ,ay4 ,king ,wenceslaus of ,bohemia1 a mighty toper1 got so royally drunk day after day upon the vintages of the ,champagne1 that he forgot all about the treaty with ,charles ,,vi41 that had formed the pretext of his visit to ,france1 and would probably have lingered1 goblet in hand1 in the old cathedral city till the day of his death1 but for the presentation of a little account for wine consumed1 which sobered him to repentance and led to his abrupt departure4 ,dunois1 ,lahire1 ,xaintrailles1 and their fellows1 when they rode with ,joan of ,arc to the coronation of ,charles ,,vii41 drank the same generous fluid1 through helmets barred1 to the speedy expulsion of the detested ,english from the soil of ,france4 ,the vin d',ay--vinum ,dei as ,dominicus ,baudoin punningly styled it--was1 according to old ,paulmier1 the ordinary drink of the kings and princes of his day4 ,it fostered bluff ,king ,hal's fits of passion and the tenth ,leo's artistic extravagance2 consoled ,francis ,i4 for the field of ,pavia1 and solaced his great rival in his retirement at ,st4 ,just4 ,all of them had their commissioners at ,ay to secure the best wine for their own consumption4 ,henri ,quatre1 whose vendangeoir is still shown in the village1 held the wine in such honour that he was wont to style himself the ,seigneur d',ay1 just as ,james of ,scotland was known as the ,gudeman of ,ballangeich4 ,when his son1 ,louis ,,xiii41 was crowned1 the wines of the ,champagne were the only growths allowed to grace the board at the royal banquet4 ,freely too did they flow at the coronation feast of the ,grand ,monarque1 when the crowd of assembled courtiers1 who quaffed them in his honour1 hailed them as the finest wines of the day4 ,but the wines which drew forth all these encomiums were far from resembling the champagne of modern times4 ,they were not1 as has been asserted1 all as red as burgundy and as flat as port2 for at the close of the sixteenth1 century some of them were of a fauve or yellowish hue1 and of the intermediate tint between red and white which the ,french call clairet1 and which our old writers translate as the complexion of a cherry or the colour of a partridge's eye4 ,but1 as a rule1 the wines of the ,champagne up to this period closely resembled those produced in the adjacent province1 where ,charles the ,bold had once held sway2 a resemblance1 no doubt1 having much to do with the great medical controversy regarding their respective merits which arose in #afeb4 ,in that year a young medical student1 hard pressed for the subject of his inaugural thesis1 and in the firm faith that ,none but a clever dialectician ,can hope to become a good physician1 ,and that logic plays an important part ,in the mystery of the healing art1 propounded the theory that the wines of ,burgundy were preferable to those of the ,champagne1 and that the latter were irritating to the nerves and conducive to gout4 ,the faculty of medicine at ,reims naturally rose in arms at this insolent assertion4 ,they seized their pens and poured forth a deluge of ,french and ,latin in defence of the wines of their province1 eulogising alike their purity1 their brilliancy of colour1 their exquisite flavour and perfume1 their great keeping powers1 and1 in a word1 their general superiority to the ,burgundy growths4 ,the partisans of the latter were equally prompt in rallying in their defence1 and the faculty of medicine of ,beaune1 having put their learned periwigs together1 enunciated their views and handled their opponents without mercy4 ,the dispute spread to the entire medical profession1 and the champions went on pelting each other with pamphlets in prose and tractates in verse1 until in #aggh--long after the bones of the original disputants were dust and their lancets rust--the faculty of ,paris1 to whom the matter was referred1 gave a final and formal decision in favour of the wines of the ,champagne4 ,meanwhile an entirely new kind of wine1 which was to carry the name of the province producing it to the uttermost corners of the earth1 had been introduced4 ,on the picturesque slopes of the ,marne1 about fifteen miles from ,reims1 and some four or five miles from ,epernay1 stands the little hamlet of ,hautvillers1 which1 in pre-revolutionary days1 was a mere dependency upon a spacious abbey dedicated to ,st4 ,peter4 ,here the worthy monks of the order of ,st4 ,benedict had lived in peace and prosperity for several hundred years1 carefully cultivating the acres of vineland extending around the abbey1 and religiously exacting a tithe of all the other wine pressed in their district4 ,the revenue of the community thus depending in no small degree upon the vintage1 it was natural that the post of celerer should be one of importance4 ,it happened that about the year #afhh this office was conferred upon a worthy monk named ,perignon4 ,poets and roasters1 we know1 are born1 and not made2 and the monk in question seems to have been a heaven-born cellarman1 with a strong head and a discriminating palate4 ,the wine exacted from the neighbouring cultivators was of all qualities--good1 bad1 and indifferent2 and with the spirit of a true ,benedictine1 ,dom ,perignon hit upon the idea of marrying the produce of one vineyard with that of another4 ,he had noted that one kind of soil imparted fragrance and another generosity1 and discovered that a white wine could be made from the blackest grapes1 which would keep good1 instead of turning yellow and degenerating like the wine obtained from white ones4 ,moreover1 the happy thought occurred to him that a piece of cork was a much more suitable stopper for a bottle than the flax dipped in oil which had heretofore served that purpose4 ,the white1 or1 as it was sometimes styled1 the grey wine of the ,champagne grew famous1 and the manufacture spread throughout the province1 but that of ,hautvillers held the predominance4 ,to ,dom ,perignon the abbey's well-stocked cellar was a far cheerfuller place than the cell4 ,nothing delighted him more than ,to come down among this brotherhood ,dwelling for ever underground1 ,silent1 contemplative1 round and sound1 ,each one old and brown with mould1 ,but filled to the lips with the ardour of youth1 ,with the latent power and love of truth1 ,and with virtues fervent and manifold4 ,ever busy among his vats and presses1 barrels and bottles1 ,perignon alighted upon a discovery destined to be most important in its results4 ,he found out the way of making an effervescent wine--a wine that burst out of the bottle and overflowed the glass1 that was twice as dainty to the taste1 and twice as exhilarating in its effects4 ,it was at the close of the seventeenth century that this discovery was made--when the glory of the ,roi ,soleil was on the wane1 and with it the splendour of the ,court of ,versailles4 ,louis ,,xiv41 for whose especial benefit liqueurs had been invented1 recovered a gleam of his youthful energy as he sipped the creamy foaming vintage that enlivened his dreary ttes--ttes with the widow of ,scarron4 ,it found its chief patrons however1 amongst the bands of gay young roysterers1 the future roues of the ,regency1 whom the ,duc d',orlans and the ,duc de ,vendme had gathered round them1 at the ,palais ,royal and at ,anet4 ,it was at one of the famous soupers d',anet that the ,marquis de ,sillery--who had turned his sword into a pruning-knife1 and applied himself to the cultivation of his paternal vineyards on the principles inculcated by the celerer of ,st4 ,peter's--first introduced the sparkling wine bearing his name4 ,the flower-wreathed bottles1 which1 at a given signal1 a dozen of blooming young damsels scantily draped in the guise of ,bacchanals placed upon the table1 were hailed with rapture1 and thenceforth sparkling wine was an indispensable adjunct at all the petits soupers of the period4 ,in the highest circles the popping of champagne-corks seemed to ring the knell of sadness1 and the victories of ,marlborough were in a measure compensated for by this happy discovery4 ,why the wine foamed and sparkled was a mystery even to the very makers themselves2 for as yet ,baume's aerometer was unknown1 and the connection between sugar and carbonic acid undreamt of4 ,the general belief was that the degree of effervescence depended upon the time of year at which the wine was bottled1 and that the rising of the sap in the vine had everything to do with it4 ,certain wiseacres held that it was influenced by the age of the moon at the time of bottling2 whilst others thought the effervescence could be best secured by the addition of spirit1 alum1 and various nastinesses4 ,it was this belief in the use and efficacy of drugs that led to a temporary reaction against the wine about #agae1 in which year ,dom ,perignon departed this life4 ,in his latter days he had grown blind1 but his discriminating taste enabled him to discharge his duties with unabated efficiency to the end4 ,many of the tall tapering glasses invented by him have been emptied to the memory of the old ,benedictine1 whose remains repose beneath a black marble slab in the chancel of the archaic abbey church of ,hautvillers4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,vineyards ,,and ,,abbey ,,of ,,hautvillers4 7p4 #ad7 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,establishment ,,of ,,messrs4 ,,charles ,,farre ,,co41 ,,at ,,hautvillers4 7p4 #ae7 ,time and the iconoclasts of the great ,revolution have spared but little of the royal abbey of ,st4 ,peter where ,dom ,perignon lighted upon his happy discovery of the effervescent quality of champagne4 ,the quaint old church1 scraps of which date back to the #abth century1 the remnants of the cloisters1 and a couple of ancient gateways1 marking the limits of the abbey precincts1 are all that remain to testify to the grandeur of its past4 ,it was the proud boast of the brotherhood that it had given nine archbishops to the see of ,reims1 and two-and-twenty abbots to various celebrated monasteries1 but this pales beside the enduring fame it has acquired from having been the cradle of the sparkling vintage of the ,champagne4 ,it was in the budding springtime when we made our pilgrimage to ,hautvillers across the swollen waters of the ,marne at ,epernay4 ,our way lay for a time along a straight level poplar-bordered road1 with verdant meadows on either hand1 then diverged sharply to the left and we commenced ascending the vine-clad hills1 on a narrow plateau of which the church and abbey remains are picturesquely perched4 ,vines climb the undulating slopes to the summit of the plateau1 and wooded heights rise up beyond1 affording shelter from the bleak winds sweeping over from the north4 ,as we near the village of ,hautvillers we notice on our left hand a couple of isolated buildings overlooking a small ravine with their bright tiled roofs flashing in the sunlight4 ,these prove to be a branch establishment of ,messrs4 ,charles ,farre and ,co41 a well-known champagne firm having its head-quarters at ,reims4 ,the grassy space beyond1 dotted over with low stone shafts giving light and ventilation to the cellars beneath1 is alive with workmen unloading waggons densely packed with new champagne bottles1 while under a neighbouring shed is a crowd of women actively engaged in washing the bottles as they are brought to them4 ,the large apartment aboveground1 known as the cellier1 contains wine in cask already blended1 and to bottle which preparations are now being made4 ,on descending into the cellars1 which1 excavated in the chalk and of regular construction1 comprise a series of long1 lofty1 and well-ventilated galleries1 we find them stocked with bottles of fine wine reposing in huge compact piles ready for transport to the head establishment1 where they will undergo their final manipulation4 ,the cellars consist of two stories1 the lowermost of which has an iron gate communicating with the ravine already mentioned4 ,on passing out here and looking up behind we see the buildings perched some hundred feet above us1 hemmed in on every side with budding vines4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,porte ,,des ,,pressoirs1 ,,hautvillers4 ,the church of ,hautvillers and the remains of the neighbouring abbey are situated at the farther extremity of the village1 at the end of its one long street1 named1 pertinently enough1 the ,rue de ,bacchus4 ,passing through an unpretentious gateway we find ourselves in a spacious courtyard1 bounded by buildings somewhat complex in character4 ,on our right rises the tower of the church with the remains of the old cloisters1 now walled-in and lighted by small square windows1 and propped up by heavy buttresses4 ,to the left stands the residence of the bailiff1 and beyond it an #ahth-century chteau on the site of the abbot's house1 the abbey precincts being bounded on this side by a picturesque gateway tower leading to the vineyards1 and known as the porte des pressoirs1 from its contiguity to the existing wine-presses4 ,huge barn-like buildings1 stables1 and cart-sheds inclose the court on its remaining sides1 and roaming about are numerous live stock1 indicating that what remains of the once-famous royal abbey of ,st4 ,peter has degenerated into an ordinary farm4 ,to-day the abbey buildings and certain of its lands are the property of ,messrs4 ,mot and ,chandon1 the great champagne manufacturers of ,epernay1 who maintain them as a farm1 keeping some six-and-thirty cows there with the object of securing the necessary manure for the numerous vineyards which they own hereabouts4 ,illustration ,the dilapidated cloisters1 littered with old casks1 farm implements1 and the like1 preserve ample traces of their former architectural character1 and the ,louis ,quatorze gateway on the northern side of the inclosure still displays above its arch a grandiose carved shield1 with surrounding palm-branches and half-obliterated bearings4 ,vine-leaves and bunches of grapes decorate some of the more ancient columns inside the church1 and grotesque medival monsters1 such as monkish architects habitually delighted in1 entwine themselves around the capitals of others4 ,the stalls of the choir are elaborately carved with cherubs' heads1 medallions and figures of saints1 cupids supporting shields1 and free and graceful arabesques of the epoch of the ,renaissance4 ,in the chancel1 close by the altar steps1 are a couple of black marble slabs1 with ,latin inscriptions of dubious orthography1 the one to ,johannes ,royer1 who died in #aebg1 and the other setting forth the virtues and merits of ,dom ,petrus ,perignon1 the discoverer of champagne4 ,in the central aisle a similar slab marks the resting-place of ,dom ,thedoricus ,ruynart--obit #agji--;an ancestor of the ,reims ,ruinarts1 and little square stones interspersed among the tiles with which the side aisles of the church are paved record the deaths of other members of the ,benedictine brotherhood during the #agth and #ahth centuries4 ,several large pictures grace the walls of the church1 the most interesting one representing ,st4 ,nivard1 ,bishop of ,reims1 and his friend1 ,st4 ,berchier1 designating to some medival architect the site the contemplated abbey of ,st4 ,peter was to occupy4 ,there was a monkish legend that about the middle of the #gth century this pair of saints set out in search of a suitable site for the future monastery4 ,the way was long1 the day was warm1 and ,st4 ,nivard and ,st4 ,berchier as yet were simply mortal4 ,weary and faint1 they sat them down to rest at a spot identified by tradition with a vineyard at ,dizy1 belonging to-day to the ,messrs4 ,bollinger1 but at that period forming part of the forest of the ,marne4 ,st4 ,nivard fell asleep with his head on his companion's lap1 and the one in a dream1 and the other with waking eyes1 saw a snow-white dove--the same1 firm believers in miracles suggested1 which had brought down the holy oil for the anointment of ,clovis at his coronation at ,reims--flutter through the wood1 and finally alight on the stump of a tree4 ,in those superstitious times such a significant omen was not to be disregarded1 the site thus miraculously indicated was at once decided upon1 the high altar of the abbey church being erected upon the precise spot where the tree stood on which the snow-white dove had alighted4 ,the celerer of ,st4 ,peter's found worthy successors1 and thenceforward the manufacture and the popularity of champagne went on steadily increasing1 until to-day its production is carried on upon a scale and with an amount of painstaking care that would astonish its originator4 ,for good champagne does not rain down from the clouds1 or gush out from the rocks1 but is the result of incessant labour1 patient skill1 minute precaution1 and careful observation4 ,in the first place1 the soil imparts to the natural wine a special quality which it has been found impossible to imitate in any other quarter of the globe4 ,to the wine of ,ay it lends a flavour of peaches1 and to that of ,avenay the savour of strawberries2 the vintage of ,hautvillers1 though fallen from its former high estate1 is yet marked by an unmistakably nutty taste2 while that of ,pierry smacks of the locally-abounding flint1 the well-known pierre fusil flavour4 ,so on the principle that a little leaven leavens the whole lump1 the produce of grapes grown in the more favoured vineyards is added in certain proportions to secure certain special characteristics1 as well as to maintain a fixed standard of excellence4 ,illustration ,illustration ,,ii4--,,the ,,vintage ,,in ,,the ,,champagne4 ,,the ,,vineyards ,,of ,,the ,,river4 ,ay1 the ,vineyard of ,golden ,plants-- ,summoning the ,vintagers by ,beat of ,drum-- ,excitement in the ,surrounding ,villages-- ,the ,pickers at ,work-- ,sorting the ,grapes-- ,grapes ,gathered at ,sunrise the ,best-- ,varieties of ,vines in the ,ay ,vineyards-- ,few of the ,growers in the ,champagne ,crush their own ,grapes-- ,squeezing the ,grapes in the ,pressoir and ,drawing off the ,must-- ,cheerful ,glasses ,round-- ,the ,vintage at ,mareuil-- ,bringing in the ,grapes on ,mules and ,donkeys-- ,the ,vineyards of ,avenay1 ,mutigny1 and ,cumires-- ,damery and ,adrienne ,lecouvreur1 ,marchal de ,saxe1 and the obese ,anna ,iwanowna-- ,the ,vineyards of the ,cte d',epernay-- ,boursault and its ,chteau-- ,pierry and its ,vineyard ,cellars-- ,the ,clos ,st4 ,pierre-- ,moussy and ,vinay-- ,a ,hermit's ,cave and a ,miraculous ,fountain-- ,ablois ,st4 ,martin-- ,the ,cte d',avize-- ,the ,grand ,premier ,cr of ,cramant-- ,avize and its ,wines-- ,the ,vineyards of ,oger and ,le ,mesnil-- ,the ,old ,town of ,vertus and its ,vine-clad ,slopes-- ,their ,red ,wine formerly celebrated4 ,with the exception of certain famous vineyards of the ,rhne1 the vinelands of the ,champagne may1 perhaps1 be classed among the most picturesque of the more notable vine districts of ,france4 ,between ,paris and ,epernay even1 the banks of the ,marne present a series of scenes of quiet beauty4 ,the undulating ground is everywhere cultivated like a garden4 ,handsome chteaux and charming country houses peep out from amid luxuriant foliage4 ,picturesque antiquated villages line the river's bank or climb the hill sides1 and after leaving ,la ,fert-sous-,jouarre1 the cradle of the ,conds1 all the more favoured situations commence to be covered with vines4 ,this is especially the case in the vicinity of ,chteau-,thierry--the birthplace of ,la ,fontaine--where the view is shut in on all sides by vine-clad slopes1 which the spring frosts seldom spare4 ,hence merely one good vintage out of four gladdens the hearts of the peasant proprietors1 who find eager purchasers for their produce among the lower-class manufacturers of champagne4 ,in the same way the petit vin de ,chierry1 dexterously prepared and judiciously mingled with other growths1 often figures as ,fleur de ,sillery or ,ay ,mousseux4 ,in reality it is not until we have passed the ornate modern ,gothic chteau of ,boursault1 erected in her declining years by the wealthy ,veuve ,clicquot1 by far the shrewdest manipulator of the sparkling products of ,ay and ,bouzy of her day1 and the many towers and turrets of which1 rising above umbrageous trees1 crown the loftiest height within eyeshot of ,epernay1 that we find ourselves within that charmed circle of vineyards whence champagne--the wine1 not merely of princes1 as it has been somewhat obsequiously termed1 but essentially the vin de socit--is derived4 ,the vinelands in the vicinity of ,epernay1 and consequently near the ,marne1 are commonly known as the ,vineyards of the ,river1 whilst those covering the slopes in the neighbourhood of ,reims are termed the ,vineyards of the ,mountain4 ,the ,vineyards of the ,river comprise three distinct divisions--first1 those lining the right bank of the ,marne and enjoying a southern and south-eastern aspect1 among which are ,ay1 ,hautvillers1 ,cumires1 ,dizy1 and ,mareuil2 secondly1 the ,cte d',epernay on the left bank of the river1 of which ,pierry1 ,moussy1 and ,vinay form part2 and thirdly1 the ,cte d',avize 7the region par excellence of white grapes71 which stretches towards the south-east1 and includes the vinelands of ,cramant1 ,avize1 ,oger1 ,le ,mesnil1 and ,vertus4 ,the entire vineyard area is upwards of #dj1jjj acres4 ,the ,champagne vineyards most widely celebrated abroad are those of ,ay and ,sillery1 although the last-named are really the smallest in the ,champagne district4 ,ay1 distant only a few minutes by rail from ,epernay1 is in the immediate centre of the vinelands of the river1 having ,mareuil and ,avenay on the east1 and ,dizy1 ,hautvillers1 and ,cumires on the west4 ,sillery1 on the other hand1 lies at the foot of the so-called ,mountain of ,reims1 and within an hour's drive of the old cathedral city4 ,the pleasantest season of the year to visit the ,champagne is certainly during the vintage4 ,when this is about to commence1 the vintagers--some of whom come from ,sainte ,menehould1 forty miles distant1 while others hail from as far as ,lorraine--are summoned at daybreak by beat of drum in the market-places of the villages adjacent to the vineyards1 and then and there a price is made for the day's labour4 ,this is generally either a franc and a half1 with food consisting of three meals1 or two francs and a half without food1 children being paid a franc and a half4 ,the rate of wage satisfactorily arranged1 the gangs start off to the vineyards1 headed by their overseers4 ,it was on one of those occasional sunshiny days in the early part of ,october 7#ahga7 when ,i first visited ,ay1 the vineyard of golden plants1 the unique premier cr of the ,wines of the ,river4 ,the road lay between two rows of closely-planted poplar-trees reaching almost to the village of ,dizy1 whose quaint grey church tower1 with its gabled roof1 is dominated by the neighbouring vine-clad slopes1 which extend from ,avenay to ,venteuil1 some few miles beyond ,hautvillers1 the cradle1 so to speak1 of the vin mousseux of the ,champagne4 ,everywhere was bustle and excitement2 every one was big with the business in hand4 ,in these ordinarily quiet little villages the majority of the inhabitants were afoot1 the feeble feminine half with the juveniles threading their way through the rows of vines half-way up the mountain1 basket on arm1 while the sturdy masculine portion were mostly passing to and fro between the press-houses and the wine-shops4 ,carts piled up with baskets1 or crowded with peasants from a distance on their way to the vineyards1 jostled the low railway trucks laden with bran-new casks1 and the somewhat rickety cabriolets of the agents of the big champagne houses1 reduced to clinch their final bargain for a hundred or more pices of the peerless wine of ,ay1 beside the reeking wine-press4 ,there was a pleasant air of jollity over all1 for in the wine-producing districts every one participates in the interest excited by the vintage1 which influences the takings of all the artificers and all the tradespeople1 bringing grist to the mill of the baker and the bootmaker1 as well as to the caf and the cabaret4 ,the various contending interests were singularly satisfied1 the vintagers getting their two francs and a half a day1 and the men at the pressoirs their three francs and their food4 ,the plethoric commissionaires-en-vins wiped their perspiring foreheads with satisfaction at having at last secured the full number of hogsheads they had been instructed to buy--at a high figure it was true1 still this was no disadvantage to them1 as their commission mounted up all the higher4 ,and1 as regarded the small vine proprietors1 even the thickest-skulled among them1 who make all their calculations on their fingers1 could see at a glance that they were gainers1 for1 although the crop was no more than half an average one1 yet1 thanks to the ill-disguised anxiety of the agents to secure all the wine they required1 prices had gradually crept up until they doubled those of ordinary years1 and this with only half the work in the vineyard and at the wine-press to be done4 ,on leaving ,dizy the road runs immediately at the base of the vine-clad slopes1 broken up by an occasional conical peak detaching itself from the mass1 and tinted from base to summit with richly-variegated hues1 in which deep purple1 yellow1 green1 grey1 and crimson by turns predominate4 ,dotting these slopes like a swarm of huge ants are a crowd of men1 women1 and children1 intent on stripping the vines of their luscious-looking fruit4 ,the men are mostly in blue blouses1 and the women in closely-fitting neat white caps1 or wearing old-fashioned unbleached straw-bonnets of the contemned coal-scuttle type4 ,they detach the grapes with scissors or hooked knives1 technically termed serpettes1 and in some vineyards proceed to remove all damaged1 decayed1 or unripe fruit from the bunches before placing them in the baskets hanging on their arms1 the contents of which are from time to time emptied into a larger basket resembling a deep clothes-basket in shape1 numbers of these being dispersed about the vineyard for the purpose1 and invariably in the shade4 ,when filled they are carried by a couple of men to the roadside1 along which dwarf stones carved with initials1 and indicating the boundaries of the respective properties1 are encountered every eight or ten yards1 into such narrow strips are the vineyards divided4 ,large carts with railed open sides are continually passing backwards and forwards to pick these baskets up1 and when one of them has secured its load it is driven slowly--in order that the grapes may not be shaken--to the neighbouring pressoir1 so extreme is the care observed throughout every stage of the process of champagne manufacture4 ,in many of the vineyards the grapes are inspected in bulk instead of in detail before being sent to the wine-press4 ,the hand-baskets1 when filled1 are all brought to a particular spot1 where their contents are minutely examined by some half-dozen men and women1 who pluck off all the bruised1 rotten1 and unripe berries1 and fling them aside into a separate basket4 ,in one vineyard we came upon a party of girls1 congregated round a wicker sieve perched on the top of a large tub by the roadside1 who were busy sorting the grapes1 pruning away the diseased stalks1 and picking off all the doubtful berries1 and letting the latter fall through the interstices of the sieve1 the sound fruit being deposited in large baskets standing by their side1 which1 as soon as filled1 were conveyed to the pressoir4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,vintage ,,scene ,,in ,,the ,,champagne4 7p4 #bd7 ,the picking ordinarily commences with daylight1 and the vintagers assert that the grapes gathered at sunrise always produce the lightest and most limpid wine4 ,moreover by plucking the grapes when the early morning sun is upon them they are believed to yield a fourth more juice4 ,later on in the day1 too1 spite of all precautions1 it is impossible to prevent some of the detached grapes from partially fermenting1 which frequently suffices to give a slight excess of colour to the must1 a thing especially to be avoided--no matter how rich and ripe the fruit may be--in a high-class champagne4 ,when the grapes have to be transported in open baskets for some distance to the press-house1 jolting along the road either in carts or on the backs of mules1 and exposed to the torrid rays of a bright autumnal sun1 the juice expressed from the fruit1 however gently the latter may be squeezed1 is occasionally of a positive purple tinge1 and consequently useless for conversion into champagne4 ,on the right of the road leading from ,dizy to ,ay we pass a vineyard called ,le ,lon1 which tradition asserts to be the one whence ,pope ,leo the ,magnificent1 the patron of ,michael ,angelo1 ,raffaelle1 and ,da ,vinci1 drew his supply of ,ay wine4 ,the village of ,ay lies right before us at the foot of the vine-clad slopes1 with the tapering spire of its ancient church rising above the neighbouring hills and cutting sharply against the bright blue sky4 ,the vineyards1 which spread themselves over a calcareous declivity1 have mostly a full southern aspect1 and the predominating vines are those known as golden plants1 the fruit of which is of a deep purple colour4 ,after these comes the plant vert dor1 and then a moderate proportion of the plant gris1 the latter a white variety1 as its name implies4 ,a limited quantity of wine from white grapes is likewise made in the neighbouring vineyards of ,dizy4 ,we visited the pressoir of the principal producer of vin brut at ,ay1 who1 although the owner of merely five hectares1 or about twelve and a half acres of vines1 expected to make as many as #a1ejj pices of wine that year1 mainly of course from grapes purchased from other growers4 ,one peculiarity of the ,champagne district is that1 contrary to the prevailing practice in the other wine-producing regions of ,france1 where the owner of even a single acre of vines will crush his grapes himself1 only a limited number of vine-proprietors press their own grapes4 ,the large champagne houses1 possessing vineyards1 always have their pressoirs in the neighbourhood1 and other large vine-proprietors will press the grapes they grow1 but the multitude of small cultivators invariably sell the produce of their vineyards to one or other of the former at a certain rate1 either by weight or else per caque1 a measure estimated to hold sixty kilogrammes 7equal to #acblbs47 of grapes4 ,the price which the fruit fetches varies of course according to the quality of the vintage and the requirements of the manufacturers4 ,in #ahgc1 in all the higher-class vineyards1 as much as two francs and a quarter per kilogramme 7#aj;d4 per lb47 were paid1 or between treble and quadruple the average price4 ,and yet the vintage was a most unsatisfactory one owing to the deficiency of sun and abundance of wet throughout the summer4 ,the market1 however1 was in great need of wine1 and the fruit while still ungathered was bought up at most exorbitant prices by the spculateurs who supply the vin brut to the champagne manufacturers4 ,carts laden with grapes were continually arriving at the pressoir1 and after discharging their loads1 and having them weighed1 kept driving off for fresh ones4 ,four powerful presses of recent invention1 each worked by a large fly-wheel requiring four sturdy men to turn it1 were in operation4 ,the grapes were spread over the floor of the press in a compact mass1 and on being subjected to pressure--again and again repeated1 the first squeeze only giving a high-class wine--the must filtered through a wicker basket into the reservoir beneath1 whence1 after remaining a certain time to allow of its ridding itself of the grosser lees1 it is pumped through a gutta-percha tube into the casks4 ,the wooden stoppers of the bungholes1 instead of being fixed tightly in the apertures1 are simply laid over them1 and after the lapse of ten or twelve days fermentation usually commences1 and during its progress the must1 which is originally of a pale pink tint1 fades to a light straw colour4 ,the wine usually remains undisturbed until ,christmas1 when it is drawn off into fresh casks1 and delivered to the purchaser4 ,on our way from ,ay to ,mareuil1 along the lengthy ,rue de ,chlons1 we looked in at the little auberge at the corner of the ,boulevard du ,sud1 where we found a crowd of coopers and others connected in some way with the vintage taking their cheerful glasses round4 ,the walls of the room were appropriately enough decorated with capering bacchanals squeezing bunches of purple grapes and flourishing their thyrsi about in a very tipsy fashion4 ,all the talk--and there was an abundance of it--had reference to the yield of this particular vintage and the high rate the ,ay wine had realised4 ,eight hundred francs the pice of two hundred litres1 equal to forty-four gallons1 appeared to be the price fixed by the agents of the great champagne houses1 and at this figure the bulk of the vintage was disposed of before a single grape passed through the wine-press4 ,at ,mareuil1 which is scarcely more than a mile from ,ay1 owing to the steepness of the slopes and to the roads through the vineyards being impracticable for carts1 the grapes were being conveyed to the press-houses in baskets slung across the backs of mules and donkeys1 who1 on account of their known partiality for the ripe fruit1 were most of them muzzled while thus employed4 ,the vin brut here1 inferior of course to that of ,ay1 found a ready market at from five to six hundred francs the pice4 ,illustration ,from ,mareuil we proceeded to ,avenay1 a tumbledown little village in the direction of ,reims1 and the vineyards of which were of greater repute in the #acth century than they are to-day4 ,its best wine1 extolled by ,saint ,evremond1 the epicurean ,frenchman1 who emigrated to the gay court of ,charles ,,ii4 at ,whitehall to escape a gloomy cell in the ,bastille1 is vintaged up the slopes of ,mont ,hurl4 ,at ,avenay we found the yield had been little more than the third of an average one1 and that the wine from the first pressure of the grapes had been sold for five hundred francs the pice4 ,here we tasted some very fair still red wine1 made from the same grapes as champagne1 remarkably deep in colour1 full of body1 and with that slight sweet bitterish flavour characteristic of certain of the better-class growths of the south of ,france4 ,on leaving ,avenay we ascended the hills to ,mutigny1 and wound round thence to ,cumires1 on the banks of the ,marne1 finding the vintage in full operation all throughout the route4 ,the vineyards of ,cumires--classed as a second cr--join those of ,hautvillers on the one side and ,damery on the other--the latter a cosy little river-side village1 where the bon ,roi ,henri sought relaxation from the turmoils of war in the society of the fair ,anne du ,puy--sa belle htesse1 as the gallant ,barnais was wont to style her4 ,damery too claims to be the birthplace of ,adrienne ,lecouvreur1 the celebrated actress of the ,regency1 and mistress of the ,marchal de ,saxe who coaxed her out of her #cj1jjj of savings to enable him to prosecute his suit with the obese ,anna ,iwanowna1 niece of ,peter the ,great1 which1 had he only been successful in1 would have secured the future hero of ,fontenoy the coveted dukedom of ,courland4 ,the vineyards of the ,cte d',epernay1 south of the ,marne1 extend eastward from beyond ,boursault1 on whose wooded height ,madame ,clicquot built her fine chteau1 in which her granddaughter1 the ,comtesse de ,mortemart1 to-day resides4 ,they then follow the course of the river1 and after winding round behind ,epernay diverge towards the south-west4 ,the vines produce only black grapes1 and many of the vineyards are of great antiquity1 one at ,epernay1 known as the ,closet1 having been bequeathed under that name six and a half centuries ago to a neighbouring ,abbey of ,st4 ,martin4 ,a short drive along the high road leading from ,epernay to ,troyes brings us to the village of ,pierry cosily nestling amongst groves of poplars in the valley of the ,cubry1 with some half-score of chteaux of the last century belonging to well-to-do wine-growers of the neighbourhood1 screened from the road by umbrageous gardens4 ,vines mount the slopes that rise around1 the higher summits being crowned with forest1 while here and there some pleasant village shelters itself under the brow of a lofty hill4 ,near ,pierry many cellars have been excavated in the chalky soil1 to the flints prevalent in which the village is said to owe its name4 ,illustration ,the entrances to these cellars are closed by iron gateways1 and on the skirts of the vineyards we come upon whole rows of them picturesquely overgrown with ivy4 ,early in the last century the wine vintaged in the ,clos ,st4 ,pierre1 belonging to an abbey of this name at ,chlons1 acquired a high reputation through the care bestowed upon it by ,brother ,jean ,oudart1 whose renown almost rivalled that of ,dom ,perignon himself1 and to-day the ,pierry vineyards1 producing exclusively black grapes1 hold a high rank among the second-class crs of the ,marne4 ,crossing the ,sourdon1 a little stream which1 bubbling up in the midst of huge rocks in the forest of ,epernay1 rushes down the hills and mingles its waters with that of the ,cubry1 we soon reach ,moussy1 where the vineyards1 spite of their long pedigree and southern aspect1 also rank as a second cr4 ,still skirting the vine-clad slopes we come to ,vinay1 noted for an ancient grotto--the comfortless abode of some rheumatic anchorite--and a pretended miraculous spring to which fever-stricken pilgrims to-day credulously resort4 ,the water may possibly merit its renown1 but the wine here produced is very inferior1 due no doubt to the class of vines1 the meunier being the leading variety cultivated4 ,at ,ablois ,st4 ,martin1 picturesquely perched partway up a slope in the midst of hills covered with vines and crowned with forest trees1 the ,cte d',epernay ends1 and the produce becomes of a choicer character4 ,the ,cte d',avize lies to the south-east1 so that we have to retrace our steps to ,pierry and follow the road which there branches off1 leaving the vineyards of ,chavot1 ,monthelon1 and ,grauves1 of no particular note1 on our right hand4 ,we pass through ,cuis1 where the slopes1 planted with both black and white varieties of vines1 are extremely abrupt1 and eventually reach ,cramant1 one of the grand premiers crs of the ,champagne4 ,from the vineyards around this picturesque little village1 and extending along the somewhat precipitous ,cte de ,saran--a prominent object on which is ,m4 ,mot's handsome chteau--there is vintaged a wine from white grapes especially remarkable for lightness and delicacy and the richness of its bouquet1 and an admixture of which is essential to every first-class champagne cuve4 ,from ,cramant the road runs direct to ,avize1 a large thriving village1 lying at the foot of vineyard slopes1 where numerous champagne firms have established themselves4 ,its prosperity dates from the commencement of the last century1 when the ,count de ,lhery cleared away the remains of its ancient ramparts1 filled up the moat1 and planted the ground with vines1 the produce of which was found admirably suited for the sparkling wines then coming into vogue4 ,to-day the light delicate wine of ,avize is classed1 like that of ,cramant1 as a premier cr4 ,it is the same with the wine of ,oger1 lying a little to the south1 while the neighbouring growths of ,le ,mesnil hold a slightly inferior rank4 ,the latter village and its grey ,gothic church lie under the hill in the midst of vines that almost climb the forest-crowned summit4 ,the stony soil hereabouts is said to be better adapted to the cultivation of white than of black grapes1 besides which the wines of ,le ,mesnil are remarkable for their effervescent properties4 ,vertus forms the southern limit of the ,cte d',avize1 and the vineyard slopes subsiding at their base into a broad expanse of fertile fields1 and crested as usual with dense forest1 rise up behind the picturesque old town which the ,english assailed and partly burnt five centuries ago1 spite of its fortifications1 of which to-day a dilapidated gateway alone remains4 ,the church is ancient and curious1 and a few quaint old houses are here and there met with1 notably one with a florid ,gothic window enriched with a moulding of grapes and vine-leaves4 ,the vineyards of ,vertus were originally planted with vines from ,burgundy1 and in the #adth century yielded a red wine held in high repute1 while later on the ,vertus growths formed the favourite beverage of ,william ,,iii4 of ,england4 ,to-day the growers find it more profitable to make white instead of red wine from their crops of black grapes1 the former commanding a good price for conversion into vin mousseux1 it being in the opinion of some manufacturers especially valuable for binding a cuve together4 ,the wine of ,vertus ranks among the second-class champagne crs4 ,illustration3 ,,chateau ,,of ,,sillery4 ,,iii4--,,the ,,vineyards ,,of ,,the ,,mountain4 ,the ,wine of ,sillery-- ,origin of its ,renown-- ,the ,marechale d',estres a successful ,marchande de ,vin-- ,from ,reims to ,sillery-- ,failure of the ,jacquesson ,vineyards-- ,chteau of ,sillery-- ,wine ,making at ,m4 ,fortel's-- ,sillery sec-- ,the ,vintage and ,vendangeoirs at ,verzenay-- ,the ,verzy ,vineyards-- ,edward ,,iii4 at the ,abbey of ,st4 ,basle-- ,from ,reims to ,bouzy-- ,the ,herring ,procession at ,st4 ,remi-- ,rilly1 ,chigny1 and ,ludes-- ,the ,knights ,templars' ,pot of ,wine-- ,mailly and the ,view over the ,plains of the ,champagne-- ,wine ,making at ,mailly-- ,the ,village in the ,wood-- ,village and ,chteau of ,louvois-- ,louis le ,grand's ,war ,minister-- ,bouzy1 its ,vineyards and ,church ,steeple1 and the ,lottery of the ,great ,gold ,ingot-- ,,mm4 ,werl's and ,mot and ,chandon's ,vendangeoirs-- ,pressing the ,grapes-- ,still ,red ,bouzy-- ,ambonnay-- ,a ,peasant ,proprietor-- ,the ,vineyards of ,ville-,dommange and ,sacy1 ,hermonville1 and ,st4 ,thierry-- ,the ,still ,red ,wine of the latter4 ,the smallest of the ,champagne vineyards are those of ,sillery1 and yet no wine of the ,marne enjoys a greater renown1 due originally to the intelligence and energy of the ,marchale d',estres1 the clever daughter of a ,jew financier1 who brought the wine of ,sillery prominently into notice during the latter half of the seventeenth century4 ,she had vineyards at ,mailly1 ,verzy1 and ,verzenay1 as well as at ,sillery1 and concentrated their produce in the capacious cellars of her chteau1 afterwards sending it forth with her own guarantee1 under the general name of ,sillery1 which1 like ,aaron's serpent1 thus swallowed up the others4 ,the ,marchale's social position enabled her to secure for her wines the recognition they really merited1 added to which she was a keen woman of business4 ,she also possessed much taste1 and whenever she gave one of her rare entertainments nothing could be more exquisite or more magnificent4 ,at the same time1 she was so sordid that when her daughter1 who was covered with jewels1 fell down at a ball1 her first cry was1 not like ,shylock's1 my daughter1 but my diamonds1 as rushing forward she strove to pick up1 not the fallen dancer1 but her scattered gems4 ,the drive from ,reims to ,sillery has nothing attractive about it4 ,a long1 straight1 level road bordered by trees intersects a broad tract of open country1 skirted on the right by the ,petite ,montagne of ,reims1 with antiquated villages nestled among the dense woodland4 ,after crossing the ,chlons line of railway--near where one of the new forts constructed for the defence of ,reims rises up behind the villages and vineyards of ,cernay and ,nogent l',abbesse--the country becomes more undulating4 ,poplars border the broad ,marne canal1 and a low fringe of foliage marks the course of the languid river ,vesle1 on the banks of which is ,taissy1 famous in the old days for its wines1 great favourites with ,sully1 and which almost lured ,henri ,quatre from his allegiance to the vintages of ,ay and ,arbois that he loved so well4 ,to the left rises ,mont de la ,pompelle1 where the first ,christians of ,reims suffered martyrdom1 and where in #afeh the ,spaniards under ,montal1 when attempting to ravage the vineyards of the district1 were repulsed with terrible slaughter by the ,remois militia1 led on by ,grandpr4 ,a quarter of a century ago the low ground on our right near ,sillery was planted with vines by ,m4 ,jacquesson1 the owner of the ,sillery estate1 and a large champagne manufacturer at ,chlons1 who was anxious to resuscitate the ancient reputation of the domain4 ,under the advice of ,dr4 ,guyot1 the well-known writer on viticulture1 he planted the vines in deep trenches1 which led to the vineyards being punningly termed ,jacquesson's celery beds4 ,to shield the vines from hailstorms prevalent in the district1 and the more dangerous spring frosts1 so fatal to vines planted in low-lying situations1 long rolls of straw-matting were stored close at hand with which to roof them over when needful4 ,these precautions were scarcely needed1 however2 the vines languished through moisture at the roots1 and eventually were mostly rooted up4 ,after again crossing the railway1 we pass the trim1 restored turrets of the famous chteau of ,sillery1 with its gateways1 moats1 and drawbridges1 flanked by trees and floral parterres4 ,it was here that the ,marchale d',estres carried on her successful business as a marchande de vins1 and the pragmatic and pedantic ,comtesse de ,genlis1 governess of the ,orleans princes1 spent1 as she tells us1 the happiest days of her life4 ,the few thriving vineyards of ,sillery cover a gentle eminence which rises out of the plain1 and present on the one side an eastern and on the other a western aspect4 ,to-day the ,vicomte de ,brimont and ,m4 ,fortel of ,reims1 the latter of whom cultivates about forty acres of vines1 yielding ordinarily about #cjj hogsheads1 are the only wine-growers at ,sillery4 ,before pressing his grapes--of course for sparkling wine--,m4 ,fortel has them thrown into a trough1 at the bottom of which are a couple of grooved cylinders1 each about eight inches in diameter1 and revolving in contrary directions1 the effect of which1 when set in motion1 is to disengage the grapes partially from their stalks4 ,grapes and stalks are then placed under the press1 which is on the old cyder-press principle1 and the must runs into a reservoir beneath1 whence it is pumped into large vats1 each holding from #bej to #ejj gallons4 ,here it remains from six to eight hours1 and is then run off into casks1 the spigots of which are merely laid lightly over the holes1 and in the course of twelve days the wine begins to ferment4 ,it now rests until the end of the year1 when it is drawn off into new casks and delivered to the buyer1 invariably one or other of the great champagne houses1 who willingly pay an exceptionally high price for it4 ,the second and third pressures of the grapes yield an inferior wine1 and from the husks and stalks eau-de-vie1 worth about five shillings a gallon1 is distilled4 ,the wine known as ,sillery sec is a full1 dry1 pleasant-flavoured1 and somewhat spirituous amber-coloured wine4 ,very little of it is made now-a-days1 and most that is comes from the adjacent vineyards of ,verzenay and ,mailly1 and is principally reserved by the growers for their own consumption4 ,one of these candidly admitted to me that the old reputation of the wine had exploded1 and that better white ,bordeaux and ,burgundy wines were to be obtained for less money4 ,in making dry ,sillery1 which locally is esteemed as a valuable tonic1 it is essential that the grapes should be subjected to only slight pressure1 while to have it in perfection it is equally essential that the wine should be kept for ten years in the wood according to some1 and eight years in bottle according to others1 to which circumstance its high price is in all probability to be attributed4 ,in course of time it forms a deposit1 and has the disadvantage common to all the finer still wines of the ,champagne district of not travelling well4 ,beyond ,sillery the vineyards of ,verzenay unfold themselves1 spreading over the extensive slopes and stretching to the summit of the steep height to the right1 where a windmill or two is perched4 ,everywhere the vintagers are busy detaching the grapes with their little hook-shaped serpettes1 the women all wearing projecting1 close-fitting bonnets1 as though needlessly careful of their anything but blonde complexions4 ,long carts laden with baskets of grapes block the narrow roads1 and donkeys1 duly muzzled1 with baskets slung across their backs1 toil up and down the steeper slopes4 ,half way up the principal hill1 backed by a dense wood and furrowed with deep trenches1 whence soil has been removed for manuring the vineyards1 is the village of ,verzenay1 overlooking a veritable sea of vines4 ,rising up in front of the old grey cottages1 encompassed by orchards or gardens1 are the white walls and long red roofs of the vendangeoirs belonging to the great champagne houses--,mot and ,chandon1 ,clicquot1 ,g4 ,h4 ,mumm1 ,roederer1 ,deutz and ,geldermann1 and others--all teeming with bustle and excitement1 and with the vines almost reaching to their very doors4 ,mot and ,chandon have as many as eight presses in full work1 and own no less than #abj acres of vines on the neighbouring slopes1 besides the ,clos de ,romont--in the direction of ,sillery1 and yielding a wine of the ,sillery type--belonging to ,m4 ,mot ,romont4 ,at ,messrs4 ,g4 ,h4 ,mumm's the newly-delivered grapes are either being weighed and emptied into one of the pressoirs1 or else receiving their first gentle squeeze4 ,verzenay ranks as a premier cr1 and for three years in succession--#ahgb1 #c1 and #d--;its wines fetched a higher price than either those of ,ay or ,bouzy4 ,in #ahgc the vin brut commanded the exceptionally large sum of #a1jcj francs the hogshead of #dd gallons4 ,all the inhabitants of ,verzenay are vine proprietors1 and several million francs are annually received by them for the produce of their vineyards from the manufacturers of champagne4 ,the wine of ,verzenay1 remarkable for its body and vinosity1 has always been held in high repute1 which is more than can be said for the probity of the inhabitants1 for according to an old ,champagne saying--,whenever at ,verzenay ',stop thief' is cried every one takes to his heels4 ,just over the mountain of ,reims is the village of ,verzy1 the vineyards of which adjoin those of ,verzenay1 and are almost exclusively planted with white grapes1 the only instance of the kind to be met with in the district4 ,in the clos ,st4 ,basse1 however--taking its name from the abbey of ,st4 ,basle1 of which the village was a dependency1 and where ,edward ,,iii4 of ,england had his head-quarters during the siege of ,reims--black grapes alone are grown1 and its produce is almost on a par with the wines of ,verzenay4 ,southwards of ,verzy are the third-class crs of ,villers-,marmery and ,trpail4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,vineyards ,,of ,,verzenay4 7p4 #cf47 ,on leaving ,reims on our excursion to the vineyards of ,bouzy we pass the quaint old church of ,st4 ,remi1 one of the sights of the ,champagne capital1 and notable among other things for its magnificent ancient stained-glass windows1 and the handsome modern tomb of the popular ,remois saint4 ,it was here in the middle ages that that piece of priestly mummery1 the procession of the herrings1 used to take place at dusk on the ,wednesday before ,easter4 ,preceded by a cross the canons of the church marched in double file up the aisles1 each trailing a cord after him1 with a herring attached4 ,every one's object was to tread on the herring in front of him1 and prevent his own herring from being trodden upon by the canon who followed behind--a difficult enough proceeding which1 if it did not edify1 certainly afforded much amusement to the lookers-on4 ,soon after crossing the canal and the river ,vesle we leave the grey antiquated-looking village of ,cormontreuil on our left1 and traverse a wide stretch of cultivated country streaked with patches of woodland4 ,occasional windmills dot the distant heights1 while villages nestle among the trees up the mountain sides and in the quiet hollows4 ,soon a few vineyards occupying the lower slopes1 and thronged by bands of vintagers1 come in sight1 and the country too gets more picturesque4 ,we pass successively on our right hand ,rilly1 producing a capital red wine1 then ,chigny1 and afterwards ,ludes1 all three more or less up the mountain1 with vines in all directions1 relieved by a dark background of forest trees4 ,in the old days the ,knights ,templars of the ,commanderie of ,reims had the right of vinage at ,ludes1 and exacted their modest pot 7about half a gallon7 per pice on all the wine the village produced4 ,on our left hand is ,mailly1 the vineyards of which join those of ,verzenay1 and yield a wine noted for finesse and bouquet4 ,from the wooded knolls hereabouts a view is gained of the broad plains of the ,champagne1 dotted with white villages and scattered homesteads among the poplars and the limes1 the winding ,vesle glittering in the sunlight1 and the dark towers of ,notre ,dame de ,reims1 with all their rich ,gothic fretwork1 rising majestically above the distant city4 ,at one vendangeoir we visited at ,mailly between #cej and #djj pices of wine were being made at the rate of some thirty pices during the long day of twenty hours1 five men being engaged in working the old-fashioned press1 closely resembling a cyder press1 and applying its pressure longitudinally4 ,the must was emptied into large vats1 holding about #dej gallons1 and remained there for two or three days before being drawn off into casks4 ,of the above thirty pices1 twenty resulting from the first pressure were of the finest quality1 four produced by the second pressure were partly reserved to replace what the first might lose during fermentation1 the residue serving for second-class champagne4 ,the six pices which came from the final pressure1 after being mixed with common wine of the district1 were converted into champagne of inferior quality4 ,we now cross the mountain1 sight ,ville-en-,selve--the village in the wood--among the distant trees1 and eventually reach ,louvois1 whence the ,grand ,monarque's domineering war minister derived his marquisate1 and where his chteau1 a plain but capacious edifice1 may still be seen nestled in a picturesque and fertile valley1 and surrounded by lordly pleasure grounds4 ,soon afterwards the vineyards of ,bouzy appear in sight1 with the prosperous-looking little village rising out of the plain at the foot of the vine-clad slopes stretching to ,ambonnay1 and the glittering ,marne streaking the hazy distance4 ,the commodious new church was indebted for its spire1 we were told1 to the lucky gainer--who chanced to be a native of ,bouzy--of the great gold ingot lottery prize1 value #af1jjj1 drawn some years ago4 ,the ,bouzy vineyards occupy a series of gentle inclines1 and have the advantage of a full southern aspect4 ,the soil1 which is of the customary calcareous formation1 has a marked ruddy tinge1 indicative of the presence of iron1 to which the wine is in some degree indebted for its distinguishing characteristics--its delicacy1 spirituousness1 and pleasant bouquet4 ,vintagers are passing slowly in between the vines1 and carts laden with grapes come rolling over the dusty roads4 ,the mountain which rises behind is scored up its sides and fringed with foliage at its summit1 and a small stone bridge crosses the deep ravine formed by the swift descending winter torrents4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,vineyards ,,of ,,bouzy4 7p4 #ch47 ,illustration3 ,,pressing ,,grapes ,,at ,m4 ,,werl',s ,,vendangeoir ,,at ,,bouzy4 7p4 #ci7 ,the principal vineyard proprietors at ,bouzy1 which ranks1 of course1 as a premier cr1 are ,m4 ,werl1 ,m4 ,irroy1 and ,messrs4 ,mot and ,chandon1 the first and last of whom have capacious vendangeoirs here1 ,m4 ,irroy's pressing-house being in the neighbouring village of ,ambonnay4 ,m4 ,werl possesses at ,bouzy from forty to fifty acres of the finest vines1 forming a considerable proportion of the entire vineyard area4 ,at the ,clicquot-,werl vendangeoir1 containing as many as eight presses1 about #a1jjj pices of wine are made annually4 ,at the time of our visit1 grapes gathered that morning were in course of delivery1 the big basketfuls being measured off in caques--wooden receptacles1 holding two-and-twenty gallons--while the florid-faced foreman ticked them off with a piece of chalk on the head of an adjacent cask4 ,as soon as the contents of some half-hundred or so of these baskets had been emptied on to the floor of the press1 the grapes undetached from their stalks were smoothed compactly down1 and a moderate pressure was applied to them by turning a huge wheel1 which caused the screw of the press to act--a gradual squeeze rather than a powerful one1 and given all at once1 coaxing out1 it was said1 the finer qualities of the fruit4 ,the operation was repeated as many as six times2 the yield from the three first pressures being reserved for conversion into champagne1 while the result of the fourth squeeze would be applied to replenishing the loss1 averaging #g per cent41 sustained by the must during fermentation4 ,whatever comes from the fifth pressure is sold to make an inferior champagne4 ,the grapes are subsequently well raked about1 and then subjected to a couple of final squeezes1 known as the rbche1 and yielding a sort of piquette1 given to the workmen employed at the pressoir to drink4 ,the small quantity of still red ,bouzy wine made by ,m4 ,werl at the same vendangeoir only claims to be regarded as a wine of especial mark in good years4 ,the grapes before being placed beneath the press are allowed to remain in a vat for as many as eight days4 ,the must undergoes a long fermentation1 and after being drawn off into casks is left undisturbed for a couple of years4 ,in bottle1 where1 by the way1 it invariably deposits a sediment1 which is indeed the case with all the wines of the ,champagne1 still or sparkling1 it will outlive1 we were told1 any ,burgundy4 ,still red ,bouzy has a marked and agreeable bouquet and a most delicate flavour1 is deliciously smooth to the palate1 and to all appearances as light as a wine of ,bordeaux1 while in reality it is quite as strong as ,burgundy1 to the finer crs of which it bears a slight resemblance4 ,it was1 ,i learnt1 most susceptible to travelling1 a mere journey to ,paris being1 it was said1 sufficient to sicken it1 and impart such a shock to its delicate constitution that it was unlikely to recover from it4 ,to attain perfection1 this wine1 which is what the ,french term a vin vif1 penetrating into the remotest corners of the organ of taste1 requires to be kept a couple of years in wood and half-a-dozen or more years in bottle4 ,from ,bouzy it was only a short distance along the base of the vine slopes to ,ambonnay1 where there are merely two or three hundred acres of vines1 and where we found the vintage almost over4 ,the village is girt with fir trees1 and surrounded by rising ground fringed with solid belts or slender strips of foliage4 ,an occasional windmill cuts against the horizon1 which is bounded here and there by scattered trees4 ,inquiring for the largest vine proprietor we were directed to an open porte-cochre1 and on entering the large court encountered half-a-dozen labouring men engaged in various farm occupations4 ,addressing one whom we took to be the foreman1 he referred us to a wiry little old man1 in shirt-sleeves and sabots1 absorbed in the refreshing pursuit of turning over a big heap of rich manure with a fork4 ,he proved to be ,m4 ,oury1 the owner of ,i forget how many acres of vines1 and a remarkably intelligent peasant1 considering what dunderheads the ,french peasants as a rule are1 who had raised himself to the position of a large vine proprietor4 ,doffing his sabots and donning a clean blouse1 he conducted us into his little salon1 a freshly-painted apartment about eight feet square1 of which the huge fireplace occupied fully one-third1 and submitted patiently to our catechizing4 ,at ,ambonnay1 as at ,bouzy1 they had that year1 ,m4 ,oury said1 only half an average crop2 the caque of grapes had1 moreover1 sold for exactly the same price at both places1 and the wine had realised about #hjj francs the pice4 ,each hectare 7#b acres7 of vines had yielded #de caques of grapes1 weighing some #b tons1 which produced #f pices1 equal to #bhf gallons of wine1 or at the rate of #aaj gallons per acre4 ,here the grapes were pressed four times1 the yield from the second pressure being used principally to make good the loss which the first sustained during its fermentation4 ,as the squeezes given were powerful ones1 all the best qualities of the grapes were by this time extracted1 and the yield from the third and fourth pressures would not command more than #hj francs the pice4 ,the vintagers who came from a distance received either a franc and a half per day and their food1 consisting of three meals1 or two francs and a half without food1 the children being paid thirty sous4 ,m4 ,oury further informed us that every year vineyards came into the market1 and found ready purchasers at from fifteen to twenty thousand francs the hectare1 equal to an average price of #cjj the acre4 ,owing to the properties being divided into such infinitesimal portions1 they were rarely bought up by the large champagne houses1 who preferred not to be embarrassed with the cultivation of such tiny plots1 but to buy the produce from their owners4 ,there are other vineyards of lesser note in the neighbourhood of ,reims producing very fair wines which enter more or less into the composition of champagne4 ,noticeable among these are ,ville-,dommange and ,sacy1 south-west of ,reims1 and ,hermonville and ,st4 ,thierry--where the ,black ,prince took up his quarters during the siege of ,reims--north-west of the city4 ,the still red wine of ,st4 ,thierry1 which recalls the growths of the ,mdoc by its tannin1 and those of the ,cte d',or by its vinosity1 is to-day almost a thing of the past1 it being found here as elsewhere more profitable to press the grapes for sparkling in preference to still wine4 ,illustration ,,iv4--,,the ,,vines ,,of ,,the ,,champagne ,,and ,,the ,,system ,,of ,,cultivation4 ,the ,vines chiefly of the ,pineau ,variety-- ,the ,plant dor of ,ay1 the ,plant vert dor1 the ,plant gris1 and the ,epinette-- ,the ,soil of the ,vineyards-- ,close ,mode of ,plantation-- ,the ,operation of ,provinage-- ,the ,stems of the ,vines never more than ,three ,years ,old-- ,fixing the ,stakes to the ,vines-- ,manuring and ,general ,cultivation-- ,spring ,frosts in the ,champagne-- ,various ,modes of ,protecting the ,vines against them-- ,dr4 ,guyot's ,system-- ,the ,parasites that ,prey upon the ,vines4 ,in the ,champagne the old rule holds good--poor soil1 rich product2 grand wine in moderate quantity4 ,four descriptions of vines are chiefly cultivated1 three of them yielding black grapes1 and all belonging to the ,pineau variety1 from which the grand ,burgundy wines are produced1 and so styled from the clusters taking the conical form of the pine4 ,the first is the franc pineau1 the plant dor of ,ay1 producing small round grapes1 with thickish skins of a bluish black tint1 and sweet and refined in flavour4 ,the next is the plant vert dor1 more robust and more productive than the former1 but yielding a less generous wine1 and the berries of which are dark and oval1 very thin skinned and remarkably sweet and juicy4 ,the third variety is the plant gris1 or burot1 as it is styled in the ,cte d',or1 a somewhat delicate vine1 whose fruit has a brownish tinge1 and yields a light and perfumed wine4 ,the remaining species is a white grape known as the pinette1 a variety of the pineau blanc1 and supposed by some to be identical with the chardonnet of ,burgundy1 which yields the famous wine of ,montrachet4 ,it is met with all along the ,cte d',avize1 notably at ,cramant1 the delicate and elegant wine of which ranks immediately after that of ,ay and ,verzenay4 ,the pinette is a prolific bearer1 and its round transparent golden berries1 which hang in no very compact clusters1 are both juicy and sweet4 ,it ripens1 however1 much later than either of the black varieties4 ,there are several other species of vines cultivated in the ,champagne vineyards1 notably the common meunier1 or miller1 bearing black grapes1 and prevalent in the valley of ,epernay1 and which takes its name from the circumstance of the young leaves appearing to have been sprinkled with flour4 ,there are also the black and white gouais1 the meslier1 a prolific white variety yielding a wine of fair quality1 the black and white gamais1 the leading grape in the ,mconnais1 and chiefly found in the ,vertus vineyards1 together with the tourlon1 the marmot1 and half a score of others4 ,the soil of the ,champagne vineyards is chalk1 with a mixture of silica and light clay1 combined with a varying proportion of oxide of iron4 ,the vines are almost invariably planted on rising ground1 the lower slopes which usually escape the spring frosts producing the best wines4 ,the new vines are placed very close together1 there often being as many as six within a square yard4 ,when two or three years old they are ready for the operation of provinage universally practised in the ,champagne1 and which consists in burying in a trench1 from #f to #h inches deep1 dug on one side of the plant1 the two lowest buds of the two principal shoots1 left when the vine was pruned for this especial purpose4 ,the shoots thus laid underground are dressed with a light manure1 and in course of time take root and form new vines1 which bear during their second year4 ,this operation is performed in the spring1 and is annually repeated until the vine is five years old1 the plants thus being in a state of continual progression1 a system which accounts for the juvenescent aspect of the ,champagne vineyards1 where none of the wood of the vines showing aboveground is more than three years old4 ,when the vine has attained its fifth year it is allowed to rest for a couple of years1 and then the pruning is resumed1 the shoots being dispersed in any direction throughout the vineyard4 ,the plants remain in this condition henceforward1 merely requiring to be renewed from time to time by judicious provining4 ,illustration ,the vines are supported by stakes1 when of oak costing sixty francs the thousand2 and as in the ,champagne a close system of plantation is followed1 no less than #bd1jjj stakes are required on every acre of land1 making the cost per acre of propping up the vines upwards of #eg1 or double what it is in the ,mdoc and quadruple what it is in ,burgundy4 ,these stakes are set up in the spring of the year by men or women1 the former of whom force them into the ground by pressing against them with their chest1 which is protected with a shield of stout leather4 ,the women use a mallet1 or have recourse to a special appliance1 in working which the foot plays the principal part4 ,the latter method is the least fatiguing1 and in some localities is practised by the men4 ,an expert labourer will set up as many as #e1jjj of these stakes in the course of the day4 ,after the vines have been hoed around their roots they are secured to the stakes1 and the tops are broken off at a shoot to prevent them from growing above the regulation height1 which is ordinarily from #cj to #cc inches4 ,they are liberally manured with a kind of compost formed of the loose friable soil dug out from the sides of the mountain1 and of supposed volcanic origin1 mixed with animal and vegetable refuse4 ,the vines are shortened back while in flower1 and in the course of the summer the ground is hoed a second and a third time1 the object being1 first1 to destroy the superficial roots of the vines and force the plants to live solely on their deep roots2 and1 secondly1 to remove all pernicious weeds from round about them4 ,after the third hoeing1 which takes place in the middle of ,august1 the vines are left to themselves until the period of the vintage4 ,when this is over the stakes supporting the vines are pulled up and stacked in compact masses1 with their ends out of the ground1 the vine1 which is left curled up in a heap1 remaining undisturbed until the winter1 when the earth around it is loosened4 ,in the month of ,february it is pruned and sunk into the earth1 as already described1 so as to leave only the new wood aboveground4 ,owing to the vines being planted so closely together they starve one another1 and numbers of them perish4 ,when this is the case1 or the stems get broken during the vintage1 their places are filled up by provining4 ,illustration ,the vignerons of the ,champagne regard the numerous stakes which support the vines as affording some protection against the white frosts of the spring4 ,to guard against the dreaded effects of these frosts1 which invariably occur between early dawn and sunrise1 and the loss arising from which is estimated to amount annually to #be per cent4 some of the cultivators place heaps of hay1 faggots1 dead leaves1 c41 about twenty yards apart1 taking care to keep them moderately damp4 ,when a frost is feared the heaps on the side of the vineyard whence the wind blows are set light to1 whereupon the dense smoke which rises spreads horizontally over the vines1 producing the same result as an actual cloud1 intercepting the rays of the sun1 warming the atmosphere1 and converting the frost into dew4 ,among other methods adopted to shield the vines from frosts is the joining of branches of broom together in the form of a fan1 and afterwards fastening them to the end of a pole1 which is placed obliquely in the ground1 so that the fan may incline over the vine and protect it from the sun's rays4 ,a single labourer can plant1 it is said1 as many as eight thousand of these fans in the ground in the course of a long day4 ,dr4 ,guyot's system of roofing the vines with straw matting1 to protect them alike against frost and hailstorms1 is very generally followed in low situations in the ,champagne1 the value of the wine admitting of so considerable an expense being incurred4 ,this matting1 which is about a foot and a half in width1 and in rolls of great length1 is fastened either with twine or wire to the vine stakes1 and it is estimated that half-a-dozen men can fix nearly #aa1jjj yards of it1 or sufficient to roof over #b acres of vines1 during an ordinary day4 ,owing to the system of cultivation by rejuvenescence1 and the constant replenishing of the soil by well-compounded manures1 the ,champenois winegrowers entertain great hopes that their vineyards will escape the ravages of the phylloxera vastatrix4 ,according to ,dr4 ,plonquet of ,ay they are already the prey of no less than fifteen varieties of insects1 which feed upon the leaves1 stalks1 roots1 or fruit of the vines4 ,between #ahej and #ahfj the vineyards of ,ay were devastated by the pyrale1 a species of caterpillar1 which feeds on the young leaves and shoots until the vine is left completely bare4 ,the insect eventually becomes transformed into a small white butterfly1 and deposits its eggs either in the crevices of the stakes or in the stalks of the vine4 ,all the efforts made to rid the vineyards of this scourge proved ineffectual until the wet and cold weather of #ahfj put a stop to the insect's ravages4 ,more recently it has been discovered that its attacks can be checked by sulphurous acid4 ,illustration ,illustration ,v4--,,preparation ,,of ,,champagne4 ,treatment of ,champagne after it comes from the ,wine-,press-- ,racking and ,blending of the ,wine-- ,deficiency and ,excess of ,effervescence-- ,strength and ,form of ,champagne ,bottles-- ,the ,tirage or ,bottling of the ,wine-- ,the ,process of ,gas-making commences-- ,inevitable ,breakage follows-- ,wine ,stacked in ,piles-- ,formation of ,sediment-- ,bottles placed sur pointe and ,daily ,shaken-- ,effect of this occupation on those incessantly engaged in it-- ,claws and ,masks-- ,champagne ,cellars-- ,their ,construction and ,aspect-- ,transforming the vin brut into ,champagne-- ,disgorging and ,liqueuring the ,wine-- ,the ,corking1 ,stringing1 ,wiring1 and ,amalgamating-- ,the ,wine's ,agitated ,existence comes to an ,end-- ,the ,bottles have their ,toilettes made-- ,champagne sets out on its beneficial ,pilgrimage4 ,the special characteristic of champagne is that its manufacture only just commences where that of other wines ordinarily ends4 ,the must flows direct from the press into capacious reservoirs1 whence it is drawn off into large vats1 and after being allowed to clear1 is transferred to casks holding some forty-four gallons each4 ,although the bulk of the new-made wine is left to repose at the vendangeoirs until the commencement of the following year1 still when the vintage is over numbers of long narrow carts laden with casks of it are to be seen rolling along the dusty highways leading to those towns and villages in the ,marne where the manufacture of champagne is carried on4 ,chief amongst these is the cathedral city of ,reims1 after which comes the rising town of ,epernay1 stretching to the very verge of the river1 then ,ay1 nestled between the vine-clad slopes and the ,marne canal1 with the neighbouring village of ,mareuil1 and finally ,avize1 in the centre of the white grape district southwards of ,epernay4 ,chlons1 owing to its distance from the vineyards1 would scarcely draw its supply of wine until the new year4 ,the first fermentation lasts from a fortnight to a month1 according as to whether the wine be mou--that is1 rich in sugar--or the reverse4 ,in the former case fermentation naturally lasts much longer than when the wine is vert or green4 ,this active fermentation is converted into latent fermentation by transferring the wine to a cooler cellar1 as it is essential it should retain a large proportion of its natural saccharine to ensure its future effervescence4 ,the casks have previously been completely filled1 and their bungholes tightly stopped1 a necessary precaution to guard the wine from absorbing oxygen1 the effect of which would be to turn it yellow and cause it to lose some of its lightness and perfume4 ,after being racked and fined1 the produce of the different vineyards is now ready for mixing together in accordance with the traditional theories of the various manufacturers1 and should the vintage have been an indifferent one a certain proportion of old reserved wine of a good year enters into the blend4 ,the mixing is usually effected in gigantic vats holding at times as many as #ab1jjj gallons each1 and having fan-shaped appliances inside1 which1 on being worked by handles1 ensure a complete amalgamation of the wine4 ,this process of marrying wine on a gigantic scale is technically known as making the cuve4 ,usually four-fifths of wine from black grapes are tempered by one-fifth of the juice of white ones4 ,it is necessary that the first should comprise a more or less powerful dash of the finer growths both of the ,mountain of ,reims and of the ,river1 while1 as regards the latter1 one or other of the delicate vintages of the ,cte d',avize is essential to the perfect cuve4 ,the aim is to combine and develop the special qualities of the respective crs1 body and vinosity being secured by the red vintages of ,bouzy and ,verzenay1 softness and roundness by those of ,ay and ,dizy1 and lightness1 delicacy1 and effervescence by the white growths of ,avize and ,cramant4 ,the proportions are never absolute1 but vary according to the manufacturer's style of wine and the taste of the countries which form his principal markets4 ,the wine at this period being imperfectly fermented and crude1 the reader may imagine the delicacy and discrimination of palate requisite to judge of the flavour1 finesse1 and bouquet which the cuve is likely eventually to develop4 ,these1 however1 are not the only matters to be considered4 ,there is1 above everything1 the effervescence1 which depends upon the quantity of carbonic acid gas the wine contains1 and this1 in turn1 upon the amount of its natural saccharine4 ,if the gas be present in excess1 there will be a shattering of bottles and a flooding of cellars2 and if there be a paucity the corks will refuse to pop1 and the wine to sparkle aright in the glass4 ,therefore the amount of saccharine in the cuve has to be accurately ascertained by means of a glucometer2 and if it fails to reach the required standard1 the deficiency is made up by the addition of the purest sugar-candy4 ,if1 on the other hand1 there be an excess of saccharine1 the only thing to be done is to defer the final blending and bottling until the superfluous saccharine matter has been absorbed by fermentation in the cask4 ,the cuve completed1 the blended wine1 now resembling in taste and colour an ordinary acrid white wine1 and giving to the uninitiated palate no promise of the exquisite delicacy and aroma it is destined to develop1 is drawn off again into casks for further treatment4 ,this comprises fining with some gelatinous substance1 and1 as a precaution against ropiness and other maladies1 liquid tannin is at the same time frequently added to supply the place of the natural tannin which has departed from the wine with its reddish hue at the epoch of its first fermentation4 ,the operation of bottling the wine next ensues1 when the ,scriptural advice not to put new wine into old bottles is rigorously followed4 ,for the tremendous pressure of the gas engendered during the subsequent fermentation of the wine is such that the bottle becomes weakened and can never be safely trusted again4 ,it is because of this pressure that the champagne bottle is one of the strongest made1 as indicated by its weight1 which is almost a couple of pounds4 ,to ensure this unusual strength it is necessary that its sides should be of equal thickness and the bottom of a uniform solidity throughout1 in order that no particular expansion may ensue from sudden changes of temperature4 ,the neck must1 moreover1 be perfectly round and widen gradually towards the shoulder4 ,in addition--and this is of the utmost consequence--the inside ought to be perfectly smooth1 as a rough interior causes the gas to make efforts to escape1 and thus renders an explosion imminent4 ,the composition of the glass1 too1 is not without its importance1 as a manufactory established for the production of glass by a new process turned out champagne bottles charged with alkaline sulphurets1 and the consequence was that an entire cuve was ruined by their use1 through the reciprocal action of the wine and these sulphurets4 ,the acids of the former disengaged hydrosulphuric acid1 and instead of champagne the result was a new species of mineral water4 ,most of the bottles used for champagnes come from the factories of ,loivre 7which supplies the largest quantity71 ,folembray1 ,vauxrot1 and ,quiquengrogne1 and cost on the average from #bh to #cj francs the hundred4 ,they are generally tested by a practised hand1 who1 by knocking them sharply together1 professes to be able to tell from the sound that they give the substance of the glass and its temper4 ,the washing of the bottles is invariably performed by women1 who at the larger establishments accomplish it with the aid of machines1 sometimes provided with a revolving brush1 although small glass beads are more generally used by preference4 ,after being washed every bottle is minutely examined to make certain of its perfect purity4 ,illustration ,illustration ,with the different champagne houses the mode of bottling the wine1 which may take place any time between ,april and ,august1 varies in some measure1 still the tirage1 as this operation is called1 is ordinarily effected as follows3--,the wine is emptied from the casks into vats or tuns of varying capacity1 whence it flows through pipes into oblong reservoirs1 each provided with a row of syphon taps1 on to which the bottles are slipped1 and from which the wine ceases to flow directly the bottles become filled4 ,men or lads remove the full bottles1 replacing them by empty ones1 while other hands convey them to the corkers1 whose guillotine machines are incessantly in motion2 next the agrafeurs secure the corks by means of an iron staple1 termed an agrafe2 and then the bottles are conveyed either to a capacious apartment aboveground1 known as a cellier1 or to a cool cellar1 according to the number of atmospheres the wine may indicate4 ,it should be explained that air compressed to half its volume acquires twice its ordinary force1 and to a quarter of its volume quadruple this force--hence the phrase of two1 four1 or more atmospheres4 ,the exact degree of pressure is readily ascertained by means of a manometer1 an instrument resembling a pressure gauge1 with a hollow screw at the base which is driven through the cork of the bottle4 ,a pressure of #e atmospheres constitutes what is styled a grand mousseux1 and the wine exhibiting it may be safely conveyed to the coolest subterranean depths1 for no doubt need be entertained as to its future effervescent properties4 ,should the pressure1 however1 scarcely exceed #d atmospheres1 it is advisable to keep the wine in a cellier aboveground that it may more rapidly acquire the requisite sparkling qualities4 ,if fewer than #d atmospheres are indicated it would be necessary to pour the wine back into the casks again1 and add a certain amount of cane sugar to it1 but such an eventuality very rarely happens1 thanks to the scientific formulas and apparatus which enable the degree of pressure the wine will show to be determined beforehand to a nicety4 ,still mistakes are sometimes made1 and there are instances where charcoal fires have had to be lighted in the cellars to encourage the effervescence to develop itself4 ,the bottles are placed in a horizontal position and stacked in rows of varying length and depth1 one above the other1 to about the height of a man1 and with narrow laths between them4 ,thus they will spend the summer providing all goes well1 but in about three weeks' time the process of gas-making inside the bottles is at its height1 and may cause an undue number of them to burst4 ,the glucometer notwithstanding1 it is impossible to check a certain amount of breakage1 especially when a hot season has caused the grapes1 and consequently the raw wine1 to be sweeter than usual4 ,moreover when once casse or breakage sets in on a large scale1 the temperature of the cellar is raised by the volume of carbonic acid gas let loose1 which is not without its effect on the remaining bottles4 ,the only remedy is at once to remove the wine to a lower temperature when this is practicable4 ,a manufacturer of the pre-scientific days of the last century relates how one year1 when the wine was rich and strong1 he only preserved #abj out of #f1jjj bottles2 and it is not long since that #abj1jjj out of #bjj1jjj were destroyed in the cellars of a well-known champagne firm4 ,over-knowing purchasers still affect to select a wine which has exploded in the largest proportion as being well up to the mark as regards its effervescence1 and profess to make inquiries as to its performances in this direction4 ,it is evident that in spite of the teachings of science the bursting of champagne bottles has not yet been reduced to a minimum1 for whereas in some cellars it averages #g and #h per cent41 in others it rarely exceeds #b or #c4 ,in the month of ,october1 the first and severest breakage being over1 the newly-bottled wine is definitively stacked in the cellars in piles from two to half-a-dozen bottles deep1 from six to seven feet high1 and frequently a hundred feet or upwards in length4 ,usually the bottles remain in their horizontal position for about eighteen or twenty months1 though some firms1 who pride themselves upon shipping perfectly matured wines1 leave them thus for double this space of time4 ,all this while the temperature to which the wine is exposed is1 as far as practicable1 carefully regulated2 for the risk of breakage1 though greatly diminished1 is never entirely at an end4 ,illustration ,by this time the fermentation is over1 but in the interval1 commencing from a few days after the bottling of the wine1 a loose dark-brown sediment has been forming which has now settled on the lower side of the bottle1 and to get rid of which is a delicate and tedious task4 ,the bottles are placed sur pointe1 as it is termed--that is to say1 slantingly in racks with their necks downwards1 the inclination being increased from time to time to one more abrupt4 ,the object of this change in their position is to cause the sediment to leave the side of the bottle where it has gathered2 it afterwards becomes necessary to twist and turn it1 and coagulate it1 as it were1 until it forms a kind of muddy ball1 and eventually to get it well down into the neck of the bottle1 so that it may be finally expelled with a bang when the temporary cork is removed and the proper one adjusted4 ,to accomplish this the bottles are sharply turned in one direction every day for at least a month or six weeks1 the time being indefinitely extended until the sediment shows a disposition to settle near the cork4 ,the younger the wine the longer the period necessary for the bottles to be shaken1 new wine often requiring as much as three months4 ,only a thoroughly practised hand can give the right amount of revolution and the requisite degree of slope2 and in some of the cellars that we visited men were pointed out to us who had acquired such dexterity as to be able at a pinch to shake with their two hands as many as #ej1jjj bottles in a single day4 ,some of these men have spent thirty or forty years of their lives engaged in this perpetual task4 ,fancy being entombed all alone day after day in vaults which are invariably dark and gloomy1 and often cold and dank1 and being obliged to twist sixty to seventy of these bottles every minute throughout the day of twelve hours4 ,why the treadmill and the crank with their periodical respites must be pastime compared to this maddeningly monotonous occupation1 which combines hard labour1 with the wrist at any rate1 with next to solitary confinement4 ,one can understand these men becoming gloomy and taciturn1 and affirming that they sometimes see devils hovering over the bottle-racks and frantically shaking the bottles beside them1 or else grinning at them as they pursue their humdrum task4 ,still it may be taken for granted that the men who reach this stage are accustomed to drink freely of raw spirits1 and merely pay the penalty resulting from over-indulgence4 ,illustration ,in former times the bottles used to be placed with their heads downwards on tables pierced with holes1 from which they had to be removed and agitated4 ,in #ahah1 however1 a man named ,muller1 in the employment of ,madame ,clicquot1 suggested that the bottles should remain in the tables whilst being shaken1 and further that the holes should be cut obliquely so that the bottles might recline at varying angles4 ,his suggestions were privately adopted by ,madame ,clicquot1 but eventually the improved plan got wind1 and the system now prevails throughout the ,champagne4 ,when the bottles have gone through their regular course of shaking they are examined before a lighted candle to ascertain whether the deposit has fallen and the wine become perfectly clear4 ,sometimes it happens that1 twist these men never so wisely1 the deposit refuses to stir1 and takes the shape of a bunch of thread technically called a claw1 or an adherent mass styled a mask4 ,when this is the case an attempt is made to start it by tapping the part to which it adheres with a piece of iron1 the result being frequently the sudden explosion of the bottle4 ,as a precaution1 therefore1 the workman protects his face with a wire-mask or gigantic wire spectacles1 which give to him a ghoul-like aspect4 ,illustration ,the cellars of the champagne manufacturers are very varied in character4 ,the wine that has been grown on the chalky hills undergoes development in vaults burrowed out of the calcareous strata underlying the entire district4 ,in excavating these cellars the sides and roofs are frequently worked smooth and regular as finished masonry4 ,the larger ones are composed of a number of spacious and lofty galleries1 sometimes parallel with each other1 but often ramifying in various directions1 and evidently constructed on no definite plan4 ,they are of one1 two1 and1 in rare instances1 of three stories1 and now and then consist of a series of parallel galleries communicating with each other1 lined with masonry1 and with their stone walls and vaulted roofs resembling the crypt of some conventual building4 ,others of ancient date are less regular in their form1 being merely so many narrow low winding corridors1 varied1 perhaps1 by recesses hewn roughly out of the chalk1 and resembling the brigands' cave of the melodrama1 while a certain number of the larger cellars at ,reims are simply abandoned quarries1 the broad and lofty arches of which are suggestive of the nave and aisles of some ,gothic church4 ,in these varied vaults1 lighted by solitary lamps in front of metal reflectors1 or by the flickering tallow candles which we carry in our hands1 we pass rows of casks filled with last year's vintage or reserved wine of former years1 and piles after piles of bottles of vin brut in seemingly endless sequence--squares1 so to speak1 of raw champagne recruits awaiting their turn to be thoroughly drilled and disciplined4 ,these are varied by bottles reposing necks downwards in racks at different degrees of inclination according to the progress their education has attained4 ,reports caused by exploding bottles now and then assail the ear1 and as the echo dies away it becomes mingled with the rush of the escaping wine1 cascading down the pile and finding its way across the sloping sides of the floor to the narrow gutter in the centre4 ,the dampness of the floor and the shattered fragments of glass strewn about show the frequency of this kind of accident4 ,the spilt wine1 which flows along the gutter into reservoirs1 is usually thrown away1 though there is a story current to the effect that the head of one ,epernay firm cooks nearly everything consumed in his house in the fluid thus let loose in his cellars4 ,in these subterranean galleries we frequently come upon parties of workmen engaged in transforming the perfected vin brut into champagne4 ,viewed at a distance while occupied in their monotonous task1 they present in the semi-obscurity a series of picturesque ,rembrandt-like studies4 ,one of the end figures in each group is engaged in the important process of dgorgement1 which is performed when the deposit1 of which we have already spoken1 has satisfactorily settled in the neck of the bottle4 ,baskets full of bottles with their necks downwards are placed beside the operator1 who stands before an apparatus resembling a cask divided vertically down the middle4 ,this nimble-figured manipulator seizes a bottle1 holds it for a moment before the light to test the clearness of the wine and the subsidence of the deposit2 brings it1 still neck downwards1 over a small tub at the bottom of the apparatus already mentioned2 and with a jerk of the steel hook which he holds in his right hand loosens the agrafe securing the cork1 ,bang goes the latter1 and with it flies out the sediment and a small glassful or so of wine1 further flow being checked by the workman's finger1 which also serves to remove any sediment yet remaining in the bottle's neck4 ,like many other clever tricks1 this looks very easy when adroitly performed1 though a novice would probably empty the bottle by the time he had discovered that the cork was out4 ,occasionally a bottle bursts in the dgorgeur's hand1 and his face is sometimes scarred from such explosions4 ,the sediment removed1 he slips a temporary cork into the bottle1 and the wine is ready for the important operation of the dosage1 upon the nature and amount of which the character of the perfected wine1 whether it be dry or sweet1 light or strong1 very much depends4 ,different manufacturers have different recipes1 more or less complex in character1 and varying with the quality of the wine and the country for which it is intended2 but the genuine liqueur consists of nothing but old wine of the best quality1 to which a certain amount of sugar-candy and perhaps a dash of the finest cognac spirit has been added4 ,the saccharine addition varies according to the market for which the wine is destined3 thus the high-class ,english buyer demands a dry champagne1 the ,russian a wine sweet and strong as ladies' grog1 and the ,frenchman and ,german a sweet light wine4 ,to the extra-dry champagnes a modicum dose is added1 while the so-called brut wines receive no more than from one to three per cent4 of liqueur4 ,in some establishments the dose is administered with a tin can or ladle2 but more generally an ingenious machine of pure silver and glass which regulates the percentage of liqueur to a nicety is employed4 ,the dosage accomplished1 the bottle passes to another workman known as the galiseur1 who fills it up with pure wine4 ,should a pink champagne be required1 the wine thus added will be red1 although manufacturers of questionable reputation sometimes employ the solution known as teinte de ,fismes4 ,the galiseur in turn hands the bottle to the corker1 who places it under a machine furnished with a pair of claws1 which compress the cork to a size sufficiently small to allow it to enter the neck of the bottle1 and a suspended weight1 which in falling drives it home4 ,these corks1 which are principally obtained from ,catalonia and ,andalucia1 cost more than twopence each1 and are delivered in huge sacks resembling hop-pockets4 ,before they are used they have been either boiled in wine1 soaked in a solution of tartar1 or else steamed by the cork merchants1 both to prevent their imparting a bad flavour to the wine and to hinder any leakage4 ,they are commonly handed warm to the corker1 who dips them into a small vessel of wine before making use of them4 ,some firms1 however1 prepare their corks by subjecting them to cold water douches a day or two beforehand4 ,the ficeleur receives the bottle from the corker1 and with a twist of the fingers secures the cork with string1 at the same time rounding its hitherto flat top4 ,the metteur de fil next affixes the wire with like celerity2 and then the final operation is performed by a workman seizing a couple of bottles by the neck and whirling them round his head1 as though engaged in the ,indian-club exercise1 in order to secure a perfect amalgamation of the wine and the liqueur4 ,the final manipulation accomplished1 the agitated course of existence through which the wine has been passing of late comes to an end1 and the bottles are conveyed to another part of the establishment1 where they repose for several days1 or even weeks1 in order that the mutual action of the wine and the liqueur upon each other may be complete4 ,when the time arrives for despatching them they are confided to feminine hands to have their dainty toilettes made1 and are tastefully labelled and either capsuled1 or else have their corks and necks imbedded in sealing-wax1 or swathed in gold or silver foil1 whereby they are rendered presentable at the best-appointed tables4 ,illustration ,thus completed champagne sets out on its beneficial pilgrimage to promote the spread of mirth and lightheartedness1 to drive away dull care and foment good-fellowship1 to comfort the sick and cheer the sound4 ,wherever civilisation penetrates1 champagne sooner or later is sure to follow2 and if ,queen ,victoria's morning drum beats round the world1 its beat is certain to be echoed before the day is over by the popping of champagne-corks4 ,now-a-days the exhilarating wine graces not merely princely but middle-class dinner-tables1 and is the needful adjunct at every petit souper in all the gayer capitals of the world4 ,it gives a flush to beauty at garden-parties and picnics1 sustains the energies of the votaries of ,terpsichore until the hour of dawn1 and imparts to many a young gallant the necessary courage to declare his passion4 ,it enlivens the dullest of runions1 brings smiles to the lips of the sternest cynics1 softens the most irascible tempers1 and loosens the most taciturn tongues4 ,the grim ,berliner and the gay ,viennese both acknowledge its enlivening influence4 ,it sparkles in crystal goblets in the great capital of the ,north1 and the ,moslem wipes its creamy foam from his beard beneath the very shadow of the mosque of ,st4 ,sophia2 for the ,prophet has only forbidden the use of wine1 and of a surety--,allah be praised6--this strangely-sparkling delicious liquor1 which gives to the true believer a foretaste of the joys of ,paradise1 cannot be wine4 ,at the diamond-fields of ,south ,africa and the diggings of ,australia the brawny miner who has hit upon a big bit of crystallised carbon1 or a nugget of virgin ore1 strolls to the saloon and shouts for champagne4 ,the mild ,hindoo imbibes it quietly1 but approvingly1 as he watches the evolutions of the ,nautch girls1 and his partiality for it has already enriched the ,anglo-,bengalee vocabulary and ,london slang with the word simkin4 ,it is transported on camel-backs across the deserts of ,central ,asia1 and in frail canoes up the mighty ,amazon4 ,the two-sworded ,daimio calls for it in the tea-gardens of ,yokohama1 and the ,new ,yorker1 when not rinsing his stomach by libations of iced-water1 imbibes it freely at ,delmonico's4 ,wherever civilised man has set his foot--at the base of the ,pyramids and at the summit of the ,cordilleras1 in the mangrove swamps of ,ashantee and the gulches of the ,great ,lone ,land1 in the wilds of the ,amoor and on the desert isles of the ,pacific--he has left traces of his presence in the shape of the empty bottles that were once full of the sparkling vintage of the ,champagne4 ,illustration ,illustration3 ,,devices ,,from ,,the ,,commanderie ,,at ,,reims4 ,,vi4--,,the ,,reims ,,champagne ,,establishments4 ,messrs4 ,werl and ,co41 successors to the ,veuve ,clicquot-,ponsardin-- ,their ,offices and ,cellars on the site of a ,former ,commanderie of the ,templars-- ,origin of the ,celebrity of ,madame ,clicquot's ,wines-- ,m4 ,werl and his ,son-- ,the ,forty-five ,cellars of the ,clicquot-,werl ,establishment-- ,our ,tour of ,inspection-- ,ingenious ,liqueuring ,machine-- ,an ,explosion and its ,consequences-- ,m4 ,werl's ,gallery of ,paintings-- ,madame ,clicquot's ,renaissance ,house and its ,picturesque ,bas-reliefs-- ,the ,werl ,vineyards and ,vendangeoirs-- ,m4 ,louis ,roederer's ,establishment-- ,heidsieck and ,co4 and their ,famous ,monopole ,brand-- ,the ,firm ,founded in the ,last ,century-- ,their various ,establishments ,inside and ,outside ,reims-- ,the ,matured ,wines ,shipped by them4 ,illustration ,the cellars of the great champagne manufacturers of ,reims are scattered in all directions over the historical old city4 ,they undermine its narrowest and most insignificant streets1 its broad and handsome boulevards1 and on the eastern side extend to its more distant outskirts4 ,messrs4 ,werl and ,co41 the successors of the famous ,veuve ,clicquot-,ponsardin1 have their offices and cellars on the site of a former ,commanderie of the ,templars in an ancient quarter of the city1 and strangers passing by the spot would scarcely imagine that under their feet hundreds of busy hands are incessantly at work1 disgorging1 dosing1 shaking1 corking1 storing1 wiring1 labelling1 capsuling1 waxing1 tinfoiling1 and packing hundreds of thousands of bottles of champagne destined for all parts of the civilised world4 ,the house of ,clicquot1 established in the year #agih by the husband of ,la ,veuve ,clicquot-,ponsardin1 who died in #ahff1 in her #hith year1 was indebted for much of the celebrity of its wine to the lucky accident of the ,russians occupying ,reims in #ahad and #ahae1 and freely requisitioning the sweet champagne stored in the widow's capacious cellars4 ,madame ,clicquot's wines were slightly known in ,russia prior to this date1 but the officers of the invading army1 on their return home1 proclaimed their merits throughout the length and breadth of the ,muscovite ,empire1 and the fortune of the house was made4 ,madame ,clicquot1 as every one knows1 amassed enormous wealth1 and succeeded in marrying both her daughter and granddaughter to counts of the ancien rgime4 ,the present head of the firm is ,m4 ,werl1 who comes of an old ,lorraine family although born in the ancient free imperial town of ,wetzlar on the ,lahn1 where ,goethe lays the scene of his ,sorrows of ,werther1 the leading incidents of which really occurred here4 ,m4 ,werl entered the establishment1 which he has done so much to raise to its existing position1 so far back as the year #ahba4 ,his care and skill1 exercised over more than half a century1 have largely contributed to obtain for the ,clicquot brand that high repute which it enjoys to-day all over the world4 ,m4 ,werl1 who has long been naturalised in ,france1 was for many years ,mayor of ,reims and ,president of its ,chamber of ,commerce1 as well as one of the deputies of the ,marne to the ,corps ,lgislatif4 ,he enjoys the reputation of being the richest man in ,reims1 and1 like his late partner1 ,madame ,clicquot1 he has also succeeded in securing brilliant alliances for his children1 his son1 ,m4 ,alfred ,werl1 having married the daughter of the ,duc de ,montebello1 while his daughter espoused the son of ,m4 ,magne1 ,minister of ,finance under the ,second ,empire4 ,illustration3 ,,madame ,,veuve ,,clicquot ,,at ,,eighty ,,years ,,of ,,age4 7,from the ,painting by ,lon ,coignet47 7p4 #fd7 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,clicquot-,,werl ,,establishment ,,at ,,reims4 7p4 #fe7 ,half-way down the narrow tortuous ,rue du ,temple is an ancient gateway1 on which may be traced the half-effaced sculptured heads of ,phoebus and ,bacchus4 ,immediately in front is a green porte-cochre forming the entrance to the ,clicquot-,werl establishment1 and conducting to a spacious trim-kept courtyard1 set off with a few trees1 with some extensive stabling and cart-sheds on the left1 and on the right hand the entrance to the cellars4 ,facing us is an unpretending-looking edifice1 where the firm has its counting-houses1 with a little corner tower surmounted by a characteristic weathercock consisting of a figure of ,bacchus seated astride a cask beneath a vine-branch1 and holding up a bottle in one hand and a goblet in the other4 ,the old ,remish ,commanderie of the ,knights ,templars existed until the epoch of the ,great ,revolution1 and to-day a few fragments of the ancient buildings remain adjacent to the celliers of the establishment1 which are reached through a pair of folding-doors and down a flight of stone steps1 and whence1 after being furnished with lighted candles1 we set out on our tour of inspection1 entering first of all the vast cellar of ,st4 ,paul1 where the thousands of bottles requiring to be daily shaken are reposing necks downwards on the large perforated tables which crowd the apartment4 ,it is a peculiarity of the ,clicquot-,werl establishment that each of the cellars--forty-five in number1 and the smallest a vast apartment--has its special name4 ,in the adjoining cellar of ,st4 ,matthew other bottles are similarly arranged1 and here wine in cask is likewise stored4 ,we pass rows of huge tuns1 each holding its twelve or thirteen hundred gallons of fine reserved wine designed for blending with more youthful growths2 next are threading our way between seemingly endless piles of hogsheads filled with later vintages1 and anon are passing smaller casks containing the syrup with which the vin prpar is dosed4 ,at intervals we come upon some square opening in the floor through which bottles of wine are being hauled up from the cellars beneath in readiness to receive their requisite adornment before being packed in baskets or cases according to the country to which they are destined to be despatched4 ,to ,russia the ,clicquot champagne is sent in cases containing sixty bottles1 while the cases for ,china contain as many as double that number4 ,illustration3 ,,remains ,,of ,,the ,,commanderie ,,at ,,reims4 ,the ample cellarage which the house possesses has enabled ,m4 ,werl to make many experiments which firms with less space at their command would find it difficult to carry out on the same satisfactory scale4 ,such1 for instance1 is the system of racks in which the bottles repose while the wine undergoes its diurnal shaking4 ,instead of these racks being1 as they commonly are1 at almost upright angles1 they are perfectly horizontal1 which1 in ,m4 ,werl's opinion1 offers a material advantage1 inasmuch as the bottles are all in readiness for disgorging at the same time instead of the lower ones being ready before those above1 as is the case when the ancient system is followed1 owing to the uppermost bottles getting less shaken than the others4 ,after performing the round of the celliers we descend into the caves1 a complete labyrinth of gloomy underground corridors excavated in the bed of chalk which underlies the city1 and roofed and walled with solid masonry1 more or less blackened by age4 ,in one of these cellars we catch sight of rows of work-people engaged in the operation of dosing1 corking1 securing1 and shaking the bottles of wine which have just left the hands of the dgorgeur by the dim light of half-a-dozen tallow candles4 ,the latest invention for liqueuring the wine is being employed4 ,formerly1 to prevent the carbonic acid gas escaping from the bottles while the process of liqueuring was going on1 it was necessary to press a gutta-percha ball connected with the machine1 in order to force the escaping gas back4 ,the new machine1 however1 renders this unnecessary1 the gas by its own power and composition forcing itself back into the wine4 ,in the adjoining cellar of ,st4 ,charles are stacks of bottles awaiting the manipulation of the dgorgeur1 while in that of ,st4 ,ferdinand men are engaged in examining other bottles before lighted candles to make certain that the sediment is thoroughly dislodged and the wine perfectly clear before the disgorgement is effected4 ,here1 too1 the corking1 wiring1 and stringing of the newly-disgorged wine are going on4 ,another flight of steps leads to the second tier of cellars1 where the moisture trickles down the dank dingy walls1 and save the dim light thrown out by the candles we carried1 and by some other far-off flickering taper stuck in a cleft stick to direct the workmen1 who with dexterous turns of their wrists give a twist to the bottles1 all is darkness4 ,on every side bottles are reposing in various attitudes1 the majority in huge square piles on their sides1 others in racks slightly tilted1 others1 again1 almost standing on their heads1 while some1 which through over-inflation have come to grief1 litter the floor and crunch beneath our feet4 ,tablets are hung against each stack of wine indicating its age1 and from time to time a bottle is held up before the light to show us how the sediment commences to form1 or explain how it eventually works its way down the neck of the bottle1 and finally settles on the cork4 ,suddenly we are startled by a loud report resembling a pistol-shot1 which reverberates through the vaulted chamber1 as a bottle close at hand explodes1 dashing out its heavy bottom as neatly as though it had been cut by a diamond1 and dislocating the necks and pounding in the sides of its immediate neighbours4 ,the wine trickles down1 and eventually finds its way along the sloping sides of the slippery floor to the narrow gutter in the centre4 ,ventilating shafts pass from one tier of cellars to the other1 enabling the temperature in a certain measure to be regulated1 and thereby obviate an excess of breakage4 ,m4 ,werl estimates that the loss in this respect during the first eighteen months of a cuve amounts to #g per cent41 but subsequently is considerably less4 ,in #ahfb one champagne manufacturer lost as much as #de per cent4 of his wine by breakages4 ,the ,clicquot cuve is made in the cave of ,st4 ,william1 where #abj hogsheads of wine are hauled up by means of a crane and discharged into the vat daily as long as the operation lasts4 ,the tirage or bottling of the wine ordinarily commences in the middle of ,may1 and occupies fully a month4 ,illustration3 ,,renaissance ,,house ,,at ,,reims1 ,,in ,,which ,,madame ,,clicquot ,,resided4 7p4 #fi7 ,m4 ,werl's private residence is close to the establishment in the ,rue du ,temple1 and here he has collected a small gallery of high-class modern paintings by ,french and other artists1 including ,meissonnier's ,card-players1 ,delaroche's ,beatrice ,cenci on her way to ,execution1 ,fleury's ,charles ,v4 picking up the brush of ,titian1 various works by the brothers ,scheffer1 ,knaus's highly-characteristic genre picture1 ,his ,highness on a ,journey1 and several fine portraits1 among which is one of ,madame ,clicquot1 painted by ,lon ,coignet1 when she was eighty years of age1 and another of ,m4 ,werl by the same artist1 regarded as a chef-d'oeuvre4 ,before her father's death ,madame ,clicquot used to reside in the ,rue de ,marc1 some short distance from the cellars in which her whole existence centered1 in a handsome ,renaissance house1 said to have had some connection with the row of palaces that at one time lined the neighbouring and then fashionable ,rue du ,tambour4 ,this1 however1 is extremely doubtful4 ,a number of interesting and well-preserved bas-reliefs decorate one of the faades of the house looking on to the court4 ,the figures are of the period of ,franois ,premier and his son ,henri ,,ii41 who inaugurated his reign with a comforting edict for the ,protestants1 ordaining that blasphemers were to have their tongues pierced with red-hot irons1 and heretics to be burnt alive1 and who had the ill-luck to lose his eye and life through a lance-thrust of the ,comte de ,montgomerie1 captain of his ,scotch guards1 whilst jousting with him at a tournament held in honour of the marriage of his daughter ,isabelle with the gloomy widower of ,queen ,mary of ,england1 of sanguinary fame4 ,illustration ,the first of these bas-reliefs represents two soldiers of the ,swiss guard1 the next a ,turk and a ,slav tilting at each other1 and then comes a scroll entwined round a thistle1 and inscribed with this enigmatical motto3 ,giane le sur ou rien4 ,in the third bas-relief a couple of passionate ,italians are winding up a gambling dispute with a hand-to-hand combat1 in the course of which table1 cards1 and dice have got cantered over2 the fourth presenting us with two ,french knights1 armed cap--pie1 engaged in a tourney2 while in the fifth and last a couple of ,german lansquenets essay their gladiatorial skill with their long and dangerous weapons4 ,several years back a tablet was discovered in one of the cellars of the house1 inscribed ,ci-gist vnrable religieux mastre ,pierre ,dercl1 docteur en thologie1 jadis prieur de cans4 ,priez ,dieu pour luy4 #adhf1 which would almost indicate that the house had originally a religious character1 although the warlike spirit of the bas-reliefs decorating it renders any such supposition with regard to the existing building untenable4 ,the ,messrs4 ,werl own numerous acres of vineyards1 comprising the very finest situations in the well-known districts of ,verzenay1 ,bouzy1 ,le ,mesnil1 and ,oger1 at all of which places they have vendangeoirs or pressing-houses of their own4 ,their establishment at ,verzenay contains seven presses1 that at ,bouzy eight1 at ,le ,mesnil six1 and at ,oger two1 in addition to which grapes are pressed under their own supervision at ,ay1 ,avize1 and ,cramant in vendangeoirs belonging to their friends4 ,since the death of ,madame ,clicquot the legal style of the firm has been ,werl and ,co41 successors to ,veuve ,clicquot-,ponsardin1 the mark1 of which ,m4 ,werl and his son are the sole proprietors1 still remaining ,veuve ,clicquot-,ponsardin1 while the corks of the bottles are branded with the words ,v4 ,clicquot-,p4 ,werl1 encircling the figure of a comet4 ,the style of the wine--light1 delicate1 elegant1 and fragrant--is familiar to all connoisseurs of champagne4 ,what1 however1 is not equally well known is that within the last few years the firm1 in obedience to the prevailing taste1 have introduced a perfectly dry wine of corresponding quality to the richer wine which made the fortune of the house4 ,the house of ,m4 ,louis ,roederer1 founded by a plodding ,german named ,schreider1 pursued the sleepy tenor of its way for years1 until all at once it felt prompted to lay siege to the ,muscovite connection of ,la ,veuve ,clicquot-,ponsardin and secure a market for its wine at ,moscow and ,st4 ,petersburg4 ,it next opened up the ,united ,states1 and finally introduced its brand into ,england4 ,the house possesses cellars in various parts of ,reims1 and has its offices in one of the oldest quarters of the city--namely1 the ,rue des lus1 or ancient ,rue des ,juifs1 records of which date as far back as #aajc4 ,these offices are at the farther end of a courtyard beyond which is a second court1 where carts being laden with cases of champagne seemed to indicate that some portion of the shipping business of the house is here carried on4 ,m4 ,louis ,roederer refused our request for permission to visit his establishments1 so that it is only of their external appearance that we are able to speak4 ,one of them--the faade of which is rather imposing1 and which has a carved head of ,bacchus surmounting the porte-cochre--is situated in the ,boulevard du ,temple1 while the principal establishment1 a picturesque range of buildings of considerable extent1 is in the neighbouring ,rue de la ,justice4 ,the old-established firm of ,heidsieck and ,co41 which has secured a reputation in both hemispheres for its famous ,monopole and ,dry ,monopole brands1 has its cellars scattered about ,reims1 the central ones1 where the wine is prepared and packed1 being situated in the narrow winding ,rue ,sedan1 at no great distance from the ,clicquot-,werl establishment4 ,the original firm dates back to #aghe1 when ,france was struggling with those financial difficulties that a few years later culminated in that great social upheaving which kept ,europe in a state of turmoil for more than a quarter of a century4 ,among the archives of the firm is a patent1 bearing the signature of the ,minister of the ,prussian ,royal ,household1 appointing ,heidsieck and ,co4 purveyors of champagne to ,friedrich ,william ,,iii4 ,the champagne-drinking ,hohenzollern par excellence1 however1 was the son and successor of the preceding1 who1 from habitual over-indulgence in the exhilarating sparkling beverage during the last few years of his reign1 acquired the sobriquet of ,king ,clicquot4 ,on passing through the large porte-cochre giving entrance to ,messrs4 ,heidsieck's principal establishment1 one finds oneself in a small courtyard with the surrounding buildings overgrown with ivy and venerable vines4 ,on the left is a dwelling-house enriched with elaborate mouldings and cornices1 and at the farther end of the court is the entrance to the cellars1 surmounted by a sun-dial bearing the date #ahbi4 ,the latter1 however1 is no criterion of the age of the buildings themselves1 as these were occupied by the firm at its foundation1 towards the close of the last century4 ,we are first conducted into an antiquated-looking low cellier1 the roof of which is sustained with rude timber supports1 and here bottles of wine are being labelled and packed1 although this is but a mere adjunct to the adjacent spacious packing-room provided with its loading platform and communicating directly with the public road4 ,at the time of our visit this hall was gaily decorated with flags and inscriptions1 the day before having been the fte of ,st4 ,jean1 when the firm entertain the people in their employ with a banquet and a ball1 at which the choicest wine of the house liberally flows4 ,from the packing-room we descend into the cellars1 which1 like all the more ancient vaults in ,reims1 have been constructed on no regular plan4 ,here we thread our way between piles after piles of bottles1 many of which having passed through the hands of the disgorger are awaiting their customary adornment4 ,the lower tier of cellars is mostly stored with vin sur pointe1 and bottles with their necks downwards are encountered in endless monotony along a score or more of long galleries4 ,the only variation in our lengthened promenade is when we come upon some solitary workman engaged in his monotonous task of shaking his #cj1jjj or #dj1jjj bottles per diem4 ,the disgorging at ,messrs4 ,heidsieck's takes place1 in accordance with the good old rule1 in the cellars underground1 where we noticed large stocks of wine three and five years old1 the former in the first stage of sur-pointe1 and the latter awaiting shipment4 ,it is a speciality of the house to ship only matured wine1 which is necessarily of a higher character than the ordinary youthful growths1 for a few years have a wonderful influence in developing the finer qualities of champagne4 ,at the time of our visit1 in the spring of #ahgg1 when the ,english market was being glutted with the crude1 full-bodied wine of #ahgd1 ,messrs4 ,heidsieck were continuing to ship wines of #ahgj and #ahgb1 beautifully rounded by keeping and of fine flavour and great delicacy of perfume1 and of which the firm estimated they had fully a year's consumption still on hand4 ,messrs4 ,heidsieck and ,co4 have a handsome modern establishment in the ,rue ,coquebert--a comparatively new quarter of the city where champagne establishments are the rule--the courtyard of which1 alive with workmen at the time of our visit1 is broad and spacious1 while the surrounding buildings are light and airy1 and the cellars lofty1 regular1 and well ventilated4 ,in a large cellier here1 where the tuns are ranged side by side between the rows of iron columns supporting the roof1 the firm make their cuve2 here too the bottling of their wine takes place1 and considerable stocks of high-class reserve wines and more youthful growths are stored ready for removal when required by the central establishment4 ,the bulk of ,messrs4 ,heidsieck's reserve wines1 however1 repose in the outskirts of ,reims1 near the ,porte ,dieu-,lumire1 in one of the numerous abandoned chalk quarries1 which of late years the champagne manufacturers have discovered are capable of being transformed into admirable cellars4 ,in addition to shipping a rich and a dry variety of the ,monopole brand1 of which they are sole proprietors1 ,messrs4 ,heidsieck export to this country a rich and a dry ,grand ,vin ,royal4 ,it is1 however1 to their famous ,monopole wine1 and especially to the dry variety1 which must necessarily comprise the finest growths1 that the firm owe their principal celebrity4 ,illustration3 ,,statue ,,of ,,louis ,,xiii4 ,,on ,,the ,,reims ,h,,tel ,,de ,,ville ,,vii4--,,the ,,reims ,,establishments 7continued74 ,the ,firm of ,g4 ,h4 ,mumm and ,co4-- ,their ,large ,shipments to the ,united ,states-- ,their ,establishments in the ,rue ,andrieux and the ,rue ,coquebert-- ,bottle-,washing with ,glass ,beads-- ,the ,cuve and the ,tirage-- ,g4 ,h4 ,mumm and ,co4's ,vendangeoirs at ,verzenay-- ,their ,various ,wines-- ,the ,gate of ,mars-- ,the ,establishment of ,m4 ,gustave ,gibert on the ,site of the ,chteau des ,archevques-- ,his ,cellars in the ,vaults of ,st4 ,peter's ,abbey and beneath the old ,htel des ,fermes in the ,place ,royale-- ,louis ,,xv4 and ,jean ,baptiste ,colbert-- ,m4 ,gibert's ,wines-- ,jules ,mumm and ,co41 and ,ruinart pre et fils-- ,house of the ,musicians-- ,the ,counts de la ,marck-- ,the ,brotherhood of ,minstrels of ,reims-- ,establishment of ,prinet et fils-- ,their ,cellars of ,three ,stories in ,solid ,masonry-- ,their ,soft1 ,light1 and ,delicate ,wines-- ,a ,rare ,still ,verzenay-- ,m4 ,duchtel-,ohaus's ,establishment and ,renaissance ,house-- ,his ,cellars in the ,cour ,st4 ,jacques and ,outside the ,porte ,dieu-,lumire4 ,messrs4 ,g4 ,h4 ,mumm and ,co4 have their chief establishment in the ,rue ,andrieux1 in an open quarter of the city1 facing the garden attached to the premises of ,m4 ,werl1 and only a short distance from the grand triumphal arch known as the ,gate of ,mars1 by far the most important ,roman remain of which the ,champagne can boast4 ,the head of the firm1 ,mr4 ,g4 ,h4 ,mumm1 is the grandson of the well-known ,p4 ,a4 ,mumm1 the large shipper of hocks and moselles1 and is the only surviving partner in the champagne house of ,mumm and ,co41 established at ,reims in #ahbe1 and joined by ,mr4 ,g4 ,h4 ,mumm so far back as the year #ahch4 ,the firm not only ship their wine largely to ,england1 but head the list of shipments to the ,united ,states1 where their brand is held in high repute1 with nearly half a million bottles1 being more than twice the quantity shipped by ,m4 ,louis ,roederer--who comes third on the list in question--and a fourth of the entire shipments of champagne to the ,united ,states4 ,the establishment of ,messrs4 ,g4 ,h4 ,mumm and ,co41 in the ,rue ,andrieux1 is of comparatively modern construction4 ,a large porte-cochre conducts to a spacious courtyard1 bordered with sheds1 beneath which huge stacks of new bottles are piled and having a pleasant garden lying beyond4 ,on the left is a large vaulted cellier1 where the operations of disgorging1 liqueuring1 and corking the wine are performed1 and which communicates with the vast adjoining packing department4 ,from this cellier entrance is gained to the cellars beneath1 containing a million bottles of vin brut in various stages of development4 ,this forms1 however1 merely a portion of the firm's stock1 they having another three millions of bottles stored in the cellars of their establishment in the ,rue ,coquebert1 where a scene of great animation presented itself at the time of our visit1 several scores of women being engaged in washing bottles for the tirage1 which1 although it was early in ,may1 had already commenced4 ,the bottles1 filled with water1 and containing a certain quantity of glass beads in lieu of the customary shot1 which frequently leave minute particles of lead--deleterious alike to health and the flavour of the wine--adhering to the inside surface of the glass1 are placed horizontally in a frame1 and by means of four turns of a handle are made to perform sixty-four rapid revolutions4 ,the beads are then transferred to other bottles1 which are subjected in their turn to the same revolving process4 ,the cuve1 commonly composed of from two to three thousand casks of wine from various vineyards1 with a due proportion of high-class vintages1 is made in a vat holding #d1djj gallons4 ,the tirage or bottling is effected by means of two large tuns placed side by side1 and holding twelve hogsheads of wine each4 ,pipes from these tuns communicate with a couple of small reservoirs1 each of them provided with half-a-dozen self-acting syphon taps1 by means of which a like number of bottles are simultaneously filled4 ,only one set of these taps are set running at a time1 as while the wine is being drawn off from one tun the other is being refilled from the casks containing the cuve by means of a pump and leathern hose1 which empties a cask in little more than a couple of minutes4 ,three gangs of eight men each can fill1 cork1 and secure with agrafes from #ce1jjj to #dj1jjj bottles during the day4 ,the labour is performed partly by men regularly employed by the house and partly by hands engaged for the purpose1 who work1 however1 under the constant inspection of overseers appointed by the firm4 ,at ,messrs4 ,g4 ,h4 ,mumm's the champagne destined for shipment has the heads of the corks submerged in a kind of varnish1 with the object of protecting them from the ravages of insects1 and preventing the string and wire from becoming mouldy for several years4 ,in damp weather1 when this varnish takes a long time to dry1 after the bottles have been placed in a rack with their heads downwards to allow of any superfluous varnish draining from the corks1 the latter are subjected to a moderate heat in a machine pierced with sufficient holes to contain #ejj bottles1 and provided with a warming apparatus in the centre4 ,here the bottles remain for about twenty minutes4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,tirage ,,or ,,bottling ,,of ,,champagne ,,at ,,the ,,establishment ,,of ,,messrs4 ,g4 ,h4 ,,mumm ,,co4 7p4 #gf47 ,illustration3 ,,messrs4 ,g4 ,h4 ,,mumm ,,co4',s ,,vendangeoir ,,at ,,verzenay4 7p4 #gg7 ,messrs4 ,g4 ,h4 ,mumm and ,co4 have a capacious vendangeoir at ,verzenay1 near the entrance to the village when approaching it from ,reims4 ,the building contains four presses1 three of which are worked with large fly-wheels requiring several men to turn them1 while the fourth acts with a screw applied by means of a long pole4 ,at the vintage #c1fjj kilogrammes1 or nearly #h1jjjlbs41 of grapes are put under each press1 a quantity sufficient to yield eight to ten hogsheads of wine of forty-four gallons each1 suitable for sparkling wine1 besides three or four hogsheads of inferior wine given to the workmen to drink4 ,the pressing commences daily at six in the morning1 and lasts until midnight2 yet the firm are often constrained to keep their grapes in the baskets under a cool shed for a period of two days4 ,this cannot1 however1 be done when they are very ripe1 as the colouring matter from the skins would become extracted and give a dark and objectionable tint to the wine4 ,messrs4 ,g4 ,h4 ,mumm and ,co4 ship four descriptions of champagne--,carte ,blanche1 a pale1 delicate1 fragrant wine of great softness and refined flavour2 a perfectly dry variety of the foregoing1 known as their ,extra ,dry2 also an ,extra ,quality and a ,first ,quality--both high-class wines1 though somewhat lower in price than the two preceding4 ,within a few minutes' walk of ,messrs4 ,g4 ,h4 ,mumm's--past the imposing ,gate of ,mars1 in the midst of lawns1 parterres1 and gravel-walks1 where coquettish nursemaids and their charges stroll1 accompanied by the proverbial piou-piou--is the principal establishment of ,m4 ,gustave ,gibert1 whose house claims to-day half a century of existence4 ,on this spot formerly stood the feudal castle of the ,archbishops of ,reims1 demolished nearly three centuries ago4 ,by whom this stronghold was erected is somewhat uncertain4 ,the local chronicles state that a chteau was built at ,reims by ,suelf1 son of ,hincmar1 in #ibb1 and restored by ,archbishop ,henri de ,france two and a half centuries later4 ,war or other causes1 however1 seems to have rendered the speedy rebuilding of this castle necessary1 as a new ,chteau des ,archevques appears to have been erected at ,reims by ,henri de ,braine between #abbh and #abcj4 ,the circumstance of the ,archbishops of ,reims being dukes and peers as well as primates of the capital of the ,champagne accounts for their preference for a fortified place of residence at this turbulent epoch4 ,on the investiture of a new archbishop it was the custom for him to proceed in great pomp from the chteau to the church of ,saint ,remi1 with a large armed guard and a splendid retinue of ecclesiastical1 civil1 and military dignitaries escorting him4 ,the pride of the newly-created duke and peer having been thus gratified1 the prelate had to humble himself1 and on the morrow walked barefooted from the church of ,st4 ,remi to the cathedral4 ,after the religious wars the chteau was surrendered to ,henri ,,iv41 and in #aeie the ,remois1 anxious to be rid of so formidable a fortress1 which1 whether held by king or archbishop1 was calculated to enforce a state of passive obedience galling to their pride1 purchased from the king the privilege to demolish it for the sum of #h1jjj crowns4 ,tradition asserts that the ,remish ,bastille was destroyed in a single day1 but this is exceedingly improbable4 ,its ruins certainly were not cleared away until the close of the century4 ,when the old fortress was razed to the ground its extensive vaults were not interfered with1 but many long years afterwards were transformed into admirable cellars for the storage of champagne4 ,above them are two stories of capacious celliers where the wine is blended1 bottled1 and packed1 the vaults themselves comprising two tiers of cellars which contain wine both in cask and bottle4 ,m4 ,gibert's remaining stocks are stored in the ancient vaults of the abbey of ,st4 ,peter1 in the heart of the city1 and in the roomy cellars which underlie the old ,htel des ,fermes in the ,place ,royale1 where in the days of the ancien rgime the farmers-general of the province used to receive its revenues4 ,on the pediment of this edifice is a bas-relief with ,mercury1 the god of commerce1 seated beside a nymph and surrounded by children engaged with the vintage and with bales of wool1 and evidently intended to symbolise the staple trades of the capital of the ,champagne4 ,a bronze statue rises in the centre of the ,place which from its ,roman costume and martial bearing might be taken for some hero of antiquity did not the inscription on the pedestal apprise us that it is intended for the wise1 virtuous1 and magnanimous ,louis ,,xv41 a misuse of terms which has caused a transatlantic ,republican to characterise the monument as a brazen lie4 ,leading out of the ,place ,royale is the ,rue de ,crs1 in which there is a modernised #afth-century house claiming to be the birthplace of ,jean ,baptiste ,colbert1 son of a ,reims wool-merchant1 and the famous minister who did so much to consolidate the finances which the royal voluptuary1 masquerading at ,reims in ,roman garb1 afterwards made such dreadful havoc of4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,celliers ,,and ,,cellars ,,of ,m4 ,,gustave ,,gibert4 7,near the ,porte de ,mars1 ,reims47 7p4 #gh47 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,place ,,royale ,,at ,,reims1 ,,showing ,,the ,,entrance ,,to ,,the ,,cellars ,,of ,m4 ,,gustave ,,gibert4 7p4 #gi7 ,m4 ,gustave ,gibert possesses pressing-houses at ,ay and ,bouzy1 and has moreover at both these places accommodation for large reserve stocks of wine in wood4 ,as all the wines which he sends into the market are vintaged by himself1 he can ensure their being of uniform high quality4 ,his ,vin du ,roi is notable for perfume1 delicacy1 perfect effervescence1 and that fine flavour of the grape which characterises the grand wines of the ,champagne4 ,it is a great favourite with the ,king of ,sweden and ,norway1 and the labels on the bottles bear his name and arms4 ,m4 ,gibert's brand has acquired a high reputation in the ,north of ,europe1 and having of late years been introduced into ,england1 is rapidly making its way there4 ,the merits of the wines have been again and again publicly recognised1 no less than ten medals having been successively awarded ,m4 ,gibert at the ,exhibitions of ,toulouse in #aheh1 ,bordeaux in #ahei1 ,besanon in #ahfj1 ,metz and ,nantes in #ahfa1 ,london in #ahfb1 ,bayonne and ,linz in #ahfd1 and ,oporto and ,dublin in #ahfe4 ,this long list of awards has led to the wines being placed hors concours1 nevertheless ,m4 ,gibert continues to submit them to competition whenever any ,exhibition of importance takes place4 ,the wines are shipped to ,england1 ,germany1 ,russia1 and ,northern ,europe1 ,spain and ,portugal1 ,calcutta1 ,java1 ,melbourne1 and ,hong-,kong1 besides being largely in request for the ,paris market4 ,on quitting ,m4 ,gibert's central establishment we proceed along the winding1 ill-paved ,rue de ,mars1 past the premises of ,messrs4 ,jules ,mumm and ,co41 an offshoot from the once famous firm of ,p4 ,a4 ,mumm and ,co41 to the ,place de l',htel de ,ville1 in one corner of which stands a massive and somewhat pretentious-looking house1 dating back to the time of ,louis ,quatorze4 ,here are the offices of ,ruinart pre et fils1 who claim to rank as the oldest existing house in the ,champagne4 ,the head of the firm1 the ,vicomte de ,brimont1 is a collateral descendant of the ,dom ,ruinart1 whose remains repose nigh to those of the illustrious ,dom ,perignon in the abbey church of ,hautvillers4 ,from the ,place de l',htel de ,ville we proceed through the narrow ,rue du ,tambour1 originally a ,roman thoroughfare1 and during the ,middle ,ages the locality where the nobility of ,reims principally had their abodes4 ,half-way up this street1 in the direction of the ,place des ,marchs1 stands the famous ,house of the ,musicians1 one of the most interesting architectural relics of which the capital of the ,champagne can boast4 ,it evidently dates from the early part of the fourteenth century1 but by whom it was erected is unknown4 ,some ascribe it to the ,knights ,templars1 others to the ,counts of ,champagne1 while others suppose it to have been the residence of the famous ,counts de la ,marck1 who in later times diverged into three separate branches1 the first furnishing ,dukes of ,cleves and ,julich to ,germany and ,dukes of ,nevers and ,counts of ,eu to ,france1 while the second became ,dukes of ,bouillon and ,princes of ,sedan1 titles which passed to the ,turennes when ,henri de la ,tour d',auvergne1 ,vicomte de ,turenne1 married the surviving heiress of the house4 ,the third branch comprised the ,barons of ,lumain1 allied to the ,hohenzollerns4 ,their most famous member slew ,louis de ,bourbon1 ,archbishop of ,lige1 and flung his body into the ,meuse1 and subsequently became celebrated as the ,wild ,boar of the ,ardennes1 of whom all readers of ,quentin ,durward will retain a lively recollection4 ,to return1 however1 to the ,house of the ,musicians4 ,a probable conjecture ascribes the origin of the quaint medival structure to the ,brotherhood of ,minstrels of ,reims1 who in the thirteenth century enjoyed a considerable reputation1 not merely in the ,champagne1 but throughout the ,north of ,france4 ,the house takes its present name from five seated statues of musicians1 larger than life-size1 occupying the ,gothic niches between the first-floor windows1 and resting upon brackets ornamented with grotesque heads4 ,it is thought that the partially-damaged figure on the left-hand side was originally playing a drum and a species of clarionet4 ,the next one evidently has the remnants of a harp in his raised hands4 ,the third or central figure is supposed merely to have held a hawk upon his wrist2 whilst the fourth seeks to extract harmony from a dilapidated bagpipe2 and the fifth1 with crossed legs1 strums complacently away upon the fiddle4 ,the ground floor of the quaint old tenement is to-day an oil and colour shop1 the front of which is covered with chequers in all the tints of the rainbow4 ,illustration ,leading from the ,rue du ,tambour is the ,rue de la ,belle ,image1 thus named from a handsome statuette of the ,virgin which formerly decorated a corner niche2 and beyond is the ,rue ,st4 ,hilaire1 where ,messrs4 ,barnett et fils1 trading under the designation of ,prinet et fils1 and the only ,english house engaged in the manufacture of champagne1 have an establishment which is certainly as perfect as any to be found in ,reims4 ,aboveground are several large store-rooms1 where vintage casks and the various utensils common to a champagne establishment are kept1 and a capacious cellier1 upwards of #aej feet in length1 with its roof resting on huge timber supports4 ,here new wine is stored preparatory to being blended and bottled1 and in the huge tun1 holding nearly #c1jjj gallons1 standing at the further end1 the firm make their cuve1 while adjacent is a room where stocks of corks and labels1 metal foil1 and the like are kept4 ,there are three stories of cellars--an exceedingly rare thing anywhere in the ,champagne--all constructed in solid masonry on a uniform plan--namely1 two wide galleries running parallel with each other and connected by means of transverse passages4 ,spite of the great depth to which these cellars descend they are perfectly dry2 the ventilation1 too1 is excellent1 and their different temperatures render them especially suitable for the storage of champagne1 the temperature of the lowest cellar being #f ,centigrade 7#dc ,fahrenheit71 or one degree ,centigrade below the cellar immediately above1 which1 in its turn is two degrees below the uppermost one of all4 ,the advantage of this is that when the wine develops an excess of effervescence any undue proportion of breakages can be checked by removing the bottles to a lower cellar and consequently into a lower temperature4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,cellier ,,and ,,cellars ,,of ,p,,rinet ,,et ,,fils ,,at ,,reims4 7p4 #hb7 ,the first cellars we enter are closely stacked with wine in bottle1 which is gradually clearing itself by the formation of a deposit1 while in an adjoining cellar on the same level the operations of disgorging1 liqueuring1 and corking are going on4 ,in the cellars immediately beneath bottles of wine repose in solid stacks ready for the dgorgeur1 while others rest in racks in order that they may undergo their daily shaking4 ,in the lowest cellars reserved wine in cask is stored1 as it best retains its natural freshness and purity in a very cool place4 ,all air is carefully excluded from the casks1 any ullage is immediately checked1 and as evaporation is continually going on the casks are examined every fortnight1 when any deficiency is at once replenished4 ,at ,messrs4 ,prinet et fils'1 as at all the first-class establishments1 the vin brut is a mlange comprising the produce of some of the best vineyards1 and has every possible attention paid to it during its progressive stages of development4 ,champagnes of different years were here shown to us1 all of them soft1 light1 and delicate1 and with that fine flavour and full perfume which the best growths of the ,marne alone exhibit4 ,among several curiosities submitted to us was a still ,verzenay of the year #aheg1 one of the most delicate red wines it was ever our fortune to taste4 ,light in body1 rich in colour1 of a singularly novel and refined flavour1 and with a magnificent yet indefinable bouquet1 the wine was in every respect perfect4 ,not only was the year of the vintage a grand one1 but the wine must have been made with the greatest possible care and from the most perfect grapes for so delicate a growth to have retained its flavour in such perfection1 and preserved its brilliant ruby colour for such a length of time4 ,from the samples shown to us of ,prinet et fils' champagne1 we were prepared to find that at some recent tastings in ,london1 the particulars of which have been made public1 their ,extra ,sec took the first place at each of the three severe competitions to which it was subjected4 ,m4 ,duchtel-,ohaus's central establishment is in the ,rue des ,deux ,anges1 one of the most ancient streets of ,reims1 running from the ,rue des lus to the ,rue de ,vesle1 and having every window secured by iron gratings1 and every door thickly studded with huge nails4 ,these prison-like faades succeed each other in gloomy monotony along either side of the way1 the portion of ,m4 ,duchtel-,ohaus's residence which faces the street being no exception to the general rule4 ,once within its court1 however1 and quite a different scene presents itself4 ,before us is a pleasant little flower-garden with a small but charming ,renaissance house looking on to it1 the windows ornamented with elaborate mouldings1 and surmounted by graceful sculptured heads1 while at one corner rises a tower with a sun-dial displayed on its front4 ,here and in an adjoining house the canons of the ,cathedral were accustomed to reside in the days when four-fifths of ,reims belonged to the ,church4 ,illustration ,from the garden we enter a capacious cellier where the blending and bottling of the wine takes place1 and in the neighbouring packing-room encounter a score of workpeople filling1 securing1 and branding a number of cases about to be despatched by rail4 ,from the cellier we pass to the cellars situated immediately underneath1 and which1 capacious though they are1 do not suffice for ,m4 ,duchtel's stock1 portions of which are stored in some ancient vaults near the market-place1 and in the ,rue de ,vesle behind the church of ,st4 ,jacques4 ,this church1 originally built at the close of the twelfth century1 is hemmed in on all sides by old houses1 above which rises its tapering steeple surmounted by a medieval weathercock in the form of an angel4 ,a life-size statue of the patron saint decorates the ,gothic gateway leading to the church1 from which a troop of ,remish urchins in the charge of some ,frres de la ,doctrine ,chrtienne emerge as we pass by4 ,the ,cour ,st4 ,jacques1 where ,m4 ,duchtel's cellars are situated1 may be reached by passing through the church1 the interior of which presents a curious jumble of architectural styles from early ,gothic to late ,renaissance4 ,one noteworthy object of art which it contains is a life-size crucifix carved by ,pierre ,jacques1 a ,remish sculptor of the days of the ,good ,king ,henri1 and from an anatomical point of view a perfect chef-d'oeuvre4 ,the cellars we have come to inspect are two stories deep1 and comprise numerous ancient cavernous compartments1 such as are found in all the older quarters of ,reims1 and usually in the vicinity of some church1 convent1 or clerical abode4 ,it has been suggested that they were either crypts for sacred retirement and prayer1 dungeons for the punishment of recreant brethren1 or tombs for the dead2 but it is far more probable that in the majority of instances they served then as now simply for the storage of the choice vintages of the ,marne1 for we all know the monks of old were tipplers of no ordinary capacity1 who usually contrived to secure the best that the district provided4 ,these vaults of ,m4 ,duchtel's1 in which a considerable stock of the fine wine of #ahgd is stored1 are from two to three centuries old1 and probably belonged to the curs of ,st4 ,jacques4 ,they are of considerable extent1 are well ventilated1 and are walled and roofed with stone4 ,m4 ,duchtel's remaining stock reposes in some new cellars--certain transformed chalk quarries outside the ,porte ,dieu-,lumire1 comprising broad lofty galleries and vast circular chambers--fifty feet or so in height and well lighted from above4 ,at ,m4 ,duchtel-,ohaus's we tasted a variety of fine samples of his brand1 including a beautiful wine of #ahfh and an almost equally good one of #ahgj1 with some of the excellent vintage of #ahgd1 which was then being prepared for shipment4 ,illustration ,,viii4--,,the ,,reims ,,establishments 7continued74 ,m4 ,ernest ,irroy's ,cellars1 ,vineyards1 and ,vendangeoirs-- ,recognition by the ,reims ,agricultural ,association of his ,plantations of ,vines-- ,his ,wines and their ,popularity at the best ,london ,clubs-- ,messrs4 ,binet fils and ,co4's ,establishment-- ,wines ,sold by the ,firm to ,shippers-- ,their ,cellars-- ,samples of ,fine ,still ,ay and ,bouzy-- ,their ,still ,sillery1 ,vintage #aheg1 and their ,creaming ,vin ,brut1 ,vintage #ahfe-- ,the ,offices and ,cellars of ,messrs4 ,charles ,farre and ,co4-- ,testing the ,wine before ,bottling-- ,a ,promenade between ,bottles in ,piles and ,racks-- ,repute in which these ,wines are held in ,england and on the ,continent-- ,the ,new ,establishment of ,fisse1 ,thirion1 and ,co4 in the ,place de ,betheny-- ,its ,construction exclusively in ,stone1 ,brick1 and ,iron-- ,the ,vast ,celliers of ,two ,stories-- ,bottling the ,wine by the ,aid of ,machinery-- ,the ,cool and ,lofty ,cellars-- ,ingenious ,method of ,securing the ,corks1 rendering the ,uncorking exceedingly simple-- ,the ,wines ,shipped by the ,firm4 ,few large manufacturing towns like ,reims--one of the most important of those engaged in the woollen manufacture in ,france--can boast of such fine promenades and such handsome boulevards as the capital of the ,champagne4 ,as the ancient fortifications of the city were from time to time razed1 their site was levelled and generally planted with trees1 so that the older quarters of ,reims are almost encircled by broad and handsome thoroughfares1 separating the city1 as it were1 from its outlying suburbs4 ,in or close to the broad ,boulevard du ,temple1 which takes its name from its proximity to the site of the ancient ,commanderie of the ,templars1 various champagne manufacturers1 including ,m4 ,louis ,roederer1 ,m4 ,ernest ,irroy1 and ,m4 ,charles ,heidsieck1 have their establishments1 while but a few paces off1 in the neighbouring ,rue ,coquebert1 are the large and handsome premises of ,messrs4 ,krug and ,co4 ,illustration3 ,m4 ,,ernest ,,irroy',s ,,establishment ,,at ,,reims4 7p4 #hg7 ,the offices of ,m4 ,ernest ,irroy1 who is known in ,reims not merely as a large champagne grower and shipper1 but also as a distinguished amateur of the fine arts1 taking a leading part in originating local exhibitions and the like1 are attached to his private residence1 a handsome mansion flanked by a large and charming garden in the ,boulevard du ,temple4 ,the laying out of this sylvan oasis is due to ,m4 ,vadr1 the head gardener of the city of ,paris1 who contributed so largely to the picturesque embellishment of the ,bois de ,boulogne4 ,m4 ,irroy's establishment1 which comprises a considerable range of buildings grouped around two courtyards1 is immediately adjacent1 although its principal entrance is in the ,rue de la ,justice4 ,the vast celliers1 covering an area of upwards of #c1jjj square yards1 and either stocked with wine in cask or used for packing and similar purposes1 afford the requisite space for carrying on a most extensive business4 ,the cellars beneath comprise three stories1 two of which are solidly roofed and lined with masonry1 while the lowermost one is excavated in the chalk4 ,they are admirably constructed on a symmetrical plan1 and their total surface is very little short of #g1jjj square yards4 ,spite of the great depth to which these cellars descend they are perfectly dry1 the ventilation is good1 and their temperature moreover is remarkably cool1 one result of which is that ,m4 ,irroy's loss from breakage never exceeds four per cent4 per annum4 ,m4 ,irroy holds a high position as a vineyard-proprietor in the ,champagne1 his vines covering an area of nearly #hf acres4 ,at ,mareuil and ,avenay he owns some twenty-five acres1 at ,verzenay and ,verzy about fifteen1 and at ,ambonnay and ,bouzy forty-six acres4 ,his father and his uncle1 whose properties he inherited or purchased1 commenced some thirty years ago to plant vines on certain slopes of ,bouzy possessing a southern aspect1 and he has followed their example with such success both at ,bouzy and ,ambonnay that in #ahgc the ,reims ,agricultural ,association conferred upon him a silver-gilt medal for his plantations of vines4 ,m4 ,irroy owns vendangeoirs at ,verzenay1 ,avenay1 and ,ambonnay2 and at ,bouzy1 where his largest vineyards are1 he has built some excellent cottages for his labourers4 ,he has also constructed a substantial bridge over the ravine which1 formed by winter torrents from the hills1 intersects the principal vineyard slopes of ,bouzy4 ,m4 ,ernest ,irroy's wines1 prepared with scrupulous care and rare intelligence1 have been known in ,england for some years past1 and are steadily increasing in popularity4 ,they are emphatically connoisseurs' wines4 ,the best ,west-end clubs1 such as ,white's1 ,arthur's1 the old ,carlton1 and the like1 lay down the cuves of this house in good years as they lay down their vintage ports and finer clarets1 and drink them1 not in a crude state1 but when they are in perfection--that is1 in five to ten years' time4 ,m4 ,irroy exports to the ,british colonies and to the ,united ,states the same fine wines which he ships to ,england4 ,illustration3 ,,labourers ,,at ,,work ,,in ,m4 ,,ernest ,,irroy',s ,,bouzy ,,vineyards4 7p4 #hh47 ,from ,m4 ,irroy's we proceeded to ,messrs4 ,binet fils and ,co41 whose establishment in the ,rue de la ,justice is separated from that of ,m4 ,irroy merely by a narrow path1 and occupies the opposite side of the way to the principal establishment of ,m4 ,louis ,roederer4 ,the firm of ,binet fils and ,co4 was founded many years ago1 but for a long time they sold their wines principally to other shippers on the ,reims and ,epernay markets1 where their cuves were held in high repute1 and only of recent years have they applied themselves to the shipping trade4 ,their establishment has two entrances1 one in the ,rue de la ,justice1 and the other in the ,boulevard du ,champ de ,mars4 ,on passing through the former we find ourselves in a courtyard of considerable area1 with a range of celliers in the rear and a low building on the left1 in which the offices are installed4 ,in the first cellier we encounter cases and baskets of champagne all ready to be despatched by rail1 with women and men busily engaged in labelling and packing other bottles which continue to arrive from the cellars below in baskets secured to an endless chain4 ,beyond this range of celliers is another courtyard of smaller dimensions where there are additional celliers in which wines of recent vintages in casks are stored4 ,the vaults1 which are reached by a winding stone staircase1 are spacious1 and consist of a series of parallel and uniform galleries hewn in the chalk without either masonry supports or facings4 ,among the solid piles of bottles which here hem us in on all sides are a considerable number of magnums and imperial pints reserved for particular customers--the former more especially for certain military messes1 at which the brand of ,binet fils and ,co4 is held in deserved esteem4 ,we tasted here--in addition to several choice sparkling wines1 including a grand vin brut1 vintage #ahfe--;a still ,ay of the year #ahgj1 and some still ,bouzy of #ahgd4 ,the former1 a remarkably light and elegant wine1 was already in fine condition for drinking1 while the latter1 which was altogether more vinous1 deeper in colour1 and fuller in body needed the ripening influence of time to bring it to perfection4 ,through their agents1 ,rutherford1 ,drury1 and ,co41 ,messrs4 ,binet fils and ,co4 achieved a great success in ,england with their still ,sillery1 vintage #aheg1 and subsequently with their superb creaming vin brut1 vintage #ahfe1 of which we have just spoken1 and which is still to be met with at ,london clubs of repute4 ,some short distance from and parallel with the ,rue de la ,justice is the ,rue ,jacquart1 where ,messrs4 ,charles ,farre and ,co41 of whose establishment at ,hautvillers we have already spoken1 have their offices and cellars4 ,we enter a large courtyard1 where several railway vans are being laden with cases of wine from the packing-hall beyond1 and in the tasting-room adjoining find wine being tested prior to bottling1 to ascertain the amount of saccharine it contains4 ,this was accomplished by reducing a certain quantity of wine by boiling down to one-sixth1 when the saccharometer should indicate #ac of sugar to ensure each bottle containing the requisite quantity of compressed carbonic acid gas4 ,messrs4 ,farre's cellars1 comprising eighteen parallel galleries disposed in two stories1 are both lofty and commodious1 and are mainly of recent construction1 the upper ones being solidly walled with masonry1 while those below are simply excavated in the chalk4 ,here1 as elsewhere1 one performed a lengthened promenade between piles after piles of bottles of the finer vintages and a seemingly endless succession of racks1 at which workmen were engaged in dislodging the sediment in the wine by the dim light of a tallow candle4 ,it was here that we were assured the more experienced of these men were capable1 when working with both hands1 of shaking the enormous number of #ej1jjj bottles a day1 or at the rate of seventy to the minute4 ,the fine wines of ,messrs4 ,charles ,farre and ,co4 have long enjoyed a well-deserved celebrity1 and at the ,paris ,exhibition of #ahee the firm secured the highest medal awarded to champagnes4 ,the high repute in which the brand is held on the ,continent is evidenced by the fact that the ,prussian and other courts are consumers of ,messrs4 ,farre's wines4 ,the firm not only number ,england1 ,germany1 ,austria1 ,russia1 and ,northern ,europe1 and1 as a matter of course1 ,france1 among their customers1 but also several of the ,british colonies and ,north and ,south ,america as well4 ,the new establishment of ,messrs4 ,fisse1 ,thirion1 and ,co41 in the erection of which they have largely profited by their experience and the various resources of modern science1 is situated in the ,place de ,betheny1 in the vicinity of the railway goods station and the local shooting range1 largely resorted to at certain seasons of the year1 when the crack shots of the ,champagne capital compete with distinguished amateurs from different parts of ,france and the other side of the ,channel4 ,illustration3 ,,messrs4 ,,fisse1 ,,thirion ,,co4',s ,,establishment ,,at ,,reims4 7p4 #ia7 ,on entering the courtyard through the iron gate to the right of the dwelling-houses of the resident partners--flanked by gardens brilliant with flowers and foliage--we first reach the offices and tasting-rooms1 and then the entrance to the cellars4 ,a speciality of this important pile of building is that everything employed in its construction is of stone1 brick1 or iron1 wood having been rigorously excluded from it4 ,in the rear of the courtyard1 which presents that aspect of animation common to flourishing establishments in the ,champagne1 is the principal cellier1 with a small building in front1 where a steam-pump for pumping up water from the chalk is installed1 while at right angles with the cellier are the stables and bottle-sheds4 ,the large cellier1 which is #bj feet high and #hj feet broad1 will be no less than #bfj feet in length when completed4 ,it contains two stories1 the floors of both of which are cemented1 the lower story being roofed with small brick arches connected by iron girders1 and the upper one with tiles resting on iron supports4 ,the cement keeps the temperature remarkably cool in the lower cellier where wine in cask is stored1 the upper cellier being appropriated to wine in racks sur pointe1 bales of corks1 and the wicker-baskets and cases in which the wine is packed4 ,the preparation of the wines in cask and the bottling take place in the lower of the two celliers1 a mere lad being enabled1 by the aid of the mechanism provided1 to bottle from six to eight thousand bottles a day4 ,a single workman can cork about #d1ejj bottles1 which a second workman secures with metal agrafes before they are lowered into the cellars4 ,the latter are of two stories1 each being divided into three long parallel galleries #bj feet high and #bc feet wide1 vaulted with stone and floored with cement4 ,bordering the endless stacks of bottles are small gutters1 into which the wine flows from the exploded bottles4 ,lofty1 well ventilated1 and beautifully cool1 the temperature invariably ranging from #de to #dg ,fahrenheit1 these capitally-constructed cellars combine all that is required for a champagne establishment of the first class4 ,the breakage has never exceeded #c per cent41 whereas in some old cellars which the firm formerly occupied in the centre of the city1 their breakage on one occasion amounted to ten times this quantity4 ,at ,fisse1 ,thirion1 and ,co4's1 after the wine has been disgorged and liqueured1 the corks are secured neither with string nor wire1 but a special metal fastener is employed for the purpose4 ,this consists of a triple-branched agrafe1 provided with a kind of hinge4 ,a tiny toy needle-gun suspended to the agrafe is pulled outwards and turned over the top of the bottle1 whereupon the fastening becomes instantly disengaged1 and anything like trouble1 uncleanliness1 or annoyance is entirely avoided4 ,the operation is so easy that a mere child can open a bottle of champagne1 secured by this patent fastener1 as easily and rapidly as a grown-up man4 ,the firm of ,fisse1 ,thirion1 and ,co4 succeeded that of ,fisse1 ,fraiquin1 and ,co4--established originally at ,reims in #ahba--;in #ahfd1 when the brand of the house was already well known on the ,continent1 more especially in ,belgium and ,holland4 ,since that time the wines have been largely introduced into ,england and the ,united ,states1 and the firm1 who have secured medals at many of the recent exhibitions1 to-day have agents in the ,english and ,dutch ,indies and the various ,european settlements in ,china4 ,several descriptions of wine are shipped by the house1 the finest being their dry ,cuve ,reserve and their fragrant soft-tasting ,cachet d',or4 ,illustration ,illustration3 ,,old ,,house ,,in ,,the ,,rue ,,des ,,anglais1 ,,reims4 ,,ix4--,,the ,,reims ,,establishments 7concluded74 ,la ,prison de ,bonne ,semaine-- ,mary ,queen of ,scots at ,reims-- ,messrs4 ,pommery and ,greno's ,offices-- ,a ,fine ,collection of ,faence-- ,the ,rue des ,anglais a former ,refuge of ,english ,catholics-- ,remains of the ,old ,university of ,reims-- ,ancient ,roman ,tower and ,curious ,grotto-- ,the handsome ,castellated ,pommery ,establishment-- ,the ,spacious ,cellier and ,huge ,carved ,cuve ,tun-- ,the ,descent to the ,cellars-- ,their ,great ,extent-- ,these ,lofty ,subterranean ,chambers ,originally ,quarries-- ,ancient ,places of ,refuge of the ,early ,christians and the ,protestants-- ,madame ,pommery's ,splendid ,cuve of #ahfh-- ,messrs4 de ,st4 ,marceaux and ,co4's ,new ,establishment in the ,avenue de ,sillery-- ,its ,garden-,court and ,circular ,shaft-- ,animated ,scene in the ,large ,packing ,hall-- ,lowering ,bottled ,wine to the ,cellars-- ,great ,depth and ,extent of these ,cellars-- ,messrs4 de ,st4 ,marceaux and ,co4's ,various ,wines4 ,nigh the cathedral of ,reims and in the rear of the archiepiscopal palace there runs a short narrow street known as the ,rue ,vauthier le ,noir1 and frequently mentioned in old works relating to the capital of the ,champagne4 ,the discovery of various pillars and statues1 together with a handsome ,gallo-,roman altar1 whilst digging some foundations in #ahcg1 points to the fact that a ,pagan temple formerly occupied the site4 ,the street is supposed to have taken its name1 however1 from some celebrated gaoler1 for in medival times here stood la prison de bonne semaine4 ,on the site of this prison a chteau was subsequently built where ,mary ,queen of ,scots is said to have resided in the days when her uncle1 ,cardinal ,charles de ,lorraine1 was ,lord ,archbishop of ,reims4 ,temple1 prison1 and palace have alike disappeared1 and where they stood there now rises midway between court and garden a handsome mansion1 the residence of ,madame ,pommery1 head of the well-known firm of ,pommery and ,greno4 ,to the left of the courtyard1 which is entered through a monumental gateway1 are some old buildings bearing the sculptured escutcheon of the beautiful and luckless ,stuart ,queen1 while to the right are the offices1 with the manager's sanctum1 replete with artistic curiosities1 the walls being completely covered with remarkable specimens of faence1 including ,rouen1 ,gien1 ,palissy1 ,delft1 and majolica1 collected in the majority of instances by ,madame ,pommery in the villages around ,reims4 ,here we were received by ,m4 ,vasnier1 who at once volunteered to accompany us to the cellars of the firm outside the city4 ,messrs4 ,pommery and ,greno originally carried on business in the ,rue ,vauthier le ,noir1 where there are extensive cellars1 but their rapidly-increasing connection long since compelled them to emigrate beyond the walls of ,reims4 ,in close proximity to the ,rue ,vauthier le ,noir is the ,rue des ,anglais1 so named from the ,english ,catholic refugees who1 flying from the persecutions of our so-called ,good ,queen ,bess1 here took up their abode and established a college and a seminary4 ,they rapidly acquired great influence in ,reims1 and one of their number1 ,william ,gifford1 was even elected archbishop4 ,at the end of this street1 nigh to ,madame ,pommery's1 there stands an old house with a corner tower and rather handsome ,renaissance window1 which formerly belonged to some of the clergy of the cathedral1 and subsequently became the ,bureau ,gnral de la ,loterie de ,france1 abolished by the ,national ,convention in #agic4 ,illustration ,illustration ,the ,rue des ,anglais conducts into the ,rue de l',universit1 where a few remnants of the old ,university1 founded by ,cardinal ,charles de ,lorraine 7#aech-gd71 attract attention1 notably a conical-capped corner tower1 the sculptured ornaments at the base of which have crumbled into dust beneath the corroding tooth of ,time4 ,from the ,rue de l',universit our way lies along the ,boulevard du ,temple to the ,porte ,gerbert1 about a mile beyond which there rises up the curious castellated structure in which the ,pommery establishment is installed1 and whose tall towers command a view of the whole of ,reims and its environs4 ,as we drive up the ,avenue ,gerbert we espy on the right an isolated crumbling ,roman tower1 a remnant of the days when ,reims disputed with ,trves the honour of being the capital of ,belgic ,gaul4 ,close at hand1 and almost under the walls of the old fortifications1 is a grotto to which an ancient origin is likewise ascribed4 ,in another minute we reach the open iron gates of ,messrs4 ,pommery's establishment1 flanked by a picturesque porter's lodge1 and proceeding up a broad drive alight under a ,gothic portico at the entrance to the spacious and lofty cellier4 ,iron columns support the roof of this vast hall1 at one end of which is the office and tasting-room1 provided with a telegraphic apparatus by means of which communication is carried on with the ,reims bureaux4 ,stacked up on every side of the cellier1 and when empty often in eight tiers1 are rows upon rows of casks1 #d1jjj of which contain wine of the last vintage1 sufficient for a million bottles of champagne4 ,the temperature of this hall is carefully regulated2 the windows are high up near the roof1 the sun's rays are rigidly excluded1 so that a pleasant coolness pervades the apartment4 ,on the left-hand side stands the huge tun1 capable of containing #e1ejj gallons of wine1 in which the firm make their cuve1 with the monogram ,p and ,g1 surmounting the arms of ,reims1 carved on its head4 ,a platform1 access to which is gained by a staircase in a side aisle1 runs round this tonneau2 and boys stand here when the wine is being blended1 and by means of a handle protruding above the cask work the paddle-wheels placed inside1 thereby securing the complete amalgamation of the wine1 which has been hoisted up in casks and poured through a metal trough into the tonneau4 ,adjoining are the chains and lifts worked by steam by means of which wine is raised and lowered from and to the cellars beneath1 one lift raising or lowering eight casks1 whether full or empty1 in the space of a minute4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,pommery ,,establishment1 ,,in ,,the ,,outskirts ,,of ,,reims4 7p4 #if7 ,illustration3 ,,head ,,overseer ,,at ,,pommery ,,and ,,greno',s4 ,at the farther end of the hall a ,gothic door1 decorated with ornamental ironwork1 leads to the long broad flight of steps #aaf in number and nearly twelve feet in width1 conducting to the suite of lofty subterranean chambers where bottles of vin brut repose in their hundreds of thousands in slanting racks or solid piles1 passing leisurely through those stages of development necessary to fit them for the dgorgeur4 ,altogether there are thirty large shafts1 which were originally quarries1 and are now connected by spacious galleries4 ,this side of ,reims abounds with similar quarries1 which are believed to have served as places of refuge for the ,protestants at the time of the ,league and after the revocation of the ,edict of ,nantes1 and it is even conjectured that the early ,christians1 the followers of ,st4 ,sixtus and ,st4 ,sinicus1 here hid themselves from their persecutors4 ,since the cellars within the city have no longer sufficed for the storage of the immense stocks required through the development of the champagne trade1 these vast subterranean galleries have been successfully utilised by various firms4 ,messrs4 ,pommery1 after pumping out the water with which the chambers were filled1 proceeded to excavate the intersecting tunnels1 shore up the cracking arches1 and repair the flaws in the chalk with masonry1 finally converting these abandoned quarries into magnificent cellars for the storage of champagne4 ,no less than #fj1jjj was spent upon them and the castellated structure aboveground4 ,the underground area is almost #bdj1jjj square feet1 and a million bottles of champagne can be stored in these capacious vaults4 ,madame ,pommery made a great mark with her splendid cuve of #ahfh1 and since this time her brand has become widely popular1 the ,pommery ,sec especially being highly appreciated by connoisseurs4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,packing ,,hall ,,of ,,messrs4 ,,de ,,saint-,,marceaux ,,at ,,reims4 7p4 #ii7 ,on leaving ,messrs4 ,pommery's we retrace our steps down the ,avenue ,gerbert1 bordered on either side with rows of plane-trees1 until we reach the treeless ,avenue de ,sillery1 where ,messrs4 de ,saint ,marceaux and ,co4's new and capacious establishment is installed4 ,the principal block of building is flanked by two advanced wings inclosing a garden-court1 set off with flowers and shrubs1 and from the centre of which rises a circular shaft1 covered in with glass1 admitting light and air to the cellars below4 ,in the building to the left the wine is received on its arrival from the vineyard1 and here are ranged hundreds of casks replete with the choice crs of ,verzenay1 ,ay1 ,cramant1 and ,bouzy1 while some thousands of bottles ready for labelling are stocked in massive piles at the end of the packing-hall in the corresponding wing of the establishment4 ,here1 too1 a tribe of workpeople are arraying the bottles with gold and silver headdresses and robing them in pink paper1 while others are filling1 securing1 marking1 and addressing the cases or baskets to ,hong-,kong1 ,san ,francisco1 ,yokohama1 ,bombay1 ,london1 ,new ,york1 ,st4 ,petersburg1 ,berlin1 or ,paris4 ,the wine in cask1 stored in the left-hand wing1 after having been duly blended in a vast vat holding over #b1djj gallons1 is drawn off into bottles1 which are then lowered down a shaft to the second tier of cellars by means of an endless chain1 on to which the baskets of bottles are swiftly hooked4 ,the workman engaged in this duty1 in order to prevent his falling down the shaft1 has a leather belt strapped round his waist1 by means of which he is secured to an adjoining iron column4 ,we descend into the lower cellars down a flight of ninety-three broad steps--a depth equal to the height of an ordinary six-storied house--and find no less than four-and-twenty galleries excavated in the chalk1 without any masonry supports1 and containing upwards of a million bottles of champagne4 ,the length of these galleries varies1 but they are of a uniform breadth1 allowing either a couple of racks with wine sur pointe1 or stacks of bottles1 in four rows on either side1 with an ample passage down the centre4 ,the upper range of cellars comprises two large arched galleries of considerable breadth1 one of which contains wine in wood and wine sur pointe1 while the other is stocked with bottles of wine heads downward1 ready to be delivered into the hands of the dgorgeur4 ,,mm4 de ,st4 ,marceaux and ,co4 have the honour of supplying the ,king of the ,belgians1 the ,president of the ,french ,republic1 and several ,german potentates1 with an exceedingly delicate champagne known as the ,royal ,st4 ,marceaux4 ,the same wine is popular in ,russia and other parts of ,europe1 just as the ,dry ,royal of the firm is much esteemed in the ,united ,states4 ,the brand of the house most appreciated in this country is its ,carte d',or1 a very dry wine which1 in conjunction with the firm's ,extra ,quality1 secured the first place at a recent champagne competition in ,england4 ,in the neighbourhood of the ,pommery and de ,st4 ,marceaux establishments numerous other champagne manufacturers have their cellars formed from the abandoned quarries so numerous on this side of the city4 ,of some of these firms we have already spoken1 but there remain to be mentioned ,messrs4 ,kunklemann and ,co41 ,ruinart pre et fils1 ,george ,goulet1 ,jules ,champion1 ,thophile ,roederer1 c4 ,the cellars of the three last-named are immediately outside the ,porte ,dieu-,lumire1 near which is a house with a curious bas-relief on its face1 the subject of which has been a source of much perplexity to local antiquaries4 ,illustration3 ,,bas-,,relief ,,near ,,the ,,porte ,,dieu-,,lumi,,re4 ,illustration3 ,,jean ,,remi ,,moet4 ,x4--,,epernay ,,champagne ,,establishments4 ,early ,records of the ,mot ,family at ,reims and ,epernay-- ,jean ,remi ,mot ,founder of the ,commerce in ,champagne ,wines-- ,extracts from the ,old ,account-,books of the ,mots-- ,first ,sales of ,sparkling ,wines-- ,sales to ,england in #aghh-- ,milords ,farnham and ,findlater-- ,jean ,remi ,mot receives the ,emperor ,napoleon1 ,josephine1 and the ,king of ,westphalia-- ,the ,firm of ,mot and ,chandon ,constituted-- ,their ,establishment in the ,rue du ,commerce-- ,delivering and ,washing the ,new ,bottles-- ,the ,numerous ,vineyards and ,vendangeoirs of the ,firm-- ,making the ,cuve in ,vats of #ab1jjj ,gallons-- ,the ,bottling of the ,wine by #bjj ,hands-- ,a ,hundred ,thousand ,bottles ,completed ,daily-- #bj1jjj ,francs' worth of ,broken ,glass in ,two ,years-- ,a ,subterranean ,city1 with miles of ,streets1 ,cross ,roads1 ,open ,spaces1 ,tramways1 and ,stations-- ,the ,ancient ,entrance to these ,vaults-- ,tablet ,commemorative of the ,visit of ,napoleon ,i4-- ,millions of ,bottles of ,champagne in ,piles and ,racks-- ,the ,original ,vaults known as ,siberia-- ,scene in the ,packing ,hall-- ,messrs4 ,mot and ,chandon's ,large and ,complete ,staff-- ,provision for ,illness and ,old ,age-- ,annual ,fte ,given by the ,firm-- ,their ,famous ,star ,brand-- ,m4 ,perrier-,jout1 the lucky ,grandson of a little ,epernay ,grocer-- ,his ,offices and ,cellars-- ,his ,wine ,classed according to its ,deserts-- ,messrs4 ,roussillon and ,co4's ,establishment-- ,the ,recognition accorded to their ,wines-- ,their ,stock of ,old ,vintages-- ,the ,extensive ,establishment of ,messrs4 ,pol ,roger and ,co4-- ,their ,large ,stock of the ,fine #ahgd ,vintage-- ,preparations for the ,tirage-- ,their ,vast ,fireproof ,cellier and its ,admirable ,temperature-- ,their ,lofty and ,capacious ,cellars of ,two ,stories4 ,those magnates of the champagne trade1 ,messrs4 ,mot and ,chandon1 whose famous star brand is familiar in every part of the civilised globe1 and whose half-score miles of cellars contain as many million bottles of champagne as there are millions of inhabitants in most of the secondary ,european states1 have their head-quarters at ,epernay in a spacious chteau--in that street of chteaux named the ,rue du ,commerce1 but commonly known as the ,faubourg de la ,folie--which is approached through handsome iron gates1 and has beautiful gardens in the rear extending in the direction of the ,river ,marne4 ,the existing firm dates from the year #ahcc1 but the family of ,mot--conjectured to have originally come from the ,low ,countries--had already been associated with the champagne wine trade for well-nigh a century previously4 ,if the ,mots came from ,holland they must have established themselves in the ,champagne at a very early date1 for the annals of ,reims record that in the fifteenth century ,jean and ,nicolas ,mot were chevins of the city4 ,a ,mot was present in that capacity at the coronation of ,charles ,,vii4 in #adbi1 when ,joan of ,arc stood erect by the principal altar of the cathedral with her sacred banner in her hand1 and for having contributed to repulse an attempt on the part of the ,english to prevent the entrance of the ,royal party into the city1 the ,mots were subsequently ennobled by the same monarch4 ,a mural tablet in the church of ,st4 ,remi records the death of ,d4 ,g4 ,mot1 ,grand ,prior1 in #aeed1 and nine years later we find ,nicol ,mot claiming exemption at ,epernay from the payment of tailles on the ground of his being a noble4 ,an old commercial book preserved in the family archives shows that in the year #agdc--;at the epoch when the rashness of the ,duc de ,grammont saved the ,english army under ,george ,,ii4 from being cut to pieces at ,dettingen--a descendant of the foregoing1 one ,claude ,louis ,nicolas ,mot1 who owned considerable vineyard property in the vicinity of ,epernay1 decided upon embarking in the wine trade4 ,it is his son1 however1 ,jean ,remi ,mot1 born in #ageh1 who may be looked upon as the veritable founder of the present commerce in ,champagne wines1 which1 thanks to his efforts1 received a wonderful impulse1 so that instead of the consumption of the vintages of the ,marne being limited as heretofore to the privileged few1 it spread all over the civilised world4 ,at ,messrs4 ,mot and ,chandon's we had the opportunity of inspecting some of the old account-books of the firm1 and more particularly those recording the transactions of ,jean ,remi ,mot and his father4 ,the first sales of sparkling wine1 on ,may #bcrd1 #agdc1 comprised #cja bottles of the vintage of #agda to ,pierre ,joly1 wine-merchant1 bon des douze chez le ,roi1 whatever that may mean1 at ,paris2 #abj bottles to ,pierre ,gabriel ,baudoin1 also bon des douze1 at ,paris2 and a similar quantity to the ,sieur ,compoin1 keeping the hotellerie ditte la pestitte ,escurie1 ,rue du ,port ,maillart1 at ,nantes in ,brittany4 ,the entry specifies that the wine for ,nantes is to be left at ,choisy-le-,roi1 and taken by land to ,orleans by the carters of that town1 who are to be found at the ,ecu d',orlans1 ,porte ,st4 ,michel1 ,paris1 the carriage as far as ,choisy being #d livres #aj deniers 7about #d francs7 for the two half-baskets1 and to ,paris #c livres #ae deniers the basket4 ,between #agej and '#fj1 parcels of wine were despatched to ,warsaw1 ,vienna1 ,berlin1 ,knigsberg1 ,dantzig1 ,stettin1 ,brussels1 and ,amsterdam2 but one found no mention of any sales to ,england till the year #aghh1 when the customers of the firm included ,milord ,farnham1 of ,london1 and ,messrs4 ,felix ,calvert and ,sylvin1 who had a couple of sample bottles sent to them1 for which they were charged five shillings4 ,in the same year ,messrs4 ,carbonnell1 ,moody1 and ,walker 7predecessors of the well-known existing firm of ,carbonnell and ,co47 wrote in ,french for two baskets1 of ten dozens each1 of vin de champagne of good body1 not too charged with liqueur1 but of excellent taste1 and not at all sparkling6 while the ,chevalier ,colebrook1 writing from ,bath1 requests that #gb bottles of champagne may be sent to his friend the ,hon4 ,john ,butler1 ,molesworth ,street1 ,dublin1 who if contented with the wine will become a good customer1 he being rich1 keeping a good house1 and receiving many amateurs of vin de champagne4 ,shortly afterwards the chevalier himself receives #ej bottles of still wine1 vintage #aghc4 ,in #aghi #abj bottles of champagne1 vintage #aghh1 are supplied to ,milord ,findlater1 of ,london--an ancestor1 no doubt1 of the wine-merchants of the same name carrying on business to-day1 and whom the ,mots in their simplicity dubbed a ,milord--and in #agij the customers of the house include ,power and ,michel1 of #dd1 ,lamb ,street1 ,london1 and ,manning1 of the ,st4 ,alban ,tavern1 the latter of whom is supplied on ,march #cjth with #acj bottles of champagne at three livres1 or two schillings1 per bottle2 while a month later ,mr4 ,lockart1 banker1 of #cf1 ,pall ,mall1 is debited with #cfj bottles1 vintage #aghh1 at three shillings4 ,illustration3 ,,washing ,,bottles ,,at ,,messrs4 ,,mo,t ,,chandon',s1 ,,epernay4 7p4 #aje7 ,in this same year ,m4 ,mot despatches a traveller to ,england named ,jeanson1 and his letters1 some two hundred in number1 are all preserved in the archives of the house4 ,on the #agth ,may1 #agij1 he writes from ,london as follows3--,as yet ,i have only gone on preparatory and often useless errands4 ,i have distributed samples of which ,i have no news4 ,patience is necessary1 and ,i endeavour to provide myself with it4 ,how the taste of this country has changed since ten years ago6 ,almost everywhere they ask for dry wine1 but at the same time require it so vinous and so strong that there is scarcely any other than the wine of ,sillery which can satisfy them4444 ,to-morrow ,i dine five miles from here1 at ,m4 ,macnamara's4 ,we shall uncork four bottles of our wine1 which will probably be all right4 ,in ,may1 #agib1 ,jean ,remi ,mot is married1 and thenceforward assumes the full management of the house4 ,on ,december #bj of the year following1 when the ,reign of ,terror was fairly inaugurated1 we find the accounts in the ledger opened to this or the other citoyen4 ,the orthodox ,republican formula1 however1 did not long continue1 and sieur and monsieur resumed their accustomed places1 showing that ,jean ,remi ,mot had no sympathy with the ,jacobin faction of the day4 ,in #ahje he became ,mayor of ,epernay1 and between this time and the fall of the ,empire received ,napoleon several times at his residence1 as well as the ,empress ,josephine and the ,king of ,westphalia4 ,the ,emperor1 after recapturing ,reims from the ,allies1 came on to ,epernay1 on which occasion he presented ,m4 ,mot with the cross of the ,legion of ,honour4 ,in #ahcj the latter was arbitrarily dismissed from his mayoralty by ,charles ,x41 but was speedily reinstated by ,louis ,philippe1 though he did not retain his office for long1 his advanced age compelling him to retire from active life in the course of #ahcc4 ,at this epoch the firm1 which1 since #ahjg had been known as ,mot and ,co41 was remodelled under the style of ,mot and ,chandon1 the two partners being ,m4 ,victor ,mot1 son of the outgoing partner1 and ,m4 ,p4 ,g4 ,chandon1 the descendant of an old ennobled family of the ,mconnais1 who had married ,m4 ,jean ,remi ,mot's eldest daughter4 ,the descendants of these gentlemen are to-day at the head of the business1 the partners being on the one hand ,m4 ,victor ,mot-,romont and ,m4 ,c4 ,j4 ,v4 ,auban ,mot-,romont2 and on the other1 ,,mm4 ,paul and ,raoul ,chandon de ,briailles4 ,facing ,messrs4 ,mot and ,chandon's offices at ,epernay is a range of comparatively new buildings1 with its white faade ornamented with the well-known monogram ,m4 and ,c41 surmounted by the familiar star4 ,it is here that the business of blending and bottling the wine is carried on4 ,passing through the arched gateway access is obtained to a spacious courtyard1 where carts laden with bottles are being expeditiously lightened of their fragile contents by the busy hands of numerous workmen4 ,another gateway on the left leads into the spacious bottle-washing room1 which from the middle of ,may until the middle of ,july presents a scene of extraordinary animation4 ,bottle-washing apparatus1 supplied by a steam-engine with #bj1jjj gallons of water per diem1 are ranged in fifteen rows down the entire length of this hall1 and nearly #bjj women strive to excel each other in diligence and celerity in their management1 a practised hand washing from #ijj to #a1jjj bottles in the course of the day4 ,to the right of this salle de rinage1 as it is styled1 bottles are stacked in their tens of thousands1 and lads furnished with barrows1 known as diables1 hurry to and fro1 conveying these to the washers1 or removing the clean bottles to the adjacent courtyard1 where they are allowed to drain1 prior to being taken to the salle de tirage or bottling room4 ,before1 however1 the washing of bottles on this gigantic scale commences1 the marrying or blending of the wine is accomplished in a vast apartment1 #bej feet in length and #ajj feet broad1 during the early spring4 ,the casks of newly-vintaged wine which have been stowed away during the winter months1 in the extensive range of cellars hewn out of the chalk underlying ,epernay1 where they have slowly fermented1 are mixed together in due proportions in huge vats1 each holding upwards of #ab1jjj gallons4 ,some of this wine is the growth of ,messrs4 ,mot and ,chandon's own vineyards1 of which they possess as many as #ijj acres 7giving constant employment to #hjj labourers and vinedressers7 at ,ay1 ,avenay1 ,bouzy1 ,cramant1 ,champillon1 ,chouilly1 ,dizy1 ,epernay1 ,grauves1 ,hautvillers1 ,le ,mesnil1 ,moussy1 ,pierry1 ,saran1 ,st4 ,martin1 ,verzy1 and ,verzenay1 and the average annual cost of cultivating which is about #dj per acre4 ,at ,ay the firm own #baj acres of vineyards2 at ,cramant and ,chouilly1 nearly #ahj acres2 at ,verzy and ,verzenay1 #abj acres2 at ,pierry and ,grauves1 upwards of #ajj acres2 at ,hautvillers1 #ij acres2 at ,le ,mesnil1 #hj acres2 at ,epernay1 nearly #fj acres2 and at ,bouzy1 #ee acres4 ,messrs4 ,mot and ,chandon1 moreover1 possess vendangeoirs1 or pressing-houses1 at ,ay1 ,bouzy1 ,cramant1 ,epernay1 ,hautvillers1 ,le ,mesnil1 ,pierry1 ,saran1 and ,verzenay1 in which the large number of #dj presses are installed4 ,at these vendangeoirs no less than #e1dej pices of fine white wine1 sufficient for #a1cfj1jjj bottles of champagne1 are annually made--that is1 #a1bjj pices at ,ay1 #a1ajj at ,cramant and ,saran1 #hjj at ,verzy and ,verzenay1 and smaller quantities at the remaining establishments4 ,all these establishments have their celliers and their cellars1 together with cottages for the accommodation of the numerous vinedressers in the employment of the firm4 ,illustration3 ,,messrs4 ,,mo,t ,,chandon',s ,,vendangeoir ,,at ,,bouzy4 7p4 #ajf7 ,illustration3 ,,bottling ,,champagne ,,at ,,messrs4 ,,mo,t ,,chandon',s1 ,,epernay4 7p4 #ajg7 ,extensive as are the vineyards owned by ,messrs4 ,mot and ,chandon1 the yield from them is utterly inadequate to the enormous demand which the great ,epernay firm are annually called upon to supply1 and large purchases have to be made by their agents from the growers throughout the ,champagne4 ,the wine thus secured1 as well as that grown by the firm1 is duly mixed together in such proportions as will ensure lightness with the requisite vinosity1 and fragrance combined with effervescence1 a thorough amalgamation being effected by stirring up the wine with long poles provided with fan-shaped ends4 ,if the vintage be indifferent in quality the firm have scores of huge tuns filled with the yield of more favoured seasons to fall back upon to ensure any deficiencies of character and flavour being supplied4 ,the casks of wine to be blended are raised from the cellars1 half a dozen at a time1 by means of a lift provided with an endless chain1 and worked by the steam-engine of which we have already spoken4 ,they are emptied1 through traps in the floor of the room above1 into the huge vats which1 standing upon a raised platform1 reach almost to the ceiling4 ,from these vats the fluid is allowed to flow through hose into rows of casks stationed below4 ,before being bottled the wine reposes for a certain time1 is next duly racked and again blended1 and is eventually conveyed through silver-plated pipes into oblong reservoirs1 each fitted with a dozen syphon-taps1 so arranged that directly the bottle slipped on to one of them becomes full the wine ceases to flow4 ,illustration ,upwards of #bjj workpeople are employed in the salle de tirage at ,messrs4 ,mot and ,chandon's1 which1 while the operation of bottling is going on1 presents a scene of bewildering activity4 ,men and lads are gathered round the syphon-taps briskly removing the bottles as they become filled1 and supplanting them by empty ones4 ,other lads hasten to transport the filled bottles on trucks to the corkers1 whose so-called guillotine machines send the corks home with a sudden thud4 ,the corks being secured with agrafes the bottles are placed in large flat baskets called manettes1 and wheeled away on tracks1 the quarts being deposited in the cellars by means of lifts1 while the pints slide down an inclined plane by the aid of an endless chain1 which raises the trucks with the empty baskets at the same time the full ones make their descent into the cellars4 ,what with the incessant thud of the corking machines1 the continual rolling of iron-wheeled trucks over the concrete floor1 the rattling and creaking of the machinery working the lifts1 the occasional sharp report of a bursting bottle1 and the loudly-shouted orders of the foremen1 who display the national partiality for making a noise to perfection1 the din becomes at times all but unbearable4 ,the number of bottles filled in the course of the day naturally varies1 still ,messrs4 ,mot and ,chandon reckon that during the month of ,june a daily average of #ajj1jjj are taken in the morning from the stacks in the salle de rinage1 washed1 dried1 filled1 corked1 wired1 lowered into the cellars and carefully arranged in symmetrical order4 ,this represents a total of two and a half million bottles during that month alone4 ,the bottles on being lowered into the cellars1 either by means of the incline or the lifts1 are placed in a horizontal position1 and with their uppermost side daubed with white chalk1 are stacked in layers from two to half-a-dozen bottles deep with narrow oak laths between4 ,the stacks are usually about six or seven feet high and #ajj feet and upwards in length4 ,whilst the wine is thus reposing in a temperature of about #ee ,fahrenheit1 fermentation sets in1 and the ensuing month is one of much anxiety4 ,thanks1 however1 to the care bestowed1 ,messrs4 ,mot and ,chandon's annual loss from bottles bursting rarely exceeds three per cent41 though fifteen was once regarded as a respectable and satisfactory average4 ,the broken glass is a perquisite of the workmen1 the money arising from its sale1 which at the last distribution amounted to no less than #bj1jjj francs1 being divided amongst them every couple of years4 ,illustration ,the usual entrance to ,messrs4 ,mot and ,chandon's ,epernay cellars--which1 burrowed out in all directions1 are of the aggregate length of nearly seven miles1 and have usually between #aa1jjj1jjj and #ab1jjj1jjj bottles and #be1jjj casks of wine stored therein--is through a wide and imposing portal1 and down a long and broad flight of steps4 ,it is1 however1 by the ancient and less imposing entrance1 through which more than one crowned head has condescended to pass1 that we set forth on our lengthened tour through these intricate underground galleries--this subterranean city with its miles of streets1 crossroads1 open spaces1 tramways1 and stations devoted solely to champagne4 ,a gilt inscription on a black marble tablet testifies that on the #bfth ,july1 #ahjg1 ,napoleon the ,great1 ,emperor of the ,french1 ,king of ,italy1 and ,protector of the ,confederation of the ,rhine1 honoured commerce by visiting the cellars of ,jean ,rmi ,mot1 ,mayor of ,epernay1 ,president of the ,canton1 and ,member of the ,general ,council of the ,department1 within three weeks of the signature of the treaty of ,tilsit4 ,passing down the flight of steep slippery steps traversed by the victor of ,eylau and ,jena1 access is gained to the upper range of vaults1 brilliantly illuminated by the glare of gas1 or dimly lighted by the flickering flame of tallow-candles1 upwards of #fj1jjjlbs4 of which are annually consumed4 ,here group after group of the small army of #cej workmen employed in these subterranean galleries are encountered engaged in the process of transforming the vin brut into champagne4 ,at ,messrs4 ,mot and ,chandon's the all-important operation of liqueuring the wine is effected by aid of machines of the latest construction1 which regulate the quantity administered to the utmost nicety4 ,the corks are branded by being pressed against steel dies heated by gas1 by women who can turn out #c1jjj per day apiece1 the quantity of string used to secure them amounting to nearly ten tons in the course of the year4 ,there is another and a lower depth of cellars to be explored to which access is gained by trapholes in the floor--through which the barrels and baskets of wine are raised and lowered--and by flights of steps4 ,from the foot of the latter there extends an endless vista of lofty and spacious passages hewn out of the chalk1 the walls of which1 smooth as finished masonry1 are lined with thousands of casks of raw wine1 varied at intervals by gigantic vats4 ,miles of long1 dark-brown1 dampish-looking galleries stretch away to the right and left1 and though devoid of the picturesque festoons of fungi which decorate the ,london ,dock vaults1 exhibit a sufficient degree of mouldiness to give them an air of respectable antiquity4 ,these multitudinous galleries1 lit up by petroleum-lamps1 are mostly lined with wine in bottles stacked in compact masses to a height of six or seven feet1 only room enough for a single person to pass being left4 ,millions of bottles are thus arranged1 the majority on their sides1 in huge piles1 with tablets hung up against each stack to note its age and quality2 and the rest1 which are undergoing daily evolutions at the hands of the twister1 at various angles of inclination4 ,in these cellars there are nearly #aa1jjj racks in which the bottles of vin brut rest sur pointe1 as many as #fjj1jjj bottles being commonly twisted daily4 ,the way runs on between regiments of bottles of the same size and shape1 save where at intervals pints take the place of quarts2 and the visitor1 gazing into the black depths of the transverse passages to the right and left1 becomes conscious of a feeling that if his guide were suddenly to desert him he would feel as hopelessly lost as in the catacombs of ,rome4 ,there are two galleries1 each #fej feet in length1 containing about #fej1jjj bottles1 and connected by #cb transverse galleries1 with an aggregate length of #d1jjj feet1 in which nearly #a1ejj1jjj bottles are stored4 ,there are1 further1 eight galleries1 each #ejj feet in length1 and proportionably stocked2 also the extensive new vaults1 excavated some five or six years back1 in the rear of the then-existing cellarage1 and a considerable number of smaller vaults4 ,the different depths and varying degrees of moisture afford a choice of temperature of which the experienced owners know how to take advantage4 ,the original vaults1 wherein more than a century ago the first bottles of champagne made by the infant firm were stowed away1 bear the name of ,siberia1 on account of their exceeding coldness4 ,this section consists of several roughly-excavated low winding galleries1 resembling natural caverns1 and affording a striking contrast to the broad1 lofty1 and regular-shaped corridors of more recent date4 ,when the proper period arrives for the bottles to emerge once more into the upper air they are conveyed to the packing-room1 a spacious hall #ahj feet long and #fj feet broad4 ,in front of its three large double doors waggons are drawn up ready to receive their loads4 ,the seventy men and women employed here easily foil1 label1 wrap1 and pack up some #aj1jjj bottles a day4 ,cases and baskets are stacked in different parts of this vast hall1 at one end of which numerous trusses of straw used in the packing are piled4 ,seated at tables ranged along one side of the apartment women are busily occupied in pasting on labels or encasing the necks of bottles in gold or silver foil1 whilst elsewhere men1 seated on three-legged stools in front of smoking caldrons of molten sealing-wax of a deep green hue1 are coating the necks of other bottles by plunging them into the boiling fluid4 ,when labelled and decorated with either wax or foil the bottles pass on to other women1 who swathe them in pink tissue-paper and set them aside for the packers1 by whom1 after being deftly wrapped round with straw1 they are consigned to baskets or cases1 to secure which last no less than #aj1jjjlbs4 of nails are annually used4 ,england and ,russia are partial to gold foil1 pink paper1 and wooden cases holding a dozen or a couple of dozen bottles of the exhilarating fluid1 whereas other nations prefer waxed necks1 disdain pink paper1 and insist on being supplied in wicker baskets containing fifty bottles each4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,packing ,,hall ,,at ,,messrs4 ,,mo,t ,,and ,,chandon',s1 ,,epernay4 7p4 #aab7 ,some idea of the complex character of so vast an establishment as that of ,messrs4 ,mot and ,chandon may be gathered from a mere enumeration of their staff1 which1 in addition to twenty clerks and #cej cellarmen proper1 includes numerous agrafe-makers and corkcutters1 packers and carters1 wheelwrights and saddlers1 carpenters1 masons1 slaters and tilers1 tinmen1 firemen1 needlewomen1 c41 while the inventory of objects used by this formidable array of workpeople comprises no fewer than #a1ejj distinct heads4 ,a medical man attached to the establishment gives gratuitous advice to all those employed1 and a chemist dispenses drugs and medicines without charge4 ,while suffering from illness the men receive half-pay1 but should they be laid up by an accident met with in the course of their work full salary is invariably awarded to them4 ,as may be supposed1 so vast an establishment as this is not without a provision for those past work1 and all the old hands receive liberal pensions from the firm upon retiring4 ,every year ,messrs4 ,mot and ,chandon give a banquet or a ball to the people in their employ--usually after the bottling of the wine is completed--when the hall in which the entertainment takes place is handsomely decorated and illuminated with myriads of coloured lamps4 ,it is needless to particularise ,messrs4 ,mot and ,chandon's wines1 which are familiar to all drinkers of champagne4 ,their famous star brand is known in all societies1 figures equally at clubs and mess-tables1 at garden parties and picnics1 dinners and soires1 and has its place in hotel cartes all over the world4 ,one of the best proofs of the wine's universal popularity is found in the circumstance that as many as #a1jjj visitors from all parts of the world come annually to ,epernay and make the tour of ,messrs4 ,mot and ,chandon's spacious cellars4 ,a little beyond ,messrs4 ,mot and ,chandon's1 in the broad ,rue du ,commerce1 we encounter a heavy1 ornate1 pretentious-looking chteau1 the residence of ,m4 ,perrier-,jout1 which presents a striking contrast to the almost mean-looking premises opposite1 where the business of the firm is carried on4 ,m4 ,perrier-,jout is the fortunate grandson of the ,sieur ,perrier ,fissier1 a little ,epernay grocer1 who some eighty years or so ago used to supply corks1 candles1 and string to the firm of ,mot and ,co41 and who1 when the profits arising from this connection warranted his doing so1 discarded his grocer's sleeves and apron and blossomed forth as a competitor in the champagne trade4 ,perrier-,jout and ,co4's offices are situated on the left-hand side of a courtyard surrounded by low buildings1 which serve as celliers1 store-houses1 packing-rooms1 and the like4 ,from an inner courtyard where piles of bottles are stacked under open sheds1 the cellars themselves are reached4 ,previous to descending into these we passed through the various buildings1 in one of which a party of men were engaged in disgorging and preparing wine for shipment4 ,in another we noticed one of those heavy beam presses for pressing the grapes which the more intelligent manufacturers regard as obsolete1 while in a third was the cuve vat1 holding no more than #b1bjj gallons4 ,in making their cuve the firm commonly mix one part of old wine to three parts of new4 ,an indifferent vintage1 however1 necessitates the admixture of a larger proportion of the older growth4 ,the cellars1 like all the more ancient ones at ,epernay1 are somewhat straggling and irregular1 still they are remarkably cool1 and on the lower floor remarkably damp as well4 ,this1 however1 would appear to be no disadvantage1 as the breakage in them is calculated never to exceed #b per cent4 ,the firm have no less than five qualities of champagne1 and at one of the recent champagne competitions at ,london1 where the experts engaged had no means of identifying the brands submitted to their judgment1 ,messrs4 ,perrier-,jout's ,first ,quality got classed below a cheaper wine of their neighbours ,messrs4 ,pol ,roger and ,co41 and very considerably below the ,extra ,sec of ,messrs4 ,prinet et fils1 and inferior even to a wine of ,de ,venoge's1 the great ,epernay manufacturer of common class champagnes4 ,illustration3 ,,courtyard ,,of ,,messrs4 ,,pol ,,roger',s ,,establishment ,,at ,,epernay4 7p4 #aae7 ,champagne establishments1 combined with the handsome residences of the manufacturers1 line both sides of the long1 imposing ,rue du ,commerce at ,epernay4 ,on the left hand is a succession of fine chteaux1 commencing with one belonging to ,m4 ,auban ,mot1 whose terraced gardens overlook the valley of the ,marne1 and command views of the vine-clad heights of ,cumires1 ,hautvillers1 ,ay1 and ,mareuil1 and the more distant slopes of ,ambonnay and ,bouzy1 while on the other side of the famous ,epernay thoroughfare we encounter beyond the establishments of ,messrs4 ,mot and ,chandon and ,perrier-,jout the ornate monumental faade which the firm of ,piper and ,co4--of whom ,messrs4 ,kunkelmann and ,co4 are to-day the successors--raised some years since above their extensive cellars4 ,a little in the rear of the ,rue du ,commerce is the well-ordered establishment of ,messrs4 ,roussillon and ,co41 the extension of whose business of late has necessitated their removal to these capacious premises4 ,the wines of the firm enjoy a high reputation in ,england1 ,france1 and ,russia1 and have secured favourable recognition at the ,paris1 ,philadelphia1 and other ,exhibitions4 ,their stock includes considerable quantities of the older vintages1 it being a rule of the house never to ship crude young wines4 ,it is on their dry varieties that ,messrs4 ,roussillon and ,co4 especially pride themselves1 and some of the fine wine of #ahgd that was here shown to us was as remarkable for its delicacy as for its fragrance4 ,in a side street at the farther end of the ,rue du ,commerce stands a chteau of red brick1 overlooking on the one side an extensive pleasure-garden1 and on the other a spacious courtyard1 bounded by celliers1 stables1 and bottle-sheds1 all of modern construction and on a most extensive scale4 ,these form the establishment of ,messrs4 ,pol ,roger and ,co41 settled for many years at ,epernay1 and known throughout the ,champagne for their large purchases at the epoch of the vintage4 ,from the knowledge they possess of the best crs1 and their relations with the leading vineyard proprietors1 they are enabled whenever the wine is good to acquire large stocks of it4 ,having bottled a considerable quantity of the fine wine of #ahgd1 they resolved to profit by the exceptional quality of this vintage to commence shipping champagne to ,england1 where their agents1 ,messrs4 ,reuss1 ,lauteren1 and ,co41 have successfully introduced the new brand4 ,passing through a large open gateway we enter the vast courtyard of the establishment1 which1 with arriving and departing carts--the first loaded with wine in cask or with new bottles1 and the others with cases of champagne--presents rather an animated scene4 ,under a roof projecting from the wall of the vast cellier on the right hand a tribe of ,sparnaciennes--as the feminine inhabitants of ,epernay are termed--are occupied in washing bottles in readiness for the coming tirage4 ,the surrounding buildings1 most substantially constructed1 are not destitute of architectural pretensions4 ,the extensive cellier1 the area of which is #bc1ehi square feet1 is understood to be the largest single construction of the kind in the ,champagne district4 ,built entirely of iron1 stone and brick1 its framework is a perfect marvel of lightness4 ,the roof1 consisting of rows of brick arches1 is covered above with a layer of ,portland cement1 in order to keep it cool in summer and protect it against the winter cold1 two most desirable objects in connection with the manipulation of champagne4 ,here an endless chain of a new pattern enables wine in bottle to be lowered and raised with great rapidity to or from the cellars beneath--lofty and capacious excavations of two stories1 the lowest of which is reached by a flight of no less than #agj steps4 ,epernay1 unlike ,reims1 has little of general interest to attract the stranger4 ,frequently besieged and pillaged during the ,middle ,ages1 and burnt to the ground by the dauphin1 son of ,franois ,i41 the town1 although of some note as far back as the time of ,clovis1 exhibits to-day no evidence whatever of its great antiquity4 ,the thoroughfare termed the ,rempart de la ,tour ,biron recalls a memorable incident which transpired during the siege of the town by ,henri ,,iv4 ,while the king was reconnoitring the defences a cannon-ball aimed at his waving white plume took off the head of the ,marchal ,biron at the moment ,henri's hand was resting familiarly on the marchal's shoulder4 ,strange to say1 the king himself escaped unhurt4 ,illustration3 ,,view ,,of ,,ay ,,from ,,the ,,banks ,,of ,,the ,,marne ,,canal4 7p4 #aag47 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,vendangeoir ,,of ,,henri ,,quatre4 ,,xi4--,,champagne ,,establishments ,,at ,,ay ,,and ,,mareuil4 ,the ,establishment of ,deutz and ,geldermann-- ,drawing off the ,cuve-- ,mode of ,excavating ,cellars in the ,champagne-- ,the ,firm's ,new ,cellars1 ,vineyards1 and ,vendangeoir-- ,the old ,chteau of ,ay and its ,terraced ,garden-- ,the ,gambling ,propensities of ,balthazar ,constance ,dang-,doray1 a former ,owner of the ,chteau-- ,the ,picturesque ,situation and ,aspect of ,messrs4 ,ayala's ,establishment-- ,a ,promenade through their ,cellars-- ,m4 ,duminy's ,cellars and ,wines-- ,his new ,model ,construction-- ,the ,house ,founded in #ahad-- ,messrs4 ,bollinger's ,establishment-- ,their ,vineyard of ,la ,grange-- ,the ,tirage in ,progress-- ,the ,fine ,cellars of the ,firm-- ,messrs4 ,pfungst's frres and ,co4's ,cellars-- ,their ,dry ,champagnes of #ahfh1 '#gj1 '#gb1 and '#gd-- ,the ,old ,church of ,ay and its ,decorations of ,grapes and ,vineleaves-- ,the ,vendangeoir of ,henri ,quatre-- ,the ,montebello ,establishment at ,mareuil-- ,the ,chteau formerly the ,property of the ,dukes of ,orleans-- ,a ,titled ,champagne ,firm-- ,the ,brilliant ,career of ,marshal ,lannes-- ,a ,promenade through the ,montebello ,establishment-- ,the ,press ,house1 the ,cuve ,vat1 the ,packing-,room1 the ,offices1 and the ,cellars-- ,portraits and ,relics at the ,chteau-- ,the ,establishment of ,bruch-,foucher and ,co4-- ,the handsome ,carved ,gigantic ,cuve ,tun-- ,the ,cellars and their ,lofty ,shafts-- ,the ,wines of the ,firm4 ,the historic bourgade of ,ay is within a short walk of the station on the line of railway connecting ,epernay with ,reims4 ,the road lies across the light bridge spanning the ,marne canal1 the tall trees fringing which hide for a time the clustering houses2 still we catch sight of the tapering steeple of the antique church rising sharply against the green vine-covered slopes and the fleecy-clouded summer sky4 ,we soon reach the ,place de l',htel de ,ville1 and continuing onward in the direction of the steep hills which shelter the town on the north1 come to a massive-looking corner house in front of the broad porte-cochre of which some railway carts laden with cases of champagne are standing4 ,passing through the gateway we find ourselves in an open court1 with a dwelling-house to the right and a range of buildings in front where the offices of ,messrs4 ,deutz and ,geldermann are installed4 ,this is the central establishment of the firm1 whose ,extra ,dry ,gold ,lack and ,cabinet champagnes have long been favourably known in ,england4 ,here are spacious celliers for disgorging and finishing off the wine1 a large packing-hall1 and rooms where bales of corks and other accessories of the trade are stored1 the operations of making the cuves and bottling being accomplished in an establishment some little distance off4 ,illustration3 ,,drawing ,,off ,,the ,,cuv,e ,,at ,,deutz ,,geldermann',s1 ,,ay4 7p4 #aah7 ,illustration3 ,,excavating ,,deutz ,,geldermann',s ,,new ,,cellars1 ,,ay4 7p4 #aai7 ,proceeding thither1 we find an elegant chteau with a charming terraced garden1 lying at the very foot of the vine-clad slopes1 and on the opposite side of the road some large celliers where wine in wood is stored1 and where the cuves of the firm1 consisting usually of upwards of #ej1jjj gallons each1 are made in a vat of gigantic proportions1 furnished with a raised platform at one end for the accommodation of the workman who agitates the customary paddles4 ,when the wine is completely blended it is drawn off into casks disposed for the purpose in the cellar below1 as shown in the accompanying engraving1 and after being fined it rests for about a month to clear itself4 ,to each of these casks of newly-blended wine a portion of old wine is added separately1 and at the moment of bottling the whole is newly amalgamated4 ,adjoining ,m4 ,deutz's chteau is the principal entrance to the extensive cellars of the firm1 to which1 at the time of our visit1 considerable additions were being made4 ,in excavating a gallery the workmen commence by rounding off the roof1 and then proceed to work gradually downwards1 extracting the chalk1 whenever practicable1 in blocks suitable for building purposes1 which being worth from three to four shillings the square yard help to reduce the cost of the excavation4 ,when any serious flaws present themselves in the sides or roof of the galleries1 they are invariably made good with masonry4 ,this range of cellars now comprises eight long and lofty galleries no less than #ag feet wide1 and the same number of feet in height1 and of the aggregate length of #b1bjj yards4 ,these spacious vaults1 which run parallel with each other1 and communicate by means of cross passages1 underlie the street1 the chteau1 the garden1 and the vineyard slopes beyond1 and possess the great advantage of being always dry4 ,they are capable1 we were informed1 of containing several million bottles of champagne in addition to a large quantity of wine in cask4 ,messrs4 ,deutz and ,geldermann possess vineyards at ,ay1 and own a large vendangeoir at ,verzenay1 where in good years they usually press #ejj pices of wine4 ,they1 moreover1 make large purchases of grapes at ,bouzy1 ,cramant1 ,le ,mesnil1 ,pierry1 c1 and invariably have these pressed under their own superintendence4 ,beyond large shipments to ,england1 ,messrs4 ,deutz and ,geldermann transact a considerable business with other countries1 and more especially with ,germany1 where their brand has been for years one of the most popular1 and is to-day the favourite at numerous regimental messes and the principal hotels4 ,the old chteau of ,ay1 which dates from the early part of the last century1 belongs to-day to the ,count de ,mareuil1 a member of the firm of ,ayala and ,co41 one of the leading establishments of the famous ,marne-side cr4 ,perched half-way up the slope1 covered with golden plants1 which rises in the rear of the village1 the chteau1 with its long faade of windows1 commands the valley of the ,marne for miles1 and from the stately terraced walk1 planted with ancient lime-trees1 geometrically clipped in the fashion of the last century1 a splendid view of the distant vineyards of ,avize1 ,cramant1 ,epernay1 and ,chouilly is obtained4 ,the chteau formed one of a quartette of seignorial residences which at the commencement of the present century belonged to ,balthazar ,constance ,dang-,doray1 whose ancestors had been lords of ,chouilly under the ancien rgime4 ,doray had inherited from an aunt the chteaux of ,ay1 ,mareuil1 ,boursault1 and ,chouilly1 together with a large patrimony in land and money2 but a mania for gambling brought him to utter ruin1 and he dispossessed himself of money1 lands1 and chteaux in succession1 and was reduced1 in his old age1 to earn a meagre pittance as a violin-player at the ,paris ,opera ,house4 ,the old chteau of ,boursault1 which still exists contiguous to the stately edifice raised by ,mme4 ,clicquot on the summit of the hill1 was risked and lost on a single game at cards by this pertinacious gamester1 whose pressing pecuniary difficulties compelled him to sell the remaining chteaux one by one4 ,that of ,ay was purchased by ,m4 ,froc de la ,boulaye1 and by him bequeathed to his cousin the ,count de ,mareuil1 whose granddaughter became the wife of one of the ,messrs4 ,ayala1 and whose son is to-day their partner4 ,illustration3 ,,messrs4 ,,ayala ,,co4',s ,,establishment ,,at ,,ay4 7p4 #aba7 ,the offices of the firm adjoin the chteau1 and rather higher up the hill is their very complete establishment1 picturesquely situated in a hollow formed by some excavations1 with the thickly-planted vine-slopes rising above its red-tiled roof4 ,the boldly-designed basement1 the ascending sweep conducting to the extensive celliers and the little centre belfry give a character of originality to the building4 ,carts laden with cases of champagne are leaving for the railway station1 casks of wine are being transferred from one part of the establishment to another1 bottles are being got ready for the approaching tirage1 and in the packing department1 installed in one of the three celliers into which the story aboveground is divided1 quite an animated scene presents itself4 ,iron columns support the roofs of this and its companion celliers1 where the firm make their cuve1 and the bottling of the wine takes place4 ,on descending into the basement beneath1 the popping of corks and the continual clatter of machinery intimate that the disgorging and re-corking of the wine are being accomplished1 and in the dim light we discern groups of workmen engaged in the final manipulation which champagne has to undergo1 while fresh relays of wine are arriving from the cellars by the aid of endless chains4 ,there are two stories of these cellars which1 excavated in the chalk1 extend under the road and wind round beneath the chteau1 the more modern galleries being broad1 lofty1 and admirably ventilated1 and provided with supports of masonry wherever the instability of the chalk rendered this requisite4 ,after a lengthened promenade through them we come to the ancient vaults extending immediately under the grounds of the chteau1 where every particle of available space is utilised1 and some difficulty is found in passing between the serried piles of bottles of vin brut--mostly the fine wine of #ahgd--which rise continuously on either side4 ,illustration ,within a hundred yards of the open space1 surrounded by houses of different epochs and considerable diversity of design1 where the ,ay market is weekly held1 and in one of the narrow winding streets common to the town1 an escutcheon1 with a bunch of grapes for device1 surmounting a lofty gateway1 attracts attention4 ,within1 a trim courtyard1 girt round with orange-trees in bright green boxes1 and clipped in orthodox fashion1 affords access to the handsome residence and offices of ,m4 ,duminy1 well-known in ,england and ,america as a shipper of high-class champagnes1 and whose ,parisian connection is extensive4 ,on the right-hand side of the courtyard is the packing-room1 and through the cellars1 which have an entrance here1 one can reach the celliers in an adjoining street1 where the cuve is made and the bottling of the wine accomplished4 ,m4 ,duminy's cellars are remarkably old1 and consequently of somewhat irregular construction1 being at times rather low and narrow1 as well as on different levels4 ,in addition1 however1 to these venerable vaults1 packed with wines of #ahfi1 '#gj1 '#gb1 and '#gd1 ,m4 ,duminy has various subterranean adjuncts in other parts of ,ay1 and is at present engaged in constructing1 at the foot of his vineyards up the mountain slope1 a noble establishment which includes a vast court1 upwards of a thousand square yards in extent1 wherein are installed capacious bottle-racks and bottle-washing machines of the latest improved manufacture4 ,here are also handsome and extensive celliers1 together with immense underground cellars1 comprising broad and lofty galleries of regular design1 the whole being constructed with a completeness and studied regard for convenience which bid fair to render this establishment when finished the model one of the ,champagne district4 ,the house was originally founded so far back as #ahad by ,m4 ,taverne-,richard1 who was intimately connected with the principal vineyard proprietors of the district4 ,in #ahdb this gentleman took his son-in-law1 ,m4 ,duminy1 father of the present proprietor of the establishment1 into partnership1 and after the retirement of ,m4 ,taverne he gave a great impetus to the business1 and succeeded in introducing his light and delicate wines into the principal ,paris hotels and restaurants4 ,during its two-thirds of a century of existence the house has invariably confined itself to first-class wines1 taking particular pride in shipping fully-matured growths4 ,besides its own large reserve of these1 it holds considerable stocks long since disposed of1 and now merely awaiting the purchasers' orders to be shipped4 ,a few paces beyond ,m4 ,duminy's we come upon an antiquated1 decrepit-looking timber house1 with its ancient gable bulging over as though the tough oak brackets on which it rests were at last grown weary of supporting their unwieldy burthen4 ,judging from the quaint carved devices1 this house was doubtless the residence of an individual of some importance in the days when the principal ,european potentates had their commissioners installed at ,ay to secure them the finest vintages4 ,continuing our walk along the same narrow winding street1 we soon reach the establishment of ,messrs4 ,bollinger1 whose house1 founded in the year #ahbi1 claims to be the first among the ,ay firms who shipped wines to foreign countries generally1 including ,england1 where the brand has long been held in high repute4 ,messrs4 ,bollinger1 besides being shippers of champagne1 are extensive vineyard proprietors1 owning vinelands at ,bouzy1 ,verzenay1 and ,dizy4 ,a vineyard of theirs at the latter place1 known as ,la ,grange1 is said to have formerly belonged to the monks who founded the abbey of ,st4 ,peter at ,hautvillers1 the legend connected with which we have already related4 ,a couple of large gateways offer access to the spacious courtyard of ,messrs4 ,bollinger's establishment2 a handsome dwelling-house standing on the right1 and a small pavilion1 in which the offices are installed1 while on the left hand and in the rear of the courtyard rises a range of buildings of characteristic aspect1 appropriated to the business of the firm4 ,in one of the celliers1 which has its open-raftered roof supported by slim metal columns1 we found the tirage going on1 the gang of workmen engaged in it filling1 corking1 and lowering into the cellars some #bj1jjj bottles a day4 ,in one corner of the apartment stood the large cuve tun--capable of holding some #ej hogsheads--in which the blending of the wine is effected1 and in an adjoining cellier women were briskly labelling and wrapping up the completed bottles of champagne4 ,the cellars1 constructed some fifty years ago at a cost of nearly #ab the superficial yard1 are faced entirely with stone1 and are alike wide and lofty2 this is especially the case with four of the more modern galleries excavated in #ahdh1 and each #afj feet in length4 ,besides the foregoing1 ,messrs4 ,bollinger possess other cellars in ,ay1 where they store their reserve wines both in bottle and in the wood4 ,on the northern side of ,ay1 some little distance from the vineyard owned by them1 the firm of ,pfungst frres ,cie4 have their cellars1 the entrance to which lies just under the lofty vine-clad ridge4 ,messrs4 ,pfungst frres lay themselves out exclusively for the shipment of high-class champagnes1 and the excellent growths of the ,ay district necessarily form an important element in their carefully-composed cuves4 ,a considerable portion of their stock consists of reserves of old wine1 and we tasted here a variety of samples of finely-matured champagnes of #ahfh and '#gj1 as well as the vintages of #ahgb and '#gd4 ,all of these wines were of superior quality1 combining delicacy and fragrance with dryness1 the latter being their especial feature4 ,in addition to their business with ,england1 ,messrs4 ,pfungst frres ship largely to ,india and the ,united ,states4 ,illustration ,it is on this side of the town that the fine old ,gothic church1 dating as far back as the twelfth century1 is situated4 ,many of the mouldings and the capitals of the columns both inside and outside the building are covered over with grape-laden vine-branches1 and the sculptured figure of a boy bearing a basket of grapes upon his head surmounts the handsome ,renaissance doorway1 seemingly to indicate the honour in which the vine--the source of all the prosperity of the little town--was held both by the medival and later architects of the edifice4 ,nigh to the church stands the old house with its obliterated carved escutcheons1 known traditionally as the ,vendangeoir of ,henri ,quatre4 ,this monarch loved the wine of the place almost as well as his favourite vintage of ,arbois1 and dubbed himself1 as we have already mentioned1 ,seigneur of ,ay1 whose inhabitants he sought to gratify by confirming the charter which centuries before had been granted to the town4 ,illustration ,within half-an-hour's walk of ,ay1 in an easterly direction1 is the village of ,mareuil1 a long straight street of straggling houses1 bounded by trees and garden-plats1 with vine-clad hills rising abruptly behind on the one side1 and the ,marne canal flowing placidly by on the other4 ,the archaic church1 a mixture of the ,romanesque and ,early ,gothic1 stands at the farther end of the village1 and some little distance on this side of it is a massive-looking eighteenth-century building1 spacious enough to accommodate a regiment of horse1 but conventual rather than barrack-like in aspect1 from the paucity of windows looking on to the road4 ,a broad gateway leads into a spacious courtyard to the left of which stands a grand chteau1 while on the right there rises an ornate round tower of three stories1 from the gallery on the summit of which a fine view over the valley of the ,marne is obtained4 ,the buildings inclosing the court on three sides comprise press-houses1 celliers1 and packing-rooms1 an antiquated sundial marking the hour on the blank space above the vines that climb beside the entrance gateway4 ,the more ancient of these tenements formed the vendangeoir of the ,dukes of ,orleans at the time they owned the chteau of ,mareuil1 purchased in #ahcj by the ,duke de ,montebello1 son of the famous ,marshal ,lannes1 and minister and ambassador of ,louis ,philippe and ,napoleon ,,iii4 ,the acquisition of this property1 to which were attached some important vineyards1 led1 several years later1 to the duke's founding1 in conjunction with his brothers1 the ,marquis and ,general ,count de ,montebello1 a champagne firm1 whose brand speedily acquired a notable popularity4 ,to-day the business is carried on by their sons and heirs1 for all the original partners in the house have followed their valiant father to the grave4 ,struck down by an ,austrian cannon-ball in the zenith of his fame1 the career of ,marshal ,lannes1 brief as it was1 furnishes one of the most brilliant pages in ,french military annals4 ,joining the army of ,italy as a volunteer in #agif1 he was made a colonel on the battle-field in the gorges of ,millesimo1 when ,augereau's bold advance opened ,piedmont to the ,french4 ,he fought at ,bassano and ,lodi1 took part in the assault of ,pavia and the siege of ,mantua1 and at ,arcola1 when ,napoleon dashed flag in hand upon the bridge1 ,lannes was seriously wounded whilst shielding his general from danger4 ,he afterwards distinguished himself in ,egypt1 and led the van of the ,french army across the ,alps1 displaying his accustomed bravery both at ,montebello and ,marengo4 ,at ,austerlitz1 where he commanded the right wing of the army1 he greatly contributed to the victory1 and at ,jena1 ,friedland1 and ,eylau his valour was again conspicuous4 ,sent to ,spain1 he defeated the ,spaniards at ,tudela1 and took part in the operations against ,saragossa4 ,wounded at the battle of ,essling1 when the ,archduke ,charles inflicted upon ,napoleon ,i4 the first serious repulse he had met with on the field of battle1 the valiant ,lannes expired a few days afterwards in the ,emperor's arms4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,montebello ,,establishment ,,at ,,mareuil4 7p4 #abf7 ,illustration3 ,,ch,,teau ,,of ,,mareuil1 ,,belonging ,,to ,,the ,,duke ,,of ,,montebello4 7p4 #abg47 ,we were met at ,mareuil1 on the occasion of our visit1 by ,count ,alfred ,ferdinand de ,montebello1 the present manager of the house1 and conducted by him over the establishment4 ,in the press-house1 to the left of the courtyard1 were two of the ponderous presses used in the ,champagne1 for1 like all other large firms1 the house makes its own wine4 ,grapes grown in the ,mareuil vineyards arrive here in baskets slung across the backs of mules1 muzzled so that while awaiting their loads they may not devour the fruit within reach4 ,in a cellier adjoining the press-house stands a large vat1 capable of holding #ej pices of wine1 with a crane beside it for hauling up the casks when the cuve is made4 ,here the tirage likewise takes place1 and in the range of buildings1 roofed with glass1 in the rear of the tower1 the bottled wine is labelled1 capped with foil1 and packed in cases for transmission to ,paris1 ,england1 and other places abroad4 ,a double flight of steps1 decorated with lamps and vases1 leads to the handsome offices of the firm1 situated on the first floor of the tower1 while above is an apartment with a panelled ceiling1 gracefully decorated with groups of ,cupids engaged in the vintage and the various operations which the famous wines of the ,mountain and the ,river undergo during their conversion into champagne4 ,on the ground floor of the tower a low doorway conducts to the spacious cellars1 which1 owing to the proximity of the ,marne1 are all on the same level as well as constructed in masonry4 ,the older vaults1 where the ,marquis de ,pange1 a former owner of the chteau1 stored the wine which he used to sell to the champagne manufacturers1 are somewhat low and tortuous compared with the broad and lofty galleries of more recent date1 which have been constructed as the growing connection of the firm obliged them to increase their stocks4 ,spite1 however1 of numerous additions1 portions of their reserves have to be stored in other cellars in ,mareuil4 ,considerable stocks of each of the four qualities of wine supplied by the firm are being got ready for disgorgement1 including ,cartes ,noires and ,bleues1 with the refined ,carte ,blanche and the delicate ,crmant1 which challenge comparison with brands of the highest repute4 ,in the adjacent chteau1 the gardens of which slope down to the ,marne canal1 there are various interesting portraits1 with one or two relics of the distinguished founder of the ,montebello family1 notably ,marshal ,lannes's gold-embroidered velvet saddle trappings1 his portrait and that of ,marshal ,gerard1 as well as one of ,napoleon ,i41 by ,david1 with a handsome clock and candelabra of ,egyptian design1 a bust of ,augustus ,csar1 and a portrait of the ,regent d',orlans4 ,another champagne house of standing at ,mareuil is that of ,bruch-,foucher and ,co41 whose establishment is situated near the village mairie4 ,entering by a lofty porte-cochre1 we notice on the left hand a spacious packing-room1 where men and women are expeditiously completing some shipping order1 while beyond are the offices1 looking on to a terraced garden whence a pleasant view is gained of the verdant valley of the ,marne4 ,from the packing-room a broad staircase leads to the cellars beneath1 which can also be reached from a venerable range of buildings on the opposite side of the road1 where young wines and old cognac spirit1 used in the preparation of the liqueur1 are stored in the wood4 ,in one of these ancient celliers is a vast tun1 capable of containing nearly #e1jjj gallons1 carved over with an elaborate device of vineleaves and bunches of grapes entwined around overflowing cornucopia and bottles of champagne4 ,this handsome cask1 in which the firm make their cuve1 is a worthy rival of the sole antique ornamental tun that still reposes in the ,royal cellars at ,wurzburg4 ,in ,messrs4 ,bruch-,foucher and ,co4's capacious cellars1 faced and vaulted with stone1 from eight to nine hundred thousand bottles of wine are stored4 ,the cellars form a single story1 and extend partly under the adjacent vineyard slopes1 deriving light and ventilation from numerous shafts which are occasionally no less than #aej feet in height4 ,messrs4 ,bruch-,foucher and ,co41 who are owners of vineyards at ,mareuil1 ship three qualities of champagne1 the finest being their ,carte d',or and their ,monogram ,carte ,blanche4 ,their chief business is with ,england1 ,germany1 and the ,united ,states1 where their brands enjoy considerable repute4 ,illustration3 ,,doorway ,,of ,,avize ,,church4 ,,xii4--,,champagne ,,establishments ,,at ,,avize ,,and ,,rilly4 ,avize the ,centre of the ,white ,grape ,district-- ,its ,situation and ,aspect-- ,the ,establishment of ,giesler and ,co4-- ,the ,tirage and the ,cuve-- ,vin ,brut in ,racks and on ,tables-- ,the ,packing-,hall1 the ,extensive ,cellars1 and the ,disgorging ,cellier-- ,bottle ,stores and ,bottle-,washing ,machines-- ,messrs4 ,giesler's ,wine-,presses at ,avize and ,vendangeoir at ,bouzy-- ,their ,vineyards and their ,purchases of ,grapes-- ,reputation of the ,giesler ,brand-- ,the ,establishment of ,m4 ,charles de ,cazanove-- ,a ,tame ,young ,boar-- ,boar-,hunting in the ,champagne-- ,m4 de ,cazanove's ,commodious ,cellars and ,carefully-,selected ,wines-- ,vineyards ,owned by ,him and ,his ,family-- ,reputation of his ,wines in ,paris and their ,growing ,popularity in ,england-- ,interesting ,view from ,m4 de ,cazanove's ,terraced ,garden-- ,the ,vintaging of the ,white ,grapes in the ,champagne-- ,roper frres' ,establishment at ,rilly-la-,montagne-- ,their ,cellars ,penetrated by ,roots of ,trees-- ,some ,samples of ,fine ,old ,champagnes-- ,the ,principal ,chlons ,establishments-- ,poem on ,champagne by ,m4 ,amaury de ,cazanove4 ,avize1 situated in the heart of the ,champagne white grape district1 may be reached from ,epernay by road through ,pierry and ,cramant or by the ,chlons ,railway to ,oiry ,junction1 between which station and ,romilly there runs a local line1 jocularly termed the chemin de fer de famille1 from the general disregard displayed by the officials for anything approaching to punctuality4 ,avize can scarcely be styled a town1 and yet its growing proportions are beyond those of an ordinary village4 ,it lies pleasantly nestled among the vines1 sheltered by bold ridges on the north-west1 with the monotonous plains of ,la ,champagne pouilleuse1 unsuited to the cultivation of the vine1 stretching away eastward in the direction of ,chlons4 ,avize cannot pretend to the same antiquity as its neighbour ,vertus1 and lacks the many picturesque vestiges of which the latter can boast4 ,its church dates back only to the #aeth century1 although the principal doorway in the ,romanesque style evidently belongs to a much earlier epoch4 ,there is a general air of trim prosperity about the place1 and the villagers have that well-to-do appearance common to the inhabitants of the ,french wine districts4 ,only at vintage time1 however1 are there any particular outdoor signs of activity1 although half a score of champagne firms have their establishments here1 giving employment to the bulk of the population1 and sending forth their two or three million bottles of the sparkling wine of the ,marne annually4 ,illustration3 ,,making ,,the ,,cuv,e ,,at ,,messrs4 ,,giesler',s1 ,,at ,,avize4 7p4#aca7 ,proceeding along the straight level road leading from the station to the village we encounter on our right hand the premises of ,messrs4 ,giesler and ,co41 the reputation of whose brand is universal4 ,when ,m4 ,giesler quitted the firm of ,p4 ,a4 ,mumm1 ,giesler1 and ,co41 at ,reims1 in #ahch1 he removed to ,avize and founded the present extensive establishment4 ,entering through a large open gateway we find ourselves within a spacious courtyard with a handsome dwelling-house in the rear1 and all the signs of a champagne business of magnitude apparent4 ,a spiral staircase conducts to the counting-house on the first story of a range of buildings on the left hand1 the ground floor of which is divided into celliers4 ,passing through a door by the side of this staircase we enter a large hall where the operation of bottling the wine is going on4 ,four tuns1 each holding five ordinary pices of wine1 and raised upon large blocks of wood1 are standing here1 and communicating with them are bottling syphons of the type commonly employed in the ,champagne4 ,messrs4 ,giesler do not usually consign the newly-bottled wine at once to the cellars1 but retain it aboveground for about a fortnight in order that it may develop its effervescent qualities more perfectly4 ,we find many thousands of these bottles stacked horizontally in the adjoining celliers1 in one of which stands the great cuve tun wherein some fifty hogsheads of the finest ,champagne growths are blended together at one time1 two hundred hogsheads being thus mingled daily while the cuves are in progress4 ,the casks of wine having been hoisted from the cellars to the first floor by a crane1 and run on to a trough1 their bungs are removed1 and the wine flows through an aperture in the floor into the huge tun beneath1 its amalgamation being accomplished by the customary fan-shaped appliances1 set in motion by the turning of a wheel4 ,in an adjacent room is the machine used for mixing the liqueur which ,messrs4 ,giesler add so sparingly to their light and fragrant wines4 ,there are a couple of floors above these celliers1 the uppermost of which is used as a general store1 while in the one beneath many thousands of bottles of vin brut repose sur pointe1 either in racks or on tables as at the ,clicquot-,werl establishment4 ,this latter system requires ample space1 for as the remueur1 or workman who shakes the bottles1 is only able to use one hand1 the operation of dislodging the sediment necessarily occupies a much longer time than is requisite when the bottles rest in racks4 ,illustration3 ,,preparing ,,the ,,liqueur ,,at ,,messrs4 ,,giesler',s4 ,the buildings on the opposite side of the courtyard comprise a large packing-hall1 celliers where the wine is finished off1 and rooms where corks and such-like things are stored4 ,here1 too1 is the entrance to the cellars1 of which there are three tiers1 all lofty and well-ventilated galleries1 very regular in their construction1 and faced with either stone or brick4 ,in these extensive vaults are casks of fine reserved wines for blending with youthful vintages1 and bottles of vin brut1 built up in solid stacks1 that may be reckoned by their hundreds of thousands4 ,at ,messrs4 ,giesler's the disgorging of the wine is accomplished in a small cellier partially underground1 and the temperature of which is very cool and equable4 ,the dgorgeurs1 isolated from the rest of the workpeople1 are carrying on their operations here by candlelight4 ,so soon as the sediment is removed the bottles are raised in baskets to the cellier above1 where the liqueuring1 re-corking1 stringing1 and wiring are successively accomplished4 ,by pursuing this plan the loss sustained by the disgorgement is believed to be reduced to a minimum4 ,extensive as these premises are they are still insufficient for the requirements of the firm1 and across the road is a spacious building where new bottles are stored and the washing of the bottles in preparation for the tirage takes place4 ,by the aid of the machinery provided1 sixteen women1 assisted by a couple of men1 commonly wash some fifteen or sixteen thousand bottles in the course of a day4 ,here1 too1 stands one of the two large presses with which at the epoch of the vintage a hundred pices of wine are pressed every four-and-twenty hours4 ,the remaining press is installed in a cellier at the farther end of the garden on the other side of the road4 ,messrs4 ,giesler possess additional presses at their vendangeoir at ,bouzy1 and during the vintage have the command of presses at ,ay1 ,verzenay1 ,vertus1 ,le ,mesnil1 c41 it being a rule of theirs always to press the grapes within a few hours after they are gathered to obviate their becoming bruised by their own weight and imparting a dark colour to the wine1 a contingency difficult to guard against in seasons when the fruit is over-ripe4 ,the firm own vineyards at ,avize1 and have agreements with vine-proprietors at ,ay1 ,bouzy1 ,verzenay1 and elsewhere1 to purchase their crops regularly every year4 ,messrs4 ,giesler's brand has secured its existing high repute solely through the fine quality of the wines shipped by the house--wines which are known and appreciated by all real connoisseurs of champagne4 ,from ,messrs4 ,giesler's it is merely a short walk to the establishment of ,m4 ,charles de ,cazanove1 situated in the principal street of ,avize4 ,on entering the court we encountered a tame young boar engaged in the lively pursuit of chasing some terrified hens1 while a trio of boarhounds1 basking on the sunny flagstones1 contemplated his proceedings with lazy indifference4 ,boars abound in the woods hereabouts1 and hunting them is a favourite pastime with the residents1 and the young boar we had noticed proved to be one of the recent captures of the sons of ,m4 de ,cazanove1 who are among the warmest partisans of the exciting sport4 ,many of the boars found in the woods around ,reims journey thither1 it is said1 by night from the famous forest of the ,ardennes--the scene of ,rosalind's wanderings and ,touchstone's eccentricities as set forth in ,as ,you ,like ,it1 and whose gloomy depths and tangled glens shelter to-day not merely boars but wolves as well4 ,in the ,champagne it is no longer the fashion ,with javelin's point a churlish swine to gore1 nor to hunt the boar on horseback1 as is still the case in ,burgundy4 ,when the presence of one or more of these animals is signalled in the neighbourhood1 a party starts off accompanied by dogs and armed with double-barrelled rifles4 ,a circle having been formed round the boar's lair the dogs are set to draw him out1 while the chasseurs keep on the alert so as not to allow him to escape through their circle alive4 ,in this manner a few score of boars are killed every year in the woods round about ,reims and ,epernay4 ,illustration3 ,,vineyards ,,of ,,avize ,,and ,,cramant ,,from ,,the ,,garden ,,of ,m4 ,c4 ,,de ,,cazanove4 7p4 #ace47 ,the house of ,m4 ,charles de ,cazanove was established in #ahdc by its present proprietor on the foundation of a business which had been in existence since #ahaa4 ,compared with the monumental grandeur of some of the great ,reims and ,epernay establishments the premises present a simple and modest aspect1 nevertheless they are capacious and commodious1 besides which the growing business of the house has led to the acquisition of additional cellarage in other parts of ,avize4 ,more important than all1 however1 is the quality of the wine with which these cellars are stocked1 and following the rule observed by champagne firms of the highest repute1 it has been a leading principle with ,m4 de ,cazanove always to rely upon the choicer growths--those light1 delicate1 and fragrant wines of the ,marne which throw out the true aroma of the flower of the vine4 ,m4 de ,cazanove1 who is distinguished for his knowledge of viticulture1 occupies an influential position at ,avize1 being ,vice-,president of the ,horticultural ,society of the ,marne1 and a member of the committee charged with guarding the ,champagne vineyards against the invasion of the phylloxera4 ,his own vines include only those fine varieties to which the crs of the ,marne owe their great renown4 ,he possesses an excellent vineyard at ,grauves1 near ,avize1 and his mother-in-law1 ,madame ,poultier1 of ,pierry1 is one of the principal vine-growers of the district4 ,m4 de ,cazanove's wines are much appreciated in ,paris1 where his business is very extensive4 ,his shipments to ,england are also considerable1 but from the circumstance of some of his principal customers importing the wine under special brands of their own1 the brand of the house is not so widely known as we should have expected4 ,from ,m4 de ,cazanove's terraced garden in the rear of his establishment a fine view is obtained of one of the most famous viticultural districts of the ,champagne1 yielding wines of remarkable delicacy and exquisite bouquet4 ,on the left hand rises up the mountain of ,avize1 its summit fringed with dense woods1 where in winter the wild boar has his lair4 ,in front stretch the long vine-clad slopes of ,cramant1 with orchards at their base1 and the housetops of the village and the spire of the quaint old church just peeping over the brow of the hill4 ,to the right towers the bold forest-crowned height of ,saran with ,m4 ,mot's chteau perched half-way up its north-eastern slope1 and fading away in the hazy distance are the monotonous plains of the ,champagne4 ,we have already explained that the wines of ,avize and ,cramant rank as premiers crs of the white grape district1 and that every champagne manufacturer of repute mingles one or the other in his cuve4 ,the white grapes are usually gathered a fortnight or three weeks later than the black varieties1 but in other respects the vintaging of them is the same4 ,the grapes undergo the customary minute examination by the plucheuses1 and all unripe1 damaged1 and rotten berries being thrown aside1 the fruit is conveyed with due care to the press-houses in the large baskets known as paniers mannequins4 ,the pressing takes place under exactly the same conditions as the pressing of the black grapes2 the must1 too1 is drawn off into hogsheads to ferment1 and by the end of the year1 when the active fermentation has terminated1 the wine is usually clear and limpid4 ,at ,rilly-la-,montagne1 on the line of railway between ,reims and ,epernay1 ,roper frres ,cie41 late of ,epernay1 now have their establishment4 ,starting from the latter place we pass ,ay and ,avenay1 and then the little village of ,germaine in the midst of the forest1 and nigh the summit of the mountain of ,reims1 with its ,rendezvous des ,chasseurs in immediate proximity to the station4 ,finally we arrive at ,rilly1 which1 spite of its isolated situation1 has about it that aspect of prosperity common to the more favourable wine districts of ,france4 ,this is scarcely surprising when the quality of its wines is taken into consideration4 ,the still red wine of ,rilly has long enjoyed a high local reputation1 and to-day the ,rilly growths are much sought after for conversion into champagne4 ,white wine of #ahgd from black grapes fetched1 we were informed1 as much as from #fjj to #gjj francs the pice1 while the finer qualities from white grapes realised from #cjj to #djj francs4 ,messrs4 ,roper frres ,cie4 are the owners of some productive vineyards situated on the high road to ,chigny and ,ludes4 ,the establishment of ,roper frres is adjacent to a handsome modern house standing back from the road in a large and pleasant garden1 bounded by vineyards on two of its sides4 ,in the celliers all the conveniences pertaining to a modern champagne establishment are to be found1 while extending beneath the garden are the extensive cellars of the firm1 comprising two stories of long and spacious galleries excavated in the chalk1 their walls and roofs being supported whenever necessary by masonry4 ,a curious feature about these cellars is that the roots of the larger trees in the garden above have penetrated through the roof of the upper story and hang pendent overhead like innumerable stalactites4 ,here after the comparatively new wine of #ahgd had been shown to us--including samples of the ,vin ,brut or natural champagne of which the firm make a speciality at a moderate price--some choice old champagnes were brought forth1 including the fine vintages of #ahfe1 #aheg1 and #ahdf4 ,the latter wine had of course preserved very little of its effervescence1 still its flavour was exceedingly fine1 being soft and delicate to a degree4 ,at the ,vienna ,exhibition of #ahgc and the ,london ,exhibition of #ahgd the collection of champagnes exhibited by ,roper frres met with favourable recognition from the international juries4 ,our tour through the ,champagne vineyards and wine-cellars here comes to an end4 ,it is true there are important establishments at ,chlons1 notably those of ,jacquesson et fils1 the ,perriers1 ,freminet et fils1 and ,jacquard frres1 the cellars of the first-named being1 perhaps1 unrivalled in the ,champagne4 ,as1 however1 any description of these establishments would be little else than a recapitulation of something we have already said1 we content ourselves with merely notifying their existence1 and bring our ,facts about ,champagne to a close with the translation of a poem from the pen of ,m4 ,amaury de ,cazanove of ,avize3-- ,,champagne4 ,less for thy grace and glory1 land of ours1 ,than for thy dolour1 dear2 ,let the grief go1 and here-- ,here's to thy skies1 thy women and thy flowers6 ,france6 take the toast1 thy women and thy roses1 ,france6 to thy wine1 more wealth unto thy store6 ,and let the lips a grievous memory closes ,smile their proud smile once more6 ,swarthy ,falernian1 ,massica the ,red1 ,were ye the nectars poured ,at the great gods' broad board8 ,no1 poor old wines1 all but in name long dead1 ,nectar's ,champagne1 the sparkling soul of mirth1 ,that bubbling o'er with laughing gas1 ,flashes gay sunbeams in the glass1 ,and like our flag goes proudly round the earth4 ,i am the blood ,burgundian sunshine makes2 ,a fine old feudal knight ,of bluff and boisterous might1 ,whose casque feels--ah1 so heavy when one wakes6 ,and ,i1 the dainty ,bordeaux1 violets' ,perfume1 and whose rare rubies gourmets prize4 ,my subtile savour gets ,in partridge wings its daintiest allies4 ,ah1 potent chiefs1 ,bordeaux and ,burgundy4 ,if we must answer make1 ,this sober counsel take3 ,messeigneurs1 sing your worth less haughtily1 ,for 'tis ,champagne1 the sparkling soul of mirth1 ,that bubbling o'er with laughing gas1 ,flashes gay sunbeams in the glass1 ,and like our flag goes proudly round the earth4 ,aye1 'tis the true1 the typic wine of ,france2 ,aye1 'tis our heart that sparkles in our eyes1 ,and higher beats for every dire mischance2 ,it was the wit that made our fathers wise1 ,that made their valour gallant1 gay1 ,when plumes were stirr'd by winds of waving swords1 ,and chivalry's defiance spoke the words3 vous1 ,messieurs les ,anglais1 les premiers6 ,let the dull beer-apostle till he's hoarse ,vent his small spleen and spite1 ,fate fill his sleepless night ,with nightmares of invincible remorse6 ,we sing ,champagne1 the sparkling soul of mirth1 ,that bubbling o'er with laughing gas1 ,flashes gay sunbeams in the glass1 ,and like our flag goes proudly round the earth4 ,illustration ,illustration3 ,,peasant ,,women ,,of ,,the ,,environs ,,of ,,saumur4 ,,xiii4--,,sparkling ,,saumur ,,and ,,sparkling ,,sauternes4 ,the ,sparkling ,wines of the ,loire often palmed off as ,champagnes-- ,the ,finer qualities ,improve with ,age-- ,anjou the ,cradle of the ,plantagenet ,kings-- ,saumur and its ,dominating ,feudal ,chteau and ,antique ,htel de ,ville-- ,its ,sinister ,rue des ,payens and ,steep ,tortuous ,grande ,rue-- ,the ,vineyards of the ,coteau of ,saumur-- ,abandoned ,stone ,quarries converted into ,dwellings-- ,the ,vintage in ,progress-- ,old-fashioned ,pressoirs-- ,the ,making of the ,wine-- ,the ,vouvray ,vineyards-- ,balzac's ,picture of ,la ,valle ,coquette-- ,the ,village of ,vouvray and the ,chteau of ,moncontour-- ,vernou with its ,reminiscences of ,sully and ,ppin-le-,bref-- ,the ,vineyards around ,saumur-- ,remarkable ,ancient ,dolmens-- ,ackerman-,laurance's ,establishment at ,saint-,florent-- ,their ,extensive ,cellars1 ,ancient and ,modern-- ,treatment of the ,newly-,vintaged ,wine-- ,the ,cuve-- ,proportions of ,wine from ,black and ,white ,grapes-- ,the ,bottling and ,disgorging of the ,wine and ,finishing ,operations-- ,the ,chteau of ,varrains and the ,establishment of ,m4 ,louis ,duvau an-- ,his ,cellars a succession of ,gloomy ,galleries-- ,the ,disgorging of the ,wine accomplished in a ,melodramatic-looking ,cave-- ,m4 ,duvau's ,vineyard-- ,his ,sparkling ,saumur of ,various ,ages-- ,marked ,superiority of the more ,matured ,samples-- ,m4 ,alfred ,rousteaux's ,establishments at ,saint-,florent and ,saint-,cyr-- ,his convenient ,celliers and extensive ,cellars-- ,mingling of ,wine from the ,champagne with the finer ,sparkling ,saumur-- ,his ,vineyard at ,la ,perrire-- ,m4 ,e4 ,normandin's ,sparkling ,sauternes ,manufactory at ,chteauneuf-- ,angoulme and its ,ancient ,fortifications-- ,vin de ,colombar-- ,m4 ,normandin's ,sparkling ,sauternes ,cuve-- ,his ,cellars near ,chteauneuf-- ,high recognition accorded to the ,wine at the ,concours ,rgional d',angoulme4 ,after the ,champagne ,anjou is the ,french province which ranks next in importance for its production of sparkling wines4 ,vintaged on the banks of the ,loire1 these are largely consigned to the ,english and other markets1 labelled ,crme de ,bouzy1 ,sillery and ,ay ,mousseux1 ,cartes ,noires and ,blanches1 and the like1 while their corks are branded with the names of phantom firms1 supposed to be located at ,reims and ,epernay4 ,as a rule these wines come from around ,saumur1 but they are not necessarily the worse on that account1 for the district produces capital sparkling wines1 the finer qualities of which improve greatly by being kept for a few years4 ,one curious thing shown to us at ,saumur was the album of a manufacturer of sparkling wines containing examples of the many hundred labels ticketed with which his produce had for years past been sold4 ,not one of these labels assigned to the wines the name of their real maker or their true birthplace1 but introduced them under the auspices of mythical dukes and counts1 as being manufactured at chteaux which are so many castles in ,spain1 and as coming from ,ay1 ,bouzy1 ,chlons1 ,epernay1 ,reims1 and ,verzenay1 but never by any chance from ,saumur4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,vineyards ,,of ,,the ,,coteau ,,de ,,saumur4 7p4 #ada7 ,being produced from robuster growths than the sparkling wines of the ,department of the ,marne1 sparkling saumur will always lack that excessive lightness which is the crowning grace of fine champagne1 still it has only to be kept for a few years instead of being drunk shortly after its arrival from the wine-merchant for its quality to become greatly improved and its intrinsic value to be considerably enhanced4 ,we have drunk sparkling saumur that had been in bottle for nearly twenty years1 and found the wine not only remarkably delicate1 but1 singular to say1 with plenty of effervescence4 ,to an ,englishman ,anjou is one of the most interesting of the ancient provinces of ,france4 ,it was the cradle of the ,plantagenet ,kings1 and only ten miles from ,saumur still repose the bones of ,henry1 the first ,plantagenet1 and ,richard of the ,lion ,heart1 in the so-called ,cimetire des ,rois of the historic abbey of ,fontevrault4 ,the famous vineyards of the ,coteau de ,saumur1 eastward of the town and bordering the ,loire1 extend as far as here1 and include the communes of ,dampierre1 ,souzay1 ,varrains1 ,chac1 ,parnay1 ,turquant1 and ,montsoreau1 the last-named within three miles of ,fontevrault1 and chiefly remarkable through its seigneur of ill-fame1 ,jean de ,chambes1 who instigated his wife to lure ,boissy d',amboise to an assignation in order that he might more surely poignard him4 ,saumur is picturesquely placed at the foot of this bold range of heights near where the little river ,thouet runs into the broad and rapid ,loire4 ,a massive-looking old chteau perched on the summit of an isolated crag stands out grandly against the clear sky and dominates the town1 the older houses of which crouch at the foot of the lofty hill and climb its steepest sides4 ,the restored antique ,htel de ,ville1 in the pointed style1 with its elegant windows1 graceful belfry1 and florid wrought-iron balconies1 stands back from the quay bordering the ,loire4 ,in the rear is the ,rue des ,payens1 whither the last of the ,huguenots of this metropolis of ,protestantism1 as it was formerly styled1 retired1 converting their houses into so many fortresses to guard against being surprised by their ,catholic adversaries4 ,adjacent is the steep tortuous ,grande ,rue1 of which ,balzac--himself a ,tourangeau--has given such a graphic picture in his ,eugnie ,grandet1 the scene of which is laid at ,saumur4 ,to-day1 however1 only a few of its ancient carved timber houses1 quaint overhanging corner turrets1 and fantastically-studded massive oak doors have escaped demolition4 ,the vineyards of the ,coteau de ,saumur1 yielding the finest wines1 are reached by the road skirting the river1 the opposite low banks of which are fringed with willows and endless rows of poplars1 which at the time of our visit were already golden with the fading tints of autumn4 ,numerous fantastic windmills crown the heights1 the summit of which is covered with vines1 varied by dense patches of woodland4 ,here1 as elsewhere along the banks of the ,loire1 the many abandoned quarries along the face of the hill have been turned by the peasants into cosy dwellings by simply walling-up the entrances while leaving1 of course1 the necessary apertures for doors and windows4 ,dampierre1 the first village reached1 has many of these cave-dwellings1 and numbers of its houses are picturesquely perched up the sides of the slope4 ,the holiday costumes of the peasant women encountered in the neighbourhood of ,saumur are exceedingly quaint1 their elaborate and varied head-dresses being counterparts of coiffures in vogue so far back as three and four centuries ago4 ,quitting the banks of the river1 we ascend a steep tortuous road shut in on either side by high stone walls--for hereabouts all the best vineyards are scrupulously inclosed--and finally reach the summit of the heights1 whence a view is gained over what the ,saumurois proudly style the grand valley of the ,loire4 ,everywhere around the vintage is going on4 ,the vines are planted rather more than a yard apart1 and those yielding black grapes are trained1 as a rule1 up tall stakes1 although some few are trained espalier fashion4 ,women dexterously detach the bunches with pruning-knives and throw them into the seilles--small squat buckets with wooden handles--the contents of which are emptied from time to time into baskets--the counterpart of the chiffonnier's hotte1 and coated with pitch inside so as to close all the crevices of the wickerwork--which the portes-bastes carry slung to their backs4 ,when white wine is being made from black grapes for sparkling saumur the grapes are conveyed in these baskets forthwith to the underground pressoirs in the neighbouring villages before their skins get at all broken in order that the wine may be as pale as possible in colour4 ,the black grape yielding the best wine in the ,saumur district is the breton1 said to be the same as the carbinet-sauvignon1 the leading variety in the grand vineyards of the ,mdoc4 ,other species of black grapes cultivated around ,saumur are the varennes1 yielding a soft and insipid wine of no kind of value1 and the liverdun1 or large gamay1 the prevalent grape in the ,mconnais1 and the same which in the days of ,philippe-le-,hardi the parlements of ,metz and ,dijon interdicted the planting and cultivation of4 ,the prevalent white grapes are the large and small pineau blanc1 the bunches of the former being of an intermediate size1 broad and pyramidal in shape1 and with the berries close together4 ,these have fine skins1 are oblong in shape1 and of a transparent yellowish-green hue tinged with red1 are very sweet and juicy1 and as a rule ripen late4 ,as for the small pineau1 the bunches are less compact1 the berries are round and of a golden tint1 are finer as well as sweeter in flavour1 and ripen somewhat earlier than the fruit of the larger variety4 ,we noticed as we drove through the villages of ,champigny and ,varrains--the former celebrated for its fine red wines1 and more especially its cr of the ,clos des ,cordeliers--that hardly any of the houses had windows looking on to the narrow street1 but that all were provided with low openings for shooting the grapes into the cellar where1 when making red wine1 they are trodden1 but when making white wine1 whether from black or white grapes1 they are invariably pressed4 ,each of the houses had its ponderous porte-cochre and low narrow portal leading into the large inclosed yard at its side1 and over the high blank walls vines were frequently trained and pleasantly varied their dull grey monotony4 ,the grapes on being shot into the openings just mentioned fall through a kind of tunnel into a reservoir adjacent to the heavy press1 which is invariably of wood and of the old-fashioned cumbersome type4 ,they are forthwith placed beneath the press and usually subjected to five separate squeezes1 the must from the first three being reserved for sparkling wine1 while that from the two latter1 owing to its being more or less deeply tinted1 only serves for table wine4 ,the must is at once run off into casks in order that it may not ferment on the grape-skins and imbibe any portion of their colouring matter4 ,active fermentation speedily sets in and lasts for a fortnight or three weeks according to whether the temperature chances to be high or low4 ,the vintaging of the white grapes takes place about a fortnight later than the black grapes1 and is commonly a compound operation1 the best and ripest bunches being first of all gathered just as the berries begin to get shrivelled and show symptoms of approaching rottenness4 ,it is these selected grapes that yield the best wine4 ,the second gathering1 which follows shortly after the first1 includes all the grapes remaining on the vines1 and yields a wine perceptibly inferior in quality4 ,the grapes on their arrival at the press-house are generally pressed immediately and the must is run off into tuns to ferment4 ,at the commencement these tuns are filled up every three or four days to replace the fermenting must which has flowed over2 afterwards any waste is made good at the interval of a week1 and then once a fortnight1 the bungholes of the casks being securely closed towards the end of the year1 by which time the first fermentation is over4 ,it should be noted that the ,saumur sparkling wine manufacturers draw considerable supplies of the white wine required to impart lightness and effervescence to their vin prpar from the ,vouvray vineyards4 ,vouvray borders the ,loire a few miles from the pleasant city of ,tours1 which awakens sinister recollections of truculent ,louis ,,xi41 shut up in his fortified castle of ,plessis-lez-,tours1 around which ,scott has thrown the halo of his genius in his novel of ,quentin ,durward4 ,on proceeding to ,vouvray from ,tours we skirt a succession of poplar-fringed meadows stretching eastward in the direction of ,amboise along the right bank of the ,loire2 and after a time a curve in the river discloses to view a range of vine-clad heights extending some distance beyond the village of ,vouvray4 ,our route lies past the picturesque ruins of the abbey of ,marmotier and the ,chteau des ,roches--one of the most celebrated castles of the ,loire--the numerous excavations in the soft limestone ridge on which they are perched being converted as usual into houses1 magazines1 and wine-cellars4 ,we proceed through the village of ,rochecorbon1 and along a road winding among the spurs of the ,vouvray range1 past hamlets1 half of whose inhabitants live in these primitive dwellings hollowed out of the cliff1 and finally enter the charming ,valle ,coquette1 hemmed in on all sides with vine-clad slopes4 ,here a picturesque old house1 half chteau half homestead1 was pointed out to us as a favourite place of sojourn of ,balzac1 who speaks of this rocky ridge as inhabited by a population of vine-dressers1 their houses of several stories being hollowed out in the face of the cliff1 and connected by dangerous staircases hewn in the soft stone4 ,smoke curls from most of the chimneys which peep above the green crest of vines1 while the blows of the cooper's hammer resound in several of the cellars4 ,a young girl trips to her garden over the roofs of these primitive dwellings1 and an old woman1 tranquilly seated on a ledge of projecting rock1 supported solely by the thick straggling roots of the ivy which spreads itself over the disjointed stones1 leisurely turns her spinning-wheel regardless of her dangerous position4 ,the picture sketched by the author of ,la ,comdie ,humaine1 some forty years ago1 has scarcely changed at the present day4 ,at the point where the village of ,vouvray climbs half-way up the vine-crested ridge the rapid-winding ,cise throws itself into the ,loire1 and on crossing the bridge that spans the tributary stream we discern on the western horizon1 far beyond the verdant islets studding the swollen ,loire1 the tall campaniles of ,tours ,cathedral1 which seem to rise out of the water like a couple of ,venetian towers4 ,vouvray is a trim little place1 clustered round about with numerous pleasant villas in the midst of charming gardens4 ,the modern chteau of ,moncontour here dominates the slope1 and its terraced gardens1 with1 their fantastically-clipped trees and geometric parterres1 rise tier above tier up the face of the picturesque height that overlooks the broad fertile valley1 with its gardens1 cultivated fields1 patches of woodland1 and wide stretches of green pasture which1 fringed with willows and poplars1 border the swollen waters of the ,loire4 ,where the river ,brenne empties itself into the ,cise the ,coteau de ,vouvray slopes off towards the north1 and there rise up the vine-clad heights of ,vernou1 yielding a similar but inferior wine to that of ,vouvray4 ,the village of ,vernou is nestled under the hill1 and near the porch of its quaint little church a venerable elm tree is pointed out as having been planted by ,sully1 ,henry ,,iv4's able ,minister4 ,here1 too1 an ancient wall1 pierced with curious arched windows1 and forming part of a modern building1 is regarded by popular tradition as belonging to the palace in which ,ppin-le-,bref1 father of ,charlemagne1 lived at ,vernou4 ,the communes of ,dampierre1 ,souzay1 and ,parnay1 in the neighbourhood of ,saumur1 produce still red wines rivalling those of ,champigny1 besides which all the finest white wines are vintaged hereabouts--in the ,perrire1 the ,poilleux1 and the ,clos ,morain vineyards1 and in the ,rotissans vineyard at ,turquant4 ,wines of very fair quality are also grown on the more favourable slopes extending southwards along the valley of the ,thouet1 and comprised in the communes of ,varrains1 ,chac1 ,st4 ,cyr-en-,bourg1 and ,brz4 ,the whole of this district1 by the way1 abounds with interesting archological remains4 ,while visiting the vineyards of ,varrains and ,chac we came upon a couple of dolmens--vestiges of the ancient ,celtic population of the valley of the ,loire singularly abundant hereabouts4 ,brz1 the marquisate of which formerly belonged to ,louis ,,xvi4's famous grand master of the ceremonies--immortalized by the rebuff he received from ,mirabeau--boasts a noble chteau on the site of an ancient fortress1 in connection with which there are contemporary excavations in the neighbouring limestone1 designed for a garrison of #ejj or #fjj men4 ,beyond the vineyards of ,saint-,florent1 westward of ,saumur and on the banks of the ,thouet1 is an extensive plateau partially overgrown with vines1 where may be traced the remains of a ,roman camp4 ,moreover1 in the southern environs of ,saumur1 in the midst of vineyards producing exclusively white wines1 is one of the most remarkable dolmens known4 ,this imposing structure1 perfect in all respects save that one of the four enormous stones which roof it in has been split in two1 and requires to be supported1 is no less than #fe feet in length1 #bc feet in width1 and #aj feet high4 ,illustration3 ,,dolmen ,,at ,,bagneux1 ,,near ,,saumur4 ,at ,saint-,florent1 the pleasant little suburb of ,saumur1 skirting the river ,thouet1 and sheltered by steep hills formed of soft limestone1 offering great facilities for the excavation of extensive cellars1 the largest manufacturer of ,saumur sparkling wines has his establishment4 ,externally this offers but little to strike the eye4 ,a couple of pleasant country houses1 half hidden by spreading foliage1 stand at the two extremities of a spacious and well-kept garden1 beyond which one catches a glimpse of some outbuildings sheltered by the vine-crowned cliff1 in which a labyrinth of gloomy galleries has been hollowed out4 ,here ,m4 ,ackerman-,laurance1 the extent of whose business ranks him as second among the sparkling wine manufacturers of the world1 stores something like #aj1jjj casks and several million bottles of wine4 ,at the commencement of the present century1 in the days when1 as ,balzac relates in his ,eugnie ,grandet1 the ,belgians bought up entire vintages of ,saumur wine1 then largely in demand with them for sacramental purposes1 the founder of the ,saint-,florent house commenced to deal in the ordinary still wines of the district4 ,nearly half a century ago he was led to attempt the manufacture of sparkling wines1 but his efforts to bring them into notice failed1 and he was on the point of abandoning his enterprise when an order for one hundred cases revived his hopes1 and led to the foundation of the present vast establishment4 ,as already mentioned1 for many miles all the heights along the ,loire have been more or less excavated for stone for building purposes1 so that every one hereabouts who grows wine or deals in it has any amount of cellar accommodation ready to hand4 ,it was the vast extent of the galleries which ,m4 ,ackerman pre discovered already excavated at ,saint-,florent that induced him to settle there in preference to ,saumur4 ,extensive1 however1 as the original vaults were1 considerable additional excavations have from time to time been found necessary2 and to-day the firm is still further increasing the area of its cellars1 which already comprise three principal avenues1 each the third of a mile long1 and no fewer than sixty transverse galleries1 the total length of which is several miles4 ,one great advantage is that the whole are on the ordinary level4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,cellars ,,of ,m4 ,,ackerman-,,laurance ,,at ,,saint-,,florent4 ,,labelling ,,and ,,packing ,,sparkling ,,saumur4 7p4 #aej47 ,ranged against the black uneven walls of the more tortuous ancient vaults which give access to these labyrinthine corridors are thousands of casks of wine--some in single rows1 others in triple tiers--forming the reserve stock of the establishment4 ,as may be supposed1 a powerful vinous odour permeates these vaults1 in which the fumes of wine have been accumulating for the best part of a century4 ,after passing beneath a massive stone arch which separates the old cellars from the new1 a series of broad and regularly-proportioned galleries are reached1 having bottles stacked in their tens of thousands on either side4 ,overhead the roof is perforated at regular intervals with circular shafts1 affording both light and ventilation1 and enabling the temperature to be regulated to a nicety4 ,in these lateral and transverse galleries millions of bottles of wine in various stages of preparation are stacked4 ,we have explained that in the ,champagne it is the custom for the manufacturers of sparkling wine to purchase considerable quantities of grapes from the surrounding growers1 and to press these themselves1 or have them pressed under their own superintendence4 ,at ,saumur only those firms possessing vineyards make their own vin brut1 the bulk of the wine used for conversion into sparkling wine being purchased from the neighbouring growers4 ,on the newly-expressed must arriving at ,m4 ,ackerman-,laurance's cellars it is allowed to rest until the commencement of the ensuing year1 when half of it is mixed with wine in stock belonging to last year's vintage1 and the remaining half is reserved for mingling with the must of the ensuing vintage4 ,the blending is accomplished in a couple of colossal vats hewn out of the rock1 and coated on the inside with cement4 ,each of these vats is provided with #bjj paddles for thoroughly mixing the wine1 and with five pipes for drawing it off when the amalgamation is complete4 ,usually the cuve will embrace #a1fjj hogsheads1 or #hj1jjj gallons of wine1 almost sufficient for half a million bottles4 ,a fourth of this quantity can be mixed in each vat at a single operation1 and this mixing is repeated again and again until the last gallon run off is of precisely the same type as the first4 ,for the finer qualities of sparkling saumur the proportion of wine from the black grapes to that from white is generally at the rate of three or four to one4 ,for the inferior qualities more wine from white than from black grapes is invariably used4 ,only in the wine from white grapes is the effervescent principle retained to any particular extent2 but1 on the other hand1 the wine from black grapes imparts both quality and vinous character to the blend4 ,the blending having been satisfactorily accomplished1 the wine is stored in casks1 never perfectly filled1 yet with their bungholes tightly closed1 and slowly continues its fermentation1 eating up its sugar1 purging itself1 and letting fall its lees4 ,three months later it is fined4 ,it is rarely kept in the wood for more than a year1 though sometimes the superior qualities remain for a couple of years in cask4 ,occasionally it is even bottled in the spring following the vintage2 still1 as a rule1 the bottling of sparkling saumur takes place during the ensuing summer months1 when the temperature is at the highest as this insures to it a greater degree of effervescence4 ,at the time of bottling its saccharine strength is raised to a given degree by the addition of the finest sugar-candy1 and henceforward the wine is subjected to precisely the same treatment as is pursued with regard to champagne4 ,it is in a broad but sombre gallery of the more ancient vaults--the roughly-hewn walls of which are black from the combined action of alcohol and carbonic acid gas--that the processes of disgorging the wine of its sediment1 adding the syrup1 filling up the bottles with wine to replace that which gushes out when the disgorging operation is performed1 together with the re-corking1 stringing1 and wiring of the bottles1 are carried on4 ,the one or two adjacent shafts impart very little light1 but a couple of resplendent metal reflectors1 which at a distance one might fancy to be some dragon's flaming eyes1 combined with the lamps placed near the people at work1 effectually illuminate the spot4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,cellars ,,of ,m4 ,,louis ,,duvau ,a,n ,,at ,,the ,,ch,,teau ,,of ,,varrains4 ,another considerable manufacturer of sparkling saumur is ,m4 ,louis ,duvau an1 owner of the chteau of ,varrains1 in the village of the same name1 at no great distance from the ,coteau de ,saumur4 ,his cellars adjoin the chteau1 a picturesque but somewhat neglected structure of the last century1 with sculptured medallions in high relief above the lower windows1 and florid vases surmounting the mansards in the roof4 ,in front is a large rambling court shaded with acacia and lime trees1 and surrounded by outbuildings1 prominent among which is a picturesque dovecote1 massive at the base as a martello tower1 and having an elegant open stone lantern springing from its bell-shaped roof4 ,the cellars are entered down a steep incline under a low stone arch1 the masonry above which is overgrown with ivy in large clusters and straggling creeping plants4 ,we soon come upon a deep recess to the right1 wherein stands a unique cumbersome screw-press1 needing ten or a dozen men to work the unwieldy capstan which sets the juice flowing from the crushed grapes into the adjacent shallow trough4 ,on our left hand are a couple of ancient reservoirs1 formed out of huge blocks of stone1 with the entrance to a long vaulted cellar filled with wine in cask4 ,we advance slowly in the uncertain light along a succession of gloomy galleries with moisture oozing from their blackened walls and roofs1 picking our way between bottles of wine stacked in huge square piles and rows of casks ranged in tiers4 ,suddenly a broad flood of light shooting down a lofty shaft throws a ,rembrandtish effect across a spacious and most melodramatic-looking cave1 roughly hewn out of the rock1 and towards which seven dimly-lighted galleries converge4 ,on all sides a scene of bustling animation presents itself4 ,from one gallery men keep arriving with baskets of wine ready for the disgorger2 while along another bottles of wine duly dosed with syrup are being borne off to be decorated with metal foil and their distinctive labels4 ,groups of workmen are busily engaged disgorging1 dosing1 and re-corking the newly-arrived bottles of wine2 corks fly out with a succession of loud reports suggestive of the irregular fire of a party of skirmishers2 a fizzing1 spurting1 and spluttering of the wine next ensues1 and is followed by the incessant clicking of the various apparatus employed in the corking and wiring of the bottles4 ,gradual inclines conduct to the two lower tiers of galleries1 for the cellars of ,m4 ,duvau consist of as many as three stories4 ,down below there is naturally less light1 and the temperature1 too1 is sensibly colder4 ,advantage is taken of this latter circumstance to remove the newly-bottled wine to these lower vaults whenever an excessive development of carbonic acid threatens the bursting of an undue proportion of bottles1 a casualty which among the ,saumur sparkling wine manufacturers ranges far higher than with the manufacturers of champagne4 ,for the economy of time and labour a lift1 raised and lowered by means of a capstan worked by horses1 is employed to transfer the bottles of wine from one tier of cellars to another4 ,the demand for sparkling saumur is evidently on the increase1 for ,m4 ,duvau1 at the time of our visit1 was excavating extensive additional cellarage4 ,the subsoil at ,varrains being largely composed of marl1 which is much softer than the tufa of the ,saint-,florent coteau1 necessitated the roofs of the new galleries being worked in a particular form in order to avoid having recourse to either brickwork or masonry4 ,tons of this excavated marl were being spread over the soil of ,m4 ,duvau's vineyard in the rear of the chteau1 greatly1 it was said1 to the benefit of the vines1 whose grapes were all of the black variety2 indeed1 scarcely any wine is vintaged from white grapes in the commune of ,varrains4 ,at ,m4 ,duvau's we went through a complete scale of sparkling saumurs1 commencing with the younger and less matured samples1 and ascending step by step to wines a dozen and more years old4 ,every year seemed to produce an improvement in the wine1 the older varieties gaining greatly in delicacy and softening very perceptibly in flavour4 ,another sparkling saumur manufacturer of note is ,m4 ,alfred ,rousteaux1 to-day the sole proprietor of the well-known brand of ,morlet and ,rousteaux1 a firm established for many years at ,saint-,florent4 ,m4 ,rousteaux's cellars here are excavated in the tufa cliff which rises behind the little suburban village1 and are all on one level4 ,the galleries1 though somewhat winding and irregular1 are broad and roomy1 and in them about #djj1jjj bottles of wine undergoing the necessary treatment are piled up in stacks or placed sur pointe4 ,the original firm had only been in existence a few years when they found that their ,saint-,florent establishment was inadequate to the requirements of a largely-increasing business1 and they started the branch establishment of ,la ,perrire at ,saint-,cyr1 near ,tours1 but on the opposite bank of the ,loire4 ,here are a handsome residence and gardens1 a spacious court1 and convenient celliers where the bottling of the wine is effected1 together with extensive and well-constructed cellars in which a like quantity of wine to that contained in the cellars at ,saint-,florent is stored4 ,with his finer sparkling wines ,m4 ,rousteaux mixes a certain proportion of wine from the ,champagne district1 and thus secures a degree of lightness unattainable when the cuve is exclusively composed of ,saumur vintages4 ,at ,la ,perrire ,m4 ,rousteaux has a vineyard of upwards of sixty acres1 yielding the best wine of the district1 which is noted1 by the way1 for its excellent growths4 ,hereabouts a succession of vineyard slopes stretch from one to another of the many historic chteaux along this portion of the ,loire1 the romantic associations of which render the ,touraine one of the most interesting provinces of ,france4 ,near ,tours besides the vineyards of ,saint-,cyr are those of ,jou and ,saint-,avertin2 the two last situate on the opposite bank of the ,cher1 where the little town of ,jou1 perched on the summit of a hill in the midst of vineyards1 looks over a vast plain known by the country people as the ,landes de ,charlemagne1 the scene1 according to local tradition1 of ,charles ,martel's great victory over the ,saracens4 ,the ,saint-,avertin vineyards extend towards the east1 stretching almost to the forest of ,laray1 on the borders of the ,cher1 where ,paul ,louis ,courier1 the famous vigneron pamphleteer of the ,restoration1 noted alike for his raillery1 wit1 and satire1 fell beneath the balls of an assassin4 ,a noticeable cr in the neighbourhood of ,tours is that of ,cinq ,mars1 the ruined chteau of which survives as a memorial of the vengeance of ,cardinal ,richelieu1 who1 after having sent its owner to the scaffold1 commanded its massive walls and towers to be razed hauteur d'infamie as we see them now4 ,finding that sparkling wines were being made in most of the wine-producing districts of ,france1 where the growths were sufficiently light and of the requisite quality1 ,messrs4 ,e4 ,normandin and ,co4 conceived the idea of laying the famous ,bordeaux district under contribution for a similar purpose1 and1 aided by a staff of experienced workmen from ,epernay1 they have succeeded in producing a sparkling sauternes4 ,sauternes1 as is well known1 is one of the finest of white wines1 soft1 delicate1 and of beautiful flavour1 and its transformation into a sparkling wine has been very successfully accomplished4 ,messrs4 ,normandin's head-quarters are in the thriving little town of ,chteauneuf1 in the pleasant valley of the ,charente1 and within fifteen miles of ,angoulme1 a famous old ,french town1 encompassed by ancient ramparts and crumbling corner towers1 and which1 dominated by the lofty belfry of its restored semi-,byzantine cathedral1 rising in a series of open arcades1 spreads itself picturesquely out along a precipitous height1 watered at its base by the rivers ,anguienne and ,charente4 ,between ,angoulme and ,chteauneuf vineyard plots dotted over with walnut trees1 or simple rows of vines divided by strips of ripening maize1 and broken up at intervals by bright green pastures1 line both banks of the river ,charente4 ,the surrounding country is undulating and picturesque4 ,poplars and elms fringe the roadsides1 divide the larger fields and vineyards1 and screen the cosy-looking red-roofed farmhouses1 which present to the eyes of the passing tourist a succession of pictures of quiet rural prosperity4 ,illustration ,chteauneuf communicates with the ,sauternes district by rail1 so that supplies of wine from there are readily obtainable4 ,vin de ,colombar--a famous white growth which ,english and ,dutch cruisers used to ascend the ,charente to obtain cargoes of when the ,jerez wines were shut out from ,england by the ,spanish ,war of ,succession--vintaged principally at ,montignac-le-,coq1 also enters largely into ,messrs4 ,normandin and ,co4's sparkling sauternes cuve4 ,this colombar grape is simply the semillon--one of the leading varieties of the ,sauternes district--transported to the ,charente4 ,the remarkably cool cellars where the firm store their wine1 whether in wood or bottle1 have been formed from some vast subterranean galleries whence centuries ago stone was quarried1 and which are situated about a quarter of an hour's drive from ,chteauneuf1 in the midst of vineyards and cornfields4 ,the wine is invariably bottled in a cellier at the head establishment1 but it is in these cellars where it goes through the course of careful treatment similar to that pursued with regard to champagne4 ,illustration ,in order that the delicate flavour of the wine may be preserved the liqueur is prepared with the finest old sauternes1 without any addition of spirit1 and the dose is administered with the most improved modern appliance1 constructed of silver1 and provided with crystal taps4 ,at the ,concours ,rgional d',angoulme of #ahgg1 the jury1 after recording that they had satisfied themselves by the aid of a chemical analysis that the samples of sparkling sauternes submitted to their judgment were free from any foreign ingredient1 awarded to ,messrs4 ,normandin and ,co4 the only gold medal given in the ,group of ,alimentary ,products4 ,encouraged1 no doubt1 by the success obtained by ,messrs4 ,normandin and ,co4 with their sparkling sauternes1 the house of ,lermat-,robert and ,co41 of ,bordeaux1 have recently introduced a sparkling barsac1 samples of which were submitted to the jury at the ,paris ,exhibition of #ahgh4 ,illustration3 ,,vintager ,,of ,,the ,c,,te ,d',,or ,,xiv4--,,the ,,sparkling ,,wines ,,of ,,burgundy ,,and ,,the ,,jura4 ,sparkling ,wines of the ,cte d',or at the ,paris ,exhibition-- ,chambertin1 ,romane1 and ,vougeot-- ,burgundy ,wines and ,vines formerly the ,presents of ,princes-- ,vintaging ,sparkling ,burgundies-- ,their ,after-,treatment in the ,cellars-- ,excess of ,breakage-- ,similarity of ,proceeding to that followed in the ,champagne-- ,principal ,manufacturers of ,sparkling ,burgundies-- ,sparkling ,wines of ,tonnerre1 the birthplace of the ,chevalier d',eon-- ,the ,vin d',arbanne of ,bar-sur-,aube-- ,death there of the ,bastard de ,bourbon-- ,madame de la ,motte's ,ostentatious ,display and ,arrest there-- ,sparkling ,wines of the ,beaujolais-- ,the ,mont-,brouilly ,vineyards-- ,ancient ,reputation of the ,wines of the ,jura-- ,the ,vin ,jaune of ,arbois beloved of ,henri ,quatre-- ,rhymes by him in its ,honour-- ,lons-le-,saulnier-- ,vineyards yielding the ,sparkling ,jura ,wines-- ,their ,vintaging and ,subsequent ,treatment-- ,their ,high ,alcoholic ,strength and ,general ,drawbacks4 ,sparkling wines are made to a considerable extent in ,burgundy1 notably at ,beaune1 ,nuits1 and ,dijon1 and though as a rule heavier and more potent than the subtile and delicate-flavoured wines of the ,marne1 still some of the higher qualities1 both of the red and white varieties1 exhibit a degree of refinement which those familiar only with the commoner kinds can scarcely form an idea of4 ,at the ,paris ,exhibition of #ahgh we tasted1 among a large collection of the sparkling wines of the ,cte d',or1 samples of ,chambertin1 ,romane1 and ,vougeot of the highest order4 ,although red wines1 they had the merit of being deficient in that body which forms such an objectionable feature in sparkling wines of a deep shade of colour4 ,m4 ,regnier1 the exhibitor of sparkling red vougeot1 sent1 moreover1 a white sparkling wine from the species of grape known locally as the clos blanc de ,vougeot4 ,these wines1 as well as the ,chambertin1 came from the ,cte de ,nuits1 the growths of which are generally considered of too vigorous a type for successful conversion into sparkling wine1 preference being usually given to the produce of the ,cte de ,beaune4 ,among the sparkling burgundies from the last-named district were samples from ,savigny1 ,chassagne1 and ,meursault1 all famous for their fine white wines4 ,burgundy ranks as one of the oldest viticultural regions of ,central ,europe1 and for centuries its wines have been held in the highest renown4 ,in the ,middle ,ages both the wines and vines of this favoured province passed as presents from one royal personage to another1 just as grand cordons are exchanged between them now-a-days4 ,the fabrication of sparkling wine1 however1 dates no further back than some sixty years or so4 ,the system of procedure is much the same as in the ,champagne1 and1 as there1 the wine is mainly the produce of the pineau noir and pineau blanc varieties of grape4 ,at the vintage1 in order to avoid bruising the ripened fruit and to guard against premature fermentation1 the grapes are conveyed to the pressoirs in baskets instead of the large oval vats termed balonges1 common to the district4 ,they are placed beneath the press as soon as possible1 and for superior sparkling wines only the juice resulting from the first pressure and known as the mre goutte1 or mother drop1 is employed4 ,for the ordinary wines that expressed at the second squeezing of the fruit is mingled with the other4 ,the must is at once run off into casks which have been previously sulphured to check1 in a measure1 the ardour of the first fermentation and lighten the colour of the newly-made wine4 ,towards the end of ,october1 when this first fermentation is over1 the wine is removed to the cellars1 or to some other cool place1 and in ,december it is racked into other casks4 ,in the ,april following it is again racked to insure its being perfectly clear at the epoch of bottling in the month of ,may4 ,the sulphuring of the original casks having had the effect of slightly checking the fermentation and retaining a certain amount of saccharine in the wine1 it is only on exceptional occasions that the latter is artificially sweetened previous to being bottled4 ,illustration ,a fortnight after the tirage the wine commonly attains the stage known as grand mousseux1 and by the end of ,september the breakage will have amounted to between #e and #h per cent41 which necessitates the taking down the stacks of bottles and piling them up anew4 ,the wine as a rule remains in the cellars for fully a couple of years from the time of bottling until it is shipped4 ,posing the bottles sur pointe1 agitating them daily1 together with the disgorging and liqueuring of the wine1 is accomplished precisely as in the ,champagne4 ,among the principal manufacturers of sparkling burgundies are ,messrs4 ,andr and ,voillot1 of ,beaune1 whose sparkling white ,romane1 ,nuits1 and ,volnay are well and favourably known in ,england2 ,m4 ,louis ,latour1 also of ,beaune1 and equally noted for his sparkling red ,volnay1 ,nuits1 and ,chambertin1 as for his sparkling white varieties2 ,messrs4 ,maire et fils1 likewise of ,beaune2 ,m4 ,labour-,goutard and ,messrs4 ,geisweiller et fils1 of ,nuits2 ,messrs4 ,marey and ,liger-,belair1 of ,nuits and ,vsne2 and ,m4 ,regnier1 of ,dijon4 ,in the department of the ,yonne--that is1 in ,lower ,burgundy--sparkling wines somewhat alcoholic in character have been made for the last half-century at ,tonnerre1 where the ,chevalier d',eon1 that enigma of his epoch1 was born4 ,the ,tonnerre vineyards are of high antiquity1 and for sparkling wines the produce of the black and white pineau and the white morillon varieties of grape is had recourse to4 ,the vintaging is accomplished with great care1 and only the juice which flows from the first pressure is employed4 ,this is run off immediately into casks which are hermetically closed when the fermentation has subsided4 ,the after-treatment of the wine is the same as in the ,champagne4 ,sparkling wines are likewise made at ,epineuil1 a village in the neighbourhood of ,tonnerre1 and at ,chablis1 so famous for its white wines1 about ten miles distant4 ,an effervescing wine known as the ,vin d',arbanne is made at ,bar-sur-,aube1 some fifty miles north-east of ,tonnerre1 on the borders of ,burgundy1 but actually in the province of ,champagne1 although far beyond the limits to which the famed viticultural district extends4 ,it was at ,bar-sur-,aube where the ,bastard de ,bourbon1 chief of the sanguinary gang of corcheurs 7flayers71 was sewn up in a sack and flung over the parapet of the old stone bridge into the river beneath by order of ,charles ,,vii42 and here1 too1 ,madame de la ,motte1 of ,diamond ,necklace notoriety1 was married1 and in after years made a parade of the ill-gotten wealth she had acquired by successfully fooling that infatuated libertine the ,cardinal ,prince de ,rohan1 until her ostentatious display was cut short by her arrest4 ,this ,vin d',arbanne is produced from pineaux and white gamay grapes1 which1 after being gathered with care at the moment the dew falls1 are forthwith pressed4 ,the wine is left on its lees until the following ,february1 when it is racked and fined1 the bottling taking place when the moon is at the full in ,march4 ,red and white sparkling wines are made to a small extent at ,saint-,lager1 in the ,beaujolais1 from wine vintaged in the ,mont-,brouilly vineyards1 one of the best known of the ,beaujolais crs4 ,mont-,brouilly is a lofty hill near the village of ,cercie1 and is covered from base to summit on all its sides with vines of the gamay species1 rarely trained at all1 but left to trail along the ground at their own sweet will4 ,at the vintage1 as we witnessed it1 men and women--young1 middle-aged1 and old--accompanied by troops of children1 were roaming all over the slopes dexterously nipping off the bunches of grapes with their thumb and finger nails and flinging them into the little wooden tubs with which they were provided4 ,the pressing of the grapes and the after-treatment of the wine destined to become sparkling are the same in the ,beaujolais as in ,upper and ,lower ,burgundy4 ,the red1 straw1 and yellow wines of the ,jura have long had a high reputation in the ,east of ,france1 and the vin jaune of ,arbois1 an ancient fortified town on the banks of the ,cuisance1 besieged and sacked in turn by ,charles of ,amboise1 ,henri ,,iv41 and ,louis ,,xiv41 was one of the favourite beverages of the tippling ,barnais who styled himself ,seigneur of ,ay and ,gonesse1 and who acquired his liking for it while sojourning during the siege of ,arbois at the old ,chteau des ,arsures4 ,in one of ,henri ,quatre's letters to his minister ,sully we find him observing1 ,i send you two bottles of ,vin d',arbois1 for ,i know you do not detest it4 ,a couple of other bottles of the same wine are said to have cemented the king's reconciliation with ,mayenne1 the leader of the ,league1 and the lover of ,la ,belle ,gabrielle is moreover credited with having composed at his mistress's table some doggrel rhymes in honour of the famous ,jura cr3-- ,come1 little page1 serve us aright1 ,the crown is often heavy to bear2 ,so fill up my goblet large and light ,whenever you find a vacancy there4 ,this wine is surely no ,christian wight1 ,and yet you never complaint will hear ,that it's not baptised with water clear4 ,down my throat ,i pour ,the old ,arbois2 ,and now1 my lords1 let us our voices raise1 ,and sing of ,silenus and ,bacchus the praise6 ,in more modern times the ,jura1 not content with the fame of the historic yellow wines of ,arbois and the deservedly-esteemed straw wines of ,chteau-,chlon1 has produced large quantities of sparkling wine1 the original manufacture of which commenced as far back as a century ago4 ,to-day the principal seats of the manufacture are at ,arbois and ,lons-le-,saulnier1 the latter town the capital of the department and one of the most ancient towns of ,france4 ,originally founded by the ,gauls on the banks of the ,vallire1 in a little valley bordered by lofty hills1 which are to-day covered with vines1 it was girded round with fortifications by the ,romans4 ,subsequently the ,huns and the ,vandals pillaged it2 then the ,french and the ,burgundians repeatedly contested its possession1 and it was only definitively acquired by ,france during the reign of ,louis ,,xiv4 ,rouget de l',isle1 the famous author of the ,marseillaise1 was born at ,lons-le-,saulnier1 and here also ,marshal ,ney assembled and harangued his troops before marching to join ,napoleon1 whom he had promised ,louis ,,xviii4 to bring back to ,paris in an iron cage4 ,the vineyards whence the principal supplies for these sparkling wines are derived are grouped at varying distances around ,lons-le-,saulnier at ,l',etoile1 ,quintigny1 ,salins1 ,arbois1 ,st4 ,laurent-la-,roche1 and ,pupillin1 with the ,jura chain of mountains rising up grandly on the east4 ,the best vineyards at ,l',etoile--which lies some couple of miles from ,lons-le-,saulnier1 surrounded by hills1 planted from base to summit with vines--are ,la ,vigne ,blanche1 ,montmorin1 and ,montgenest4 ,at ,quintigny1 the wines of which are less potent than those of ,arbois1 and only retain their effervescent properties for a couple of years1 the ,paridis1 ,prmelan1 and ,montmorin vineyards are held in most repute1 while at ,pupillin1 where a soft agreeable wine is vintaged1 the principal vineyards are the ,faille and the ,clos4 ,the vine cultivated for the production of sparkling wines are chiefly the savagnin1 or white pineau1 the melon of ,poligny1 and the poulsard1 a black variety of grape held locally in much esteem4 ,illustration ,at the vintage1 which commences towards the end of ,october and lasts until the middle of the following month1 all the rotten or unripe grapes are carefully set aside and the sound ones only submitted to the action of a screw-press4 ,after the must has flowed for about half-an-hour the grapes are newly collected under the press and the screw again applied4 ,the produce of this double operation is poured into a vat termed a sapine1 where it remains until bubbles are seen escaping through the chapeau that forms on the surface of the liquid4 ,the must is then drawn off--sometimes after being fined--into casks1 which the majority of wine-growers previously impregnate with the fumes of sulphur4 ,when in cask the wine is treated in one of two ways2 either the casks are kept constantly filled to the bunghole1 causing the foam which rises to the surface during the fermentation to flow over1 and thereby leave the wine comparatively clear1 or else the casks are not completely filled1 in which case the wine requires to be racked several times before it is in a condition for fining4 ,this latter operation is effected about the commencement of ,february1 and a second fining follows if the first one fails to render the wine perfectly clear4 ,at the tirage1 which invariably takes place in ,april1 the ,jura wines rarely require any addition of sugar to insure an ample effervescence4 ,after bottling they are treated in exactly the same manner as the vintages of the ,marne are treated by the great champagne manufacturers4 ,in addition to white sparkling wine a pink variety1 with natural effervescent properties1 is made by mixing with the savagnin and melon grapes a certain proportion of the poulsard species1 from which the best red wines of the ,jura are produced4 ,one of the principal sparkling wine establishments at ,lons-le-,saulnier is that of ,m4 ,auguste ,devaux1 founded in the year #ahfj4 ,he manufactures both sweet and dry wines1 which are sold largely in ,france and elsewhere on the ,continent1 and have lately been introduced into ,england4 ,their alcoholic strength is equivalent to from #be to #bf of proof spirit1 being largely above the dry sparkling wines of the ,champagne1 which the ,jura manufacturers regard as a positive advantage rather than an obvious drawback4 ,m4 ,devaux's principal brand is the ,fleur de l',etoile1 of which1 he has white1 pink1 and amber-coloured varieties1 quoted by him at merely three francs the bottle for the grand years4 ,besides being too spirituous1 the sparkling wines of the ,jura are deficient in refinement and delicacy4 ,the commoner kinds1 indeed1 frequently have a pronounced unpleasant flavour1 due to the nature of the soil1 to careless vinification1 or to the inferior quality of liqueur with which the wines have been dosed4 ,out of some fifty samples of all ages and varieties which in my capacity of juror ,i tasted at the ,paris ,exhibition ,i cannot call to mind one that a real connoisseur of sparkling wines would care to admit to his table4 ,illustration3 ,,conveying ,,grapes ,,to ,,the ,,press ,,at ,,saint-,p,,ray4 ,,xv4--,,the ,,sparkling ,,wines ,,of ,,the ,,south ,,of ,,france4 ,sparkling ,wines of ,auvergne1 ,guienne1 ,dauphin1 and ,languedoc-- ,sparkling ,saint-,pray the ,champagne of the ,south-- ,valence with its ,reminiscences of ,pius ,,vi4 and ,napoleon ,i4-- ,the ,horns of ,crussol on the ,banks of the ,rhne-- ,vintage ,scene at ,saint-,pray-- ,the ,vines and ,vineyards ,producing ,sparkling ,wine-- ,manipulation of ,sparkling ,saint-,pray-- ,its ,abundance of ,natural ,sugar-- ,the ,cellars of ,m4 de ,saint-,prix and ,samples of his ,wines-- ,sparkling ,cte-,rotie1 ,chteau-,grille1 and ,hermitage-- ,annual ,production and ,principal ,markets of ,sparkling ,saint-,pray-- ,clairette de ,die-- ,the ,porte ,rouge of ,die ,cathedral-- ,how the ,die ,wine is ,made-- ,the ,sparkling ,white and ,rose-,coloured ,muscatels of ,die-- ,sparkling ,wines of ,vercheny and ,lagrasse-- ,barnave and the ,royal ,flight to ,varennes-- ,narbonne formerly a ,miniature ,rome1 now ,noted merely for its ,wine and ,honey-- ,fte of the ,black ,virgin at ,limoux-- ,preference given to the ,new ,wine over the ,miraculous ,water-- ,blanquette of ,limoux and ,how it is ,made-- ,characteristics of this ,overrated ,wine4 ,sparkling wines are made after a fashion in several of the southern provinces of ,france--in ,auvergne1 at ,clermont-,ferrand1 under the shadow of the lofty ,puy de ,dme2 in ,guienne1 at ,astaffort1 the scene of a bloody engagement during the ,wars of ,religion in which the ,protestant army was cut to pieces when about to cross the ,garonne2 at ,nrac1 where frail ,marguerite de ,valois kept her dissolute ,court1 and ,catherine de ,mdicis brought her flying squadron of fascinating maids of honour to gain over the ,huguenot leaders to the ,catholic cause2 and at ,cahors1 the ,divina1 or divine fountain of the ,celts1 and the birthplace of ,pope ,john ,,xxii41 of ,clement ,marot1 the early ,french poet1 and of ,lon ,gambetta2 in ,dauphin1 at ,die1 ,saint-,chef1 ,saint-,pray1 and ,largentire1 so named after some abandoned silver mines1 and where the vines are cultivated against low walls rising in a series of terraces from the base to the summit of the lofty hills2 and in ,languedoc1 at ,brioude1 where ,st4 ,vincent1 the patron saint of the vinedressers1 suffered martyrdom1 and where it is the practice to expose the must of the future sparkling wine for several nights to the dew in order to rid it of its reddish colour2 also at ,linardie1 and1 more southward still1 at ,limoux1 whence comes the well-known effervescing ,blanquette4 ,principal among the foregoing is the excellent wine of ,saint-,pray1 commonly characterised as the champagne of the ,south of ,france4 ,the ,saint-,pray vineyards border the ,rhne some ten miles below the ,hermitage coteau--the vines of which are to-day well-nigh destroyed by the phylloxera--but are on the opposite bank of the river4 ,our visit to ,saint-,pray was made from ,valence1 in which dull southern city we had loitered in order to glance at the vast ,htel du ,gouvernement--where octogenarian ,pius ,,vi41 after being spirited away a prisoner from ,rome and hurried over the ,alps in a litter by order of the ,french ,directory1 drew his last breath while silently gazing across the rushing river at the view he so much admired--and to discover the house in the ,grande ,rue1 numbered #d1 in an attic of which history records that ,napoleon ,i41 when a sub-lieutenant of artillery in garrison at ,valence1 resided1 and which he quitted owing three and a-half francs to his pastrycook4 ,we crossed the ,rhne over one of its hundred flimsy suspension bridges1 on the majority of which a notice warns you neither to smoke nor run1 and were soon skirting the base of a lofty1 bare1 precipitous rock1 with the horns of ,crussol1 as the peasants term two tall pointed gables of a ruined feudal chteau1 perched at the dizzy edge1 and having a perpendicular fall of some five or six hundred feet below4 ,the chteau1 which formerly belonged to the ,dukes of ,uzs1 recognised by virtue of the extent of their domains as premiers pairs de ,france1 was not originally erected in close proximity to any such formidable precipice4 ,the crag on which it stands had1 it seems1 been blasted from time to time for the sake of the stone1 until on one unlucky occasion when too heavy a charge of powder was employed1 the entire side of the rock1 together with a considerable portion of the chteau itself1 were sent flying into the air4 ,the authorities1 professing to regard what remained of the edifice as an historical monument of the ,middle ,ages1 hereupon stepped in and prohibited the quarry being worked for the future4 ,passing beneath the cliff1 one wound round to the left and dived into a picturesque wooded dell at the entrance to a mountain pass1 then crossed the rocky bed of a dried-up stream and drove along an avenue of mulberry-trees1 which in a few minutes conducted us to ,saint-,pray1 where one found the vintage in full operation4 ,carts laden with tubs filled with white and purple grapes1 around which wasps without number swarmed1 were arriving from all points of the environs and crowding the narrow streets4 ,any quantity of grapes were seemingly to be had for the asking1 for all the pretty girls in the place were gorging themselves with the luscious-looking fruit4 ,in the coopers' yards bran-new casks were ranged in rows in readiness for the newly-made wine1 and through open doorways1 and in all manner of dim recesses1 one caught sight of sturdy men energetically trampling the gushing grapes under their bare feet1 and of huge creaking wine-presses reeking with the purple juice4 ,it was chiefly common red wine1 of an excellent flavour1 however1 that was being made in these nooks and corners1 the sparkling white wine1 known as ,saint-,pray1 being manufactured in larger establishments1 and on more scientific principles4 ,it is from a white species of grape known as the petite and grosse rousette--the same which yields the white ,hermitage--that the champagne of the south is produced1 and the vineyards where they are cultivated occupy all the more favourable slopes immediately outside the village1 the most noted being the ,coteau-,gaillard1 ,solignaes1 ,thioulet1 and ,hungary4 ,although there is a close similarity between the manufacture of champagne and the effervescing wine of ,saint-,pray1 there are still one or two noteworthy variations4 ,for a wine to be sparkling it is requisite that it should ferment in the bottle1 a result obtained by bottling it while it contains a certain undeveloped proportion of alcohol and carbonic acid1 represented by so much sugar1 of which they are the component parts4 ,this ingredient has frequently to be added to the ,champagne wines to render them sparkling1 but the wine of ,saint-,pray in its natural state contains so much sugar that any addition would be deleterious4 ,this excess of saccharine enables the manufacturer to dispense with some of the operations necessary to the fabrication of champagne1 which1 after fermenting in the cask1 requires a second fermentation to be provoked in the bottle1 whereas the ,saint-,pray wine ferments only once1 being bottled immediately it comes from the wine-press4 ,the deposit in the wine after being impelled towards the neck of the bottle is got rid of by following the same system as is pursued in the ,champagne1 but no liqueur whatever is subsequently added to the wine4 ,on the other hand1 it is a common practice to reduce the over-sweetness of sparkling ,saint-,pray in years when the grapes are more than usually ripe by mixing with it some old dry white wine4 ,at ,saint-,pray we visited the cellars of ,m4 de ,saint-,prix1 one of the principal wine-growers of the district4 ,the samples of effervescing wine which he produced for us to taste were of a pale golden colour1 of a slightly nutty flavour1 and with a decided suggestion of the spirituous essence known to be concentrated in the wine1 one glass of which will go quite as far towards elevating a person as three glasses of champagne4 ,keeping the wine for a few years is said materially to improve its quality1 to the sacrifice1 however1 of its effervescent properties4 ,m4 de ,saint-,prix informed us that he manufactured every year a certain quantity of sparkling ,cte-,rotie1 ,chteau-,grill1 and ,hermitage4 ,the principal markets for the ,saint-,pray sparkling wines--the production of which falls considerably short of a million bottles per annum--are ,england1 ,germany1 ,russia1 ,holland1 and ,belgium4 ,illustration ,the other side of the ,rhne is fruitful in minor sparkling wines1 chief amongst which is the so-called ,clairette de ,die1 made at the town of that name1 a place of some splendour1 as existing antiquities show1 in the days of the ,roman dominion in ,gaul4 ,later on1 ,die was the scene of constant struggles for supremacy between its counts and bishops1 one of the latter having been massacred by the populace in front of the cathedral doorway--ever since known by the sinister appellation of the ,porte ,rouge--and ,catholics and ,huguenots alike devastated the town in the troublesome times of the ,reform4 ,clairette de ,die is made principally from the blanquette or malvoisie variety of grape1 which1 after the stalks have been removed1 is both trodden with the feet and pressed4 ,the must is run off immediately into casks1 and four-and-twenty hours later it is racked into other casks1 a similar operation being performed every two or three days for the period of a couple of months1 when the fermentation having subsided the wine is fined and usually bottled in the following ,march4 ,newly-made ,clairette de ,die is a sweet sparkling wine1 but it loses its natural effervescence after a couple of years1 unless it has been treated in the same manner as champagne1 which is rarely the case4 ,the wine enjoys a reputation altogether beyond its merits4 ,in addition to the well-known ,clairette1 some of the wine-growers of ,die make sparkling white and rose-coloured muscatels of superior quality1 which retain their effervescent properties for several years4 ,a sparkling wine is also made some ten miles from ,die1 on the road to ,saillans1 in a district bounded on the one side by the waters of the ,drme1 and on the other by strange mountains with helmet-shaped crests4 ,the centre of production is a locality called ,vercheny1 composed of several hamlets1 one of which1 named ,le ,temple1 was the original home of the family of ,barnave4 ,the impressionable young deputy to the ,national ,assembly formed one of the trio sent to bring back the ,french royal family from ,varennes after their flight from ,paris4 ,it will be remembered how1 under the influence of ,marie ,antoinette and ,madame ,elizabeth1 ,barnave became transformed during the journey into a faithful partisan of their unhappy cause1 and that he eventually paid the penalty of his devotion with his life4 ,in the extreme south of ,france1 and almost under the shadow of the ,pyrenees1 a sparkling wine of some repute is made at a place called ,lagrasse1 about five-and-twenty miles westward of ,narbonne1 the once-famous ,mediterranean city1 the maritime rival of ,marseilles1 and in its palmy days1 prior to the ,christian era1 a miniature ,rome1 with its capitol1 its curia1 its decemvirs1 its consuls1 its prtors1 its questors1 its censors1 and its ediles1 and which boasted of being the birthplace of three ,roman ,emperors4 ,to-day ,narbonne has to content itself with the humble renown derived from its delicious honey and its characterless full-bodied red wines4 ,limoux1 so celebrated for its ,blanquette1 lies a long way farther to the west1 behind the ,corbires range of mountains that join on to the ,pyrenees1 and the jagged peaks1 deep barren gorges1 and scarred sides of which have been witness of many a desperate struggle during the century and a half when they formed the boundary between ,france and ,spain4 ,we arrived at ,limoux just too late for the famous fte of the ,black ,virgin1 which lasts three weeks1 and attracts crowds of southern pilgrims to the chapel of ,our ,lady of ,marseilles1 perched on a little hill some short distance from the town1 with a fountain half-way up it1 whose water issues drop by drop1 and has the credit of possessing unheard-of virtues4 ,the majority of pilgrims1 however1 exhibit a decided preference for the new-made wine over the miraculous water1 and for one-and-twenty days something like a carnival of inebriety prevails at ,limoux4 ,blanquette de ,limoux derives its name from the species of grape it is produced from1 and which we believe to be identical with the malvoisie1 or malmsey4 ,its long-shaped berries grow in huge bunches1 and dry readily on the stalks4 ,the fruit is gathered as tenderly as possible1 care being taken that it shall not be in the slightest degree bruised1 after which it is spread out upon a floor to admit of the sugar it contains becoming perfect4 ,the bad grapes having been carefully picked out1 and the pips extracted from the remaining fruit1 the latter is now trodden1 when the must1 after being filtered through a strainer1 is placed in casks1 where it remains fermenting for about a week1 during which time any overflow is daily replenished by other must reserved for the purpose4 ,the wine is again clarified and placed in fresh casks with the bungholes only lightly closed until all sensible fermentation has ceased1 when they are securely fastened up4 ,the bottling takes place in the month of ,march1 and the wine is subsequently treated much after the same fashion as sparkling ,saint-,pray1 excepting that it is generally found necessary to repeat the operation of dgorgement three1 if not as many as four times4 ,blanquette de ,limoux is a pale white wine1 the saccharine properties of which have become completely transformed into carbonic acid gas and alcohol4 ,it is1 consequently1 both dry and spirituous1 deficient in delicacy1 and altogether proves a great disappointment4 ,at its best it may1 perhaps1 rank with sparkling ,saint-,pray1 but unquestionably not with any average champagne4 ,illustration ,,xvi4--,,the ,,sparkling ,,wines ,,of ,,germany4 ,origin of ,sparkling ,hock and ,moselle-- ,sparkling ,german ,wines ,first ,made on the ,neckar-- ,heilbronn1 and ,gotz von ,berlichingen of the ,iron ,hand-- ,lauteren of ,mayence and ,rambs of ,trves turn their attention to ,sparkling ,wines-- ,change of late years in the ,character of ,sparkling ,hocks and ,moselles-- ,difference between them and ,moussirender ,rheinwein-- ,vintaging of ,black and ,white ,grapes for ,sparkling ,wine-- ,the ,treatment which ,german ,sparkling ,wines ,undergo-- ,artificial ,flavouring and ,perfuming of ,sparkling ,moselles-- ,fine ,natural ,bouquet of ,high ,class ,sparkling ,hocks-- ,impetus given to the ,manufacture of ,german ,sparkling ,wines during the ,franco-,german ,war-- ,annual ,production-- ,deinhard and ,co4's ,splendid ,new ,cellars at ,coblenz-- ,the ,firm's ,collection of ,choice ,rhine and ,moselle ,wines-- ,their ,trade in ,german ,sparkling ,wines-- ,their ,sources of ,supply-- ,the ,vintaging and ,after-,treatment of their ,wines-- ,characteristics of their ,sparkling ,hocks and ,moselles4 ,the reader is by this time aware that sparkling wines are not indebted for their effervescent properties to any particular variety of vine or quality of soil1 although some species of grapes yield a wine possessing a higher degree of effervescence than others4 ,any wine1 in fact1 can be rendered sparkling1 although only wines of a certain lightness of body and which are at the same time delicate and clean to the taste--being devoid of anything approaching to a got de terroir--are really suited to the purpose4 ,given a wine containing sufficient saccharine1 either natural or applied1 and duly regulate its temperature1 and it is easy enough to render it sparkling4 ,the ,germans discovered this long ago when they first transformed the acidulous wines of the ,rhine into what we term sparkling hocks4 ,the rise of this industry dates from the epoch of the final downfall of ,napoleon ,i41 when the officers of the armies of occupation acquired more than a passing liking for the exhilarating products of ,clicquot and ,mot1 carrying it1 in fact1 home with them1 and so disseminating a taste for the sparkling wines of ,france throughout the ,north of ,europe4 ,in ,germany the wealthy few only were able to indulge in it1 and the consumption was for a long time exceedingly limited4 ,when1 however1 after many years of peace1 riches began to accumulate1 some shrewd men set themselves to ascertain whether the ,german wines could not be rendered sparkling like the ,french4 ,this was satisfactorily and speedily settled in the affirmative2 but the great difficulty was to find the requisite capital for the large preliminary investment necessary to the establishment of a manufactory of sparkling wine on even a moderate scale1 and from which no return could be counted on for the first three years4 ,eventually this was overcome2 but the new wines1 being in the first instance altogether different in character from champagne1 found but little favour in the country of their production4 ,it was different1 however1 in ,england1 where they speedily succeeded in establishing themselves under the designations of sparkling hock and sparkling moselle1 and from this time forward they have retained their position in the ,english market4 ,it is generally asserted that sparkling wines were first manufactured in ,germany more than half a century ago from the inferior ,neckar grape both at ,esslingen and ,heilbronn--the latter rendered memorable by the exploits of ,gtz von ,berlichingen1 whose iron hand distributed blows which effectually cured headache1 toothache1 and every other human malady4 ,subsequently1 towards #ahcj1 a former chef de cave at ,madame ,clicquot's establishment at ,reims came to ,herr ,lauteren1 of ,mayence1 and suggested to him to engage in the manufacture of sparkling ,rhine wines1 a proposal which the latter soon afterwards profited by2 and eight years later ,herr ,rambs1 of ,trves1 vineyard proprietor and wine-merchant1 aided by a ,french cellarman1 made the earliest attempt to manufacture sparkling moselles1 their first trials in this direction resulting in a breakage amounting to fifty per cent4 ,for some years the great anxiety of manufacturers of sparkling hocks was to render their wines as much as possible like champagne1 which was only to be accomplished by disguising their true flavour and dosing them largely with syrup4 ,in this form they satisfied1 and indeed still satisfy1 their ,german and ,russian consumers2 but of late years ,england has set the example of a decided preference for the drier kinds of sparkling wines1 the result being that the character of the wines destined for the ,english market has undergone a complete change4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,ahr ,,valley4 ,next to its sweetness the principal difference between ,german champagne1 or ,moussirender ,rheinwein as it is usually called1 for ,continental consumption1 and sparkling hocks designed for the ,english and other markets1 consists in the former being made principally from black grapes1 pressed immediately they are gathered and not allowed to ferment in their skins1 while the latter are made almost exclusively from white grapes4 ,the vineyards yielding the black grapes used for these sparkling wines are mainly situated at ,ingelheim1 midway between ,bingen and ,mayence1 and in the ,ahr valley1 between ,coblenz and ,cologne4 ,at the black grape vintage1 which precedes the gathering of the white varieties by some three or four weeks1 the fruit is conveyed to the press in high tubs1 carried on men's backs1 and holding about #djlbs4 apiece4 ,the old wooden presses are mostly employed1 although of late small transportable presses with iron screws1 and of ,french manufacture1 are coming into use4 ,in order that the wine may be pale in colour1 the grapes1 which1 like those of the ,champagne1 are of the pineau variety1 are pressed as soon as possible after the gathering2 the pressure applied is1 moreover1 rapid and not too strong1 and the must is separated forthwith from the skins and stalks4 ,on the other hand1 the white grapes used in the making of ,german sparkling wine1 and which are almost exclusively of the far-famed riesling species1 are treated precisely as when making still ,rhine wine--that is1 they are crushed in the vineyards by means of grape-mills1 and afterwards pressed in the usual way4 ,the must for sparkling wines1 whether from black or white grapes1 is run at once into casks to ferment4 ,if possible it is conveyed in large casks known as stucks--immediately after the pressing1 and before fermentation begins--to the manufacturer's cellars in town2 but if this cannot be accomplished it remains in the cellars of the district until the first fermentation is over1 which is in ,december or ,january4 ,it is then racked off its lees1 and the produce of black and white grapes is blended together1 only a small proportion of the former entering into the composition of true sparkling hock1 which should retain in a marked degree the subtile and fragrant perfume of the riesling grape4 ,the process pursued in the manufacture of sparkling hocks is the same as that followed with regard to champagnes4 ,the quantity of grape sugar generated in these ,northern ,german latitudes being far from large1 both hocks and moselles invariably need a small addition of saccharine1 previous to their being put into bottle1 to insure the requisite effervescence1 whereas in the ,champagne the practice of adding sugar with this object is not the uniform rule4 ,after the wine is bottled it remains in a cool cellar for eighteen months or a couple of years1 being constantly shaken during this period1 in the same way as champagne1 in order to force the sediment to deposit itself near to the cork4 ,by this time the added as well as the natural sugar contained in the wine has become converted into alcohol and carbonic acid2 and after the sediment has been expelled from the bottle the operation of dosing1 or flavouring1 the wine takes place4 ,sparkling hocks intended both for the ,german and ,russian markets are frequently almost cloying in their sweetness1 as much as one-fifth of syrup being often added to four-fifths of wine4 ,the sparkling moselles1 too1 for ,russia1 and not unfrequently for ,england also1 are largely dosed with the preparation of elder-flowers1 which imparts to them their well-known muscatel flavour and perfume4 ,the manufacturers say they are doing their best to abandon this absurd practice of artificially perfuming sparkling moselles2 but many of their customers1 and especially those in the ,english provinces1 stipulate for the scented varieties1 possibly from an erroneous belief in their superiority4 ,effervescing ,rhine wines of the highest class have a marked and refined flavour1 together with a very decided natural bouquet4 ,moreover1 they retain their effervescent properties for a considerable time after being uncorked1 and appear to the taste as light1 if not precisely as delicate1 as the finer champagnes1 although in reality such is not the case2 for all sparkling hocks possess greater body than even the heaviest champagnes1 and cannot1 therefore1 be drunk with equal freedom4 ,great impetus was given to the manufacture of ,german sparkling wines during the war of #ahgj1 when the ,champagne was in a measure closed to the outside world4 ,at this epoch the less scrupulous manufacturers1 instigated by dishonest speculators1 boldly forged both the brands on the corks and the labels on the bottles of the great ,reims and ,epernay firms1 and sent forth sparkling wines of their own production to the four quarters of the globe as veritable champagnes of the highest class4 ,the respectable houses acted more honestly1 and1 as it turned out1 with better policy1 for by maintaining their own labels and brands they extended the market for their produce1 causing ,german sparkling wines to be introduced under their true names into places where they had never penetrated before1 the result being a considerable increase in the annual demand1 even after the stores of the champagne manufacturers were again open to all the world4 ,owing to this increased demand1 and the deficient supply of suitable ,rhine wines at a moderate price1 the manufacturers of sparkling hocks are reduced to buy much of their raw wine at a distance1 and are to-day large purchasers of the growths of the ,palatinate1 which are less delicate than the vintages of the ,rheingau1 besides being deficient in that fine aroma which distinguishes genuine hock4 ,a leading manufacturer computes that between four-and-a-half and five million bottles of sparkling wine are made annually in ,germany1 where there are no fewer than fifty manufacturing establishments4 ,the principal market is ,great ,britain1 which consumes some two millions of bottles annually2 a million bottles are drunk at home2 while the remainder is divided among the ,north of ,europe1 the ,united ,states1 ,india1 ,australia1 ,china1 and ,japan4 ,the cheapness of these wines is1 no doubt1 largely in their favour4 ,at ,coblenz1 the capital of ,rhenish ,prussia1 and one of the strongest fortresses in the world1 the so-called blue ,moselle mingles its waters with those of the ,rhine1 and hence the original ,roman name of ,confluentia4 ,with so favourable a situation it is not surprising that the city should be the abode of several important firms trading in the wines of the two rivers4 ,at the head of these is the well-known house of ,deinhard and ,co41 dealing extensively both in the magnificent still vintages of the ,rheingau and the ,moselle1 and the higher-class sparkling wines of these districts4 ,in the resident partner1 ,herr ,julius ,wegeler1 ,i was pleased to meet again my courteous colleague of the ,wine ,jury of the ,vienna ,exhibition1 and accompanied by him ,i went over their establishment on the ,clemens ,platz--one of the most perfect and admirably appointed in ,germany4 ,the firm was founded in #agih by ,herr ,f4 ,deinhard1 who in #ahjf1 when ,coblenz was in the hands of the ,french1 secured a ninety-nine years' lease of some cellars under an old convent at the low rental of #cj francs per annum1 and to-day this curious document exists amongst the archives of the firm4 ,rents of wine-cellars were low enough in those days of uncertainty and peril1 when commerce was at a standstill and ,europe gazed panic-stricken on the course of warlike events2 nevertheless1 for such a trifle as #cj francs a year of course no very extensive entrept could have been rented4 ,to-day ,messrs4 ,deinhard's new cellars on the ,clemens ,platz alone cover an area of nearly #dc1jjj square feet1 besides which they have several other vaults stored with wine in various quarters of the city1 the whole giving employment to upwards of eighty workmen and a score of coopers4 ,their ,clemens ,platz establishment was only completed in the autumn of #ahge1 when it was formally inaugurated in presence of the ,empress ,augusta1 who left behind her the following graceful memento of her visit3-- ,in grateful attachment to ,coblenz1 in full appreciation of a work which does honour to the town and to the firm1 ,i wish continued prosperity to both4 ,,augusta1 ,german ,empress and ,queen of ,prussia4 ,illustration3 ,,messrs4 ,,deinhard ,,co4',s ,,new ,,establishment ,,at ,,coblenz4 7p4 #agh7 ,illustration3 ,,messrs4 ,,deinhard ,,co4',s ,,new ,,cellars ,,at ,,coblenz4 7p4 #agi47 ,the proximity of the establishment to the ,rhine did not allow of the cellars being excavated to a greater depth than #cj feet below the surface--a mere trifle when compared with the depth of many vaults in the ,champagne4 ,any lower excavation1 however1 would have been attended with danger1 and as it is1 when the ,rhine rose to an unusual height in ,march1 #ahgf1 the water percolated through the soil and inundated the lower cellars to a height of #e feet4 ,above these vaults is a corresponding range of buildings of picturesque design and substantial construction1 divided like the cellars into three aisles1 each #baj feet in length and #bc feet broad4 ,one of the arches of the faade looking on to the courtyard is decorated with a graceful and characteristic bas-relief1 an engraving of which is subjoined4 ,illustration ,the cellars1 containing #a1djj stucks1 as they are termed1 of still wines--the stuck being equal to #a1ejj bottles--present a striking appearance with their long vistas of vaulted arcades1 admirably built of brick1 and illuminated by innumerable gas jets1 aided by powerful reflectors at the extremities of the three aisles4 ,the capacious elliptical-headed casks1 ranged side by side in uninterrupted sequence1 contain the choicest ,german vintages1 including the grand wines of the ,rheingau--,johannisberger1 ,steinberger1 ,rudesheimer1 ,rauenthaler1 and the like2 the red growths of ,assmannshausen and ,walporzheim2 ,deidesheimers1 with rare bouquets and of tender tonical flavour2 ,liebfrauenmilch1 of flowery perfume2 the finest ,moselles from ,josefshof and ,scharzhofberg1 ,brauneberg and ,berncastel1 with other growths too numerous to mention1 of grand years1 and from the best situations4 ,the sparkling wines stored in separate vaults form to-day an important item in ,messrs4 ,deinhard's business4 ,in #ahdc the firm made their first cuve1 consisting of less than #aj1jjj bottles4 ,four years later their cuve amounted to over #ej1jjj bottles4 ,a falling off was shown during the revolutionary epoch1 and business only recovered its normal condition in #ahea1 since which time it has gradually increased as the wines have grown in favour1 until in #ahge the tirage of #ahgd vintage wines exceeded half a million bottles4 ,messrs4 ,deinhard draw their supplies of wine from white grapes1 for conversion into sparkling wines1 from the ,rhine1 the ,main1 the ,moselle1 and the ,palatinate1 giving preference to the produce of the riesling grape1 as to this the wine is indebted for its natural bouquet4 ,the proportion of wine from black grapes1 mingled with the other wines1 is vintaged by themselves in the ,ahr valley and at ,ingelheim on the ,rhine4 ,the ,ahr1 in summer a rippling streamlet and in winter a rushing torrent1 falls into the ,rhine about twenty miles below ,coblenz4 ,the soil of the neighbouring hills seems peculiarly adapted for the growth of black grapes1 one of the best of ,german red wines being produced in the vineyards adjacent to the village of ,walporzheim4 ,in order that the wine may be as pale as possible1 the black grapes are pressed as soon after gathering as they can be1 and only the juice resulting from the first pressure is reserved1 the subsequently extracted must being sold to the small growers of the neighbourhood4 ,the newly-made wine is brought in casks to ,coblenz1 and rests for eight weeks while completing its fermentation4 ,it is then racked into stucks and double stucks1 and is blended in casks of the latter capacity during the early part of the following year1 great care being taken to preserve the bouquet of the white grapes1 with which view1 contrary to the practice followed in the ,champagne1 only a moderate proportion of wine from black grapes enters into the blend4 ,illustration3 ,,vineyards ,,in ,,the ,,ahr ,,valley4 ,next comes the fining1 and four weeks afterwards the wine is newly racked4 ,the bottling takes place during ,may or ,june1 when any deficiency of natural saccharine in the wine is supplied by the addition of pure sugar-candy4 ,at ,messrs4 ,deinhard's the wine is bottled at a temperature of #gb ,fahr41 and the bottles remain resting on large stone tables until the fermentation is completed1 and the saccharine is converted into alcohol and carbonic acid gas4 ,this result is commonly obtained in ordinary hot weather in eight days' time1 most of the breakage taking place during this interval4 ,if on being tested with a manometer the wine should indicate too high a pressure1 it is at once removed to a cool cellar1 consequently the average total breakage rarely exceeds #b per cent4 ,the wine is now left quiet for at least a year1 and if possible for two years1 after which the bottles are placed on stands in the customary inverted position1 and shaken daily for a period of six weeks1 in order to dislodge the sediment and force it against the cork4 ,german workmen are far less expert at this operation than their fellows in the ,champagne1 as few of the former can manage more than their four-and-twenty thousand bottles per diem4 ,the disgorgement and liqueuring of the wine is accomplished at ,messrs4 ,deinhard's and other ,german establishments in precisely the same fashion as is followed in the ,champagne4 ,illustration3 ,,on ,,the ,,bridge ,,at ,,rech1 ,,ahr ,,valley4 ,the dry sparkling hocks we tasted here had the real riesling flavour and the fine natural perfume common to this grape4 ,in preparing them no attempt had been made to imitate champagne2 but1 on the other hand1 every care had been taken to preserve the true hock character with its distinguishing freshness of taste combined with a lightness which wines containing liqueur in excess could never have exhibited4 ,the sparkling moselles1 too1 depended not on any imparted muscatel flavour and perfume1 but on their own natural bouquet and the flavour they derive from the schistous soil in which these wines are grown4 ,illustration3 ,,liebenstein ,,and ,,sterrenberg4 ,,xvii4--,,the ,,sparkling ,,wines ,,of ,,germany 7continued74 ,from ,coblenz to ,rdesheim-- ,ewald and ,co4's ,establishment and its ,pleasant ,situation-- ,their ,fine ,vaulted ,cellars and ,convenient ,accessories-- ,their ,supplies of ,wine drawn from the most favoured ,localities-- ,the ,celebrated ,vineyards of the ,rheingau-- ,eltville and the extensive ,establishment of ,matheus ,mller-- ,his ,vast ,stocks of ,still and ,sparkling ,german ,wines-- ,the ,vineyards laid under contribution for the latter-- ,m4 ,mller's ,sparkling ,johannisberger1 ,champagne1 and ,red ,sparkling ,assmannshauser-- ,the ,site of ,gutenberg's ,birthplace at ,mayence occupied by the ,offices and ,wine-cellars of ,lauteren ,sohn-- ,the ,sparkling ,wine ,establishment of the ,firm1 and their ,fine ,collection of ,hocks and ,moselles-- ,the ,hochheim ,sparkling ,wine ,association-- ,foundation of the ,establishment-- ,its ,superior ,sparkling ,hocks and ,moselles-- ,the ,sparkling ,wine ,establishments of ,stock and ,sons at ,creuznach in the ,nahe ,valley1 of ,kessler and ,co4 at ,esslingen1 on the ,neckar1 and of ,m4 ,oppmann at ,wurzburg-- ,the ,historic ,cellars of the ,king of ,bavaria beneath the ,residenz-- ,the ,establishment of ,f4 ,a4 ,siligmller4 ,illustration3 ,,stolzenfels4 ,ascending the ,rhine from ,coblenz--past many an ancient ruined castle1 past restored ,stolzenfels1 the historic ,knigs-stuhl1 the romantic ,liebenstein and ,sterrenberg1 the legendary ,lurlei1 the tribute-exacting ,pfalz1 and the old town of ,bacharach1 famous in the ,middle ,ages for its wine mart--we eventually come to ,lorch1 where the ,wisper brook flows into the ,rhine1 and the grand wine-producing district known as the ,rheingau begins4 ,a few miles higher up are the vineyards of ,assmannshausen1 dominated by the ,niederwald1 and yielding the finest red wine in all ,germany4 ,then passing by ,bishop ,hatto's legendary tower we emerge from the gorge of the ,rhine and soon reach ,rdesheim1 crouched at the foot of lofty terraced vineyards1 which1 according to doubtful tradition1 were planted with ,burgundy and ,orleans vines by ,charlemagne4 ,rdesheim1 like other antiquated little ,rhine-side towns1 boasts its ancient castle with its own poetical legend1 while many modern houses have sprung up there of late years1 and signs of further development are apparent on all sides4 ,in the outskirts of the town there are a couple of sparkling wine establishments1 the one nigh the railway station on the western side belonging to ,messrs4 ,dietrich and ,co41 while eastwards on a picturesque slope overlooking the ,rhine1 and in the midst of extensive pleasure-grounds1 is the establishment of ,messrs4 ,ewald and ,co41 who date from the year #aheh1 and rank to-day amongst the leading shippers of sparkling hocks and moselles to ,england4 ,illustration3 ,,messrs4 ,,ewald ,,co4',s ,,establishment ,,at ,r,,desheim4 7p4 #ahe7 ,here are handsome and capacious buildings aboveground1 and two floors of cellars comprising five vaults1 each #afj feet in length and #cj feet broad4 ,the lower vaults1 #dj feet from the surface1 are arched over and walled with stone1 while the upper ones are faced with brick1 both being floored with concrete and slanting towards the centre to allow of the wine from bottles that have burst running off4 ,each range of cellars is separately ventilated by shafts1 generally kept open in winter and closed in the summer so as to maintain a temperature not exceeding #dg ,fahr4 in the lower cellars and under #eb in those above4 ,moreover1 with the view of conducing to this result the cellars have an ice well communicating with them4 ,late in the spring1 when the newly-bottled wine indicates a sufficient number of atmospheres to insure a satisfactory effervescence1 it is deposited in the lower vaults1 the upper ones being devoted to reserve wines in wood and wines awaiting the process of disgorgement1 or undergoing their daily shaking in order to force the deposit against the cork4 ,aboveground there are rooms for storing the liqueur1 the corks1 and the packing-cases1 and in a spacious apartment1 provided with three lifts for communicating with the cellars beneath1 the wine is blended and bottled1 and in due time disgorged and packed4 ,in very warm weather1 however1 it is found preferable for the disgorging and its attendant operations to be performed in the cooler temperature of the cellars4 ,messrs4 ,ewald formerly tested the strength of their bottles with a manometer before using them1 but for some time past they have given up the practice1 feeling convinced that it was productive of more harm than good4 ,glass is an amorphous and unelastic substance which1 although it will stand a high pressure once1 often succumbs when put to a second test by the action of the fermenting wine4 ,the firm calculate their annual breakage at from #b to #c per cent4 ,messrs4 ,ewald being installed almost in the heart or the ,rheingau can readily draw their supplies of wine from the most favoured localities4 ,johannisberg is within a few miles of ,rdesheim1 and in those years when1 owing to the grapes not having thoroughly ripened1 the wine is only of intermediate value as a still wine1 it serves admirably for conversion into sparkling wine1 retaining as it does its powerful bouquet4 ,ingelheim1 too1 noted for its vineyards of black grapes1 whose produce is much sought after for blending with the finer sparkling ,rhine wines1 is only a few miles higher up the river1 on the opposite bank4 ,the drier varieties of sparkling hocks and moselles shipped by ,messrs4 ,ewald to ,england have the merit of retaining all the fine flavour and natural perfume of the higher-class growths from which1 as a rule1 these wines are prepared4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,establishment ,,of ,,matheus ,m,,ller ,,at ,,eltville4 7p4 #ahf7 ,above ,rdesheim the waters of the ,rhine expand1 the left bank of the river1 if still lofty1 is no longer precipitous1 while the right continues almost flat so soon as the ,rochusberg is left behind4 ,between here and ,eltville all the more celebrated vineyards of the ,rheingau are passed in rapid succession--,geisenheim-,rothenberg1 ,johannisberg1 ,steinberg1 ,marcobrunn1 ,kiedrich-,grafenberg1 ,rauenthal1 and others4 ,at ,eltville--the former capital of the ,rheingau1 and where ,gunther1 of ,schwarzburg1 resigned his crown to ,charles ,,iv41 and died poisoned1 it is said1 by his successful rival--we find one of the most extensive wine establishments in ,germany1 that of ,matheus ,mller1 who enjoys a high reputation in ,england both for his still and sparkling hocks and moselles4 ,his stock ordinarily consists of from #hjj to #a1jjj stuck--equivalent to a quarter of a million gallons--of still ,rhine and ,moselle wines1 much of it of the best years1 and from vineyards of repute1 together with nearly a million bottles of sparkling wines stored in his cellars at ,eltville and on the road to ,erbach1 the aggregate length of which is some #c1djj feet4 ,the sparkling wines repose in long cool vaulted galleries similar to many cellars in the ,champagne1 while the still wines are stored in capacious subterranean halls each #ajj yards in length4 ,illustration ,for his higher-class sparkling hocks ,herr ,mller derives his principal supplies from the ,rheingau1 partly from his own vineyards at ,eltville1 ,rauenthal1 and ,hattenheim1 and partly by purchases at ,erbach1 ,hallgarten1 ,o,estrich1 ,winkel1 ,johannisberg1 ,geisenheim1 and ,rudesheim2 while for his best sparkling moselles1 ,berncastel1 ,graach1 ,trves1 and the ,saar districts are laid under contribution4 ,the ,palatinate growths of ,drkheim1 ,deidesheim1 ,mussbach1 ,haardt1 ,rhodt1 c41 serve as the basis for the medium and cheaper sparkling hocks1 and for sparkling moselles of a corresponding character such wines as ,zeltinger1 ,rachtiger1 ,erdener1 ,aldegonder1 ,winninger1 c41 are used4 ,ingelheim and ,heidesheim furnish the wine from black grapes necessary in a subordinate degree to all sparkling hocks1 and very freely had recourse to when it is desired to impart a champagne character to the wine1 as is commonly the case when this is intended for consumption in ,germany4 ,herr ,mller invariably presses the black grapes himself1 in order that the wine may be as light in colour as possible4 ,as the house annually lays down large stocks of vin brut it is under no necessity of drawing upon them until they have attained the requisite maturity and developed all their finer qualities4 ,the dry sparkling hocks and moselles1 such as are shipped by ,herr ,mller to ,england and its colonies1 receive a large addition of liqueur when destined for the ,russian market4 ,his sparkling ,johannisberger and high-class sparkling moselle from ,rheingau and ,moselle wines of superior vintages are of delicate flavour and great softness1 and are frequently shipped without any liqueur whatever4 ,besides ,moussirender ,rheinwein of a champagne character1 and largely consumed in ,germany and ,belgium1 ,herr ,mller makes a veritable champagne from wine imported by him from the ,champagne district4 ,his shipments also include red sparkling ,assmannshauser--the result of a blend of ,assmannshauser1 ,ingelheimer1 and other red ,rhenish wines--aromatic and full-bodied1 and dry or moderately sweet according to the country to which it is intended to be exported4 ,illustration3 ,,entrance ,,to ,,lauteren ,,sohn',s ,,establishment1 ,,mayence4 7p4 #ahh7 ,the trade in ,german sparkling wines has numerous representatives at ,mayence--the sec of ,st4 ,boniface1 the apostle of the ,germans1 and the birthplace of ,gutenberg1 whose fame is universal4 ,the pioneer of printing was born in a house at the corner of the ,emmerans and ,pfandhaus gasse1 the site of which is to-day occupied by the residence of three members of the firm of ,c4 ,lauteren ,sohn1 established at ,mayence so far back as #agid1 and one of the first in ,germany to devote itself to the manufacture of sparkling wines4 ,in #ahcj the firm profited by an offer made to them by a cellarman who had been for many years in the service of ,madame ,clicquot at ,reims4 ,the ,emmerans-gasse1 where the chief establishment of the firm is situated1 is in the older quarter of ,mayence--in the midst of a network of intricate winding streets bordered by picturesque tall gabled houses and edifices of the ,spanish type where ornamental oriel windows with quaint supports1 medallions1 and bas-reliefs of varied design continually catch the eye1 and saints look down upon one from almost every corner4 ,passing under the gateway of the house where ,gutenberg was born1 and in the rear of which ,lauteren ,sohn have their offices1 cooperage1 and cellars for still wines1 we notice on our left hand a tablet commemorating the birth of the inventor of printing in these terms3-- ,gensfleisch ,house4 ,family residence of the inventor of the art of printing1 ,john ,gensfleisch of ,gutenberg1 who in the year #acih was here born4 ,christian ,lauteren has dedicated on the site of the ancient house this memorial to the immortal inventor1 ,jan4 #bi1 #ahbe4 ,messrs4 ,lauteren's cellars for sparkling wines extend mainly under an old monastery1 and comprise a succession of large vaulted galleries connected by narrow passages with arched entrances4 ,here are stacked some #hjj1jjj bottles of wine in varying conditions of maturity4 ,messrs4 ,lauteren bottle their wines in ,august1 instead of fully two months earlier according to the usual practice1 in the belief that the system they pursue is more conducive to perfect effervescence1 besides being attended with less breakage1 owing to the newly-bottled wine escaping the heat of the summer4 ,all the arrangements at this establishment are very complete4 ,there is a place for everything1 and everything is to be found in its place4 ,adjoining the courtyard1 where new bottles are stacked beneath open ornamental sheds1 are the tasting-room and the apartment where the operations of disgorging1 dosing1 and re-corking are performed4 ,the liqueur added by the firm to their sparkling wines is kept in bottle from three to five years before being used4 ,in the tasting-room we were shown a variety of sparkling hocks and moselles1 the former with all the distinguishing characteristics of fine ,rhine wine1 the older samples having gained considerably in softness4 ,a dry ,cabinet specimen submitted to us exhibited a fine bouquet and much delicacy of flavour4 ,the moselles we found particularly interesting1 made as they were of genuine wines from some of the best vineyards of the ,moselle district4 ,the largest ,german sparkling wine establishment is at ,hochheim1 which1 although1 situated on the banks of the ,main1 and several miles distant from its confluence with the ,rhine1 has curiously enough supplied us with a generic name under which we inconsistently class the entire produce of the ,rhine vineyards4 ,behind the ,hochheim railway station there rises a long low slope1 planted from base to summit with vines1 a portion of which are screened on the north by a plain-looking church and a weather-stained deanery4 ,the vines thus sheltered yield the famous ,dom ,dechanei1 the finest ,hochheimer known4 ,some short distance off in a westerly direction are the extensive premises of the ,hochheim ,sparkling ,wine ,association1 whose brands are well known in ,england4 ,the firm of ,burgeff and ,co41 whose business the association acquired in #aheh and subsequently considerably extended1 was founded in #ahcg4 ,at this establishment all the arrangements are of the most perfect character4 ,the bottles are cleaned by a machine employing ten persons1 and turning out several thousand bottles a day4 ,all the bottles moreover1 before being used1 have their strength tested by an ingenious apparatus which subjects them to three or four times the pressure they are likely to undergo when filled with wine4 ,pumps1 bottle-washing machine1 and the revolving casks in which the sugar is dissolved for the liqueur1 are all moved by steam1 and the association even manufactures the gas used for lighting up the establishment4 ,we tasted here several sparkling hocks distinguished by their high flavour and refinement1 with sparkling moselles vintaged in the best localities and equally excellent in quality4 ,sparkling hocks and moselles are made by ,messrs4 ,stock and ,sons at ,creuznach1 a favourite watering-place in the romantic ,nahe valley1 noted for the picturesque porphyry cliffs which occasionally rise precipitously at the river's edge4 ,creuznach1 where a capital wine is vintaged1 on the southern slopes of the ,schlossberg1 is at no great distance from ,bingen4 ,messrs4 ,stock and ,sons' establishment dates from #ahfb1 and their sparkling wines are mainly made from white grapes1 only about one-eighth of white wine from black grapes entering into their composition4 ,the latter is vintaged at ,ingelheim1 the grapes being pressed under the firm's own superintendence1 and only the must resulting from the first squeeze of the press being used4 ,the wine from riesling grapes is usually from the ,rhine1 and with it is mingled a certain quantity of wine vintaged on the ,hessian plain4 ,the vintage generally occurs at the end of ,october1 and the firm remove the new wine to their cellars at ,creuznach early in the ensuing spring1 and bottle it in the ,may or ,june following4 ,they make both dry and sweet varieties of sparkling wines1 and their principal markets are ,england1 ,germany1 the ,east and ,west ,indies1 the ,united ,states1 and ,australia4 ,illustration3 ,,bingen4 ,the establishment of ,g4 ,c4 ,kessler and ,co4 at ,esslingen--formerly one of the most important of the free imperial cities1 and picturesquely situated on the ,neckar--was founded as far back as #ahbf1 and claims to be the oldest sparkling wine factory in ,germany4 ,the wine employed comes from vineyards in the vicinity of ,heilbronn1 and others in the ,rheingau and the ,grand ,duchy of ,baden1 and is more or less a blend of the clevener1 traminer1 rulander1 riesling1 and elbling varieties of grape4 ,the vintage takes place in ,october1 and the bottling of the wine is effected during the following summer4 ,messrs4 ,kessler and ,co4 treat their wines after the system pursued at the ,clicquot champagne establishment1 in which the founder of the ,esslingen house held an important position for a period of nearly twenty years4 ,the wines are prepared sweet or dry according to the market they are destined for4 ,the principal business of the firm is with ,germany1 but they also export to ,england1 the ,united ,states1 the ,east ,indies1 and ,australia4 ,their wines have met with favourable recognition at various exhibitions1 notably that of ,paris in #ahfg1 when a silver medal was awarded them2 and at ,vienna in #ahgc1 where they received a medal for progress4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,neckar ,,at ,,heidelberg4 ,wurzburg1 one of the most antiquated and picturesque of ,german cities1 is noted for its sparkling ,franconian wines vintaged partly in the vineyards that overspread the tall chalk hills which close in around the quaint old university town4 ,the most famous of these vineyards are the ,leist and the ,stein1 the first-named sloping downward towards the ,main from the foot of the picturesque ,marienberg fort1 which1 perched on the summit of a commanding height1 dominates the city and forms so conspicuous an object in all the views of it4 ,the extensive buildings of the fort not only shield the vines from the winds1 but reflect the sun's rays upon them1 thereby materially conducing to the perfect ripening of the grapes at a much earlier period than is customary4 ,the ,stein vineyard is situated on the opposite side of the ,main1 and when viewed from the picturesque bridge1 studded with incongruous colossal statues--such as ,joseph and the ,virgin ,mary in close proximity to ,charlemagne and ,ppin--seems to rise up as an immense rampart behind the city4 ,here the river acts as a reflector1 throwing back the sun's rays on the lower portions of the slope1 where the finest wine is naturally vintaged4 ,an altogether inferior growth is produced on the hill to the north1 known as the ,middle ,stein1 and also in the ,harfe vineyard1 situated in the rear of the latter4 ,the prevalent vines in the ,wrzburg district are the riesling1 the traminer1 the elbling1 and the rulander1 or pineau gris4 ,the first sparkling wine establishment at ,wrzburg was founded in #ahdb by ,herr ,oppmann1 the ,royal cellar-master1 who died in #ahff4 ,the position held by this individual was one of considerable importance1 for the ,king of ,bavaria is the largest wine-grower in his own dominions1 and stores the produce of his vineyards in the famous cellars extending beneath one of the wings of the deserted ,residenz1 erected at an epoch when ,wrzburg was subject to episcopal rule4 ,these cellars1 vaulted in stone1 are on a vast scale1 and possibly unequalled in the world4 ,you descend a broad flight of steps1 flanked by ornamental iron balustrades1 and encounter half-way down a miniature tun1 guarded by the ,bavarian lions posted in a niche in the wall4 ,following your guide with lighted candles1 you pass between rows upon rows of capacious casks filled with the wine last vintaged1 and various wines of recent years2 large metal chandeliers--fantastically adorned with innumerable coloured bottles and glasses1 and designed to light up the cellars on festive occasions--here and there descending from the arched roof4 ,eventually you arrive at a gallery where huge casks are poised on massive wooden frames in double tiers one above the other4 ,these cellars are said to be capable of holding upwards of #ejj casks1 but at the time of our visit there were scarcely half that number1 and only a mere fraction of these were filled with wine4 ,the cellars no longer contain any of that archaic wine vintaged in #aedf1 for which they were formerly celebrated4 ,indeed1 all the historic vintages1 once their boast1 were removed some years ago to ,munich and deposited in the ,royal cellars there4 ,of the ancient ornamental tuns holding their ten thousand gallons each1 which the ,wrzburg cellars formerly contained1 only a single one remains1 constructed in the year #aghd4 ,this tun1 carved on the front with the ,bavarian arms1 is about the dimensions of a fair-sized apartment1 and being no longer filled with wine1 a ,diogenes of the period might take up his abode in it with perfect comfort4 ,herr ,michael ,oppmann1 who has succeeded to the establishment founded by his father1 prepares several varieties of white sparkling ,franconian wine1 with two kinds of red1 and also sparkling hocks and moselles4 ,the first-named wines are vintaged in the best vineyards of ,lower ,franconia1 in the valley of the ,main1 and the ,baden ,oberland1 the finer qualities being principally produced from the black clevener grape1 usually vintaged the first or second week in ,october4 ,the white grape vintage occurs some fortnight or more later1 and the wine is bottled either late in the spring or during the coming summer4 ,its after-manipulation differs in no respect from that pursued with reference to champagne4 ,herr ,oppmann1 whose wines have met with favourable recognition at various foreign and home ,exhibitions1 prepares both sweet and dry varieties4 ,their chief market is ,germany1 although they are exported in fair quantities to ,belgium1 ,england1 and ,northern ,europe4 ,another sparkling wine establishment was founded at ,wrzburg by ,herr ,f4 ,a4 ,siligmuller in #ahdc4 ,the wine from white grapes employed by him is vintaged partly in his own vineyards on the ,stein and the ,harfe1 and partly in other ,main vineyards1 at ,randersacker1 ,escheradorf1 c41 the wine used by him from red grapes coming from the ,baden ,oberland around the so-called ,kaisers-stuhl--an isolated vine-clad dolerite mountain bordering the ,rhine1 and on the verge almost of the ,black ,forest--and from the neighbourhood of ,offenburg1 one of the ancient imperial free towns1 which has lately raised a statue to ,sir ,francis ,drake1 the introducer1 as the inscription says1 of the potato into ,europe4 ,the vintage here1 which commences fully a fortnight earlier than around ,wrzburg1 usually takes place about the beginning of ,october1 and the wine is bottled in the height of the following summer4 ,herr ,siligmuller's wines1 of which there are four qualities1 were awarded a medal for progress at the ,vienna ,exhibition of #ahgc4 ,illustration3 ,,at ,,ahrweiler4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,spanish ,,vintage ,,scene4 ,,xviii4--,,the ,,sparkling ,,wines ,,of ,,austro-,,hungary1 ,,switzerland1 ,,italy1 ,,spain1 ,,russia1 c4 ,sparkling ,voslauer-- ,the ,sparkling ,wine ,manufactories of ,graz-- ,establishment of ,kleinoscheg ,brothers-- ,vintaging and ,treatment of ,styrian ,champagnes-- ,sparkling ,red1 ,rose1 and ,white ,wines of ,hungary-- ,the ,establishment of ,hubert and ,habermann at ,pressburg-- ,sparkling ,wines of ,croatia1 ,galicia1 ,bohemia1 ,moravia1 ,dalmatia1 the ,tyrol1 ,transylvania1 and the ,banat-- ,neuchtel ,champagne-- ,sparkling ,wine ,factories at ,vevay and ,sion-- ,the ,vevay ,vineyards-- ,establishment of ,de ,riedmatten and ,de ,quay-- ,sparkling ,muscatel1 ,malmsey1 ,brachetto1 ,castagnolo1 and ,lacryma ,christi of ,italy-- ,sparkling ,wines of ,spain1 ,greece1 ,algeria1 and ,russia-- ,the ,krimski and ,donski ,champagnes-- ,the ,latter ,chiefly ,consumed at the ,great ,russian ,fairs4 ,sparkling wines are made in various parts of ,austria and ,hungary1 and of late years their produce has been largely on the increase4 ,at ,voslau1 in the vicinity of the picturesque and fashionable summer watering-place of ,baden1 about twenty miles south of ,vienna1 ,herr ,r4 ,schlumberger1 one of my colleagues on the wine jury at the ,vienna and ,paris ,exhibitions of #ahgc and '#h1 makes a white sparkling ,voslauer--introduced into ,england some years since--from the blue portuguese1 the burgundy 7the pineau noir71 the rulander 7the pineau gris71 and the riesling varieties of grape4 ,it is1 however1 at ,graz1 the capital of ,styria1 picturesquely situated on the river ,mur1 and surrounded by lofty mountains1 where sparkling wines are made upon the largest scale and with the most success4 ,by far the principal manufactory is that of ,kleinoscheg ,brothers1 founded in the year #ahej1 at an epoch when the larger ,styrian wine-growers were directing their attention to the general improvement of their vineyards4 ,the firm gained their knowledge of sparkling wines by practical experience acquired in the ,champagne itself1 and to-day they unquestionably produce some of the best sparkling wines that are made out of ,france4 ,they possess extensive vineyards of their own1 and are also large purchasers of wines from the best districts1 including ,pettau1 ,radkersburg1 the ,picherergebirge1 and ,luttenberg1 the latter yielding the finest wine which ,styria produces1 vintaged from the mosler or furmint--that is1 the ,tokay variety of grape4 ,white wine from the clevener grape1 understood to be identical with the pineau noir of ,burgundy and the ,champagne1 and vintaged early in ,october1 forms the basis of the sparkling wines manufactured by ,kleinoscheg ,brothers4 ,the produce of several other grapes1 however1 enters in a limited degree into the blend1 including the riesling1 the rulander or pineau gris1 and the portuguese1 the gathering of which is usually delayed several weeks later1 and is sometimes even deferred until the end of ,november4 ,the first and second pressings of the black grapes yield a white must as in the ,champagne1 while the third and fourth give a pink wine of which the firm make a speciality4 ,the wines1 which are treated precisely after the system pursued in the ,champagne1 are bottled during the months of ,july and ,august1 and are made either sweet or dry according to the country they are destined for4 ,considerable shipments of the dry pale ,styrian champagne take place to ,england1 where the firm also send a delicate sparkling muscatel and a sparkling red burgundy1 which will favourably compare with the best sparkling wines of the ,cte d',or4 ,they have also a large market for their wines in ,austria1 ,germany1 ,italy1 and ,switzerland1 and export to ,british ,north ,america1 the ,east ,indies1 ,china1 ,japan1 and ,australia4 ,from the year #ahee up to the present time the firm of ,kleinoscheg ,brothers have been awarded no less than sixteen medals for their sparkling wines at various important home and foreign exhibitions4 ,at ,marburg on the river ,drave1 in the vicinity of the ,bacher ,mountains1 which stretch far into ,carinthia1 and have their lower slopes covered with vines1 ,herr ,f4 ,auchmann has established a successful sparkling wine manufactory4 ,the raw wine comes from the vineyards around ,marburg and from ,pettau1 some ten or twelve miles lower down the ,drave4 ,the vintage commonly lasts from the middle of ,october until the middle of ,november4 ,black grapes of the clevener and portuguese varieties are pressed as in the ,champagne1 so as to yield a white must1 with which a certain portion of white wine from the mosler or furmint grape is subsequently mingled4 ,the bottling takes place as early as ,april or ,may4 ,the wines are principally consumed in ,austria1 but are also exported to ,russia1 ,italy1 ,egypt1 the ,danubian ,principalities1 ,australia1 c4 ,sparkling wines seem to be made in various parts of ,hungary1 judging from the samples sent to the ,vienna and ,paris ,exhibitions from ,pesth1 ,pressburg1 ,oedenburg1 ,pcs1 ,velencze1 and ,kolozsvr4 ,rose-colour wines are evidently much in favour with the respective manufacturers1 several of whom make sparkling red wines as well1 but with none of the success of their ,styrian neighbours4 ,the best ,hungarian sparkling wines we have met with are those of ,hubert and ,habermann1 made at ,pressburg1 the former capital of ,hungary1 where its kings1 after being crowned1 used to ride up the ,knigsberg brandishing the sword of ,st4 ,stephen towards the four points of the compass in token of their determination to defend the kingdom against all enemies4 ,the white sparkling wines are made exclusively from white grapes grown in the neighbouring vineyards of ,bsing1 ,genau1 and ,st4 ,georgen1 but the firm make red sparkling wines as well from the produce of the ,ratzersdorf and ,wainor vineyards4 ,the vintage takes place some time in ,october1 and the wines are bottled both in the spring and autumn1 but never until they are fully twelve months old4 ,with these variations the system pursued with regard to the wines is the same as is followed in the ,champagne4 ,there are several other sparkling wine manufacturers at ,pressburg1 and the principal market for these wines is ,austro-,hungary1 but shipments of them are made to ,england1 the ,united ,states1 ,india1 ,roumania1 and ,servia4 ,the production of sparkling wine in ,hungary is now estimated to amount to one million bottles annually4 ,in ,croatia ,prince ,lippe-,schaumburg has established a sparkling wine manufactory at ,slatina1 where he produces a so-called ,riesling-,champagner1 and it would appear from the collection of ,austro-,hungarian sparkling wines exhibited at ,vienna by ,herr ,bogdan ,hoff of ,cracow1 that these wines are also made at ,melnik1 in ,bohemia1 at ,bisenz in ,moravia1 at ,sebenicodi ,maraschino in ,dalmatia1 at ,botzen in the ,tyrol1 at ,tasnad in ,transylvania1 and at ,weiss-,kirchen in the ,banat4 ,all these wines had been submitted to examination at the ,imperial oeno-chemical laboratory at ,klosterneuberg1 and one was not surprised to find that the majority were pronounced to be of too robust a character for transformation into sparkling wines4 ,switzerland long since turned its attention to the manufacture of sparkling wines1 not1 however1 to meet the requirements of its own population1 but those of the many tourists with well-lined purses who annually explore its valleys1 lakes1 and mountains4 ,neuchtel champagne has met with a certain amount of success1 and at the present time there are a couple of establishments devoted to its production1 the best known being that of ,bouvier frres4 ,there are1 moreover1 sparkling wine manufactories at ,vevay in the ,vaud ,canton1 and at ,sion in the ,valais4 ,in the ,canton of ,neuchtel the best ,swiss red wines are produced--notably ,cortaillod and ,faverge of a ruby hue and ,burgundy-like flavour--and the sparkling wine manufacturers of the district wisely blend a considerable proportion of wine from black grapes with that from white when making their cuves4 ,vaud1 on the other hand1 being noted for white wines bearing some resemblance to certain ,rhine growths1 it is of these that sparkling wines are exclusively made at ,vevay4 ,the ,vevay vineyards occupy the heights which skirt the ,lake of ,geneva on its northern side4 ,the innumerable terraces1 steep and difficult of access to the toiling vine-dresser1 on which the vines are planted1 are the result of centuries of patient labour4 ,here the vine seems to flourish at an altitude of more than #a1hjj feet above the sea level4 ,to compensate for the deficiency of sunshine the leaves are largely stripped from the vines so as to expose the fruit1 and thereby assist its ripening4 ,the sparkling wine factory at ,sion1 bordering the river ,rhne1 in the ,canton of the ,valais1 was established in #ahgb by ,,mm4 de ,riedmatten and ,de ,quay1 who derive their raw wine from vineyards in the immediate neighbourhood1 almost all of which have a southern exposure1 and occupy gentle slopes4 ,the soil chiefly consists of a decomposed limestone schist1 locally termed bris4 ,in these vineyards1 and more especially the district known as the ,clavaux1 some of the best and most alcoholic wines in ,switzerland are produced4 ,the firm originally experimented with the choicer and more powerful growths1 and1 as may be imagined1 soon discovered they were not well adapted for conversion into sparkling wines4 ,to-day they limit themselves to wines produced from what is known as the fendant variety of grape1 said by some to be identical with the ,german riesling1 and by others to be of the same type as the ,french chasselas4 ,the vintage in the ,valais is the earliest in ,switzerland1 taking place in favourable years at the close of ,september1 but ordinarily in the course of ,october4 ,some fine white candy syrup is added to the wine at the epoch of bottling1 in order to provoke the requisite effervescence1 which it does so effectually that the tirage is obliged to take place some time between ,november and ,may1 as at any other period the temperature would be too high and the bottles would burst4 ,,mm4 ,riedmatten and ,de ,quay have two varieties of sparkling wine--their ,carte ,blanche1 which goes under the name of ,mont ,blanc1 and is rather sweet1 and their ,carte ,verte known as ,glacier de ,rhne1 a drier variety and finding a readier sale4 ,of late years1 since many improvements have been effected in ,italy both in the cultivation of the vineyards and the vintaging of the wine1 numerous attempts have been made1 although on the whole with but indifferent success1 to produce a good sparkling wine4 ,the principal seat of the manufacture is ,asti1 where the ,societa ,unione ,enofila make considerable quantities of a common strong sweet sparkling wine1 as well as a sparkling muscatel4 ,alessandria1 ,ancona1 ,bologna1 ,castagnolo1 ,genoa1 ,modena1 ,naples1 ,palermo1 and ,treviso also profess to make sparkling wines1 but only in insignificant quantities4 ,alessandria produces sparkling malmsey and red sparkling brachetto2 and on the ,marquis ,della ,stufa's estate of ,castagnolo a sparkling wine is manufactured from the currajola variety of grape1 one of the best in the ,tuscan vineyards4 ,the vines at ,castagnolo are cultivated in accordance with the ,french system1 and at the vintage all unripe and unsound grapes are thrown aside4 ,there is an evident flavour of the muscat grape in the ,castagnolo sparkling wine1 which has the merit of lightness and of being well made4 ,the alcoholic strength is equivalent to rather more than #bj of proof spirit1 and the highest quality wine is remarkable for its excessive dryness in comparison with all other samples of ,italian sparkling wines that we have met with4 ,naples appears to confine itself to producing sparkling white lacryma christi1 for which1 as a curiosity1 there exists a certain demand4 ,spain of late years has shown itself equally ambitious with ,italy to achieve distinction in the production of sparkling wines1 and at the ,paris ,exhibition of #ahgh there were samples from the majority of the wine centres skirting the ,mediterranean coast1 including ,gerona1 ,barcelona1 ,tarragona1 and ,valencia4 ,other samples come from ,logroo1 in the north of ,spain2 and years ago sparkling wine used to be made at ,villaviciosa1 on the ,bay of ,biscay4 ,to ,paris there were also sent samples of sparkling orange wine1 an agreeable beverage1 and unquestionably preferable to the majority of ,spanish sparkling wines composed of the juice of the grape4 ,greek sparkling wines1 said to be of very fair quality1 are made at ,athens1 ,corinth1 and ,tripoliza1 and are exported in moderate quantities to ,russia4 ,algeria1 too1 is turning its attention to the production of sparkling wines1 but solely for home consumption1 and at the ,paris ,exhibition there was a sparkling wine from ,uruguay1 but of execrable quality4 ,the sparkling wines of the ,crimea and the ,don1 known in ,russia respectively as ,krimski and ,donski champagnes1 are described as being superior to much of the wine which passes in ,england under the name of champagne4 ,in ,russia it is the fashion to speak contemptuously of them1 just as rhubarb and gooseberry champagne is spoken of in ,england1 still these ,crimean and ,don products are genuine wines1 and1 though somewhat sweet1 may be drunk with satisfaction and in moderate quantities with impunity4 ,one of the best ,donski brands is that of ,abrahamof1 and as much as six roubles per bottle is demanded for the finer qualities at ,novoi ,tscherkash4 ,about a million bottles of the ,donski champagne are exported annually1 but the wine finds its principal market at the great ,russian fairs1 where almost every important bargain is wetted with sparkling ,donski4 ,illustration3 ,,vintage ,,scene ,,in ,,the ,,united ,,states4 ,,xix4--,,the ,,sparkling ,,wines ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states4 ,earliest ,efforts at ,wine-,making in ,america-- ,failures to ,acclimatise ,european ,vines-- ,wines ,made by the ,swiss ,settlers and the ,mission ,fathers-- ,the ,yield of the ,mission ,vineyards-- ,the ,monster ,vine of the ,montecito ,valley-- ,the ,catawba ,vine and its ,general ,cultivation-- ,mr4 ,longworth one of the ,founders of ,american ,viticulture-- ,fresh ,attempts to make ,sparkling ,wine at ,cincinnati-- ,existing ,sparkling ,wine ,manufactures there-- ,longfellow's ,song in ,praise of ,catawba-- ,the ,kelley ,island ,wine ,company-- ,vintaging and ,treatment of their ,sparkling ,wines-- ,decrease of ,consumption-- ,the ,vineyards of ,hammondsport-- ,varieties of ,grapes used for ,sparkling ,wines-- ,the ,vintage-- ,after-,treatment of the ,wines-- ,the ,pleasant ,valley and ,urbana ,wine ,companies and their ,various ,brands-- ,californian ,sparkling ,wines-- ,the ,buena ,vista ,vinicultural ,society of ,san ,francisco-- ,its ,early ,failures and ,eventual ,success in ,manufacturing ,sparkling ,wines-- ,the ,vintage in ,california-- ,chinese ,vintagers-- ,how the ,wine is ,made-- ,american ,spurious ,sparkling ,wines4 ,from the earliest period of the colonisation of ,america the vine appears to have attracted the attention of the settlers1 and it is said that as early as #aefd wine was made from the native grape in ,florida4 ,the first attempts to establish a regular vineyard date1 however1 from #afbj1 and would seem to have been made in ,virginia with ,european vines1 the prospects having become sufficiently encouraging in #afcj for the colonists to send for ,french vine-dressers to tend their plants4 ,the latter were subsequently accused of ruining the vines by their bad treatment1 but most likely this was an error1 it having since been made evident that ,european vines cannot be successfully cultivated east of the ,rocky ,mountains1 where the phylloxera vastatrix prevails4 ,it was in vain that ,william ,penn made repeated attempts to acclimatise ,european vines in ,pennsylvania1 that the ,swiss emigrants--vine-growers from the ,lake of ,geneva--made similar trials1 they having expended ten thousand dollars to no purpose4 ,in vain1 in ,jessamine county1 ,kentucky1 ,pierre ,legaud laboured in the environs of ,philadelphia1 and ,lakanal1 the member of the ,french ,convention1 experimented in ,tennessee1 ,ohio1 and ,alabama2 all their efforts to introduce the ,old ,world vines proved futile4 ,the attempts that were made by ,swiss settlers at ,vevay1 in ,indiana1 with the indigenous plants were more successful1 and after a time they managed to produce some palatable wine from the ,schuylkill muscatel4 ,towards the latter part of the #ahth century the ,mission ,fathers had succeeded in planting vineyards in ,california4 ,it is known that in #agga the vine was cultivated there1 and the ,san ,gabriel ,mission in the county of ,los ,angeles1 some #cjj miles ,s4,e4 of ,san ,francisco1 is said to have possessed the first vineyard4 ,a prevalent belief is1 that the vines were from roots or cuttings obtained from either ,spain or ,mexico1 but it is also conjectured that they were some of the wild varieties known to be scattered over the country1 while a third theory suggests that as attempts to make wine from the wild grapes would most likely have proved a failure1 the ,fathers planted the seeds of raisins which had come from ,spain4 ,the culture must have progressed rapidly1 if1 as stated1 there were planted at ,san ,gabriel in a single spring no fewer than #dj1jjj vines4 ,these mission vines were mainly of two sorts1 the one yielding a white grape with a musky flavour1 and the other a dark blue fruit4 ,the latter was the favourite1 doubtless from its produce bearing some resemblance to the red wines of ,old ,castile4 ,from ,san ,gabriel the planting of the vine extended from mission to mission until each owned its patch of vineland4 ,at the time of the arrival of the ,americans in #ahdf the smallest of these was five acres in extent1 and others as many as thirty acres1 and it is calculated the average yield was from #gjj to #a1jjj gallons of wine per acre4 ,this was owing first to the exceeding richness of the soil1 and secondly to its being well irrigated4 ,if the celebrated mission vine grown on one of the sunny slopes overlooking the lovely ,montecito valley near ,santa ,barbara on the blue ,pacific had many fellows in the ,fathers' vineyards1 the above estimate can hardly be an exaggerated one4 ,the stem of this vine1 which is four feet four inches in circumference at the ground1 rises eight feet before branching out4 ,the branches1 under which the country people are fond of dancing1 and which are supported by fifty-two trellises1 extend over more than #e1jjj square feet4 ,this monster vine produces annually from five to six tons of grapes1 and one year it yielded no fewer than #g1jjj bunches1 each from one to four pounds in weight4 ,it is irrigated by water from the hot springs1 situated a few miles distant1 and is believed to be from half to three-quarters of a century old4 ,viticulture and vinification languished in the ,united ,states until attention was called in #ahbf to the catawba vine by ,major ,adlum1 of ,georgetown1 near ,washington1 who thought that by so doing he was conferring a greater benefit on his country than if he had liquidated its national debt4 ,this vine1 which is derived from the wild ,vitis labrusca1 was first planted on an extensive scale by ,nicholas ,longworth1 justly looked upon as one of the founders of ,american viticulture1 and gradually supplanted all others1 remaining for many years the principal plant cultivated along the banks of the ,ohio--the so-called ,rhine of ,america--until1 ceaselessly attacked by rot1 mildew1 and leaf-blight1 it was found necessary in many places to supplant it by more robust varieties4 ,mr4 ,longworth1 about the year #ahcg1 among his numerous experiments at ,cincinnati1 included that of making sparkling wines from the catawba1 isabella1 and other varieties of grapes1 and to-day there are several manufactories of sparkling catawba and other wines in the capital of ,ohio--the self-named ,queen city1 which its detractors have jocularly dubbed ,porcopolis on account of the immense trade done there in smoked and salted pork4 ,the chief sparkling wine establishments at ,cincinnati are those of ,messrs4 ,werk and ,sons1 whose sparkling catawba obtained a medal for progress at the ,vienna ,exhibition in #ahgc1 and who have1 moreover1 largely experimented with ives' and virginia seedlings1 delaware and other grapes1 in making effervescent wines1 though only with doubtful success4 ,another ,cincinnati firm is that of ,messrs4 ,george ,bogen and ,co41 whose sparkling wines also met with recognition at ,vienna4 ,the reader will remember ,longfellow's well-known song extolling catawba wine1 which1 with more than a poet's licence1 he ranks above the best of the ,old ,world vintages3-- ,there grows no vine ,by the haunted ,rhine1 ,by ,danube or ,guadalquivir1 ,nor on island nor cape1 ,that bears such a grape ,as grows by the ,beautiful ,river4 ,very good in its way ,is the ,verzenay1 ,or the ,sillery1 soft and creamy1 ,but ,catawba wine ,has a taste more divine1 ,more dulcet1 delicious1 and dreamy4 ,on ,kelley's ,island1 ,erie county1 also in the ,state of ,ohio1 a wine company1 established in #ahff1 and trading principally in still wines1 makes sparkling wines upon a considerable scale exclusively from the catawba variety of grape1 which is cultivated in its highest perfection both on the islands of ,lake ,erie and along a narrow slip of territory not two miles long bordering the southern shore of the lake1 and also in the vicinity of ,lake ,keuka1 near ,hammondsport1 ,n4,y4 ,the ,kelley ,island ,wine ,company1 as it is styled1 presses the grapes between the middle of ,october and the end of ,november1 and bottles from about the #bjth ,may until the commencement of ,july in the year following4 ,its brands are ,island ,queen1 ,nonpareil1 and ,carte ,blanche4 ,ninety-five per cent4 of the wines are dry1 and the tendency of the market is in favour of a still drier article4 ,shipments are principally confined to the ,united ,states1 the great centre of the trade being ,st4 ,louis1 on the ,mississippi1 which has its own sparkling wine establishments1 and to-day disputes with ,chicago the title of ,queen of the ,west4 ,the company keep some #ajj1jjj bottles of sparkling wines in stock1 and possess facilities for bottling five times that quantity whenever the demand might warrant such a step being taken4 ,of recent years1 however1 economy has been the rule in ,american society1 and the market for native sparkling wines at any rate is to-day a reduced one4 ,at ,hammondsport1 south of ,lake ,keuka--in other words1 ,crooked ,lake--and in the ,state of ,new ,york1 the establishments of the ,pleasant ,valley and ,urbana wine companies1 devoting their attention to both still and sparkling wines1 are installed4 ,the region1 which enthusiastic writers now term the ,champagne of ,america1 was colonised in #agic1 and vines of the catawba and isabella varieties were first planted for the purpose of making wine in #ahed4 ,at the present time there are about #h1jjj acres under cultivation with all the better species of vines4 ,the produce from black and white grapes is mingled for the sparkling wines of the district4 ,of the former but two kinds are considered suitable1 the concord and the isabella1 both being varieties of the indigenous labrusca1 or so-called foxy-flavoured grape4 ,the concord is a hardy and productive plant1 producing large and compact bunches of large round sweet grapes1 yielding a wine of the obnoxious foxy flavour4 ,the isabella is an equally hardy and productive variety1 and its bunches are of good size1 although not compact4 ,its berries1 too1 are large1 oval1 and juicy1 and marked by a strong musky aroma4 ,of the white1 or rather pale-coloured grapes--for their hue is usually a reddish one--used for sparkling wines1 the principal is the catawba1 also of the labrusca variety4 ,the branches are large and tolerably compact2 the berries1 too1 are above the medium size1 and have a rich vinous and pronounced musky flavour4 ,other so-called white species of grapes are the diana and the iona1 both1 of them seedlings of the catawba2 the delaware1 the bunches of which are rather small but compact1 the berries round1 extremely juicy and fresh-tasting1 but sweet and aromatic1 the wine produced from which is noted for its fragrant bouquet2 and1 lastly1 the walter1 a variety obtained by crossing the delaware with the diana4 ,the bunches and berries of the walter are of medium size2 the flavour1 like that of the delaware1 is sweet and aromatic2 and the grape is1 moreover1 remarkable for its agreeable bouquet4 ,illustration ,the vintage usually commences about the end of ,september or the commencement of ,october1 and the grapes1 after being carefully sorted1 are run through a small mill1 which breaks the skins1 and admits of the juice running the more readily out when the fruit is placed beneath the press4 ,the latter is worked with a metal screw1 and the must is conducted through pipes or hose to casks holding from two to four thousand gallons each1 in which it ferments4 ,during the following ,may the wine is carefully blended1 and the operation of bottling commences and lasts for about two or three months4 ,the newly-bottled wine is at first stored in a warm place in order to start the fermentation again1 and when the bottles commence to burst it is removed to the subterranean vaults1 where it remains stacked in a horizontal fashion until the time arrives to force the sediment down upon the corks4 ,this is accomplished precisely as in the ,champagne1 the subsequent disgorging and liqueuring being also effected according to the orthodox ,french system4 ,altogether a couple of years elapse between the epoch of bottling and shipment1 and during this interval each bottle is handled upwards of two hundred times4 ,the ,pleasant ,valley ,wine ,company1 established in #ahfj for the commerce of still wines1 in which it continues to do an extensive business1 commenced five years later to make sparkling wines4 ,it grows its own grapes and consumes annually about #a1ejj tons of fruit1 bottling from #bjj1jjj to #cjj1jjj bottles of sparkling wine in the course of the year4 ,its brands are the ,great ,western1 of which there is a dry and an extra dry variety1 the ,carte ,blanche1 and the ,pleasant ,valley4 ,even the extra dry variety of the first-named wine tastes sweet in comparison with a moderately dry champagne1 in addition to which its flavour1 though agreeable1 is certainly too pronounced for a sparkling wine of high quality4 ,the wines1 which secured a medal for progress at the ,vienna ,exhibition of #ahgc1 are sold in every city in the ,united ,states1 and the company also does a small but increasing trade with ,england and ,south ,america4 ,the ,urbana ,wine ,company1 also established at ,hammondsport at the same epoch as its rival1 deals1 like the latter1 in still wines as well4 ,it has three brands--the ,gold ,seal1 of which there is an extra dry variety1 the ,imperial1 and the ,royal ,rose4 ,at ,vienna a diploma of merit was awarded to these wines1 for which a considerable market is found throughout the ,united ,states and in the ,west ,indies and ,south ,america4 ,the ,urbana ,wine ,company produces excellent sparkling wines of singular lightness and of delicate though distinctive flavour4 ,in our judgment the drier varieties are greatly to be preferred4 ,the prices of all the ,american sparkling wines are certainly high1 being almost equivalent to the price of first-class champagnes taken at ,reims and ,epernay4 ,in ,california the manufacture of sparkling wines is carried on with considerable success1 and at the ,vienna ,exhibition the ,buena ,vista ,vinicultural ,society of ,san ,francisco was awarded a medal for progress for the excellent samples it sent there4 ,the society was originally organised by ,colonel ,haraszthy1 the pioneer in recent times of ,californian viticulture4 ,it commenced manufacturing sparkling wines with the assistance of experienced workmen from ,epernay and ,ay2 but the endeavours1 extending over some three or four years1 were attended with but indifferent success1 very few cuves proving of fair quality1 whilst with the majority the wine had to be emptied from the bottles and distilled into brandy4 ,the son of ,colonel ,haraszthy subsequently succeeded1 in conjunction with ,mr4 ,isidor ,landsberger1 of ,san ,francisco1 in discovering the cause of these failures1 and for ten years past the wine has been constantly improving in quality owing to the increased use of foreign grapes1 which yield a vin brut with a delicate bouquet and flavour approaching in character to the finer champagnes4 ,the wine is perfectly pure1 no flavouring extracts or spirit being employed in the composition of the liqueur1 which1 is composed merely of sugar-candy dissolved in fine old wine4 ,a ,french connoisseur pronounces sparkling ,sonoma to be the best of ,american sparkling wines1 clean and fresh1 tasting1 with the flavour of a middle-class ,ay growth1 as well as remarkably light and delicate1 and possessed of considerable effervescence4 ,the ,sonoma valley vineyards produce the lightest wines of all the ,californian growths1 some of the white varieties indicating merely #ae of proof spirit1 and the red ones no more than #ag4 ,the vintage takes place towards the end of ,october1 and the grapes are gathered by ,chinamen1 who will each pick his #ab to #ad cwt4 of grapes a day for the wage of a dollar4 ,light wooden boxes are used for holding the grapes1 which are stripped from their stalks on their arrival at the press-house1 and then partially crushed by a couple of revolving rollers4 ,an inclined platform beneath receives them1 and after the expressed juice has been run off into cask they are removed to the press1 and the must subsequently extracted is added to that forced out by the rollers4 ,when white wine is being made from black grapes the pressure is less continuous1 and the must is of course separated at once from the skins4 ,the fermentation1 which is violent for some ten or twelve hours1 ceases in about a fortnight1 providing a temperature of from #gj to #ge ,fahr4 is maintained in the vaults4 ,the wine is racked at the new year1 and again before the blending and bottling of it in the spring4 ,the ,californian sparkling wines not only find a market in the eastern ,states1 but are sent across the ,pacific to the ,sandwich ,islands1 ,japan1 ,china1 and even to wine-producing ,australia1 which has not yet succeeded in producing sparkling wines of its own4 ,the manufacture of spurious sparkling wines is carried on to some extent in the ,united ,states4 ,the raw wine is cleared by fining it with albumen or gelatine and with alum2 the latter substance imparting to it great brilliancy4 ,after being dosed with a flavoured syrup the wine is charged like soda-water with carbonic acid gas by placing the bottles under a fountain1 and as this gas is derived from marble dust and sulphuric acid1 it is liable to be impregnated with both lead and copper1 which have the effect of disorganising alike the wine and the consumers of it--nausea1 headache1 and other ills resulting from drinking sparkling wines made under such conditions4 ,illustration ,,xx4--,,concluding ,,facts ,,and ,,hints4 ,dry and ,sweet ,champagnes-- ,their ,sparkling ,properties-- ,form of ,champagne ,glasses-- ,style of ,sparkling ,wines ,consumed in ,different ,countries-- ,the ,colour and ,alcoholic ,strength of ,champagne-- ,champagne ,approved of by the ,faculty-- ,its ,use in ,nervous ,derangements-- ,the ,icing of ,champagne-- ,scarcity of ,grand ,vintages in the ,champagne-- ,the ,quality of the ,wine has little influence on the ,price-- ,prices realised by the ,ay and ,verzenay ,crs in ,grand ,years-- ,suggestions for ,laying down ,champagnes of ,grand ,vintages-- ,the ,improvement they ,develop after a few ,years-- ,the ,wine of #ahgd-- ,the proper kind of ,cellar to lay down ,champagne in-- ,advantages of ,burrow's ,patent ,slider ,wine ,bins-- ,increase in the ,consumption of ,champagne-- ,tabular ,statement of ,stocks1 ,exports1 and ,home ,consumption from #ahdd-e to #ahgg-h-- ,when to ,serve ,champagne at a ,dinner ,party-- ,charles ,dickens's dictum that its proper place is at a ,ball-- ,advantageous ,effect of ,champagne at an ordinary ,british ,dinner ,party-- ,sparkling ,wine ,cups4 ,when selecting a sparkling wine one fact should be borne in mind--that just as1 according to ,sam ,weller1 it is the seasoning which makes the pie mutton1 beef1 or veal1 so it is the liqueur which renders the wine dry or sweet1 light or strong4 ,a really palatable dry champagne1 emitting the fragrant bouquet which distinguishes all wines of fine quality1 free from added spirit1 is obliged to be made of the very best vin brut1 to which necessarily an exceedingly small percentage of liqueur will be added4 ,on the other hand1 a sweet champagne can be produced from the most ordinary raw wine--the ,yankees even claim to have evolved it from petroleum--as the amount of liqueur it receives completely masks its original character and flavour4 ,this excess of syrup1 it should be remarked1 contributes materially to the wine's explosive force and temporary effervescence1 but shortly after the bottle has been uncorked the wine becomes disagreeably flat4 ,a fine dry wine1 indebted as it is for its sparkling properties to the natural sweetness of the grape1 does not exhibit the same sudden turbulent effervescence4 ,it continues to sparkle1 however1 for a long time after being poured into the glass owing to the carbonic acid having been absorbed by the wine itself instead of being accumulated in the vacant space between the liquid and the cork1 as is the case with wines that have been highly liqueured4 ,even when its carbonic acid gas is exhausted a good champagne will preserve its fine flavour1 which the effervescence will have assisted to conceal4 ,champagne1 it should be noted1 sparkles best in tall tapering glasses2 still these have their disadvantages1 promoting as they do an excess of froth when the wine is poured into them1 and almost preventing any bouquet which the wine possesses from being recognised4 ,manufacturers of champagne and other sparkling wines prepare them dry or sweet1 light or strong1 according to the markets for which they are designed4 ,the sweet wines go to ,russia and ,germany1 the sweet-toothed ,muscovite regarding ,m4 ,louis ,roederer's syrupy product as the beau-idal of champagne1 and the ,germans demanding wines with #bj or more per cent4 of liqueur1 or nearly quadruple the quantity that is contained in the average champagnes shipped to ,england4 ,france consumes light and moderately sweet wines2 the ,united ,states gives a preference to the intermediate qualities2 ,china1 ,india1 and other hot countries stipulate for light dry wines2 while the very strong ones go to ,australia1 the ,cape1 and other places where gold and diamonds and such-like trifles are from time to time prospected4 ,not merely the driest but the very best wines of the best manufacturers1 and commanding of course the highest prices1 are invariably reserved for the ,english market4 ,foreigners cannot understand the marked preference shown in ,england for exceedingly dry sparkling wines4 ,they do not consider that as a rule they are drunk during dinner with the plats1 and not at dessert1 with all kinds of sweets1 fruits1 and ices1 as is almost invariably the case abroad4 ,good champagne is usually of a pale straw colour1 but with nothing of a yellow tinge about it4 ,when its tint is pinkish this is owing to a portion of the colouring matter having been extracted from the skins of the grapes--a contingency which every pains are taken to avoid1 although1 since the success achieved by the wine of #ahgd1 slightly pink wines are likely to be the fashion4 ,the positive pink or rose-coloured champagnes1 such as were in fashion some thirty years ago1 are simply tinted with a small quantity of deep red wine4 ,the alcoholic strength of the drier wines ranges from #ah of proof spirit upwards1 or slightly above the ordinary ,bordeaux1 and under all the better-class ,rhine wines4 ,champagnes when loaded with a highly alcoholized liqueur will1 however1 at times mark #cj degrees of proof spirit4 ,the lighter and drier the sparkling wine the more wholesome it is1 the saccharine element in conjunction with alcohol being not only difficult of digestion1 but generally detrimental to health4 ,the faculty are agreed that fine dry champagnes are among the safest wines that can be partaken of4 ,any intoxicating effects are rapid but exceedingly transient1 and arise from the alcohol suspended in the carbonic acid being applied rapidly and extensively to the surface of the stomach4 ,champagne1 said ,curran1 simply gives a runaway rap at a man's head4 ,dr4 ,druitt1 equally distinguished by his studies upon wine and his standing as a physician1 pronounces good champagne to be a true stimulant to body and mind alike1 rapid1 volatile1 transitory1 and harmless4 ,amongst the maladies which are benefited by it1 remarks he1 is the true neuralgia1 intermitting fits of excruciating pain running along certain nerves1 without inflammation of the affected part1 often a consequence of malaria1 or of some other low and exhausting causes4 ,to enumerate the cases in which champagne is of service would be to give a whole nosology4 ,who does not know the misery1 the helplessness of that abominable ailment1 influenza1 whether a severe cold or the genuine epidemic8 ,let the faculty dispute about the best remedy if they please2 but a sensible man with a bottle of champagne will beat them all4 ,moreover1 whenever there is pain1 with exhaustion and lowness1 then ,dr4 ,champagne should be had up4 ,there is something excitant in the wine2 doubly so in the sparkling wine1 which the moment it touches the lips sends an electric telegram of comfort to every remote nerve4 ,nothing comforts and rests the stomach better1 or is a greater antidote to nausea4 ,champagne of fine quality should never be mixed with ice or iced water2 neither should it be iced to the extent champagnes ordinarily are1 for1 in the first place1 the natural lightness of the wine is such as not to admit of its being diluted without utterly spoiling it1 and in the next1 excessive cold destroys alike the fragrant bouquet of the wine and its delicate vinous flavour4 ,really good champagne should not be iced below a temperature of #ej ,fahr41 whereas exceedingly sweet wines will bear icing down almost to freezing point1 and be rendered more palatable by the process4 ,the above remarks apply to all kinds of sparkling wine4 ,in the ,champagne what may be termed a really grand vintage commonly occurs only once1 and never more than twice1 in ten years4 ,during the same period1 however1 there will generally be one or two other tolerably good vintages4 ,in grand years the crop1 besides being of superior quality1 is usually abundant1 and as a consequence the price of the raw wine is scarcely higher than usual4 ,apparently from this circumstance the sparkling wine of grand vintages does not command an enhanced value1 as is the case with other fine wines4 ,it is only when speculators recklessly outbid each other for the grapes or the vin brut1 or when stocks are low and the vin brut is really scarce1 that the price of champagne appears to rise4 ,that superior quality does not involve enhanced price is proved by the amounts paid for the ,ay and ,verzenay crs in years of grand vintages4 ,during the present century these appear to have been #ahjb1 '#jf1 '#aa1 '#ah1 '#bb1 '#be1 '#cd1 '#db1 '#df1 '#eg1 '#fe1 '#fh1 and '#gd--that is1 thirteen grand vintages in nearly eighty years4 ,other good vintages1 although not equal to the foregoing1 occurred in the years #ahae1 '#cb1 '#ci1 '#eb1 '#ed1 '#eh1 '#fb1 '#fd1 and '#gj4 ,confining ourselves to the grand years1 we find that the ,ay wine of #ahcd1 owing to the crop being plentiful as well as good1 only realised from #aaj to #adj francs the pice of #dd gallons1 although for two years previously this had fetched from #aej to #bjj francs4 ,in #ahdb the price ranged from #abj to #aej francs1 whereas the vastly inferior wine of the year before had commanded from #baj to #bge francs4 ,in #ahdf1 the crop being a small one1 the price of the wine rose1 and in #aheg the pice fetched as much as from #dhj to #ejj francs1 still this was merely a trifle higher than it had realised the two preceding years4 ,in #ahfe the price was #chj to #djj francs1 and in #ahfh about the same1 whereas the indifferent vintages of #ahga1 '#gb1 and '#gc realised from #ejj to #a1jjj francs the pice4 ,it was very similar with the wine of ,verzenay4 ,in #ahcd the price of the pice ranged from #bhj to #cbe francs1 or about the average of the three preceding years4 ,in #ahdf1 the crop being scarce1 the price rose considerably1 while in #aheg1 when the crop was plentiful1 it fell to #ejj francs1 or from #e to #bj per cent4 below that of the two previous years1 when the yield was both inferior and less abundant4 ,in #ahfe the price rose #cc per cent4 above that of the year before2 still1 although ,verzenay wine of #ahfe and #ahfh fetched from #dbj to #dej francs the pice1 and that of #ahgd as much as #ijj francs1 the greatly inferior vintages of #ahgb-gc commanded #ijj and #a1jcj francs the pice4 ,consumers of champagne1 if wise1 would profit by the circumstance that quality has not the effect of causing a rise in prices1 and if they were bent upon drinking their favourite wine in perfection1 as one meets with it at the dinner-tables of the principal manufacturers1 who only put old wine of grand vintages before their guests1 they would lay down champagnes of good years in the same way as the choicer vintages of port1 burgundy1 and bordeaux are laid down4 ,champagne of #ahgd was a wine of this description1 with all its finer vinous qualities well developed1 and consequently needing age to attain not merely the roundness but the refinement of flavour pertaining to a high-class sparkling wine4 ,instead of being drunk a few months after it was shipped in the spring and summer of #ahgg1 as was the fate of much of the wine in question1 it needed being kept for three years at the very least to become even moderately round and perfect4 ,in the ,champagne one had many opportunities of tasting the grander vintages that had arrived at ten1 twelve1 or fifteen years of age1 and had thereby attained supreme excellence4 ,it is true their effervescence had moderated materially1 but their bouquet and flavour were perfect1 and their softness and delicacy something marvellous4 ,a great wine like that of #ahgd will go on improving for ten years1 providing it is only laid down under proper conditions4 ,these are1 first1 an exceedingly cool but perfectly dry cellar1 the temperature of which should be as low as from #ej to #ee ,fahr41 or even lower if this is practicable4 ,the cellar1 too1 should be neither over dark nor light1 scrupulously clean1 and sufficiently well ventilated for the air to be continuously pure4 ,it is requisite that the bottles should rest on their sides to prevent the corks shrinking1 and thus allowing both the carbonic acid and the wine itself to escape4 ,for laying down champagne or any kind of sparkling wine an iron wine-bin is by far the best4 ,i much prefer the patent slider bins made by ,messrs4 ,w4 and ,j4 ,burrow1 of ,malvern1 they being better adapted to the purpose than any other ,i am acquainted with4 ,in these the bottles rest on horizontal parallel bars of wrought-iron1 securely riveted into strong wrought-iron uprights1 both at the back and in front4 ,the bins can be obtained of any size--that is1 to hold as few as two or as many as forty dozen--and they can be had furnished with lattice doors1 secured by a lock4 ,one great advantage is that with them there is no waste of space1 for individual compartments can be at once refilled with fresh bottles after the other bottles have been removed4 ,these slider bins are especially adapted for laying down champagne1 as they admit of the air circulating freely around the bottles1 thus conducing to the preservation of the metal foil round their necks1 and keeping the temperature of the wine both cool and equable4 ,illustration ,illustration3 ,,wine-,,cellar ,,fitted ,,with ,,burrow',s ,,patent ,,slider ,,bins4 ,when binning the wine the bottles are held by their necks and slid into their places with such ease and safety that a child might be entrusted with the work4 ,the bottles can be withdrawn from the bin with equal or even greater facility4 ,breakage is avoided from each bottle having an independent bearing1 which prevents the upper bottles from either falling or weighing down upon those below1 and thereby crashing together4 ,the larger engraving shows a wine-cellar fitted up entirely with4 ,burrow's patent slider wine-bins1 while the smaller represents a bin adapted to laying down twenty dozens of champagne1 and the dimensions of which are merely #e feet #h inches by #c feet4 ,official ,return by the ,chamber of ,commerce at ,reims of ,the ,trade in ,champagne ,wines ,from ,april1 #ahdd1 ,to ,april1 #ahgh4 ,number of ,number of ,total number ,years1 from ,manufacturers' ,bottles ,bottles sold of ,bottles ,april to ,april4 ,stocks4 ,exported4 in ,france4 ,sold4 #ahdd-de #bc1bhe1bah #d1chj1bad #b1bee1dch #f1fce1feb #ahde-df #bb1hdg1iga #d1eje1cjh #b1eaj1fje #g1jae1iac #ahdf-dg #ah1hae1cfg #d1gaa1iae #b1cee1cff #g1jfg1bha #ahdg-dh #bc1abb1iid #d1hei1fbe #b1jib1ega #f1ieb1aif #ahdh-di #ba1bij1ahe #e1fhf1dhd #a1dgc1iff #g1afj1dej #ahdi-ej #bj1dii1aib #e1jja1jdd #a1gje1gce #f1gjf1ggi #ahej-ea #bj1ddd1iae #e1hff1iga #b1abb1efi #g1ihi1edj #ahea-eb #ba1ije1dgi #e1ieg1eeb #b1afb1hhj #h1abj1dcb #aheb-ec #ai1cgf1ifg #f1cee1egd #b1che1bag #h1gdj1gij #ahec-ed #ag1geg1gfi #g1hgh1cbj #b1ebh1gai #aj1djg1jci #ahed-ee #bj1ibb1iei #f1hie1ggc #b1deb1gdc #i1cdh1eaf #ahee-ef #ae1ieg1ada #g1acg1jja #b1efb1jci #i1fii1jdj #ahef-eg #ae1bbh1bid #h1dij1aih #b1dfh1hah #aj1iei1jaf #aheg-eh #ba1fbh1ggh #g1cfh1caj #b1dba1ded #i1ghi1gfd #aheh-ei #bh1cbh1bea #g1fff1fcc #b1hje1daf #aj1dgb1jdi #ahei-fj #ce1fdh1abd #h1bfe1cie #c1jci1fba #aa1cje1jaf #ahfj-fa #cj1bce1bfj #h1dhh1bbc #b1fig1ejh #aa1ahe1gca #ahfa-fb #cj1bed1bia #f1ijd1iae #b1eib1hge #i1dig1gij #ahfb-fc #bh1jac1ahi #g1icg1hcf #b1gfg1cga #aj1gje1bjg #ahfc-fd #bh1dff1ige #i1hea1ach #b1icd1iif #ab1ghf1acd #ahfd-fe #cc1bih1fgb #i1aja1dda #b1hja1fbf #aa1ijc1jfg #ahfe-ff #cd1age1dbi #aj1dac1dee #b1ghb1ggg #ac1aif1acb #ahff-fg #cg1fjh1gaf #aj1bhc1hhf #c1bah1cdc #ac1ejb1bbi #ahfg-fh #cg1ifi1bai #aj1hgf1ehe #b1ibd1bfh #ac1hjj1hec #ahfh-fi #cb1dij1hha #ab1haj1aid #c1ajd1dif #ae1iad1fij #ahfi-gj #ci1bgb1efb #ac1heh1hci #c1fbh1dfa #ag1dhg1cjj #ahgj-ga #ci1ihd1jjc #g1edd1cbc #a1fcc1ida #i1agh1bfd #ahga-gb #dj1jii1bdc #ag1jja1abd #c1cfg1ecg #bj1cfh1ffa #ahgb-gc #de1cbi1dij #ah1iag1ggi #c1dfd1jei #bb1cha1hch #ahgc-gd #df1egc1igd #ah1ajf1caj #b1dia1gei #bj1eih1jfi #ahgd-ge #eb1gcc1fgd #ae1cah1cde #c1eag1ahb #ah1hce1ebg #ahge-gf #fd1feh1gfg #af1gje1gai #b1dci1gfb #ai1ade1dha #ahgf-gg #ga1cih1gbf #ae1hhb1ifd #c1abg1iia #ai1jaj1iee #ahgg-gh #gj1ahc1hfc #ae1gaa1fea #b1dej1ihc #ah1afb1fcd ,from the subjoined table it will be seen that the consumption of champagne has almost trebled since the year #ahdd-e1 a period of little more than thirty years4 ,another curious fact to note is the immense increase in the exports of the wine during the three years following the ,franco-,german war1 when naturally both the exports and home consumption of champagne fell off very considerably4 ,no reliable information is available as to the actual quantity of champagne consumed yearly in ,england1 but this may be taken in round numbers at about four millions of bottles4 ,the consumption of the wine in the ,united ,states varies from rather more than a million and a half to nearly two million bottles annually4 ,distinguished gourmets are scarcely agreed as to the proper moment when champagne should be introduced at the dinner-table4 ,dyspeptic ,mr4 ,walker1 of ,the ,original1 laid it down that champagne ought to be introduced very early at the banquet1 without any regard whatever to the viands it may chance to accompany4 ,give champagne1 he says1 at the beginning of dinner1 as its exhilarating qualities serve to start the guests1 after which they will seldom flag4 ,no other wine produces an equal effect in increasing the success of a party--it invariably turns the balance to the favourable side4 ,when champagne goes rightly nothing can well go wrong4 ,these precepts are sound enough1 still all dinner-parties are not necessarily glacial1 and the guests are not invariably mutes4 ,before champagne can be properly introduced at a formal dinner the conventional glass of sherry or madeira should supplement the soup1 a white ,french or a ,rhine wine accompany the fish1 and a single glass of bordeaux prepare the way with the first entre for the sparkling wine1 which1 for the first round or two1 should be served1 briskly and liberally4 ,a wine introduced thus early at the repast should of course be dry1 or1 at any rate1 moderately so4 ,we certainly do not approve of ,mr4 ,charles ,dickens's dictum that champagne's proper place is not at the dinner-table1 but solely at a ball4 ,a cavalier1 he said1 may appropriately offer at propitious intervals a glass now and then to his danceress4 ,there it takes its fitting rank and position amongst feathers1 gauzes1 lace1 embroidery1 ribbons1 white satin1 shoes1 and eau-de-,cologne1 for champagne is simply one of the elegant extras of life4 ,this is all very well1 still the advantageous effect of sparkling wine at an ordinary ,british dinner-party1 composed as it frequently is of people pitchforked together in accordance with the exigencies of the hostess's visiting-list1 cannot be gainsayed4 ,after the preliminary glowering at each other1 more ,britannico1 in the drawing-room1 everybody regards it as a relief to be summoned to the repast1 which1 however1 commences as chillily as the soup and as stolidly as the salmon4 ,the soul of the hostess is heavy with the anxiety of prospective dishes1 the brow of the host is clouded with the reflection that our rulers are bent upon dragging us into war4 ,placed between a young lady just out and a dowager of grimly ,gorgonesque aspect1 you hesitate how to open a conversation4 ,your first attempts1 like those of the ,russian batteries on the ,danube1 are singularly ineffectual1 only eliciting a dropping fire of monosyllables4 ,you envy the placidly languid young gentleman opposite1 limp as his fast-fading camellia1 and seated next to ,belle ,breloques1 who is certain1 in racing parlance1 to make the running for him4 ,but even that damsel seems preoccupied with her fan1 and1 despite her aplomb1 hesitates to break the icy silence4 ,the two ,city friends of the host are lost in mute speculation as to the future price of indigo or ,ionian ,bank shares1 while their wives seem to be mentally summarising the exact cost of each other's toilettes4 ,their daughters1 or somebody else's daughters1 are desperately jerking out monosyllabic responses to feeble remarks concerning the weather1 lawn tennis1 operatic dbutantes1 the gravel in the ,row1 the ill-health of the ,princess1 and kindred topics from a couple of ,f4,o4 men4 ,little ,snapshot1 the wit1 on the other side of the ,gorgon1 has tried to lead up to a story1 but has found himself1 as it were1 frozen in the bud4 ,when lo6 the butler softly sibillates in your ear the magic word champagne1 and as it flows1 creaming and frothing1 into your glass1 a change comes over the spirit of your vision4 ,the hostess brightens1 the host coruscates4 ,the young lady on your right suddenly develops into a charming girl1 with becoming appreciation of your pet topics and an astounding aptness for repartee4 ,the ,gorgon thaws1 and implores ,mr4 ,snapshot1 whose jests are popping as briskly as the corks1 not to be so dreadfully funny1 or he will positively kill her4 ,belle ,breloques can always talk1 and now her tongue rattles faster than ever1 till the languid one arouses himself like a giant refreshed1 and gives her as good as he gets4 ,the ,city men expatiate in cabalistic language on the merits of some mysterious speculation1 the prospective returns from which increase with each fresh bottle4 ,one of their wives is discussing the ,e4,c4,u4 and the ,s4,s4,c4 with a hitherto silent curate1 and the other is jabbering botany to a red-faced warrior4 ,the juniors are in full swing1 and ripples of silvery laughter rise in accompaniment to the beaded bubbles all round the table4 ,and all this is due to champagne1 that great unloosener not merely of tongues but of purse-strings1 as is well known to the secretaries of those charitable institutions which set the wine flowing earliest at their anniversary dinners4 99 99 99 99 99 ,a few recipes for sparkling wine cups gathered from various sources will conclude our work4 ,not having personally tested these we leave the responsibility of them to their respective authors--,soyer1 ,tovey1 ,terrington 7,cooling ,cups and ,dainty ,drinks71 c4--premising that it is the merest folly to use a high-class champagne or a fine sparkling hock for a beverage of this description4 ,sparkling saumur1 or the newly-introduced sparkling sauternes1 and the cheaper hocks and moselles1 will do equally well at a greatly reduced cost4 ,in all cases1 too1 the kind of liqueur1 the amount of sugar1 and the flavouring with borage1 verbena1 pine-apple1 or cucumber1 may be varied to suit individual tastes4 ,for soda or seltzer water we have invariably substituted ,apollinaris1 which is far better adapted for effervescent drinks of this description by reason of its purity and softness1 its freedom from any distinct flavour1 and above all its powerful natural effervescence4 ,soyer's elaborate recipe for champagne cup for a large party is as follows3-- ,prepare three ounces of oleo-saccharine by rubbing some lumps of sugar against the outside of a lemon or ,seville orange and scraping away the sugar as it absorbs the essential oil contained in the rind of the fruit4 ,put the oleo-saccharine with the juice of four lemons in a vessel1 add a quart bottle of ,apollinaris water 7,soyer says soda-water1 but ,apollinaris is certainly preferable71 and stir well together until the sugar is dissolved4 ,then pour in one quart of syrup of orgeat and whip the mixture up well with an egg whisk in order to whiten it4 ,next add a pint of cognac brandy1 a quarter of a pint of ,jamaica rum and half a pint of maraschino2 strain the whole into a bowl1 adding plenty of pounded ice if the weather is warm1 and pour in three bottles of champagne1 stirring the mixture well with the ladle while doing so in order to render the cup creamy and mellow4 ,a less potent and pretentious beverage1 and better suited for a summer drink1 is the subjoined3-- ,dissolve two tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar in a quart of ,apollinaris water4 ,add a wineglass of curaoa1 a sprig of green borage or a couple of slices of cucumber with the juice and fine shavings of the outside peel of a lemon1 and a pound of bruised ice4 ,after the whole has been well stirred pour in the champagne and serve4 ,other recipes are as follows3-- ,prepare an ounce of oleo-saccharine1 add to it a large wineglass of maraschino1 a liqueur glass of cognac1 and the juice of half a lemon4 ,mix well together1 and add several slices of pine-apple1 and a large lump or two of ice4 ,on to this pour first a large bottle of ,apollinaris water1 and next a bottle of sparkling wine4 ,mix with the contents of a bottle of chablis or sauternes a liqueur glass of chartreuse and a tablespoonful or two of powdered loaf sugar4 ,when the latter is dissolved throw in a pound and a half of pounded ice and a sprig of borage4 ,pour over these a quart of ,apollinaris water and a bottle of sparkling saumur4 ,for the chablis or sauternes half a bottle of light claret may be substituted4 ,to a gill of good pale sherry add a liqueur glass of maraschino and a few lumps of sugar which have been well rubbed over the rind of a ,seville orange1 the juice of which is also to be added to the mixture4 ,after the sugar is dissolved throw in a sprig of borage or a slice or two of cucumber and some pounded ice4 ,then add a quart bottle of ,apollinaris water and a bottle of champagne or some other sparkling wine4 ,the following cup for a party of twenty is said to be of ,russian inspiration3-- ,pour on to some sprigs of borage or a few slices of cucumber a pint of sherry and half a pint of brandy1 then rub off the fine outside peel of a lemon with a few lumps of sugar1 and add these with the strained juice of the lemon and of three oranges4 ,pour into the mixture half a pint of curaoa1 a wineglass of noyau1 a couple of bottles of ,german seltzer-water1 three bottles of soda-water1 and three bottles of champagne4 ,sweeten and ice to taste4 ,here is a recipe for a cup made with chablis and sparkling red burgundy3-- ,with a bottle of chablis mix a liqueur-glass of chartreuse and then dissolve in it some powdered sugar4 ,add two pounds of ice in largish lumps1 a slice or two of cucumber1 and a sprig of lemon-scented verbena1 or substitute for these a few slices of pine-apple4 ,pour in a quart bottle of ,apollinaris water1 mix well together1 and add a bottle of sparkling burgundy just before serving4 ,the following refer to sparkling hock and moselle cups3-- ,to a bottle of sparkling hock add a quarter of a pint of lemon water ice and a liqueur glass of pine-apple syrup4 ,after mixing them add a slice of cucumber1 a lump or two of ice1 and a bottle of ,apollinaris water4 ,add to the strained juice of a couple of lemons an ounce and a half or more of powdered loaf sugar and a wineglass of maraschino4 ,mix well1 and pour in a couple of bottles of iced sparkling hock and a large bottle of iced ,apollinaris water4 ,dissolve a couple of ounces of sugar in a gill of dry sherry1 add the thin peel of half an orange1 a few slices of pine-apple1 peaches1 or apricots1 with some pounded ice1 and then pour in a bottle of sparkling moselle and a bottle of ,apollinaris water4 ,with half a pint of lemon water ice mix a bottle of iced sparkling moselle1 add a few drops of elder-flower water and a bottle of iced ,apollinaris water4 ,instead of the lemon ice half the quantity of pine-apple ice may be used with the juice of half a lemon1 and the elder-flower water may be dispensed with4 ,illustration ,,the ,,principal ,,sparkling ,,wine ,,brands4 999999 ,in this list whenever a manufacturer has various qualities the higher qualities are always placed first4 ,transcriber's ,note3 ,in the original text the tables were laid out in four columns3 ,firms and ,wholesale ,agents4 ,brands4 ,impress of ,cork ,design ,qualities4 ,on side of ,corks4 ,for this e-text1 the table has been changed to a list format1 with the columns represented by levels of indentation4 ,the ,brands are indicated by the bracketed word ,cork2 the ,side of ,cork text--if any--is given in the same line as its associated ,quality4 ,the book included an errata sheet for the tables4 ,it is shown here immediately after the tables themselves4 ,the changes and corrections listed have not been made in the text4 ,,champagnes4 ,firms and ,wholesale ,agents4 ,brands4 ,qualities4 _/ ,on side of ,corks4 ,,ayala ,,co41 ,ay ,ayala1 #g1 ,little ,tower ,street1 ,london ,rinck ,unger1 #ej1 ,park ,place1 ,new ,york ,cork ,carte ,blanche _/ ,extra4 ,carte ,noire _/ ,premire4 ,cork ,second ,,binet ,,fils ,,co41 ,reims ,rutherford ,browne1 ,old ,trinity ,house1 #e1 ,water ,lane1 ,london4 ,cork ,extra ,first ,second _/ ,binet fils ,cie4 all varieties ,,bollinger1 ,j41 ,ay ,l4 ,mentzendorf1 #f1 ,idol ,lane1 ,london4 ,e4 and ,j4 ,burke1 #dj1 ,beaver ,street1 ,new ,york4 ,cork ,very ,dry ,extra _/ ,very ,dry ,extra quality4 ,dry ,extra _/ ,dry ,extra quality4 ,,bruch-,,foucher ,,co41 ,mareuil ,l4 ,ehrmann1 #cd1 ,gt4 ,tower ,street1 ,london4 ,cork ,carte ,d',or ,first ,second ,,clicquot-,,ponsardin1 ,veuve1 ,reims 7,,werle ,,co47 ,fenwick1 ,parrot1 ,co41 #abd1 ,fenchurch ,street1 ,london4 ,schmidt ,bros41 ,new ,york4 ,cork ,dry ,rich _/ ,england4 both varieties ,,de ,,cazanove1 ,c41 ,avize ,j4 ,r4 ,hunter1 #df1 ,fenchurch ,street1 ,london ,cork ,extra _/ ,extra qualit4 ,first ,second ,third ,fourth ,cork ,fifth ,,deutz ,,geldermann1 ,ay ,j4 ,r4 ,parkington ,co41 #ba1 ,crutched ,friars1 ,london4 ,cork ,gold ,lack 7,extra ,dry and ,dry7 _/ ,gold ,lack4 ,cabinet 7,extra ,dry and ,dry7 _/ ,cabinet4 ,,duchatel-,,ohaus1 ,reims ,woellworth ,co41 #gj1 ,mark ,lane1 ,london ,cork ,carte ,blanche 7,dry and ,rich7 ,verzenay 7,dry and ,rich7 ,sillery 7,dry and ,rich7 ,,duminy ,,co41 ,ay ,mogford1 ,courtenay1 ,co41 #af1 ,mark ,lane1 ,london ,anthony ,oechs1 ,new ,street1 ,new ,york ,cork ,extra _/ ,maison fonde en #ahad4 both brands ,cork ,first _/ ,maison fonde en #ahad4 both brands ,,farre1 ,,charles1 ,reims ,hornblower ,co41 #ej1 ,mark ,lane1 ,london ,gilmore ,gibson1 ,baltimore ,mel ,sons1 ,san ,francisco ,cork ,cabinet 7,grand ,vin7 _/ ,cabinet ,grand ,vin4 ,cork ,carte ,blanche _/ ,carte ,blanche4 ,carte ,noire _/ ,carte ,noire4 ,cork ,sillery ,sec _/ ,sillery ,sec4 ,cork ,sillery _/ ,sillery4 ,cork ,ay ,mousseux _/ ,ay4 ,,fisse1 ,,thirion1 ,co41 ,reims ,stallard and ,smith1 #be1 ,philpot ,lane1 ,london ,cork ,cachet d',or 7,extra ,dry and ,medium ,dry7 _/ ,cachet d',or4 ,carte ,blanche 7,dry1 ,medium ,dry1 and ,rich7 _/ ,carte ,blanche4 ,cork ,carte ,noire 7,dry and ,medium ,dry74 _/ ,carte ,noire4 ,,gibert1 ,,gustave1 ,reims ,cock1 ,russell1 ,co41 #fc1 ,great ,tower ,street1 ,london ,hays ,co41 #dj1 ,day ,street1 ,new ,york ,cork ,vin du ,roi ,cork ,extra ,cork ,first ,cork ,second ,cork ,third ,all these wines are prepared ,extra ,dry1 ,dry1 or ,rich4 ,,giesler ,,co41 ,avize ,f4 ,giesler ,co41 #cb1 ,fenchurch ,street1 ,london4 ,purdy ,nicholas1 #dc1 ,beaver ,street1 ,new ,york ,cork ,extra ,superior ,india _/ ,india4 ,first ,cork ,second ,cork ,third ,,heidsieck ,,co41 ,reims4 ,theodor ,satow ,co41 #ada1 ,fenchurch ,street1 ,london ,schmidt ,peters1 #bj1 ,beaver ,street1 ,new ,york ,cork ,dry ,monopole4 ,monopole 7,rich7 ,dry ,vin ,royal ,grand ,vin ,royal 7,rich7 ,,irroy1 ,,ernest1 ,reims4 ,cuddeford ,smith1 #ff1 ,mark ,lane1 ,london ,o4 de ,saye1 #ah1 ,south ,william ,street1 ,new ,york ,w4 ,e4 ,hepp1 #aja1 ,gravier ,street1 ,new ,orleans ,cork ,carte d',or1 ,dry _/ ,carte d',or1 ,sec4 ,carte d',or _/ ,carte d',or4 ,,krug ,co41 ,reims ,inglis and ,cunningham1 #fj1 ,mark ,lane1 ,london ,a4 ,rocherau ,co41 ,new ,york ,hillman ,bros4 ,co41 ,san ,francisco ,cork ,carte ,blanche _/ ,carte ,blanche1 ,england4 ,private ,cuve _/ ,private ,cuve1 ,england4 ,cork ,first _/ ,england4 ,cork ,second ,,mo,t ,,chandon1 ,epernay ,simon ,dale1 ,old ,trinity ,house1 #e1 ,water ,lane1 ,london1 ,agents for ,great ,britain and the ,colonies ,renauld1 ,franois1 ,co41 #bc1 ,beaver ,street1 ,new ,york ,j4 ,hope ,co41 ,montreal ,cork ,brut _/ ,imperial1 ,england4 ,creaming _/ ,creaming1 ,england4 ,extra ,superior _/ ,extra ,superior1 ,england4 ,extra ,dry ,sillery ,white ,dry ,sillery _/ ,white ,dry1 ,england4 ,cork ,first ,quality _/ ,england4 ,second ,quality ,,montebello1 ,,duc ,,de1 ,mareuil-sur-,ay ,john ,hopkins ,co41 #bf1 ,crutched ,friars1 ,london ,cazade1 ,crooks1 ,reynaud1 #be1 ,south ,william ,st41 ,n4,y4 ,cork ,cuve ,extra _/ ,cuve ,extra4 ,carte ,blanche _/ ,reserve4 ,carte ,bleue _/ ,cte4 ,bleue4 ,carte ,noire _/ ,cte4 ,noire4 ,,mumm1 ,g4 ,h41 ,,co41 ,reims ,w4 ,j4 and ,t4 ,welch1 #aj1 ,corn ,exchange ,chambers1 ,seething ,lane1 ,london ,f4 de ,bary ,co41 #da and #dc1 ,warren ,street1 ,new ,york ,cork ,carte ,blanche _/ ,cuve ,extra4 ,extra ,dry _/ ,extra ,dry4 ,extra _/ ,extra4 ,first _/ ,first4 ,for ,america only4 ,cordon ,rouge _/ ,cordon ,rouge4 ,extra ,dry _/ ,extra ,dry4 ,dry ,verzenay _/ ,dry ,verzenay4 ,,mumm1 ,,jules1 ,,co41 ,reims ,jules ,mumm ,co41 #c #d1 ,mark ,lane1 ,london ,cork ,extra ,dry ,dry ,p,,rinet ,,fils1 ,reims ,john ,barnett ,son1 #cf1 ,mark ,lane1 ,london ,wood1 ,pollard1 ,co41 ,boston1 ,u4,s4 ,hooper and ,donaldson1 ,san ,francisco ,cork ,cuve ,rserve 7,extra ,dry7 _/ ,cuve ,reserve4 ,white ,dry ,sillery _/ ,white ,dry ,sillery4 ,,perrier-,,jou,t ,,co41 ,epernay ,a4 ,boursot ,co41 #i1 ,hart ,street1 ,crutched ,friars1 ,london ,cork ,cuve de ,rserve _/ ,extra ,pale ,dry ,creaming ,first ,cork ,second ,cork ,third ,,piper1 ,h41 ,,co41 ,reims 7,,kunkelmann ,,co47 ,w4 ,foster ,newton ,son1 #c1 ,maiden ,lane1 ,e4,c41 ,london ,john ,osborn1 ,son1 ,co41 ,new ,york and ,montreal ,cork ,trs-,sec 7,extra ,dry7 _/ ,kunkelmann ,co4 all varieties ,sec 7,very ,dry7 ,carte ,blanche 7,rich7 ,,pfungst ,,fr,,res ,,cie41 ,ay1 ,epernay ,j4 ,l4 ,pfungst ,co41 #bc1 ,crutched ,friars1 ,london ,cork ,carte d',or 7,dry1 ,extra ,dry1 and ,brut7 _/ ,carte d',or4 ,sillery ,crmant 7,extra ,dry and ,brut7 _/ ,sillery ,crmant4 ,carte ,noire 7,dry1 ,extra ,dry1 and ,brut7 _/ ,carte ,noire4 ,cordon ,blanc 7,full1 ,dry1 and ,extra ,dry7 _/ ,cordon ,blanc4 ,,pol ,,roger ,,co41 ,epernay ,reuss1 ,lauteren1 ,co41 #ci1 ,crutched ,friars1 ,london ,cork ,vin ,rserv4 ,,pommery1 ,,veuve1 ,reims 7,,pommery ,,greno7 ,a4 ,hubinet1 #bd1 ,mark ,lane1 ,london ,charles ,graef1 #fe1 ,broad ,street1 ,new ,york ,cork ,extra ,sec 7,vin ,brut7 _/ ,veuve ,pommery4 ,cork ,sec ,,roederer1 ,,louis1 ,reims ,grainger ,son1 #ajh1 ,fenchurch ,street1 ,london ,cork ,carte ,blanche _/ ,reims1 ,carte ,blanche1 ,gt4-,britain4 ,,roederer1 ,,th,,ophile1 ,,co41 ,,maison ,,fond,e ,,en #ahfa1 ,reims ,thophile ,roederer ,co41 #aej1 ,fenchurch ,street1 ,london ,cork ,crystal ,champagne1 ,special ,cuve _/ ,special ,cuve4 ,extra ,reserve _/ ,cuve _/ ,reserve ,cuve4 ,extra ,superior ,carte ,blanche ,dore _/ ,carte ,blanche ,dore ,extra ,quality ,carte ,blanche _/ ,carte ,blanche4 ,first ,quality ,carte ,noire _/ ,carte ,noire4 ,verzenay _/ ,verzenay4 ,,roussillon1 ,j41 ,,co41 ,epernay ,j4 ,roussillon ,co41 #ae1 ,new ,broad ,street1 ,london ,d4 ,st4 ,amant ,son1 #ac1 ,south ,william ,street1 ,new ,york ,cork ,first ,cuve ,second ,cuve ,dry ,verzenay ,sillery ,sec _/ #ahgd ,extra ,sec4 ,,ruinart1 ,p,,re ,,et ,,fils1 ,reims ,ruinart1 ,pre et ,fils1 #bb1 ,st4 ,swithin's ,lane1 ,london ,cork ,carte ,anglaise ,dry ,pale ,crmant ,extra ,dry ,sparkling ,carte ,blanche ,first ,,de ,,saint-,,marceaux ,,co41 ,reims ,groves 1 ,co41 #e1 ,mark ,lane1 ,london ,hermann ,batjer ,bro41 ,new ,york ,cork ,vin ,brut ,carte d',or 7,extra ,dry7 _/ ,very dry4 ,bouzy ,nonpareil 7,dry7 _/ ,vin ,sec4 ,carte ,blanche 7,medium7 ,cork ,second 7,medium7 ,cork ,third 7id47 ,for ,america only4 ,dry ,royal ,,saumur ,,and ,,sauternes4 ,firms and ,wholesale ,agents4 ,brands4 ,qualities4 _/ ,on side of ,corks4 ,,ackerman-,,laurance1 ,st4 ,florent1 ,saumur ,j4 ,n4 ,bishop1 #da1 ,crutched ,friars1 ,london ,timothy ,stevens1 #bi1 ,beaver ,street1 ,new ,york ,chapin and ,gore1 #gj1 ,monroe ,street1 ,chicago ,cork ,carte d',or _/ ,carte d',or4 ,carte ,rose _/ ,carte ,rose4 ,carte ,bleue _/ ,carte ,bleue4 ,carte ,noire _/ ,carte ,noire4 ,,duvau1 ,,louis1 ,an1 ,chteau de ,varrains1 ,saumur ,jolivet and ,canney1 #c1 ,idol ,lane1 ,london ,cork ,carte d',or1 ,extra ,superior ,carte d',argent1 ,extra ,carte ,blanche1 ,superior ,carte ,rose1 ,ordinary ,,lorrain1 ,,jules1 ,chteau ,de la ,cte1 ,varrains1 near ,saumur ,j4 ,lorrain1 #gc1 ,great ,tower ,street1 ,london ,cork ,carte d',or ,carte ,blanche ,carte ,rose ,carte ,bleue ,,rousteaux1 ,a41 ,st4 ,florent1 ,saumur ,cock1 ,russell1 ,co41 #fc1 ,great ,tower ,street1 ,london ,i4 ,h4 ,smith's ,sons1 ,peck ,slip1 ,new ,york ,law1 ,young1 ,co41 ,montreal ,cork ,extra ,cork ,first ,cork ,second ,cork ,third ,sparkling ,vouvray1 ,superior ,sparkling ,vouvray ,,normandin1 ,e41 ,,co41 ,chteauneuf-sur-,charente ,p4 ,a4 ,maignen1 #bb1 ,great ,tower ,street1 ,london ,cork ,sparkling ,sauternes 7,extra ,dry7 ,sparkling ,sauternes 7,dry7 ,,burgundies4 ,firms and ,wholesale ,agents4 ,brands4 ,qualities4 _/ ,on side of ,corks4 ,,andr ,,voillot1 ,beaune ,cock1 ,russell1 ,co41 #fc1 ,great ,tower ,street1 ,london ,p4 ,w4 ,engs and ,sons1 #aca1 ,front ,street1 ,new ,york ,cork ,romane 7,white7 ,nuits 7do47 ,volnay 7do47 ,saint-,pray ,pink and ,red ,wines ,,latour1 ,,louis1 ,beaune ,reuss1 ,lauteren1 ,co41 #ci1 ,crutched ,friars1 ,london ,cork ,romane 7,white7 ,nuits 7do47 ,volnay 7do47 ,saint-,pray 7do47 ,chambertin 7,red7 ,nuits 7do47 ,volnay 7do47 ,,liger-,,belair1 ,,comte1 ,nuits and ,vsne ,fenwick1 ,parrot1 ,co41 #abd1 ,fenchurch ,street1 ,london ,cork ,carte d',or 7,white7 ,carte ,noire 7do47 ,carte ,verte 7do47 ,carte ,noire 7,red7 ,carte ,blanche 7do47 ,,hocks ,,and ,,moselles4 ,firms and ,wholesale ,agents4 ,brands4 ,qualities4 _/ ,on side of ,corks4 ,,deinhard ,,co41 ,coblenz ,deinhard ,co41 #f1 ,idol ,lane1 ,london ,h4 ,g4 ,schmidt ,co41 #ch1 ,beaver ,street1 ,new ,york ,cork ,first ,cork ,second ,cork ,third ,,ewald ,,co41 ,rudesheim-on-,rhine ,simon and ,dale1 ,old ,trinity ,house1 #e1 ,water ,lane1 ,london ,cork ,sparkling ,hock ,nonpareil 7,extra ,dry and ,dry7 ,sparkling ,moselle ,muscatel ,nonp4 7,dry7 ,sparkling ,moselle 7,nonp47 ,scharzberg 7,dry7 ,,hochheim ,,association1 ,hochheim-on-,maine ,f4 ,class ,co41 #ca1 ,crutched ,friars1 ,london ,cork ,sparkling and ,creaming ,johannisberg ,hochheim ,first 7,white or ,red7 ,do4 ,second 7do47 ,do4 ,third 7do47 ,do4 ,fourth 7do47 ,hocks and ,moselles ,nonpareil ,first ,second ,third ,cork ,fourth ,,kessler1 ,g4 ,c41 ,,co41 ,esslingen ,george ,saurmann1 #g1 ,cross ,lane1 ,st4 ,mary-at-,hill1 ,london ,cork ,kaiser ,wein ,sparkling ,hock ,do4 ,neckar ,,lauteren1 ,c4 ,,sohn1 ,mayence ,reuss1 ,lauteren1 ,co41 #ci1 ,crutched ,friars1 ,london ,cork ,sparkling ,johannisberg ,hock ,no4 #a ,do4 ,no4 #b ,do4 ,no4 #c ,moselle1 ,dry1 ,no4 #a ,do4 ,no4 #b ,do4 ,no4 #c ,moselle1 ,muscatel1 ,no4 #a ,do4 ,no4 #b ,do4 ,no4 #c ,m,,ller1 ,,matheus1 ,eltville ,m4 ,muller1 #ae1 ,philpot ,lane1 ,london ,cork ,flower of ,sparkling ,johannisberg ,sparkling ,johannisberg ,pearl of the ,moselle ,extra ,superior ,moselle ,nonpareil ,sparkling ,moselle ,nonpareil ,sparkling ,hock ,fine ,sparkling do4 ,fine ,sparkling ,moselle ,sparkling ,assmannshuser1 ,superior 7,red7 ,sparkling ,assmannshuser 7do47 ,cork ,sparkling ,hock 7,ordinary7 ,sparkling ,moselle 7do47 ,,oppmann1 ,,michael1 ,wrzburg ,cork ,franconia ,wine3 ,nonpareil ,stein ,wine ,blue ,label ,white ,label ,sparkling ,moselle1 ,first ,do4 do41 ,second ,do4 ,hock1 ,first ,do4 do41 ,second ,,siligm,,ller1 ,f4 ,a41 ,wrzburg ,cork ,cabinet _/ ,cabinet4 ,carte d',or ,carte ,blanche ,carte ,noire ,,st,,ck1 ,,jos1 ,s,,hne1 ,creuznach ,john ,barnett ,son1 #cf1 ,mark ,lane1 ,london ,cork ,johnnnisberg1 supr4 ,scharzberg1 do4 ,johannisberg1 ordin4 ,scharzberg1 do4 ,hock1 superior ,moselle1 do4 ,hock1 ordin4 ,moselle1 do4 ,red ,hock1 ,first ,do41 ,second ,do41 ,third ,do41 ,fourth ,,styrian1 ,,hungarian1 ,,and ,,swiss ,,wines4 ,firms and ,wholesale ,agents4 ,brands4 ,qualities4 _/ ,on side of ,corks4 ,,kleinoscheg ,,brothers1 ,graz1 ,styria ,davis and ,littlewood1 #d and #e1 ,botolph ,lane1 ,london ,cork ,dry ,pale ,styrian ,muscat ,champagne4 ,dry ,pale ,styrian ,champagne ,sparkling ,burgundy 7,red7 ,,hubert ,,habermann1 ,pressburg1 ,hungary ,c4 ,o4 ,pattenhausen1 #dj1 ,great ,tower ,street1 ,london ,cork ,sparkling ,white ,sparkling ,red 7,carlovitz7 ,,de ,,riedmatten1 ,,de ,,quay1 ,,cie41 ,sion1 ,valais1 ,switzerland ,cork ,carte ,verte1 ,glacier du ,rhne ,carte ,blanche1 ,mont-,blanc ,,american ,,wines4 ,firms and ,wholesale ,agents4 ,brands4 ,qualities4 _/ ,on side of ,corks4 ,,kelley',s ,,island ,,wine ,,co41 ,kelley's ,island1 ,ohio ,cork ,island ,queen ,nonpareil ,carte ,blanche ,,pleasant ,,valley ,,wine ,,co41 ,hammondsport1 ,n4,y4 ,cork ,great ,western 7,dry and ,extra ,dry7 ,carte ,blanche ,pleasant ,valley ,paris ,exposition ,,urbana ,,wine ,,co41 ,hammondsport1 ,n4,y4 ,cork ,gold ,seal 7,extra ,dry7 ,gold ,seal ,imperial ,royal ,rose 99 99 99 99 99 ,author's errata sheet1 first part ,the subjoined corrections are necessary in the following brands 7,see pages #bbf and #bbg73-- ,,fisse1 ,,thirion1 ,co41 ,reims ,stallard and ,smith1 #be1 ,philpot ,lane1 ,london ,cork ,cachet d',or4 7,extra ,dry and ,medium ,dry7 _/ ,cachet d',or4 ,carte ,blanche4 7,dry1 ,medium ,dry1 and ,rich7 _/ ,carte ,blanche4 ,carte ,noire4 7,dry and ,medium ,dry74 _/ ,carte ,noire4 ,n4,b4--,the brand on the corks is an anchor instead of an eagle4 ,,gibert1 ,,gustave1 ,reims4 ,cock1 ,russell1 and ,co4's address is #bc1 ,rood ,lane1 ,london4 ,,giesler ,,co41 ,avize4 ,the corks of the firm's ,extra ,superior quality wine are branded ,extra ,superior on the side4 ,,irroy1 ,,ernest1 ,reims4 ,the ,new ,york agent is ,f4 ,o4 de ,luze1 #ah1 ,south ,william ,street1 ,new ,york4 ,w4 ,e4 ,hepp is no longer ,m4 ,irroy's agent for ,new ,orleans4 99 99 99 99 99 ,author's errata sheet1 second part ,the following are the correct brands of ,,mm4 de ,saint-,marceaux ,co43-- ,,de ,,saint-,,marceaux ,,co41 ,reims ,groves ,co41 #e1 ,mark ,lane1 ,london ,hermann ,btjer ,bro41 ,new ,york ,cork ,vin ,brut ,carte d',or 7,extra ,dry7 _/ ,very dry4 ,bouzy ,nonpareil 7,dry7 _/ ,vin ,sec4 ,carte ,blanche 7,medium7 ,for ,america only4 ,dry ,royal ,cork ,second 7,medium7 ,cork ,third 7id47 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 ,errata3 ,missing or incorrect punctuation in the ,list of ,brands has been silently regularized4 ,expressions such as #acblbs4 were consistently printed without space4 ,a number of words were printed both with and without umlaut4 ,these have generally been left unchanged3 ,wurzburg _/ ,wrzburg ,rudesheim _/ ,rdesheim ,muller _/ ,mller 7also ,siligmller _/ -muller7 ,three occurrences of ,mot were printed without dieresis4 ,it has been silently supplied4 ,table of ,contents3 ,,ii4--,,the ,,vintage ,,in ,,the ,,champagne4 444 #bj last digit of page number invisible the future roues of the ,regency accent on rous missing in original ,baume's aerometer first e in aerometer illegible the ,champenois winegrowers printed at midline without usual hyphen ,chapter ,v1 first page through 444 the bulk of the new-made left edge of text missing3 manu_/facture only just444 7at line break7 ends4 reservoirs 444 being allowed 444 forty-four gallons 444 7number supplied from other passages7 loosens the agrafe securing the cork1 ,bang goes the latter comma in original may be intentional from one to three per cent4 of liqueur4 text has comma for period ,st4 ,marceaux and ,co4's ,new ,establishment text reads ,co4' ,those magnates of the champagne trade1 ,messrs4 ,mot and ,chandon text reads ,mesrs4 ,messrs4 ,mot and ,chandon give a banquet or a ball period 7full stop7 invisible resting familiarly on the marchal's shoulder period 7full stop7 invisible bounded by trees and garden-plats text unchanged3 probably correct the liqueur which ,messrs4 ,giesler add so sparingly text reads ,griesler ,illustration3 ,,the ,,cellars ,,of ,m4 ,,ackerman-,,laurance ,,at ,,saint-,,florent4 ,,labelling ,,and ,,packing ,,sparkling ,,saumur4 7p4 #aej47 opening parenthesis missing having composed at his mistress's table some doggrel rhymes spelling unchanged restored ,stolzenfels1 the historic ,knigs-stuhl text reads ,konigs-stuhl vineyards of ,bsing1 ,genau1 and ,st4 ,georgen spelling unchanged ,societa ,unione ,enofila accent missing in original cannot be gainsayed4 spelling unchanged curaoa spelling unchanged 7two occurrences7 ,list of ,brands,,pommery1 ,,veuve1 ,reims final s missing