,transcriber's ,note3                   
,this e-text is based on the #ahhb      
edition4 ,the original spelling1 as     
well as the use of punctuation and      
quotation marks1 have been retained4    
,the following errors have been         
corrected3         p4 xi3 ',sauturnes'  
-- ',sauternes'       p4 #eb3 'which ne 
declares' -- 'which he declares'        
p4 #aed3 'its owes' -- 'it owes'        
p4 #bjd3 ',bonaporte' -- ',bonaparte'   
p4 #bbj3 'histriographer' --            
'historiographer'       p4 #bbi3        
',reputatiou' -- ',reputation'       p4 
#bef3 ',saint-,poray' -- ',saint-,pray' 
,footnote #dab3 'tho gas' -- 'the gas'  
,the caret symbol 77 characterises      
subsequent superscript text2 oe is  the 
symbol for the oe-ligature4 asterism    
depicts a corresponding  typographical  
symbol4 ,the following text variations  
have been marked by  special characters3
        ,italic3       underscores      
7italic7      ,bold3         equals     
signs 7bold7      ,small caps3   forward

 slashes 7_/small caps_/7               
,underlined3   tildes 7underlined7      
,illustration3 ,a ,,supper ,,under ,,the
 ,,regency4                             
,a ,,history                            
,,of                                    
,,champagne                             
,,with ,,notes ,,on                     
,,the ,,other ,,sparkling ,,wines ,,of  
,,france4                               
,,by ,,henry ,,vizetelly1               
,,chevalier ,,of ,,the ,,order ,,of     
,,franz-,,josef1 ,,author ,,of ',,the   
,,wines ,,of ,,the     ,,world          
,,characterised ,,and ,,classed1'       
',,facts ,,about ,,port ,,and           
,,madeira1'      ',,facts ,,about       
,,champagne ,,and ,,other ,,sparkling   
,,wines1' ',,facts ,,about              
,,sherry1' ,,etc4                       
,illustration                           
,,illustrated ,,with #cej ,,engravings4 
,,london3      ,,vizetelly  ,,co41 #db  
,,catherine ,,street1 ,,strand4         
,,scribner  ,,welford1                  

,,new ,,york4 #ahhb4                    
,,london3               ,,robson ,,and  
,,sons1 ,,printers1 ,,pancras ,,road1   
,n4,w4          ,,preface4      ,the    
present is the first instance in which  
the history of any wine  has been traced
 with the same degree of minuteness as  
the history of  the still and sparkling 
wines of the ,champagne has been traced 
in the  following pages4 ,and not only  
have the author's investigations        
extended  over a very wide range1 as    
will be seen by the references contained
 in  the footnotes to this volume1 but  
during the past ten years he has paid   
frequent visits to the ,champagne--to   
its vineyards and vendangeoirs1  and to 
the establishments of the chief         
manufacturers of sparkling wine1  the   
preparation of which he has witnessed in
 all its phases4 ,visits  have1         
moreover1 been made to various other    
localities where sparkling  wines are   
produced1 and more or less interesting  
information gathered  regarding the     

latter4 ,in the pursuit of his          
researches1 the author's  position as   
wine juror at the ,vienna and ,paris    
,exhibitions opened up to  him many     
sources of information inaccessible to  
others less favourably  circumstanced1  
and these his general knowledge of wine1
 acquired during  many years' careful   
study1 enabled him to turn to           
advantageous account4    ,the numerous  
illustrations scattered throughout the  
present volume  have been derived from  
every available source that suggested   
itself4  ,ancient _/,,mss4_/1           
early-printed books1 pictures and pieces
 of sculpture1  engravings and          
caricatures1 all of greater or less     
rarity1 have been  laid under           
contribution2 and in addition1 nearly   
two hundred original  sketches have been
 made under the author's immediate      
superintendence1  with the object of    
illustrating the principal localities   
and their more  picturesque features1   
and depicting all matters of interest   

connected  with the growth and          
manipulation of the various sparkling   
wines which  are here described4    ,in 
the preparation of this work1 and more  
particularly the historical  portions of
 it1 the author has been largely        
assisted by his nephew1 ,mr4  ,montague 
,vizetelly1 to whom he tenders his      
warmest acknowledgments for  the        
valuable services rendered by him4      
,it should be stated that portions of   
the volume1 relating to the  vintaging  
and manufacture of sparkling wines      
generally1 have been  previously        
published under the title of ,facts     
about ,champagne and  other ,sparkling  
,wines1 but they have been subjected to 
considerable  extension and revision    
before being permitted to reappear in   
their  present form4        ,st4        
,leonards-on-,sea1 ,february #ahhb4     
,,contents4          _/,part ,i4_/      
,i4        _/,early ,renown of the      
,champagne ,wines4_/                    
,,page        ,the vine in              

,gaul--,domitian's edict to uproot      
it--,plantation of      vineyards under 
,probus--,early vineyards of the        
,champagne--,ravages      by the        
,northern tribes repulsed for a time by 
the ,consul      ,jovinus--,st4 ,remi   
and the baptism of ,clovis--,st4 ,remi's
      vineyards--,simultaneous progress 
of ,christianity and the                
cultivation of the vine--,the vine a    
favourite subject of ornament      in   
the churches of the ,champagne--,the    
culture of the vine      interrupted1   
only to be renewed with increased       
ardour--,early      distinction between 
',vins de la ,rivire' and ',vins de la  
,montagne'--,a prelate's counsel        
respecting the proper wine      to      
drink--,the ,champagne desolated by     
war--,pope ,urban ,,ii41 a      former  
,canon of ,reims ,cathedral--,his       
partiality for the wine of              
,ay--,bequests of vineyards to religious
 establishments--,critical              
ecclesiastical topers--,the wine of the 

,champagne causes poets to      sing and
 rejoice--',la ,bataille des            
,vins'--,wines of ,auviller and         
,espernai le ,bacheler                  
#a          ,,ii4        _/,the ,wines  
of the ,champagne from the ,fourteenth  
to the ,seventeenth      ,century4_/    
,coronations at ,reims and their        
attendant banquets--,wine      flows    
profusely at these entertainments--,the 
wine-trade of      ,reims--,presents of 
wine from the ,reims                    
municipality--,cultivation      of the  
vineyards abandoned after the battle of 
,poitiers--,octroi      levied on wine  
at ,reims--,coronation of ,charles      
,v4--,extension      of the ,champagne  
vineyards--,abundance of wine--,visit to
 ,reims      of the royal sot           
,wenceslaus of ,bohemia--,the ,etape aux
 ,vins at      ,reims--,increased       
consumption of beer during the ,english 
occupation      of the city--,the ,maid 
of ,orleans at ,reims--,the vineyards   
and      wine-trade alike suffer--,louis

 ,,xi4 is crowned at ,reims--,fresh     
taxes upon wine followed by the         
,mique-,maque revolt--,the ,rmois       
the victims of pillaging foes and       
extortionate defenders--,the            
,champagne vineyards attacked by noxious
 insects--,coronation of      ,louis    
,,xii4--,franois ,premier1 the ,emperor 
,charles ,v41 ,bluff ,king      ,hal1   
and ,leo the ,magnificent all partial to
 the wine of ,ay--,mary      ,queen of  
,scots at ,reims--,state kept by the    
opulent and libertine      ,cardinal of 
,lorraine--,brusquet1 the ,court        
,fool--,decrease in the      production 
of wine around ,reims--,gifts of wine to
 newly-crowned      monarchs--,new      
restrictions on vine cultivation--,the  
wine of the      ,champagne crowned at  
the same time as ,louis                 
,,xiii4--,regulation price      for wine
 established at ,reims--,imposts levied 
on the vineyards by      the            
,frondeurs--,the country ravaged around 
,reims--,sufferings of the              

peasantry--,presents of wine to ,marshal
 ,turenne and ,charles ,,ii4 of         
,england--,perfection of the ,champagne 
wines during the reign of      ,louis   
,,xiv4--,st4 ,evremond's high opinion of
 them--,other contemporary              
testimony in their favour--,the         
,archbishop of ,reims's niggardly gift  
to ,james ,,ii4 of ,england--,a poet    
killed by ,champagne--,offerings by     
the ,rmois to ,louis ,,xiv4 on his visit
 to their city               #ab        
,,iii4        _/,invention and          
,development of ,sparkling ,champagne4_/
        ,the ancients acquainted with   
sparkling wines--,tendency of ,champagne
      wines to effervesce noted at an   
early period--,obscurity enveloping     
the discovery of what we now know as    
sparkling ,champagne--,the ,royal       
,abbey of ,hautvillers--,legend of its  
foundation by ,st4 ,nivard and      ,st4
 ,berchier--,its territorial possessions
 and vineyards--,the monks      the     
great viticulturists of the ,middle     

,ages--,dom ,perignon--,he      marries 
wines differing in character--,his      
discovery of sparkling      white       
wine--,he is the first to use corks to  
bottles--,his secret for      clearing  
the wine revealed only to his successors
 ,frre ,philippe      and ,dom          
,grossart--,result of ,dom ,perignon's  
discoveries--,the wine      of          
,hautvillers sold at #ajjj livres the   
queue--,dom ,perignon's      memorial in
 the ,abbey-,church--,wine flavoured    
with peaches--,the      effervescence   
ascribed to drugs1 to the period of the 
moon1 and      to the action of the sap 
in the vine--,the fame of sparkling     
wine rapidly spreads--,the ,vin de      
,perignon makes its appearance      at  
the ,court of the ,grand ,monarque--,is 
welcomed by the young                   
courtiers--,it figures at the suppers of
 ,anet and ,chantilly1 and      at the  
orgies of the ,temple and the ,palais   
,royal--,the rapturous      strophes of 
,chaulieu and ,rousseau--,frederick     

,william ,i4 and the      ,berlin       
,academicians--,augustus the ,strong and
 the page who pilfered      his         
,champagne--,horror of the old-fashioned
 gourmets at the                        
innovation--,bertin du ,rocheret and the
 ,marshal d',artagnan--,system      of  
wine-making in the ,champagne early in  
the eighteenth      century--,bottling  
of the wine in flasks--,icing ,champagne
 with the      corks loosened           
#cd          ,,iv4        _/,the ,battle
 of the ,wines4_/        ,temporary     
check to the popularity of sparkling    
,champagne--,doctors      disagree--,the
 champions of ,champagne and            
,burgundy--,pna and his      patient--,a
 young ,burgundian student attacks the  
wine of ,reims--,the      ,faculty of   
,reims in arms--,a local ,old ,parr     
cited as an example      in favour of   
the wines of the ,champagne--,salins of 
,beaune and      ,le ,pescheur of ,reims
 engage warmly in the dispute--,a       
pelting      with pamphlets--,burgundy  

sounds a war-note--,the ,sapphics of    
,benign ,grenan--,an asp beneath the    
flowers--,the gauntlet picked           
up--,carols from a coffin--,champagne   
extolled as superior to all      other  
wines--,it inspires the heart and stirs 
the brain--,the      apotheosis of      
,champagne foam--,burgundy1 an invalid1 
seeks a      prescription--,impartially 
appreciative drinkers of both           
wines--,bold      ,burgundian and stout 
,rmois1 each a jolly tippling           
fellow--,canon      ,maucroix's parallel
 between ,burgundy and ,demosthenes and 
,champagne      and ,cicero--,champagne 
a panacea for gout and stone--,final    
decision      in favour of ,champagne by
 the medical faculty of                 
,paris--,pluche's      opinion on the   
controversy--,champagne a lively wit and
 ,burgundy a      solid                 
understanding--,champagne commands      
double the price of the      best       
,burgundy--,zealots reconciled at table 
#dg          ,v4        _/,progress and 

,popularity of ,sparkling ,champagne4_/ 
,sparkling ,champagne intoxicates the   
,regent d',orlans and the      rous of  
the ,palais ,royal--,it is drunk by     
,peter the ,great at      ,reims--,a    
horse trained on ,champagne and         
biscuits--,decree of ,louis      ,,xv4  
regarding the transport of              
,champagne--,wine for the petits        
cabinets du ,roi--,the petits soupers   
and ,champagne orgies of      the royal 
household--,a bibulous royal            
mistress--,the ,well-,beloved      at   
,reims--,frederick the ,great1 ,george  
,,ii41 ,stanislas ,leczinski1      and  
,marshal ,saxe all drink                
,champagne--,voltaire sings the praises 
of the effervescing wine of ,ay--,the   
,commander ,descartes and               
,lebatteux extol the charms of sparkling
 ,champagne--,bertin      du ,rocheret  
and his balsamic molecules--,the        
,bacchanalian      poet ,panard chants  
the inspiring effects of the vintages of
      the ,marne--,marmontel is jointly 

inspired by ,mademoiselle de            
,navarre and the wine of ,avenay--,the  
,abb de l',attaignant and      his fair 
hostesses--,breakages of bottles in the 
manufacturers'      cellars--,attempts  
to obviate them--,the early sparkling   
wines      merely crmant--,saute bouchon
 and demi-mousseux--,prices      of     
,champagne in the eighteenth            
century--,preference given to      light
 acid wines for sparkling               
,champagne--,lingering relics      of   
prejudice against vin mousseux--,the    
secret addition of                      
sugar--,originally the wine not cleared 
in bottle--,its transfer      to other  
bottles necessary--,adoption of the     
present method      of ridding the wine 
of its deposit--,the vine-cultivators   
the      last to profit by the          
popularity of sparkling                 
,champagne--,marie      ,antoinette     
welcomed to ,reims--,reception and      
coronation of ,louis      ,,xvi4 at     
,reims--',the crown1 it hurts           

me6'--,oppressive dues and      tithes  
of the ancien rgime--,the ,fermiers     
,gnraux and their      htel at          
,reims--,champagne under the            
,revolution--,napoleon at               
,epernay--,champagne included in the    
equipment of his satraps--,the          
,allies in the ,champagne--,drunkenness 
and pillaging--,appreciation      of    
,champagne by the invading troops--,the 
beneficial results which                
followed--,universal popularity of      
,champagne--,the wine a favourite       
with kings and potentates--,its traces  
to be met with everywhere   #eg         
,,vi4        _/,champagne in ,england4_/
        ,the strong and foaming wine of 
the ,champagne forbidden his troops     
by ,henry ,v4--,the ,english carrying   
off wine when evacuating      ,reims on 
the approach of ,jeanne ,darc--,a legend
 of the siege      of ,epernay--,henry  
,,viii4 and his vineyard at ,ay--,louis 
,,xiv4's      present of ,champagne to  
,charles ,,ii4--,the courtiers of the   

,merry ,monarch retain the taste for    
,french wine acquired in                
exile--,st4 ,evremond makes the         
,champagne flute the glass of           
fashion--,still ,champagne quaffed by   
the beaux of the ,mall and      the     
rakes of the ,mulberry ,gardens--,it    
inspires the poets and      dramatists  
of the ,restoration--,is drank by ,james
 ,,ii4 and ,william      ,,iii4--,the   
advent of sparkling ,champagne in       
,england--,farquhar's      ,love and a  
,bottle--,mockmode the ,country ,squire 
and the witty      liquor--,champagne   
the source of wit--,port-wine and war   
combine      against it1 but it helps   
,marlborough's downfall--,coffin's      
poetical      invitation to the ,english
 on the return of peace--,a fraternity  
of      chemical operators who draw     
,champagne from an apple--,the influence
      of ,champagne in the ,augustan age
 of ,english literature--,extolled      
by ,gay and ,prior--,shenstone's verses 
at an inn--,renders ,vanbrugh's         

comedies lighter than his               
edifices--,swift preaches temperance    
in ,champagne to                        
,bolingbroke--,champagne the most       
fashionable      wine of the eighteenth 
century--,bertin du ,rocheret sends it  
in cask and bottle to the ,king's       
wine-merchant--,champagne at            
,vauxhall in ,horace ,walpole's         
day--,old ,q4 gets ,champagne from      
,m4 de ,puissieux--,lady ,mary's        
,champagne and chicken--,champagne      
plays its part at masquerades and       
bacchanalian suppers--,becomes      the 
beverage of the ultra-fashionables above
 and below      stairs--,figures in the 
comedies of ,foote1 ,garrick1 ,coleman1 
and      ,holcroft--,champagne and real 
pain--,sir ,edward ,barry's learned     
remarks on ,champagne--,pitt and ,dundas
 drunk on ,jenkinson's                  
,champagne--,fox and the ,champagne from
 ,brooks's--,champagne smuggled         
from ,jersey--,grown in                 
,england--,experiences of a traveller in

 the      ,champagne trade in ,england  
at the close of the century--,sillery   
the favourite wine--,nelson and the     
'fair ,emma' under the influence      of
 ,champagne--,the ,prince ,regent's     
partiality for ,champagne               
punch--,brummell's ,champagne           
blacking--,the ,duke of ,clarence       
overcome by ,champagne--,curran and     
,canning on the wine--,henderson's      
praise of ,sillery--,tom ,moore's summer
 fte inspired by ,pink                  
,champagne--,scott's ,muse dips her wing
 in ,champagne--,byron's      sparkling 
metaphors--,a joint-stock poem in praise
 of ,pink      ,champagne--,the wheels  
of social life in ,england oiled by     
,champagne--,it flows at public banquets
 and inaugurations--,plays its      part
 in the ,city1 on the ,turf1 and in the 
theatrical world--,imparts      a charm 
to the dinners of ,belgravia and the    
suppers of      ,bohemia--,champagne the
 ladies' wine par excellence--,its      
influence      as a matrimonial         

agent--',o the wildfire wine of         
,france6'          #hc          _/,part 
,,ii4_/          ,i4        _/,the      
,champagne ,vinelands--,the ,vineyards  
of the ,river4_/        ,the vinelands  
in the neighbourhood of                 
,epernay--,viticultural area      of the
 ,champagne--,a visit to the vineyards  
of 'golden plants'--,the      ,dizy     
vineyards--,antiquity of the ,ay        
vineyards--,st4 ,tresain and      the   
wine-growers of ,ay--,the ,ay vintage of
 #ahga--,the ,mareuil      vineyards and
 their produce--,avernay2 its vineyards1
 wines1 and      ancient abbey--,the    
vineyards of ,mutigny and               
,cumires--,damery      and 'la belle    
htesse' of ,henri ,quatre--,adrienne    
,lecouvreur      and the ,marchal de    
,saxe's matrimonial schemes--,pilgrimage
 to      ,hautvillers--,remains of the  
,royal ,abbey of ,st4 ,peter--,the      
ancient      church--,its quaint        
decorations and monuments--,the view    
from the      heights of                

,hautvillers--,the abbey vineyards and  
wine-cellars in the      days of ,dom   
,perignon--,the vinelands of the ,cte   
d',epernay--,pierry      and its        
vineyard cellars--,the ,moussy1 ,vinay1 
and ,ablois ,st4 ,martin                
vineyards--,the ,cte d',avize--,chavot1 
,monthelon1 ,grauves1 and               
,cuis--,the vineyards of ,cramant and   
,avize1 and their light delicate        
white wines--,the ,oger and ,le ,mesnil 
vineyards--,vertus and its              
picturesque ancient remains--,its       
vineyards planted with ,burgundy        
grapes from ,beaune--,the red wine of   
,vertus a favourite beverage of         
,william ,,iii4 of ,england             
#aag          ,,ii4        _/,the       
,champagne ,vinelands--,the ,vineyards  
of the ,mountain4_/        ,the wine of 
,sillery--,origin of its renown--,the   
,marchale      d',estres a successful   
,marchande de ,vin--,the ,marquis de    
,sillery      the greatest wine-farmer  
in the ,champagne--,cossack appreciation

      of the ,sillery produce--,the     
route from ,reims to ,sillery--,henri   
,quatre and the ,taissy wines--,failure 
of the ,jacquesson      system of vine  
cultivation--,chteau of                 
,sillery--,wine-making      at ,m4      
,fortel's--,sillery sec--,the vintage at
 ,verzenay and      the                 
vendangeoirs--,renown of the ,verzenay  
wine--,the ,verzy                       
vineyards--,edward ,,iii4 at the ,abbey 
of ,st4 ,basle--,excursion      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 ,champagne            
plains--,wine-making at ,mailly--,the   
village in the wood--,chteau and park of
 ,louvois1 ,louis le      ,grand's ,war 
,minister--,the vineyards of            
,bouzy--,its church-steeple1      and   
the lottery of the great gold           
ingot--,pressing grapes at      the     
,werl vendangeoir--,still red           

,bouzy--,ambonnay--,a pattern           
peasant vine-proprietor--,the ,ambonnay 
vintage--,the vineyards of              
,ville-,dommange and ,sacy1 ,hermonville
 and ,st4 ,thierry--,the still red      
wine of the latter                      
#acj          ,,iii4        _/,the      
,vines of the ,champagne and the ,system
 of ,cultivation4_/        ,a           
combination of circumstances essential  
to the production of      good          
,champagne--,varieties of vines         
cultivated in the ,champagne            
vineyards--,different classes of        
vine-proprietors--,cost of              
cultivation--,the soil of the           
vineyards--,period and system of        
planting the vines--,the operation of   
'provenage'--,the 'taille' or           
pruning1 the 'bchage' or                
digging--,fixing the vine-stakes--,great
      cost of the latter--,manuring and 
shortening back the vines--,the         
summer hoeing around the                
plants--,removal of the stakes after the

      vintage--,precautions adopted     
against spring frosts--,the ,guyot      
system of roofing the vines with        
matting--,forms a shelter from          
rain1 hail1 and frost1 and aids the     
ripening of the grapes--,various        
pests that prey upon the ,champagne     
vines--,destruction caused      by the  
,eumolpe1 the ,chabot1 the ,bche1 the   
,cochylus1 and the                      
,pyrale--,attempts made to check the    
ravages of the latter with the          
electric light                          
#adj          ,,iv4        _/,the       
,vintage in the ,champagne4_/           
,period of the ,champagne               
vintage--,vintagers summoned by         
beat of drum--,early morning the best   
time for plucking      the              
grapes--,excitement in the neighbouring 
villages at                             
vintage-time--,vintagers at work--,mules
 employed to convey the      gathered   
grapes down the steeper slopes--,the    
fruit carefully      examined before    

being taken to the wine-press--,arrival 
of the      grapes at the               
vendangeoir--,they are subjected to     
three squeezes1      and then to the    
'rbche'--,the must is pumped into casks 
and left      to ferment--,only a few of
 the vine-proprietors in the ,champagne 
press their own grapes--,the prices the 
grapes command--,air of      jollity    
throughout the district during the      
vintage--,every one      is interested  
in it1 and profits by it--,vintagers'   
fte on ,st4                             
,vincent's-day--,endless philandering   
between the sturdy sons of toil      and
 the sunburnt daughters of labour       
#adh          ,v4        _/,the         
,preparation of ,champagne4_/           
,the treatment of ,champagne after it   
comes from the wine-press--,the         
racking and blending of the wine--,the  
proportions of red and      white       
vintages composing the                  
'cuve'--,deficiency and excess      of  
effervescence--,strength and form of    

,champagne bottles--,the      'tirage'  
or bottling of the wine--,the process of
 gas-making      commences--,details of 
the origin and development of the       
effervescent properties of              
,champagne--,the inevitable breakage of 
bottles which ensues--,this remedied by 
transferring the wine      to a lower   
temperature--,the wine stacked in       
piles--,formation of                    
sediment--,bottles placed 'sur pointe'  
and daily shaken to detach      the     
deposit--,effect of this occupation on  
those incessantly      engaged in       
it--,the present system originated by a 
workman of      ,madame                 
,clicquot's--',claws' and               
'masks'--,champagne cellars--,their     
construction and aspect--,raw recruits  
for the ',regiment de                   
,champagne'--,transforming the 'vin     
brut' into ,champagne--,disgorging      
and liqueuring the wine--,the           
composition of the liqueur--,variation  
in the quantity added to suit diverse   

national tastes--,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 round the world   
#aed          ,,vi4        _/,reims and 
its ,champagne ,establishments4_/       
,the city of ,reims--,its historical    
associations--,the ,cathedral--,its     
western front one of the most splendid  
conceptions of the      thirteenth      
century--,the sovereigns crowned within 
its      walls--,present aspect of the  
ancient archiepiscopal city--,the       
woollen manufactures and other          
industries of ,reims--,the city         
undermined with the cellars of the great
 ,champagne firms--,reims               
hotels--,gothic house in the ,rue du    
,bourg ,st4 ,denis--,renaissance        
house in the ,rue de ,vesle--,church of 
,st4 ,jacques3 its gateway      and     
quaint weathercock--,the ,rue des       

,tapissiers and the ,chapter            
,court--,the long tapers used at        
religious processions--,the ,place      
des ,marchs and its ancient houses--,the
 ,htel de ,ville--,statue      of ,louis
 ,,xiii4--,the ,rues de la ,prison and  
du ,temple--,messrs4      ,werl  ,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--,remains of the      
,commanderie--,the forty-five           
cellars of the ,clicquot-,werl          
establishment--,our tour of inspection  
through them--,ingenious dosing         
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                        
#afh          ,,vii4        _/,reims and

 its ,champagne ,establishments_/       
7continued74        ,the house of ,louis
 ,roederer founded by a plodding ,german
      named ,schreider--,the central and
 other establishments of the            
firm--,ancient house in the ,rue des    
,elus--,the gloomy-looking ,rue      des
 ,deux ,anges and prison-like aspect of 
its houses--,inside      their courts   
the scene changes--,handsome            
,renaissance house and      garden1 a   
former abode of the canons of the       
,cathedral--,the      ,place            
,royale--,the ,htel des ,fermes and the 
statue of the 'wise1      virtuous1 and 
magnanimous ,louis ,,xv4'--,birthplace  
of ,colbert in      the ,rue de         
,crs--,quaint ,adam and ,eve gateway in 
the ,rue de      l',arbalte--,heidsieck 
,co4's central establishment in the ,rue
 de      ,sedan--,their famous          
',monopole' brand--,the firm founded in 
the last      century--,their extensive 
cellars inside and outside ,reims--,the 
matured wines shipped by them--,the     

,boulevard du ,temple--,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--,various      ,champagne firms  
located in this quarter of ,reims--,the 
,rue du      ,tambour and the famous    
,house of the ,musicians--,the ,counts  
de la      ,marck assumed former        
occupants of the latter--,the           
,brotherhood of      ,minstrels of      
,reims--,prinet  ,fils' establishment in
 the ,rue ,st4      ,hilaire--,their    
cellars of three stories in solid       
masonry--,their      soft1 light1 and   
delicate wines--,a rare still           
,verzenay--,the firm's      high-class  
,extra ,sec                             
#agi          ,,viii4        _/,reims   
and its ,champagne ,establishments_/    
7continued74        ,la ,prison de      
,bonne ,semaine--,mary ,queen of ,scots 
at ,reims--,messrs4      ,pommery       

,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 tower   
and grotto--,the handsome               
castellated ,pommery establishment--,the
 spacious cellier and      huge carved  
cuve tuns--,the descent to the          
cellars--,their great                   
extent--,these lofty subterranean       
chambers originally quarries1      and  
subsequently places of refuge of the    
early ,christians and      the          
,protestants--,madame ,pommery's        
splendid cuves of #ahfh and             
#ahgd--,messrs4 de ,st4 ,marceaux       
,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
  ,co4's various wines--,the            

establishment of ,veuve      ,morelle   
,co41 successors to ,max ,sutaine--,the 
latter's ',essai sur      le ,vin de    
,champagne'--,the ,sutaine family       
formerly of some note at                
,reims--,morelle  ,co4's cellars well   
adapted to the development      of      
sparkling wines--,the various brands of 
the house--,the ,porte                  
,dieu-,lumire                           
#ahh          ,,ix4        _/,epernay4_/
        ,the connection of ,epernay with
 the production of wine of      remote  
date--,the town repeatedly burnt and    
plundered--,hugh the      ,great carries
 off all the wine of the                
neighbourhood--,vineyards      belonging
 to the ,abbey of ,st4 ,martin in the   
eleventh1 twelfth1      and thirteenth  
centuries--,abbot ,gilles orders the    
demolition of      a wine-press which   
infringes the abbey's feudal            
rights--,bequests      of vineyards in  
the fifteenth century--,francis ,i4     
bestows ,epernay      on ,claude ,duke  

of ,guise in #aedd--,the ,eschevins send
 a present      of wine to their new    
seigneur--,wine levied for the king's   
camp      at ,rethel and the strongholds
 of the province by the ,duc de         
,longueville--,epernay sacked and fired 
on the approach of ,charles             
,v4--,the ,charles-,fontaine vendangeoir
 at ,avenay--,destruction of      the   
immense pressoirs of the ,abbey of ,st4 
,martin--,the handsome      ,renaissance
 entrance to the church of              
,epernay--,plantation of the      'terre
 de sige' with vines in #aeej--,money   
and wine levied on      ,epernay by     
,cond and the ,duke of ,guise--,henri   
,quatre lays siege      to              
,epernay--,death of ,marchal            
,biron--,desperate battle amongst the   
vineyards--,triple talent of the 'bon   
,roy ,henri' for drinking1              
fighting1 and love-making--,verses      
addressed by him to his 'belle          
htesse' ,anne du ,puy--,the ,epernay    
,town ,council make gifts of wine       

to various functionaries to secure their
 good-will--,presents of      wine to   
,turenne at the coronation of ,louis    
,,xiv4--,petition to      ,louvois to   
withdraw the ,epernay garrison that the 
vintage may be      gathered in--,the   
,duke and ,duchess of ,orleans at       
,epernay--,louis      ,,xiv4 partakes of
 the local vintage at the maison        
abbatiale on his      way to the army of
 the ,rhine--,increased reputation of   
the wine of      ,epernay at the end of 
the seventeenth century--,numerous      
offerings      of it to the ,marquis de 
,puisieux1 ,governor of the town--,the  
,old      ,pretender presented at       
,epernay with twenty-four bottles of the
      best--,sparkling wine sent to the 
,marquis de ,puisieux at ,sillery1      
and also to his nephew--,further gifts  
to the ,prince de ,turenne--,the        
vintage destroyed by frost in           
#agdj--,the ,epernay slopes at this     
epoch said to produce the most delicious
 wine in ,europe--,vines      planted   

where houses had formerly stood--,the   
development of the      trade in        
sparkling wine--,a 'tirage' of fifty    
thousand bottles      in #aghg--;,arthur
 ,young drinks ,champagne at ,epernay at
 forty sous      the bottle--,it is     
surmised that ,louis ,,xvi41 on his     
return from      ,varennes1 is inspired 
by ,champagne at ,epernay--,napoleon and
 his      family enjoy the hospitality  
of ,jean ,remi ,mot--,king ,jerome      
of ,westphalia's true prophecy with     
regard to the ,russians and             
,champagne--,disgraceful conduct of the 
,prussians and ,russians      at        
,epernay in #ahad--,the ,mayor offers   
them the free run of his                
cellars--,charles ,x41 ,louis ,philippe1
 and ,napoleon ,,iii4 accept the        
'vin d'honneur' at ,epernay--,the town  
occupied by ,german troops      during  
the war of #ahgj-a                      
#aie          ,x4        _/,the         
,champagne ,establishments of ,epernay  
and ,pierry4_/        ,early records of 

the ,mot family at ,reims and           
,epernay--,jean ,remi      ,mot1 the    
founder of the commerce in ,champagne   
wines--,extracts from      old          
account-books of the ,mots--,jean ,remi 
,mot receives the ,emperor              
,napoleon1 the ,empress ,josephine1 and 
the ,king of ,westphalia--,the      firm
 of ,mot  ,chandon constituted--,their  
establishment in the      ,rue du       
,commerce--,the delivery and washing of 
new bottles--,the      numerous         
vineyards and vendangeoirs of the       
firm--,their cuve made      in vats of  
#ab1jjj gallons--,the bottling of the   
wine--,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--,the        
original vaults      known as           
,siberia--,scene in the                 
packing-hall--,messrs4 ,mot             
,chandon's large and complete           

staff--,the famous ',star' brand of the 
firm--,perrier-,jout's chteau1 offices1 
and cellars--,classification      of the
 wine of the house--,the establishment  
of ,messrs4 ,pol      ,roger            
,co4--,their large stock of the fine    
#ahgd vintage--,the      preparations   
for the tirage--,their vast fireproof   
cellier and      its temperature--,their
 lofty and capacious cellars--,pierry   
becomes a wine-growing district         
consequent upon ,dom ,perignon's        
discovery--,esteem in which the growths 
of the ,clos ,st4 ,pierre were          
held--,cazotte1 author of ,le ,diable   
,amoureux1 and guillotined      for     
planning the escape of ,louis ,,xvi4    
from ,france1 a resident at             
,pierry--,his contest with the ,abbot of
 ,hautvillers with reference      to the
 abbey tithes of wine--,the ,chteau of  
,pierry--,its owner      demands to have
 it searched to prove that he is not a  
forestaller      of corn--,the vineyards
 and ,champagne establishment of        

,g-,dufaut       ,co4--,the reserves of 
old wines in the cellars of this        
firm--,honours      secured by them at  
,vienna and ,paris                      
#bje          ,,xi4        _/,some      
,champagne ,establishments at ,ay and   
,mareuil4_/        ,the bourgade of ,ay 
and its eighteenth-century              
chteau--,gambling      propensities of a
 former owner1 ,balthazar ,constance    
,dang-,doray--      ,appreciation of the
 ,ay vintage by ,sigismund of ,bohemia1 
,leo ,x41      ,charles ,v41 ,francis   
,i41 and ,henry ,,viii4--,bertin du     
,rocheret      celebrates this          
partiality in triolets--,estimation of  
the ,ay wine      in the reigns of      
,charles ,,ix4 and ,henri ,,iii4--,is a 
favoured drink      with the leaders of 
the ,league1 and with ,henri ,,iv41     
,catherine de      ,medicis1 and the    
courtiers of that epoch--,the           
',vendangeoir d',henri      ,quatre' at 
,ay--,the ,king's pride in his title of 
,seigneur d',ay and                     

,gonesse--,dominicus ,baudius punningly 
suggests that the ',vin d',ay'          
should be called ',vinum ,dei'--,the    
merits of the wine sung by poets        
and extolled by wits--,the ,ay wine in  
its palmy days evidently not            
sparkling--,arthur ,young's visit to ,ay
 in #aghg--,the establishment of        
,deutz  ,geldermann--,drawing off the   
cuve there--,mode of excavating         
cellars in the ,champagne--,the firm's  
new cellars1 vineyards1 and             
vendangeoir--,m4 ,duminy's cellars and  
wines--,the house founded      in       
#ahad--,the new model ,duminy           
establishment--,picturesque old         
house at ,ay--,messrs4 ,pfungst ,frres  
,co4's cellars--,their                  
finely-matured dry ,champagnes--,the old
 church of ,ay and its      numerous    
decorations of grapes and               
vine-leaves--,the sculptured      figure
 above the ,renaissance doorway--,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  ,co4--,the handsome    
carved gigantic cuve-tun--,the          
cellars and their lofty shafts--,the    
wines of the firm            #bag       
,,xii4        _/,champagne              
,establishments at ,avize and ,rilly4_/ 
,avize the centre of the white grape    
district--,its situation and            
aspect--,the establishment of ,giesler  
,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 of the  
,avize and ,cramant      vineyards 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 ,cazanove       #bbi     
,,xiii4        _/,sport in the          

,champagne4_/        ,the ,champagne    
forests the resort of the               
wild-boar--,departure of      a         
hunting-party in the early morning to a 
boar-hunt--,rousing      the boar from  
his lair--,commencement of the          
attack--,chasing the      boar--,his    
course is checked by a bullet--,the dogs
 rush on in full      pursuit--,the boar
 turns and stands at bay--,a skilful    
marksman      advances and gives him the
 coup de grce--,hunting the wild-boar   
on horseback in the ,champagne--,an     
exciting day's sport with ,m4           
d',honnincton's boar-hounds--,the       
'sonnerie du sanglier' and the          
'vue'--,the horns sound in chorus ',the 
boar has taken soil'--,the      boar    
leaves the stream1 and a spirited chase 
ensues--,brought to      bay1 he seeks  
the water again--,deathly struggle      
between the boar      and a full pack of
 hounds--,the fatal shot is at length   
fired1      and the 'hallali' is        
sounded--,as many as fifteen wild-boars 

sometimes killed at a single meet--,the 
vagaries of some tame      young        
boars--,hounds of all kinds used for    
hunting the wild-boar      in the       
,champagne--,damage done by boars to the
 vineyards and the                      
crops--,varieties of game common to the 
,champagne                 #bce         
_/,part ,,iii4_/          ,i4           
_/,sparkling ,saumur and ,sparkling     
,sauternes4_/        ,the sparkling     
wines of the ,loire often palmed off as 
,champagne--,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--,touraine the 
favourite residence of the      earlier 

,french monarchs--,after a night's      
carouse at the epoch      of the        
,renaissance--,the ,vouvray             
vineyards--,balzac's picture      of ,la
 ,valle ,coquette--,the village of      
,vouvray and the ,chteau      of        
,moncontour--,vernou1 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 ,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--,recognition accorded to   
the wine at the ,concours      ,rgional 
d',angoulme                             
#bda          ,,ii4        _/,the       
,sparkling ,wines of ,burgundy1 the     
,jura1 and the ,south of      ,france4_/
        ,sparkling wines of the ,cte    
d',or at the ,paris ,exhibition of      
#ahgh--;,chambertin1 ,romane1 and       
,vougeot--,burgundy wines and      vines
 formerly presents from                 
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                    
drawbacks--,sparkling wines of          
,auvergne1 ,guienne1 ,dauphin1      and 
,languedoc--,sparkling ,saint-,pray the 
,champagne of the      ,south--,valence1
 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-,prix1      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        

,limoux1 and how      it is             
made--,characteristics of this overrated
 wine               #bea          ,,iii4
        _/,facts and ,notes respecting  
,sparkling ,wines4_/        ,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      crus 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 in which to lay   
down      ,champagne--,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                            
#beh    ,illustration                   
,illustration3 ,a                       
,,history ,,of ,,champagne              
,,with ,,notes ,,on                     
,,other ,,sparkling ,,wines4            
,,part ,i4                              
,i4                    _/,early ,renown 
of the ,champagne ,wines4_/        ,the 
vine in ,gaul--,domitian's edict to     
uproot it--,plantation of      vineyards
 under ,probus--,early vineyards of the 
,champagne--,ravages      by the        
,northern tribes repulsed for a time by 
the ,consul      ,jovinus--,st4 ,remi   
and the baptism of ,clovis--,st4 ,remi's

      vineyards--,simultaneous progress 
of ,christianity and the                
cultivation of the vine--,the vine a    
favourite subject of ornament      in   
the churches of the ,champagne--,the    
culture of the vine      interrupted1   
only to be renewed with increased       
ardour--,early      distinction between 
',vins de la ,rivire' and ',vins de la  
,montagne'--,a prelate's counsel        
respecting the proper wine      to      
drink--,the ,champagne desolated by     
war--,pope ,urban ,,ii41 a      former  
,canon of ,reims ,cathedral--,his       
partiality for the wine of              
,ay--,bequests of vineyards to religious
 establishments--,critical              
ecclesiastical topers--,the wine of the 
,champagne causes poets to      sing and
 rejoice--',la ,bataille des            
,vins'--,wines of ,auviller and         
,espernai le ,bacheler4                 
,illustration    ,although the date of  
the introduction of the vine into       
,france is  lost in the mists of        

antiquity1 and though the wines of      
,marseilles1  ,narbonne1 and ,vienne    
were celebrated by ,roman writers prior 
to the  ,christian era1 many centuries  
elapsed before a vintage was gathered   
within the limits of the ancient        
province of ,champagne4 ,whilst the     
vine and olive throve in the sunny soil 
of the ,narbonnese ,gaul1 the  frigid   
climate of the as yet uncultivated      
,north forbade the production  of either
 wine or oil4#a ,the 'forest of the     
,marne1' now renowned  for the vintage  
it yields1 was then indeed a dark and   
gloomy wood1  the haunt of the wolf and 
wild boar1 the stag and the auroch2 and 
the tall barbarians of ,gallia ,comata1 
who manned the walls of ,reims  on the  
approach of ,csar1 were fain to quaff   
defiance to the ,roman  power in mead   
and ale4#b ,though ,reims became under  
the ,roman dominion  one of the capitals
 of ,belgic ,gaul1 and acquired an      
importance to  which numerous relics in 
the shape of temples1 triumphal arches1 

baths1 arenas1 military roads1 c41 amply
 testify2 and though the  ,gauls were   
especially distinguished by their quick 
adoption of ,roman  customs1 it appears 
certain that during the sway of the     
twelve ,csars  the inhabitants of the   
present ,champagne district were forced 
to  draw the wine1 with which their     
amphor were filled and their pater      
replenished1 from extraneous sources4   
,the vintages of which ,pliny and       
,columella have written were confined to
 ,gallia ,narboniensis1 though the      
culture of the vine had doubtless made  
some progress in ,aquitaine and  on the 
banks of the ,sane1 when the stern edict
 of the fly-catching  madman ,domitian1 
issued on the plea that the plant of    
,bacchus usurped  space which would be  
better filled by that of ,ceres1 led    
7_/,a4,d4_/ #ib7 to  its total uprooting
 throughout the ,gallic territory4      
,illustration    ,for nearly two hundred
 years this strange edict remained in   
force1  during which period all the wine

 consumed in the ,gallo-,roman dominions
  was imported from abroad4 ,six        
generations of men1 to whom the cheerful
  toil of the vine-dresser was but an   
hereditary tale1 and the joys of  the   
vintage a half-forgotten tradition1 had 
passed away when1 in #bhb1  the ,emperor
 ,probus1 a gardener's son1 once more   
granted permission to  cultivate the    
vine1 and even exercised his legions in 
the laying-out  and planting of         
vineyards in ,gaul4#c ,the culture was  
eagerly resumed1  and1 as with the      
advancement of agriculture and the      
clearance of  forests the climate had   
gradually improved1 the inhabitants of  
the  more northern regions sought to    
emulate their southern neighbours in    
the production of wine4 ,this concession
 of ,probus was hailed with  rejoicing2 
and some antiquaries maintain that the  
triumphal arch at  ,reims1 known as the 
,gate of ,mars1 was erected during his  
reign as a  token of gratitude for this 
permission to replant the vine4#d       

,illustration    ,illustration3 ,,the   
,,gate ,,of ,,mars ,,at ,,reims4    ,by 
the fourth century the banks of the     
,marne and the ,moselle were  clothed   
with vineyards1 which became objects of 
envy and desire to  the yellow-haired   
tribes of ,germany1#e and led in no     
small degree  to the predatory          
incursions into the territory of ,reims 
so severely  repulsed by ,julian the    
,apostate and the ,consul ,jovinus1 who 
had aided  ,julian to ascend the throne 
of the ,csars1 and had combatted for him
  against the ,persians4 ,julian        
assembled his forces at ,reims in #cef1 
before advancing against the ,alemanni1 
who had established themselves  in      
,alsace and ,lorraine2 and ten years    
later the ,consul ,jovinus1 after       
surprising some of the same nation      
bathing their large limbs1 combing      
their long and flaxen hair1 and         
'swallowing huge draughts of rich and   
delicious wine1'#f on the banks of the  
,moselle1 fought a desperate and        

successful battle1 lasting an entire    
summer's day1 on the ,catalaunian       
plains near ,chlons1 with their         
comrades1 whom the prospect of similar  
indulgence had tempted to enter the     
,champagne4 ,valerian came to ,reims  in
 #cfg to congratulate ,jovinus2 and the 
,emperor and the ,consul 7whose  tomb is
 to-day preserved in ,reims ,cathedral7 
fought their battles o'er  again over   
their cups in the palace reared by the  
latter on the spot  occupied in later   
years by the church of ,st4 ,nicaise4   
,the check administered by ,jovinus was 
but temporary1 while the  attraction    
continued permanent4 ,for nearly half a 
century1 it is  true1 the vineyards of  
the ,champagne throve amidst an era of  
quiet  and prosperity such as had seldom
 blessed the frontier provinces of      
,gaul4#g ,but when1 in #djf1 the        
,vandals spread the flame of war from   
the  banks of the ,rhine to the ,alps1  
the ,pyrenees1 and the ocean1 ,reims was
  sacked1 its fields ravaged1 its bishop

 cut down at the altar1 and its         
inhabitants slain or made captive2 and  
the same scene of desolation was        
repeated when the hostile myriads of    
,attila swept across north-western      
,france in #dea4    ,illustration3      
,,tomb ,,of ,,the ,,consul ,,jovinus1   
,,preserved ,,in ,,reims  ,,cathedral4  
,happier times were1 however1 in store  
for ,reims and its bishops and its      
vineyards1 the connection between the   
two last being far more intimate  than  
might be supposed4 ,when ,clovis and his
 ,frankish host passed  through ,reims  
by the road still known as the ,grande  
,barberie1 on his  way to attack        
,syagrius in #dhf1 there was no doubt a 
little pillaging1  and the famous golden
 vase which one of the monarch's        
followers  carried off from the         
episcopal residence was not left        
unfilled by its  new owner4 ,but after  
,syagrius had been crushed at ,soissons1
 and the  theft avenged by a blow from  
the king's battle-axe1 ,clovis not only 

restored the stolen vase1 and made a    
treaty with the bishop ,st4 ,remi  or   
,remigius1 son of ,emilius1 ,count of   
,laon1 but eventually became a  convert 
to ,christianity1 and accepted baptism  
at his hands4 ,secular  history has     
celebrated the fight of ,tolbiac--the   
invocation addressed  by the despairing 
,frank to the ,god of the ,christians2  
the sudden  rallying of his fainting    
troops1 and the last desperate charge   
which  swept away for ever the power of 
the ,alemanni as a nation4 ,saintly     
legends have enlarged upon the piety of 
,queen ,clotilda2 the ability of  ,st4  
,remi2 the pomp and ceremony which      
marked the baptism of ,clovis at  ,reims
 in ,december #dif2 the memorable       
injunction of the bishop to his  royal  
convert to adore the cross he had burnt1
 and burn the idols he  had hitherto    
adored2 and the miracle of the ,sainte  
,ampoule1 a vial of  holy oil said to   
have been brought direct from heaven by 
a snow-white  dove in honour of the     

occasion4 ,a pigeon1 however1 has always
 been  a favourite item in the          
conjuror's paraphernalia from the days  
of  ,apolonius of ,tyana and ,mahomet   
down to those of ,houdin and ,dr4 ,lynn2
  and modern scepticism has suggested   
that the celestial regions were  none   
other than the episcopal dovecot4       
,whether or not the oil was holy1  we   
may be certain that the wine which      
flowed freely in honour of the          
,frankish monarch's conversion was      
ambrosial2 that the fierce warriors  who
 had conquered at ,soissons and ,tolbiac
 wetted their long moustaches  in the   
choicest growths that had ripened on the
 surrounding hills2 and  that the       
,counts and ,leudes1 and1 judging from  
national habits1 the ,king  himself1 got
 royally drunk upon a cuve rserve from  
the vineyard  which ,st4 ,remi had      
planted with his own hands on his       
hereditary estate  near ,laon1 or the   
one which the slave ,melanius cultivated
 for him just  without the walls of     

,reims4    ,illustration    ,for the    
saint was not only a converter of kings1
 but1 what is of  more moment to us1 a  
cultivator of vineyards and an          
appreciator of  their produce4 ,amongst 
the many miracles which monkish         
chroniclers  have ascribed to him is one
 commemorated by a bas-relief on the    
north  doorway of ,reims ,cathedral1    
representing him in the house of one of 
his relatives1 named ,celia1 making the 
sign of the cross over an empty  cask1  
which1 as a matter of course1           
immediately became filled with  wine4   
,that ,st4 ,remi possessed such an ample
 stock of wine of his own as  to have   
been under no necessity to repeat this  
miracle in the episcopal  palace is     
evident from the will penned by him     
during his last illness  in #ecj1 as    
this shows his viticultural and other   
possessions to have  been sufficiently  
extensive to have contented a bishop    
even of the most  pluralistic           
proclivities4#h    ,it is curious to    

note the connection between the spread  
of viticulture  and that of             
,christianity--a connection apparently  
incongruous1 and yet  evident enough1   
when it is remembered that wine is      
necessary for the  celebration of the   
most solemn sacrament of the ,church4   
,christianity  became the established   
religion of the ,roman ,empire about the
 first  decade of the fourth century1   
and ,paganism was prohibited by         
,theodosius  at its close2 and it is    
during this period that we find the     
culture of  the grape spreading         
throughout ,gaul1 and ,st4 ,martin of   
,tours preaching  the ,gospel and       
planting a vineyard coevally4 ,chapters 
and religious  houses especially applied
 themselves to the cultivation of the   
vine1  and hence the origin of many     
famous vineyards1 not only of the       
,champagne but of ,france4 ,the old     
monkish architects1 too1 showed their   
appreciation of the vine by continually 
introducing sculptured festoons  of     

vine-leaves1 intermingled with massy    
clusters of grapes1 into the            
decorations of the churches built by    
them4 ,the church of ,st4 ,remi1 for    
instance1 commenced in the middle of the
 seventh century1 and touched  up by    
succeeding builders till it has been    
compared to a school of  progressive    
architecture1 furnishes an example of   
this in the mouldings  of its principal 
doorway2 and ,reims ,cathedral offers   
several instances  of a similar         
character4    ,illustration             
,illustration3 ,,from ,,the ,,north     
,,doorway ,,of ,,reims ,,cathedral4     
,amidst the anarchy and confusion which 
marked the feeble sway of the           
long-haired ,merovingian kings1 whom the
 warlike ,franks were wont to  hoist    
upon their bucklers when investing them 
with the sovereign power1  we find      
,france relapsing into a state of       
barbarism2 and though the  ,salic law   
enacted severe penalties for pulling up 
a vine-stock1 the  prospect of being    

liable at any moment to a writ of       
ejectment1 enforced  by the aid of a    
battle-axe1 must have gone far to damp  
spontaneous  ardour as regards          
experimental viticulture4 ,the tenants  
of the ,church1  in which category the  
bulk of the vine-growers of ,reims and  
,epernay  were to be classed1 were best 
off2 but neither the threats of bishops 
nor the vengeance of saints could       
restrain acts of sacrilege and  pillage4
 ,during the latter half of the sixth   
century ,reims1 ,epernay1  and the      
surrounding district were ravaged       
several times by the  contending armies 
of ,austrasia and ,neustria2 and        
,chilperic of ,soissons1  on capturing  
the latter town in #efb1 put such heavy 
taxes on the vines  and the serfs that  
in three years the inhabitants had      
deserted the  country4 ,matters         
improved1 however1 during the more      
peaceful days of  the ensuing century1  
which witnessed the foundation of       
numerous abbeys1  including those of    

,epernay1 ,hautvillers1 and ,avenay2 and
 the planting  of fresh vineyards in the
 ecclesiastical domains by ,bishop      
,romulfe and  his successor ,st4        
,sonnace1 the latter1 who died in #fcg1 
bequeathing  to the church of ,st4 ,remi
 a vineyard at ,villers1 and to the     
monastery  of ,st4 ,pierre les ,dames   
one situate at ,germaine1 in the        
,mountain of  ,reims4#i ,the sculptured 
saint on the exterior of ,reims         
,cathedral1 with  his feet resting upon 
a pedestal wreathed with vine-leaves and
 bunches  of grapes1 may possibly have  
been intended for one of these numerous 
wine-growing prelates4    ,illustration3
 ,,from ,,the ,,north ,,doorway ,,of    
,,reims ,,cathedral4    ,the mighty     
figure of ,charlemagne1 overshadowing   
the whole of ,europe  at the            
commencement of the ninth century1      
appears in connection with  ,reims1     
where1 begirt with paladins and peers1  
he entertained the  ill-used ,pope ,leo 
,,iii4 right royally during the 'festes 

de ,noel'  of #hje4 ,the monarch who is 
said to have clothed the steep heights  
of ,rudesheim with vines was not        
indifferent to good wine2 and the       
vintages of the ,champagne doubtless    
mantled in the magic goblet  of ,huon de
 ,bordeaux1 and brimmed the horns which 
,roland1 ,oliver1  ,doolin de ,mayence1 
,renaud of ,montauban1 and ,ogier the   
,dane1 drained  before girding on their 
swords and starting on their deeds of   
high  emprise--the slaughter of         
,saracens1 the rescue of captive        
damsels1 and  the discomfiture of felon 
knights--told in the fables of ,turpin  
and the  'chansons de geste4' ,that the 
cultivation of the grape1 and above all 
the making of wine1 had been steadily   
progressing1 is clear from the  fact    
that the distinction between the ',vins 
de la ,rivire de ,marne' and  the ',vins
 de la ,montagne de ,reims' dates from  
the ninth century4#aj    ,this era is1  
moreover1 marked by the inauguration of 
that long series  of coronations which  

helped to spread the popularity of the  
,champagne  wines throughout ,france by 
the agency of the nobles and prelates   
taking  part in the ceremony4 ,sumptuous
 festivities marked the coronation of   
,charlemagne's son ,louis in #haf2 and  
the officiating ,archbishop ,ebbon  may 
have helped to furnish the feast with   
some of the produce from  the vineyard  
he had planted at ,mont ,ebbon1         
generally identified with  the existing 
,montebon1 near ,mardeuil4 ,it is of    
this vineyard that  ,pardulus1 ,bishop  
of ,laon1 speaks in a letter addressed  
by him to  ,ebbon's successor1 the      
virtuous ,hincmar1 who assumed the      
crozier in  #hde1 proffering him        
counsels as to the best method of       
sustaining his  failing health4 ,after  
telling him to avoid eating fish on the 
same day  that it is caught1 insisting  
that salted meat is more wholesome than 
fresh1 and recommending bacon and beans 
cooked in fat as an excellent           
digestive1 he proceeds3 ',you must make 

use of a wine which is neither  too     
strong nor too weak--prefer1 to those   
produced on the summit of the  mountain 
or the bottom of the valley1 one that is
 grown on the slopes  of the hills1 as  
towards ,epernay1 at ,mont ,ebbon2      
towards ,chaumuzy1 at  ,rouvesy2 towards
 ,reims1 at ,mersy and ,chaumery4' ,the 
,champagne vineyards  suffered          
grievously from the internal convulsions
 which marked the  period when the      
sceptre of ,france was swayed by the    
feeble hands of  the dregs of the       
,carlovingian race4 ,the ,normans1 who  
threatened ,reims  and sacked ,epernay  
in #hhb1 swept over them like devouring 
locusts2 and  their annals during the   
following century are written in letters
 of  blood and flame4    ,times were    
indeed bad for the peaceful             
vine-dressers in the tenth  century1    
when castles were springing up in every 
direction2 when might  made right1 and  
the rule of the strong hand alone       
prevailed2 and when  the firm belief    

that the end of the world was to come in
 the year  #ajjj led men to live only   
for the present1 and seek to get as much
  out of their fellow-creatures as they 
possibly could4 ,such natural           
calamities as that of #iai1 when the    
wine-crop entirely failed in the        
neighbourhood of ,reims1 were bad       
enough2 but the continual incursions  of
 the ,hungarians1 whose arrows struck   
down the peasant at the plough  and the 
priest at the altar1 and the memory of  
whose pitiless deeds  yet survives in   
the term 'ogre2' the desperate contest  
waged for ten  years by ,heribert of    
,vermandois to secure the bishopric of  
,reims for  his infant son1 during which
 hardly a foot of the disputed territory
  remained unstained by blood2 the      
repeated invasions of ,otho of ,germany2
  and the struggle between ,hugh ,capet 
and ,charles of ,lorraine for the       
titular crown of ,france1--left traces  
harder to be effaced4 ,reims  underwent 
four sieges in about sixty years2 and   

,epernay1 that most  hapless of towns1  
was sacked at least half a score of     
times1 and twice  burnt1 one of the most
 conscientiously executed pillagings    
being that  performed in #idg by ,hugh  
the ,great1 who1 as it was vintage-time1
  completely ravaged the whole country1 
and carried off all the wine4#aa        
,under the rule of the ,capetian race   
matters improved as regarded  foreign   
foes1 though the archbishops had in the 
early part of the  eleventh century to  
abandon ,epernay1 ,vertus1 ,fismes1 and 
their  dependencies to the family of    
,robert of ,vermandois1 who had assumed 
the  title of ,counts of ,champagne1 to 
be held by them as fiefs4 ,the fame  of 
the schools of ,reims1 where future     
popes and embryo emperors met  as       
class-mates2 the festive gatherings     
which marked the coronation of  ,henry  
,i4 and ,philip ,i42 the great          
ecclesiastical council held by ,leo     
,,ix41 which procured for the city the  
nickname of 'little ,rome2' and the     

growing importance of the ,champagne    
fairs1 the great meeting-places         
throughout the ,middle ,ages of the     
merchants of ,spain1 ,italy1 and  the   
,low ,countries1--favoured the          
prosperity of the district and the      
production of its wine4 ,urban ,,ii41 a 
native of ,chtillon1 who wore  the      
triple crown from #ajhh to the close of 
the century1 was1 prior  to his         
elevation to the chair of ,st4 ,peter1 a
 canon of ,reims1 under  the name of    
,eudes or ,odo1 and1 tippling there in  
company with his  fellow-clerics1       
acquired a taste for the wine of ,ay1   
which he preferred  to all others in the
 world4#ab ,pilgrims to ,rome found     
penance light  and pardon easily        
obtained when they bore with them across
 the ,alps1 in  addition to staff and   
scrip1 a huge 'leathern bottel' of that 
beloved  vintage which warmed the       
pontiff's heart and whetted his wit for 
the  delivery of those soul-stirring    
orations at ,placentia and ,clermont1   

wherein he appealed to the chivalry of  
,western ,europe to hasten to the       
rescue of the ,holy ,sepulchre from the 
hands of the infidel4    ,the result of 
these appeals was felt by the           
vine-cultivators of the  ,champagne in  
more ways than one1 and their case      
recalls that of the  petard-hoisted     
engineer4 ,the virtuous1 the            
speculative1 and the  enthusiastic who  
followed ,peter the ,hermit and ,walter 
the ,penniless  to the plains of ,asia  
,minor suffered at the hands of the     
vicious1 the  prudent1 and the          
practical1 who remained at home and     
passed their time  in pillaging the     
estates of their absent neighbours4 ,the
 abbatial  vineyards suffered like the  
others2 and the monks of ,st4 ,thierry1 
in making peace with ,gerard de la      
,roche and ,alberic ,malet in #aach1    
complained bitterly of wine violently   
extorted during two years from  growers 
on the ecclesiastical estate and of a   
levy made upon their  vineyard4#ac      

,the efforts of ,henry of ,france1 a    
warlike prelate1 who built fortresses   
and attacked those of the robber-nobles1
 and of ,louis ,,vii41 who avenged  the 
wrongs of the church of ,reims on the   
,counts of ,roucy1 served to  improve   
matters2 and we may be sure that        
whenever the monks did get  hold of a   
repentant or dying sinner1 they made him
 pay pretty dearly  for peace with them 
and ,heaven4 ,colin ,musset1 the early  
,champenois  poet1 thought that the best
 use to which money could be put was to 
spend it in good wine4#ad ,churchmen1   
however1 managed to secure the  desired 
commodity without any such outlay1 for  
numerous charters of the  twelfth and   
thirteenth centuries show lords1 sick or
 about starting  for the crusades1      
making large gifts to abbeys and        
monasteries2 and  many a strip of fair  
and fertile vineland was thus added1    
thanks to  a judicious pressure on the  
conscience1 to the already extensive    
possessions of the two great monasteries

 of ,reims1 ,st4 ,remi and ,st4         
,nicaise1 and also to that of ,st4      
,thierry4 ,the ,templars1 too1 whose    
reputation as wine-bibbers was only     
inferior to that of the monks1 if  we   
may credit the adage which runs1        
',boire en templier1 c'est boire  plein 
gosier2      ,boire en cordelier1 c'est 
vuider le cellier1'    and who1 prior to
 the catastrophe of #acac1 had a        
commandery at ,reims1  possessed either 
vineyards1 or droits de vinage1 at      
numerous spots1  including ,epernay1    
,hermonville1 ,ludes1 and ,verzy2 while 
the separate  community of these ',red  
,monks' installed at ,orilly had estates
 at  ,ay1 ,damery1 and ,mareuil4 ,the   
hospital of ,st4 ,mary at ,reims also   
reckoned amongst its possessions        
vineyards at ,moussy1 bequeathed by     
,canon ,pontius and ,tebaldus           
,papelenticus4 ,the wine1 which in #abae
 the  treasurer of the chapter of ,reims
 ,cathedral obtained from that body  an 
acknowledgment of his right to on the   

anniversaries of the deaths  of ,bishops
 ,ebalus and ,radulf1 and that to which 
the sub-treasurer and  carpenter were   
severally entitled1 was no doubt in part
 derived from  the vineyard planted in  
#abjf by ,canon ,giles at the ,porte    
,mars and  bequeathed by him to the     
chapter1 and the one which ,canon ,john 
de ,brie  had purchased at ,mareuil and 
had similarly bequeathed4#ae ,although  
papal bulls and archiepiscopal warrants 
had forbidden the levying of  the droit 
de vinage on wine vintaged by religious 
communities1 in  #abeb ,pope ,innocent  
,,iv4 had to reprove the barons for     
interfering with  the monastic vintages 
in the neighbourhood of ,reims1 and to  
threaten  them with excommunication if  
they repeated their offence4#af         
,illustration3                          
,,vine-,,dressers--,,thirteenth         
,,century    7,from a window of         
,chartres ,cathedral74    ,these        
ecclesiastical topers1 as a rule1 were  
sufficiently critical  of the quality of

 the liquor meted out to them1 and an   
agreement  respecting the dietary of the
 ,abbey of ,st4 ,remi1 at ,reims1 drawn 
up in  #abah between the ,abbot ,peter  
and a deputation of six monks           
representing  the rest of the brethren1 
provides that the wine procured for the 
latter should be improved by two-thirds 
of the produce of the ,clos de  ,marigny
 being set apart for their exclusive    
use4 ,ten years later1 to  put a stop to
 further complaints on the part of these
 worthy rivals of  ,rabelais' ,frre     
,jean des ,entonnoirs1 ,abbot ,peter was
 fain to agree that  two hundred        
hogsheads of wine should be annually    
brought from ,marigny  to the abbey to  
quench the thirst of his droughty flock1
 and that if  the spot in question      
failed to yield the required amount the 
deficiency  should be made up from his  
own private and particular vineyards at 
,sacy1 ,villers-,aleran1 ,chigny1 and   
,hermonville4#ag    ,we can readily     
picture these                           

'jolly fat friars      ,sitting round   
the great roaring fires      ,with their
 strong wines2'    or the cellarer      
quietly chuckling to himself as he      
loosened the spiggot  of the choicest   
casks--        ',between this cask and  
the abbot's lips      ,many have been   
the sips and slips2      ,many have been
 the draughts of wine1      ,on their   
way to his1 that have stopped at mine4' 
,illustration3 ,,gateway ,,of ,,the     
,,chapter ,,court ,,at ,,reims4    ,the 
monks were in the habit of throwing open
 their monasteries to all  comers1 under
 pretext of letting them taste the wine 
they had for sale1  until1 in #abcc1 an 
ecclesiastical council at ,beziers      
prohibited this  practice on account of 
the scandal it created4 ,petrarch has   
accused  the popes of his day of        
persisting in staying at ,avignon when  
they  could have returned to ,rome1     
simply on account of the goodness of    
the wines they found there4 ,some       
similar reasons may have led to the     

selection of ,reims1 during the twelfth 
century1 as a place for holding  great  
ecclesiastical councils presided over by
 the sovereign pontiff  in person2 and  
no doubt ',bibimus papaliter' was the   
motto of ,calixtus1  ,innocent1 and     
,eugenius when the labours of the day   
were done1 and they  and their cardinals
 could chorus1 apropos of those of the  
morrow1        ',bonum vinum acuit      
ingenium          ,venite potemus4'     
,illustration    ,the kings of ,france  
may have preferred the wines of the     
,orleanais and  the ,isle of ,france1   
and the monarchs of ,england have been  
content to  vary the vintages of their  
patrimony of ,guienne with an occasional
  draught of ,rhenish2 but the wines of 
the river ,marne certainly found  favour
 at ,troyes1 where the ,counts of       
,champagne1 to whom ,epernay had  been  
ceded as a fief1 held a court little    
inferior in state to that  of a         
sovereign prince4 ,the native vintage   
mantled in the goblets and  beakers that

 graced the board where they sat at meat
 amidst their  knights and barons1      
whilst minstrels sang and jongleurs     
tumbled  and glee-maidens danced at the 
lower end of the hall4 ,it fired the    
fancy of the poet ,count ,thibault1 to  
whom tradition has ascribed the         
introduction of the ,cyprus grape into  
,france on his return from the          
,crusades1#ah and helped the flow of the
 amorous strains which he  addressed to 
,blanche of ,castille4 ,nor was he the  
only versifier of the  time who could   
exclaim1 with his compatriot ,colin     
,musset1 that 'good  wine caused him to 
sing and rejoice4'#ai ,other local      
songsters1 such  as ,doete de ,troyes1  
,eustache le ,noble1 and ,guillaume de  
,machault1  sought inspiration at their 
native ,helicon1 and were equally ready 
with  ,colin ,musset to appreciate a    
gift of                    'barrelled   
wine1      ,cold1 strong1 and fine1     
,to drink in hot weather1'#bj    in     
return for their rhymes4 ,it was this   

wine that the gigantic  ,john ,lord of  
,joinville1 ,seneschal of ,champagne    
under ,thibault1 and  chronicler of the 
,seventh ,crusade1 was in the habit of  
consuming warm  and undiluted1 by the   
advice of his physicians1 on account1 as
 he  himself mentions1 of his 'large    
head and cold stomach2' a practice      
which seems to have scandalised that    
pious and ascetic monarch ,st4  ,louis1 
who was careful to temper his own       
potations with water4 ,the  king was    
most likely not unacquainted with the   
wine1 as a roll of the  expenses        
incurred at his coronation at ,reims1 in
 #abbf1 shows that #iia  livres were    
spent in wine on that occasion1 when1 in
 consequence of the  vacancy of the     
archiepiscopal see1 the crown was placed
 upon his head  by ,jacques de ,bazoche1
 ,bishop of ,soissons4    ,illustration 
,henry of ,andelys1 a compatriot of the 
engineer ,brunel1 who flourished1  if a 
poet can be said to flourish1 in the    
latter half of the thirteenth  century1 

has extolled the wines of ,epernay and  
,hautvillers1 and  mentioned that of    
,reims1 in his poem entitled the        
',bataille des ,vins4'  ,he informs us  
at the outset that 'the great ,king     
,philip ,augustus1' whom  state records 
prove to have had a score of vineyards  
in different parts  of ,france1#ba was  
very fond of 'good white wine4' ,anxious
 to make a  choice of the best1 he      
issued invitations to all the most      
renowned  crs1 ,french and foreign1 and 
forty-six different vintages responded  
to this appeal2 amongst them            
,hautvillers and ,epernay1 described as 
'vin d',auviler' and 'vin d',espernai le
 ,bacheler4' ,the king's chaplain1  an  
,english priest1 makes a preliminary    
examination1 resulting in  the summary  
rejection of many competitors1 till at  
length1 as  ,argenteuil--'clear as      
oil'--and ,pierrefitte are disputing as 
to their  respective merits1 ,epernay   
and ,hautvillers simultaneously exclaim1
  ',argenteuil1 thou wishest to degrade 

all the wines at this table4 ,by  ,god1 
thou playest too much the part of       
constable4 ,we excel ,chlons and        
,reims1 remove gout from the loins1 and 
support all kings4'#bb ,but  lo1 up     
jumps the 'vin d',ausois1' the ',osey'  
of so many of our ,english  medival     
poets1 with the reproach1 ',epernay1    
thou art too disloyal2  thou hast not   
the right of speaking in court2'#bc and 
enumerates  the blessings which he and  
his demoiselle 'la ,mosele' confer upon 
the ,germans4#bd ,la ,rochelle in turn  
reproves ,ausois1 and extols the        
strength of his own wines1 and those of 
,angoulme1 ,bordeaux1 ,saintes1  and    
,poitou1 and boasts of the welcome      
accorded to them in the northern  states
 of ,europe1 including ,england1 to     
which the districts he mentions  then   
belonged4#be    ,illustration3          
,,vintagers ,,of ,,the ,,thirteenth     
,,century    7,from a _/,,ms4_/ of the  
,dialogues de ,st4 ,grgoire74    ,the   
vintages of the then little kingdom of  

,france put in a  counter-claim for     
finesse and flavour as opposed to       
strength1 and  maintain that they do not
 harm those who drink them4 ,the dispute
  becomes general1 and the wines1 heated
 with argument1 exhale a perfume  of    
'balsam and amber1' till the hall where 
they are met resembles a  terrestial    
paradise4 ,the chaplain1 after          
conscientiously tasting the  whole of   
them1 formally excommunicated with bell1
 book1 and candle all  the beer brewed  
in ,england and ,flanders1 and then went
 incontinently to  bed1 and slept for   
three days and three nights without     
intermission4  ,the king thereupon made 
an examination himself1 and named the   
wine  of ,cyprus pope1 and that of      
,aquilat#bf cardinal1 and created of the
  remainder three kings1 five counts1   
and twelve peers1 the names of  which1  
unfortunately1 have not been preserved4 
,illustration                           
,,ii4            _/,the ,wines of the   
,champagne from the ,fourteenth to the  

,seventeenth ,century4_/                
,coronations at ,reims and their        
attendant banquets--,wine      flows    
profusely at these entertainments--,the 
wine-trade of      ,reims--,presents of 
wine from the ,reims                    
municipality--,cultivation      of the  
vineyards abandoned after the battle of 
,poitiers--,octroi      levied on wine  
at ,reims--,coronation of ,charles      
,v4--,extension      of the ,champagne  
vineyards--,abundance of wine--,visit to
 ,reims      of the royal sot           
,wenceslaus of ,bohemia--,the ,etape aux
 ,vins at      ,reims--,increased       
consumption of beer during the ,english 
occupation      of the city--,the ,maid 
of ,orleans at ,reims--,the vineyards   
and      wine-trade alike suffer--,louis
 ,,xi4 is crowned at ,reims--,fresh     
taxes upon wine followed by the         
,mique-,maque revolt--,the ,rmois       
the victims of pillaging foes and       
extortionate defenders--,the            
,champagne vineyards attacked by noxious

 insects--,coronation of      ,louis    
,,xii4--,franois ,premier1 the ,emperor 
,charles ,v41 ,bluff ,king      ,hal1   
and ,leo the ,magnificent all partial to
 the wine of ,ay--,mary      ,queen of  
,scots at ,reims--,state kept by the    
opulent and libertine      ,cardinal of 
,lorraine--,brusquet1 the ,court        
,fool--,decrease in the      production 
of wine around ,reims--,gifts of wine to
 newly-crowned      monarchs--,new      
restrictions on vine cultivation--,the  
wine of the      ,champagne crowned at  
the same time as ,louis                 
,,xiii4--,regulation price      for wine
 established at ,reims--,imposts levied 
on the vineyards by      the            
,frondeurs--,the country ravaged around 
,reims--,sufferings of the              
peasantry--,presents of wine to ,marshal
 ,turenne and ,charles ,,ii4 of         
,england--,perfection of the ,champagne 
wines during the reign of      ,louis   
,,xiv4--,st4 ,evremond's high opinion of
 them--,other contemporary              

testimony in their favour--,the         
,archbishop of ,reims's niggardly gift  
to ,james ,,ii4 of ,england--,a poet    
killed by ,champagne--,offerings by     
the ,rmois to ,louis ,,xiv4 on his visit
 to their city4    ,illustration    ,the
 coronations at ,reims served1 as       
already remarked1 to attract within  the
 walls of the old episcopal city all    
that was great1 magnificent1  and noble 
in ,france4 ,the newly-crowned king1    
with that extensive  retinue which      
marked the monarch of the ,middle ,ages2
 the great vassals  of the crown        
scarcely less profusely attended2 the   
constable1 the  secular and             
ecclesiastical peers1 and the host of   
knights and nobles  who assisted on the 
occasion1 were wont at the conclusion of
 the  ceremony to hold high revelry in  
the spacious temporary banqueting-hall  
reared near the cathedral4 ,it is to be 
regretted that the menus of  these      
banquets have not been handed down to us
 in their entirety2 but  a few          

fragmentary excerpts show that from a   
comparatively early period  there was no
 lack of wine1 at any rate4 ,a          
remonstrance addressed to  ,philip the  
,fair1 after his coronation in #abhf1 by
 the archbishop and  burghers1 asks that
 they may be relieved of a certain      
proportion of the  sum levied on them   
for the cost of the ceremony1 on the    
ground that  there still remained over  
for the king's use no less than seven   
score  tuns of wine from the banquet4   
,some idea may be formed of the quantity
  of wine brought regularly into the    
city from the circumstance of the  king 
having ,reims surrounded by walls in    
#abid1 and levying a duty on  the wine  
imported to pay for them1 and by the    
value attached to the  'rouage'#bg of   
the ,mairie ,st4 ,martin1 claimed by the
 chapter of ,reims  ,cathedral in #acjj4
    ,illustration3 ,,reims ,,cathedral1 
,,west ,,front4    ,at the coronation of
 ,charles ,,iv41 in #acbb1 wine flowed  
in rivers4  ,amongst the unconsumed     

provisions returned by the king's       
pantler1  ,pelvau dou ,val1 to the      
burghers1 'vin de ,biaune et de         
,rivire'--that  is1 of ,beaune and of   
the ,marne--figures for a value of #chd 
livres  #e sols #b deniers4#bh ,the     
arrangements of the coronation had been 
intrusted to the minister of finances1  
,pierre ,remi1 who certainly  played the
 part of the unjust steward4 ,in the    
first place1 he made  the cost of the   
ceremony amount to #ba1jjj livres1      
whereas none of his  predecessors had   
spent more than #g1jjj livres4 ,his     
opening move had  been to seize upon the
 greater part of the corn and all the   
ovens in  ,reims 'for the king's use1'  
and to sell bread to the townsfolk and  
visitors at his own price for a         
fortnight prior to the coronation4      
,after the ceremony he appropriated in  
like manner all the plate and  napery1  
and all the cooking utensils and kitchen
 furniture1 together  with whatever had 
been left over1 in the shape of wine1   

wax1 fish1  bullocks1 pigs1 and similar 
trifles4 ,the wine thus taken was       
estimated  at #aejj livres1 part of     
which he sold to two bourgeois of       
,reims1 and  kept the rest1 together    
with forty-four out of the fifty muids1 
or  hogsheads1 of salt provided4#bi     
,retributive justice overtook him1 for  
the chronicler of his ill-doings        
chuckles over the fact that he was      
hanged as high as ,haman on a gibbet he 
had himself erected at ,paris4  ,things 
went off better at the coronation of    
,king ,philip1 in #acbh1 when  the total
 amount expended in the three hundred   
poinons of the wine of  ,beaune1 ,st4   
,pourain1 and the ,marne consumed was   
#afge livres #b sols #c  deniers4#cj    
,part of this flowed through the mouth  
of the great bronze  stag before which  
criminals condemned by the              
archiepiscopal court used  to be        
exposed1 but which at coronation times  
was placed in the ,parvis  ,notre ,dame1
 and spouted forth the 'clar dou cerf1' 

for the preparation  of which the town  
records show that the grocer ,o4 la     
,lale received #af  livres4#ca          
,illustration    ,the importance of the 
wine-trade of ,reims at the commencement
 of the  fourteenth century is evidenced
 by the fact of there being at this     
epoch courtiers de vin1 or wine-brokers1
 the right of appointing  whom rested   
with the eschevins--a right which1      
vainly assailed by the  archbishop in   
#acbc1 was confirmed to the municipal   
power by several  royal decrees4#cb ,the
 burghers of ,reims were fully cognisant
 of the  merits of their wine1 and      
certainly spared no trouble to make     
others  acquainted with them4 ,when the 
eschevins dined with the archbishop in  
,august #acdj they contributed          
thirty-two pots of wine as their share  
of the repast1 in addition to sundry    
partridges1 capons1 and rabbits4  ,all  
visitors to the town on business1 and   
all persons of distinction  passing     
through it1 were regaled with an        

offering of from two to four  gallons   
from the cellars of ,jehan de la ,lobe1 
or ,petit ,jehannin1 or  ,raulin        
d',escry1 or ,baudouin le ,boutellier1  
or ,remi ,cauchois1 the  principal      
tavern-keepers4 ,the provost of ,laon1  
the bailli and the  receveur of         
,vermandois1 the eschevins of ,chlons1  
the ,bishop of  ,coustances1            
,monseigneur ,thibaut de ,bar1          
,monseigneur ,jacques la ,vache  7the   
queen's physician71 the ,archdeacon of  
,reims1 and the 'two lords  of the      
parliament deputed by the king to       
examine the walls1' were a  few of the  
recipients of this hospitality1 which   
was also extended to  such inferior     
personages as a varlet of ,verdun and   
the varlet of the  eschevins of         
,abbeville4    ,illustration3 ,,the     
,,battle ,,of ,,cr,,cy    7,from a      
_/,,ms4_/ of ,froissart's ,chronicles74 
,two 'flasks1' purchased for            
threepence-halfpenny from ,petit        
,jehannin1  served to warm the eloquence

 of ,maistre ,baudouin de ,loingnis when
 he  pleaded for the town on the subject
 of the fortifications in #acde2 and    
when1 in #acdj1 the ,archbishop of      
,narbonne1 the ,bishop of ,poitiers1    
and sundry other dignitaries passed     
through ,reims with heavy hearts  on    
their way to ,st4 ,omer1 to negotiate a 
truce with ,edward of ,england  after   
the fatal battle of ,sluys1 the         
municipality expended five  shillings   
and threepence in a poinon of wine to   
cheer them on their  way4 ,there was    
probably plenty to spare1 since on the  
outbreak of  hostilities with ,england  
the town-crier had received one penny   
for  making proclamation that no one    
should remove any wine from the town    
during the continuance of the contest4  
,the advent of a messenger of           
,monseigneur ,guillaume ,pinson1 who    
brought 'closed letters' to the         
eschevins informing them of the invasion
 of ,king ,edward1 does not  seem to    
have spoilt the digestion of those      

worthy gentlemen1 since  they partook of
 their annual gift of wine and their    
presentation lamb  at ,easter #acdf2 but
 there were sore hearts in the old city 
when one  ,jenvier returned from ,amiens
 with the tidings that their best and   
bravest had fallen under the banner of  
,john de ,vienne1 their warlike         
prelate1 on the field of ,crcy4 ,perhaps
 to the state of depression  that       
followed is due the fact that there are 
no records of festivities  at the       
coronation of ,king ,john the ,good in  
#acej1 though we find the  citizens     
seeking two years later to propitiate   
the evil genius of  ,france1 ,charles   
the ,bad of ,navarre1 by the gift of a  
queue of wine  costing five crowns4     
,during the frightful anarchy prevailing
 after the battle of ,poitiers1  when   
the victorious ,english and the         
disbanded forces of ,france made  common
 cause against the hapless peasants1 the
 fields and vineyards  of ,reims        
remained uncultivated for three         

years1#cc and the people of  the        
archbishopric would have perished of    
hunger had they not been able  to get   
food and wine from ,hainault4 ,despite  
the prohibitions of the  regent1 the    
nobles pillaged the country around      
,reims and ravaged the  vineyards from  
,june to ,august #aceh1 and the havoc   
they wrought exceeded  even that        
accomplished during the ,jacquerie4 ,nor
 were matters improved  by the advent of
 the ,english king1 ,edward ,,iii41     
when1 on the wet ,st4  ,andrew's-day of 
#acei1 he sat down before the town with 
his host1 which  starved and shivered   
throughout the bitter and tempestuous   
winter1  despite the comfort derived    
from the 'three thousand vessels of     
wine'  captured by ,eustace             
,dabreticourt in 'the town of ,achery1  
on the river  of ,esne4'#cd ,but the    
,rmois stood firm behind the            
fortifications  reared by ,gaucher de   
,chtillon till the following spring1    
when the  victor of ,crcy drew off his  

baffled forces1 consoling them with the 
promise of bringing them back during the
 ensuing vintage1 and made a  reluctant 
peace at ,bretigny4#ce    ,illustration3
 ,,ancient ,,tower ,,belonging ,,to     
,,the ,,fortifications ,,of ,,reims4    
,yet1 though plague and famine in turn  
almost depopulated the city1 the        
importance of its vineyards augmented   
from this time forward4 ,in #acfa  the  
citizens1 who had already been in the   
habit of granting 'aides'  to the king  
out of the dues levied on the wine sold 
in the town1  obtained leave to impose  
an octroi on wine1 in order to maintain 
their fortifications4 ,henceforward the 
connection between the wines  and the   
walls of ,reims became permanent4 ,the  
octroi was from time to  time renewed or
 modified in various ways by different  
monarchs2 but  their decrees always     
commenced with a preliminary flourish   
concerning  the necessity of keeping the
 walls of so important a city in good   
order1 and the admirable opportunity    

afforded of so doing by the             
ever-increasing prosperity of the trade 
in wine4 ,conspicuous amongst  the few  
existing fragments of the circuit of    
walls and towers with  which ,reims was 
formerly begirt is the tower of which a 
view is here  given4#cf    ,the ,rmois1 
although willing enough to tax          
themselves for the defence  of their    
city1 submitted the reverse of          
cheerfully to the preliminary  levies of
 provisions1 wines1 meats1 and other    
things necessary1 made by  the king's   
'maistres d'htel' for the coronation of 
,charles ,v41 which  took place on the  
#aith ,may #acfd1 at a cost to the town 
of #ggab livres  #ae sols #e deniers    
parisis4#cg ,the citizens had1 however1 
something to  gaze at for their money1  
if that were any consolation4 ,the king 
and his  queen 7,jeanne de ,bourbon7    
were accompanied by ,king ,peter of     
,cyprus2  ,wenceslaus1 ,king of ,bohemia
 and ,duke of ,brabant2 the ,dukes of   
,burgundy  and ,anjou2 the ,counts of   

,eu1 ,dampmartin1 ,tancarville1 and     
,vaudemont1  and many other prelates and
 lords1 who did full justice to the good
  cheer provided for the great feasts   
and solemnities taking place during  the
 five days of the royal sojourn4#ch ,the
 crown1 borne by ,philip  of ,burgundy1 
the king's youngest brother1 having been
 placed upon  ,charles's head by the    
,archbishop ,jean de ,craon1 that       
prelate proceeded  to smear the royal   
breast and brow with what the irreverent
 ,republicans  of the eighteenth century
 designated 'sacred pomatum1' from the  
,sainte  ,ampoule presented to him by   
the ,bishop of ,laon1 amidst the        
enthusiastic  applause of nobles and    
prelates4#ci    ,illustration3          
,,coronation ,,of ,,charles ,v4 ,,at    
,,reims    7,from a _/,,ms4_/ ,histoire 
de ,charles ,v474    ,the great planting
 of vines in the ,champagne district    
plainly dates  from the last quarter of 
the fourteenth century1 at which epoch  
large exports of wine to the provinces  

of ,hainault and ,flanders1 and         
especially to the ports of ,sluys1 are  
noted4 ,in a list of the revenues  of   
the archbishopric of ,reims1 drawn up by
 ,richard ,pique towards  #acge1 are    
included patches of vineland and annual 
payments of wine  from almost every     
village and hamlet within twenty miles  
of ,reims2  though it is only fair to   
mention that many of the places         
enumerated  produce to-day wines of very
 ordinary character1 which1 although    
they  have a local habitation1 have     
certainly failed to secure themselves a 
name4#dj ,a general return of church    
property made to the ,bailli of         
,vermandois1 the king's representative  
in #achd1 at a time when ,charles  ,,vi4
 was busily engaged in confiscating     
whatever he could lay hands on1  shows  
that the religious establishments of    
,reims were equally well  endowed with  
vineyards4 ,these were mostly situate to
 the north-east  and south-west of      
,reims1 or in the immediate vicinity of 

the city2  and according to their       
owners1 whose object was of course to   
offer  as few temptations as possible to
 the monarch1 they frequently cost  more
 to dress than they brought in4#da ,in  
the return furnished by the  archbishop 
in the following year1 he complains     
that1 owing to the great  plantation of 
vines throughout the district1 the right
 of licensing the  brewing of ale and   
beer had failed to bring him in any     
revenue for the  past three years4 ,this
 prelate1 by the way1 seems to have     
loved his  liquor like many of his      
predecessors1 judging from the inventory
 made  after his death1 in #achi1 of the
 contents of his cellars4#db ,all this  
abundance of wine was not without its   
fruits2 and we find the clerk  of       
,troyes asserting that liars swarm in   
,picardy as drunkards do in  ,champagne1
 where a man not worth a rap will drink 
wine every day2#dc  and a boast in the  
chanson of the ,comte de ,brie to the   
effect that the  province abounded in   

wheat1 wine1 fodder1 and litter4#dd     
,under these circumstances it is not at 
all surprising that that  renowned      
vinous soaker1 ,king ,wenceslaus        
7surnamed the ,drunkard7 of  ,bohemia1  
found ample opportunities for           
self-indulgence when he visited  ,reims 
to confer with ,charles ,,vi4 on the    
subject of the schism of the  popes of  
,avignon1 then desolating the           
,church--certainly a very fit  subject  
for a drunkard and a madman to put their
 heads together about4  ,no sooner had  
the illustrious visitor alighted at the 
,abbey of ,st4  ,remi--to-day the ,htel 
,dieu--where quarters had been assigned 
him1 than  he expressed a wish to taste 
the wine of the district1 with the      
quality  of which he had long been      
acquainted4 ,the wine was brought1 and  
tasted  again and again in such         
conscientious style that when the ,dukes
 of  ,bourbon and ,berri came to escort 
him to dinner with the king they found  
him dead-drunk and utterly unfit to     

treat of affairs of ,state1 still  less 
those of the ,church4 ,the same kind of 
thing went on daily--the  'same old     
drunk1' as the nigger expressed it1     
lasting week after week2  and the       
,french monarch1 who must have surely   
had a lucid interval1  resolved to      
profit by his guest's weakness4         
,accordingly he gave special  orders to 
the cup-bearers1 at a grand banquet at  
which matters were  to be finally       
settled1 to be particularly attentive in
 filling the  ,bohemian king's goblet4  
,this they did so frequently that the   
royal sot1  overcome by wine1 yielded   
during the discussion following the     
repast  whatever was asked of him2      
whilst his host probably returned       
special  thanks to ,st4 ,archideclin1   
the supposed bridegroom of the marriage 
of  ,cana1 whom the piety of the ,middle
 ,ages had transformed into a saint  and
 created the especial patron of all     
appertaining to the cellar4 ,this       
triumph of wine over diplomacy occurred 

in #acig4de    ,a charter of ,charles   
,,vi41 dated ,july #adab1 which gave the
 municipal  authorities of ,reims the   
sole right of appointing sworn          
wine-brokers1  expressly mentions that  
the trade of the town was chiefly based 
upon  the wine grown in the environs4#df
 ,the wine1 the charter states1 when    
stored in the cellars of the town1 was  
customarily sold by brokers1  who of    
their own authority were in the habit of
 levying a commission  of twopence1 and 
even more1 per piece1 selling it to the 
person who  offered them most1 and      
taking money from both buyer and seller4
 ,to  remedy this state of things1 from 
which it was asserted the trade had     
begun to suffer1 it was decreed that    
every broker should take an oath1       
before the ,captain of ,reims and the   
eschevins1 to act honestly and  without 
favour1 and not to receive more than one
 penny commission4 ,in  the case of his 
receiving more1 both he and the seller  
of the wine were  to forfeit            

two-pence-halfpenny to the town4        
,illustration3 ,,church ,,of ,,st4      
,,remi1 ,,reims4    ,the sales of wine  
mainly took place at the ,etape aux     
,vins1 where most  of the wine-merchants
 were established1 the busiest time     
being during  the three great annual    
fairs1 when no duties were levied4 ,the 
old  ,etape aux ,vins is now the ,rue de
 l',etape1 jocularly styled the ,rue de 
,rivoli of ,reims1 on account of the    
arcades formed by the projecting  upper 
floors of its fifteenth-and             
sixteenth-century houses1 which rest    
upon wooden and stone pillars4 ,to-day  
the casino and the principal            
restaurants of the city are installed   
here2 still the locality retains  much  
the same aspect as it presented in the  
days when ,remi ,cauchois  and ,huet    
,hurtaut stood here and chaffered with  
the peasants who had  brought their     
casks of wine on creaking wains into the
 city2 when ,s4 de  ,laval glided in    
search of a customer among the          

long-gowned fur-capped  merchants of the
 ,low ,countries2 when bargains were    
closed by a  ,god's-penny and wetted    
with a stoup of ,petit ,jehannin's best2
 and when  files of wine-laden wagons   
rolled forth from the northern gates of 
the  city to gladden the thirsty souls  
of ,hainault and ,flanders4    ,some of 
the wine had1 however1 a nobler         
destination4 ,an order of  payment      
addressed by the town council to the    
receiver1 and dated ,march  #bc1 #adai1 
commands him to pay ,jacques le         
,vigneron the sum of #gh livres  #ab    
sols for six queues of 'vin blanc et    
clairet1' presented to the  fierce ,duke
 of ,burgundy1 ,jean sans ,peur1 at the 
high price of about  #aas4 each4#dg ,nor
 did his son ,philip1 the self-styled   
',prince of the  best wines in          
,christendom1' disdain to draw bridle in
 order to receive  eleven poinons of    
'vin claret' when hastening1            
',bloody with spurring1 fiery red with  
speed1'    through ,reims to avenge his 

father's murder at the ,bridge of       
,montereau4#dh ,the devastating results 
of the terrible struggle for  supremacy 
waged between the ,armagnacs and        
,burgundians1 and of the  invasion of   
,henry ,v4 of ,england1 are evidenced in
 the facts that when1  in fear and      
trembling1 the ,reims council resolved  
to allow ,duke ,philip  to enter the    
town in #adbe1 at the head of four      
thousand horse1 they  could only offer  
him one queue of ,beaune1 one queue of  
red1 and one  queue of white wine2 and  
to the duchess the following year one   
queue of  ,beaune and one of ,french    
wine2 and that wine sent to l',isle     
,adam1 at  the siege of ,nesle1 cost as 
much as #ai livres1 or nearly #afs41 the
  queue4    ,illustration3 ,,rue ,,de   
,l',,etape1 ,,reims4    ,illustration   
,reims had passed under the sway of     
,england by the ,treaty of ,troyes  in  
#adbj1 the ,earl of ,salisbury becoming 
governor of the ,champagne4  ,the       
scarcity of wine1 and the liking of the 

new possessors for their  national      
beverage1 is shown by a prohibition     
issued by the town council  in #adbg    
against using wheat for making beer2 and
 a statement of ,gobin  ,persin1 that he
 had sold more treacle--a famous        
medicinal remedy in the  ,middle        
,ages--during the past half year than in
 the four years previous1  owing to     
people complaining that they were       
swollen up from drinking  malt liquor4  
,the ,english1 however1 at their abrupt 
departure from the  city on the arrival 
of ,charles and the ,maid of ,orleans1  
proved their  partiality for the wine of
 ,reims by carrying off as many         
wagonloads of  it as they could manage  
to lay their hands on4    ,illustration3
 ,,jeanne ,,darc',s ,,first ,,interview 
,,with ,,charles ,,vii4    7,from a     
tapestry of the fifteenth century74     
,the gallant knights and patriot nobles 
who followed the ,maid of ,orleans  to  
,reims1 and witnessed the coronation of 
,charles ,,vii4 in #adbi1  despised1 of 

course1 the drink of their island foes1 
and moistened  throats grown hoarse with
 shouting ',vive le roi' with the choice
  vintage of the neighbouring slopes1   
freely drawn forth from the most  secret
 recesses of the cellars of the town in 
honour of the glorious  day4 ,and no    
doubt ,dame ,alice1 widow of ,raulin    
,marieu1 and hostess of  the ,asne roy  
7the ,striped ,ass71 put a pot of the   
very best before the  father of ',jehane
 la ,pucelle1' and did not forget1      
either1 to score  it down in the little 
bill of twenty-four livres which she was
 paid  out of the deniers communs for   
the old fellow's entertainment4#di  ,for
 the next ten years1 however1 the note  
of war resounded through the  country1  
the hill-sides bristled with lances in  
lieu of vine-stakes1  and instead of    
money spent for wine for presentation to
 guests of a  pacific disposition1 the  
archives of the town display a long list
 of  sums expended in the purchase of   
arms1 artillery1 and ammunition1 for    

the especial accommodation of less      
pleasant visitors1 in repairing         
fortifications1 and in payments to men  
charged with watching day and  night for
 the coming of the foe4    ,the excesses
 of the licentious followers of ,potton 
de ,xaintrailles and  ,lahire were worse
 than those of the ,english and         
,burgundians1 spite of  the four hundred
 and five livres which had been paid to 
men-at-arms  and archers from the       
neighbouring garrisons1 'engaged by the 
city of  ,reims to guard the surrounding
 country1 in order that the wine might  
be  vintaged and brought into the said  
city and the vineyards dressed1'#ej  and
 bitter were the complaints addressed in
 #adcc to the king on the  falling off  
of the wine trade which had resulted    
therefrom4 ,the ravages  of the terrible
 ',escorcheurs' led1 in #adcf1 to fresh 
complaints and  to an additional duty on
 each queue of 'wine of ,beaune1 of the 
,marne1  and of other foreign districts'
 sold wholesale at ,reims1 the receipts 

to be spent in warlike preparations and 
on the fortifications4 ,some of  this   
went to ,lahire as a recompense for     
defending the district from  'the great 
routs and companies' that sought to     
invade it1 he having1  presumably on the
 principle of setting a thief to catch a
 thief1  been made ,bailli of           
,vermandois4 ,in troublous times like   
these it was  necessary to secure the   
good will of men in power and authority1
  and hence the town records comprise   
numerous offerings of money1  fine linen
 cloths1 and wine given to various      
nobles 'out of grace  and courtesy' for 
their good will and 'good and agreeable 
services1  pleasures1 and love4' ,madame
 ,katherine de ,france 7the widow of    
,henry  ,v471 the ,chancellor of        
,france1 the ,constable ,richemont1     
,lahire 7,bailli  of ,vermandois71 the  
bastard ,dunois1 the ,archbishop of     
,narbonne1 the  ,count de ,vendme1 and  
many other nobles and dignitaries1 were 
in turn  recipients of such gifts2 and  

the visit of ,king ,charles the         
,victorious1  in #addj1 was celebrated  
by their profuse distribution4#ea       
,illustration3 ,,cultivation ,,of ,,the 
,,vine ,,and ,,vintaging ,,in ,,the     
,,fifteenth  ,,century    7,from a      
_/,,ms4_/ of the ,propritaire des       
,choses74    ,despite the complete      
expulsion of the ,english from ,france1 
a depression  in trade still continued2 
and in #adea the lieutenant of the town 
was  sent to court to complain that1    
owing to the exactions of the farmers   
of the revenue1 merchants would no      
longer come to ,reims to buy wine4      
,louis ,,xi41 who was crowned at ,reims 
on #aeth ,august #adfa1 entered the     
city in great pomp1 accompanied by      
,philip1 ,duke of ,burgundy1 and his    
son the ,count of ,charolais1 afterwards
 ,charles the ,bold2 the ,duke of       
,bourbon1 the ,duke of ,cleves1 and his 
brother the ,lord of ,ravenstein1  all  
three nephews of ,duke ,philip2 the     
,counts of ,st4 ,pol1 ,angoulme1  ,eu1  

,vendme1 ,nassau1 and ,grandpr2 ,messire
 ,philip of ,savoy1 and many            
others1--'all so richly dressed that it 
was a noble sight to see1'  remarks     
,enguerrand de ,monstrelet4 ,prior to   
being crowned1 the king  handed his     
sword to ,duke ,philip1 and requested   
the latter to bestow  upon him the      
honour of knighthood1 which the duke    
did1 and afterwards  gave the accolade  
to several other persons of distinction4
 ,the  coronation1 with its             
accompaniment of 'many beautiful        
mysteries and  ceremonies1' was         
performed by ,archbishop ,jean ,juvnal  
des ,ursins1  assisted by the ,cardinal 
of ,constance1 the ,patriarch of        
,antioch1 a  papal legate1 four         
archbishops1 seventeen bishops1 and six 
abbots4 ,at  its close the twelve peers 
of ,france#eb dined at the king's table2
 and  after the table was cleared the   
,duke of ,burgundy knelt and did homage 
for ,burgundy1 ,flanders1 and ,artois1  
other lords following his example4      

,illustration3 ,,the ,,peers ,,of       
,,france ,,present ,,at ,,the           
,,coronation ,,of ,,louis  ,,xi4 ,,at   
,,reims    7,from painted-glass windows 
in ,evreux ,cathedral74    ,louis ,,xi41
 on his accession1 found himself in     
presence of an exhausted  treasury1 and 
cast about for an expedient to fill it4 
,the wine  he drunk at his coronation at
 ,reims may have suggested the dues     
which1 only a month afterwards1 he      
decreed should be levied on this        
commodity1 in conjunction with an impost
 on salt4 ,the inhabitants  of the      
archiepiscopal city found it impossible 
to believe in such a  return for their  
wonted hospitality1 and the vine-growers
 assailed the  collectors furiously4    
,the affair resulted in a general       
outbreak1 known  as the ,mique-,maque1  
and in the final hanging1 branding1     
mutilating1  and banishing of a number  
of individuals1 half of whom1 it may    
fairly  be presumed1 were innocent4 ,the
 wars between ,france and ,burgundy were

  also severely felt by the ,rmois1     
whose territory was ravaged by the      
followers of ,charles the ,bold after   
,montlhery1 and who suffered almost  as 
much at the hands of their friends as at
 those of their foes4 ,the  garrison put
 into the town shared amongst themselves
 the country for  a circuit of eight    
leagues1 the meanest archer having a    
couple of  villages1 whence he exacted1 
at pleasure1 corn1 wood1 provisions1 and
  wine1 the latter in such profusion    
that the surplus was sold in the        
streets1 the smallest allowance for each
 lance being a queue1 valued at  ten    
livres1 monthly4 ,in #adgj and the      
following years large subsidies of  wine
 were1 moreover1 despatched from time to
 time to the king's army  in the field2 
a cartload being judiciously sent to    
,general ,gaillard1  'as he is well     
disposed towards us1 and it is necessary
 to cultivate  such people4' ,complaints
 made in #adhi set forth that in        
consequence of  the octroi of the river 

,aisne1 which had been established six  
years  previously1 the merchants of     
,lige1 ,mezires1 and ,rethel1 instead   
of coming to ,reims to buy wine1 were   
obtaining their supplies from  ,orleans4
 ,the landing of ,henry ,,vii4 of       
,england1 in #adie1 spread new  alarms  
throughout the ,champagne1 and orders   
were given for all the  vine-stakes     
within a radius of two leagues of ,reims
 to be pulled up1 so  that the enemy    
might be prevented from cooking         
provisions or filling up  the moats of  
the fortifications with them4           
,pillaging foes and extortionate        
defenders were bad enough1 but the      
vine-growers had yet other enemies1 to  
wit1 certain noxious little  insects1   
which were in the habit of feeding on   
the young buds1 though  there is no     
record that they were ever so           
troublesome at ,reims as they  were in  
other parts of the ,champagne1 notably  
at ,troyes1 where on the  ,friday after 
,pentecost #aeaf they were formally and 

solemnly enjoined  by ,matre ,jean      
,milon to depart within six days from   
the vineyards of  ,villenauxe1 under    
pain of anathema and malediction4#ec ,a 
century and a  half later these insects 
renewed their ravages1 and were         
exorcised anew  by the rural dean of    
,szanne1 on the order of the ,bishop of 
,troyes4    ,illustration3 ,,culture    
,,of ,,the ,,vine--,,sixteenth ,,century
    7,from a _/,,ms4_/ ,calendar74      
,illustration3 ,,treading               
,,grapes--,,sixteenth ,,century         
7,from a _/,,ms4_/ ,calendar74          
,illustration3 ,,butler ,,of ,,the      
,,sixteenth ,,century    7,facsimile of 
a woodcut in the ,cosmographie          
,universelle1 #aedi74    ,illustration3 
,,coronation ,,of ,,louis ,,xii4 ,,at   
,,reims    7,from a painting on wood of 
the fifteenth century74    ,the close of
 the fifteenth century witnessed another
 coronation1 that  of the so-styled     
',father of his ,people1' ,louis ,,xii41
 celebrated with  all due splendour in  

,may #adih4 ,the six ecclesiastical     
peers--principal  among whom was the    
,cardinal ,archbishop of ,reims1        
,guillaume ,briconnet1  in rochet and   
stole1 mitre and crozier2 and the six   
representatives  of the secular         
peerages1 ,burgundy1 ,normandy1         
,aquitaine1 ,flanders1  ,toulouse1 and  
,champagne--solemnly invested their     
sovereign with sword1  spurs1 ring1 orb1
 sceptre1 crown1 and all the other      
outward symbols  of royalty2 whilst the 
vaulted roof rang with the acclamations 
of  the people assembled in the nave1   
and the triumphant peals from the       
heralds' silver trumpets1 on the        
banneroles of which was emblazoned the  
monarch's favourite badge1 the hedgehog4
 ,trumpet-blowing and shouting  being   
both provocative of thirst1 peers and   
people did ample justice to  the wine   
freely provided for all comers on this  
occasion4    ,illustration3 ,,doorway   
,,in ,,the ,,archiepiscopal ,,palace    
,,at ,,reims4    ,francis ,i4 was       

crowned at ,reims in ,january #aeae2 and
 on the occasion  of his visiting the   
city sixteen years afterwards1 twenty   
poinons  of wine were offered to him and
 sixty to his suite1 so that this       
bibulous monarch had a good opportunity 
of comparing various growths  of the    
,mountain and the ,river with the wine  
from his own vineyards  at ,ay2 and     
possibly the ,emperor ,charles ,v4 did  
his best to institute  similar          
comparisons on his self-invited         
incursion into the district  in #aedd4  
,for not only did these two great       
rivals1 but also our own  ,bluff ,king  
,harry and the magnificent ,leo ,x41    
have each their special  commissioner   
stationed at ,ay to secure for them the 
finest vintages of  that favoured spot1 
the renown of which thenceforward has   
never paled4  ,the wine despatched for  
their consumption was most likely sent  
direct  from the vineyards in           
carefully-sealed casks2 but the bulk of 
the river  growths came to ,reims for   

sale1 and helped to swell the importance
 of  the town as an emporium of the     
wine-trade4 ,when ,mary ,queen of ,scots
  came to ,reims1 a mere child1 in      
#aeej1 four poinons of good wine1 with  
a dozen peacocks and as many turkeys1   
were presented to her4 ,there  are no   
records1 however1 of any further        
offerings to her when1 as  the widowed  
queen of ,francis ,,ii41 she visited    
,reims at ,eastertide in  #aefa1 and    
again during the summer of the same     
year1 shortly before her  final         
departure from ,france4 ,on these       
occasions she was the guest1 by  turns1 
of her aunt ,rene de ,lorraine1 at the  
convent of ,st4 ,pierre les             
,dames1--to-day a woollen factory1--and 
of her uncle1 the 'opulent and          
libertine' ,charles de ,lorraine1       
,cardinal and ,archbishop of ,reims1 at 
the handsome archiepiscopal palace1     
where this powerful prelate resided  in 
unwonted state4 ,as the rhyme goes--    
',bishop and abbot and prior were there1

          ,many a monk and many a friar1
          ,many a knight and many a     
squire1      ,with a great many more of 
lesser degree      ,who served the ,lord
 ,primate on bended knee4               
,never1 ,i ween1            ,was a      
prouder seen1      ,read of in books1 or
 dreamt of in dreams1      ,than the    
,cardinal ,lord ,archbishop of ,reims4' 
,brusquet1 the court fool of ,henry     
,,ii41 ,francis ,,ii41 and ,charles     
,,ix41  was a great favourite with this 
princely prelate1 and accompanied him   
several times on his embassies to       
foreign states4 ,brusquet's wit was     
much appreciated by the cardinal1 and   
has been highly extolled by  ,brantome2 
but most of the specimens handed down to
 us will not bear  repetition1 much less
 translation1 from their coarseness4    
,when the  cardinal was at ,brussels in 
#aeei1 negotiating the peace of ,cateau 
,cambresis with ,philip ,,ii41 ,brusquet
 one day at dessert jumped on to the    
table1 and rolled along the whole       

length1 wrapping himself up like a      
mummy in the cloth1 with all the knives1
 forks1 and spoons1 as he went1  and    
rolling over at the further end4 ,the   
emperor1 ,charles ,v41 who was  the     
host1 was so delighted that he told him 
to keep the plate himself4  ,brusquet   
had great dread of being drowned1 and   
objected one day to  go in a boat with  
the cardinal4 ',do you think any harm   
can happen to  you with me1 the pope's  
best friend8' said the latter4 ',i know 
that  the pope has power over earth1    
heaven1 and purgatory1' said ,brusquet2 
'but ,i never heard that his dominion   
extended over water4' ,it is not        
unlikely that the effigy forming one of 
the corbels beneath the chapter  court  
gateway1 and representing a fool in the 
puffed and slashed shoes  and bombasted 
hose of the ,renaissance1 with his      
bauble in his hand1 may  be intended for
 ,brusquet2 for in the ,middle ,ages the
 ecclesiastical  councils had forbidden 
dignitaries of the ,church to have fools

 of their  own4#ed    ,illustration3    
,,chimneypiece ,,in ,,the ,,banqueting  
,,hall ,,of ,,the  ,,archiepiscopal     
,,palace ,,at ,,reims4    ,it was in the
 grand hall of the archiepiscopal palace
 of ,reims--an  apartment which is very 
little changed from the days when       
,charles  ,cardinal de ,lorraine        
entertained ,henry ,,ii41 ,francis      
,,ii41 and ,charles  ,,ix4 in           
succession--that the coronation banquets
 at this epoch used to  take place4 ,of 
the richness and beauty of the internal 
decorations of  this interesting edifice
 some idea may be gained from the       
accompanying  illustrations4            
,illustration3 ,,corbels1 ,,from ,,the  
,,chapter ,,court ,,gateway1 ,,reims4   
,the stock of wine at ,reims at the     
period of ,mary's first visit must  have
 been very low1 owing to the continued  
requisitions of it for  armies in the   
field1 for ',german reiters at          
,attigny1' and ',italian  lansquenets at
 ,voulzy2' and no doubt its production  

subsequently  decreased to some extent  
from the orders issued to the           
surrounding  villagers to destroy all   
their ladders and vats lest they should 
fall  into the hands of the enemy1 at   
the epoch of the threatened approach of 
the ,german ,emperor in #aeeb4    ,at   
the coronation of ,francis ,,ii4 in     
#aeei1 and at that of ,charles ,,ix4    
7the future instigator of the massacre  
of ,st4 ,bartholomew7 two years  later1 
the citizens of ,reims presented the    
newly-crowned monarchs with  the        
customary gifts of ,burgundy and        
,champagne wines4#ee ,in the latter     
instance1 however1 the gift met with an 
unexpected return1 inasmuch  as the     
king1 after the fashion of ,domitian1   
issued an edict in #aeff1  ordering that
 vines should only occupy one-third of  
the area of a  canton1 and that the     
remaining two-thirds should be arable   
and pasture  land4 ,when the forehead of
 ,henry ,,iii41 the last of the         
treacherous race  of ,valois1 was       

touched with the holy oil by the        
,cardinal de ,guise1 the  wine of ,reims
 for the first time was alone used to   
furnish forth the  attendant banquet1   
and the appreciative king modified his  
brother's  edict to a simple            
recommendation to the governors of      
provinces to see  that the planting of  
vines did not lead to a neglect of other
 labours4  ,during this reign the wine  
of ,ay reached the acme of renown1 and  
came  to be described as 'the ordinary  
drink of kings and princes4'#ef         
,illustration3 ,,vigneron ,,of ,,the    
,,sixteenth ,,century    7,facsimile of 
a woodcut of the period74    ,in the    
troubles which followed the death of    
,henry ,,iii41 when the east  of ,france
 was laid desolate in turn by ,huguenots
 and ,leaguers1 ,germans  and           
,spaniards2 when ,reims became a chief  
stronghold of the ,catholics1  who      
formed a kind of ,republic there1 and   
the remaining towns and  villages of the
 district changed masters almost daily1 

the foragers  of the party of ,henry of 
,navarre and that of the ,league caused 
great  tribulation amongst the          
vine-dressers and husbandmen of the     
,montagne  and of the ,marne4 ,in #aehi 
very little wine could be vintaged      
around  ,reims 'through the affluence of
 enemies1' dolefully remarks a local    
analist4#eg ,after the battle of ,ivry1 
,reims submitted to the king1  but many 
of the surrounding districts1 ,epernay  
among the number1 still  sided with his 
opponents4 ,epernay fell1 however1 in   
#aeib1 after a cruel  siege2 and in the 
autumn of the same year the leaders of  
the respective  parties met at the      
church of ,st4 ,tresain1 at ,avenay1 and
 agreed to a  truce during the ensuing  
harvest1 in order that the crops of corn
 and  wine might be gathered in--a truce
 known as the ,trve des ,moissons4 ,the 
yield turned out to be of very good     
quality1 the new wine fetching from  #dj
 to #gj livres the queue4#eh    ,the    
system of cultivation prevailing in the 

,french vineyards at this  epoch must   
have been peculiar1 since the staple    
agricultural authority  of the day      
states that1 to have an abundant crop   
and good wine1 all  that was necessary  
was for the vine-dresser to wear a      
garland of ivy1  and for crushed acorns 
and ground vetches to be put in the hole
 at  the time of planting the           
vine-shoots2 that1 moreover1 grapes     
without  stones could be obtained by    
taking out the pith of the young plant1 
and wrapping the end in wet paper1 or   
sticking it in an onion when  planting2 
that to get grapes in spring a          
vine-shoot should be grafted  on a      
cherry-tree2 and that wine could be made
 purgative by watering  the roots of the
 vine with a laxative1 or inserting some
 in a cleft  branch4#ei                 
,illustration3        ,church of ,st4   
,jacques4  ,the ,cathedral4   ,mont de  
la ,pompelle4                           
,church of ,st4 ,remi4      ,tower of   
,st4 ,victor4    ,porte de ,vesle4      

,porte de ,dieu ,lumire4                
,porte de ,flchambault4    ,,the ,,city 
,,of ,,reims ,,in #afce    7,from an    
engraving of the period74    ,in the    
seventeenth century the still wine of   
the province of  ,champagne was         
destined1 like the setting sun1 to gleam
 with well-nigh  unparalleled radiance  
up to the moment of its almost total    
eclipse4  ,continual care and untiring  
industry had resulted in the production 
of a wine which seems to have been      
renowned beyond all others for a        
delicate yet well-developed flavour     
peculiarly its own1 but of which  the   
wonderful revolution effected by the    
invention of sparkling wine  has left   
but few traces4 ,in #afjd the yield was 
so abundant that the  vintagers were at 
their wits' end for vessels to contain  
their wine2  but three years later so   
poor a vintage took place as had not    
been  known within the memory of man4   
,during the winter the cold was so      
intense that wine froze not only in the 

cellars1 but at table close to  the     
fire1 and by the ensuing spring it had  
grown so scarce that the  veriest       
rubbish fetched #hj livres the queue at 
,reims4#fj ,in #afaj1 at  the banquet   
following the coronation of ,louis      
,,xiii41 the only wine  served was that 
of ,reims1 at #age livres1 or about     
#gl41 the queue2 and  the future raffins
 of the ,place ,royale who assisted at  
that ceremony  were by no means the men 
to forget or neglect an approved vintage
  after once tasting it4 ,champagne1 it 
has been said1 was crowned at the  same 
time with the king1 and of the two made 
a better monarch4 ,five  years later a  
complaint1 addressed to the king on the 
subject of the  fermiers des aides      
trying to levy duties on goods sold at  
the fairs1  asserted it was notorious   
that the chief commerce of ,reims       
consisted  of wines4 ,according to the  
police ordinances of #afbg1 the price of
  these was fixed three times a year1   
namely1 at ,martinmas1 ,mid-,lent1 and  

,midsummer2 and tavern-keepers were     
bound to have a tablet inscribed  with  
the regulation price fixed outside their
 houses1 and were not  allowed to sell  
at a higher rate1 under a penalty of #ab
 livres for the  first1 and #bd livres  
for the second offence4 ,moreover1 to   
encourage the  production of the        
locality1 they were strictly forbidden  
to sell in  their taverns any other wine
 than that of the 'cru du pays et de    
huit  lieues es environs1' under pain of
 confiscation and a fine1 the amount  of
 which was arbitrary4 ,the vine-dressers
 too1 in the same ordinances1  were     
enjoined to kill and burn all vine-slugs
 and other vermin1 which  during #afba  
and the two succeeding years had caused 
much damage4#fa    ,illustration        
,illustration    ,this rule must have   
been perforce relaxed during the        
troubles of the  ,fronde1 when for two  
years the troops of the ,marshal du     
,plessis ,praslin  lived as in a        
conquered country1 indulging in drinking

 carousals in  the wine-shops of the    
towns1 or marching in detachments from  
village  to village throughout the      
district1 in order to prevent all those 
who neglected to pay the contributions  
imposed from working in their           
vineyards2 when their leader1 on the    
refusal of the ,rmois to supply  him    
with money1 ravaged the vineyards of the
 plains of les ,moineaux  and ,sacy2 and
 when ,erlach's foreigners at ,verzy    
sacked the whole of  the ,montagne from 
,march until ,july #afej4 ,as a         
consequence1 people in  the following   
year were existing on herbs1 roots1     
snails1 blood1 bread  made of bran1     
cats1 dogs1 c41 or dying by hundreds    
through eating  bread made of unripe    
wheat harvested in ,june2 the ruin of   
the citizens  being completed1 according
 to an eyewitness1 at the epoch of      
dressing  the vines1 owing to the lack  
of men to do the work4#fb ,a            
contemporary  writer1 however1 asserts  
that the vineyards still continued 'to  

cover  the mountains and to encircle the
 town of ,reims like a crown of         
verdure2' and that their produce not    
only supplied all local wants1  but1    
transported beyond the frontier1 caused 
the gold of the ,indies to  flow in     
return into the town1 and spread its    
reputation afar4#fc    ,illustration3 ,a
 ,,betrothal ,,banquet ,,in ,,the       
,,seventeenth ,,century4    ,such was   
the repute of the ,champagne wines when 
,louis ,,xiv4 was crowned  at ,reims in 
#afed1 that all the great lords present 
on the occasion were  exceedingly       
anxious to partake of them1 and no doubt
 regarded with  envious eyes the huge   
basket containing a hundred bottles of  
the best  which the deputies from       
,epernay had brought with them as a     
present to  the gallant ,turenne4 ,he at
 least was no stranger to the merits of 
the  wine1 for the records of ,epernay  
show that many a caque had found its    
way to his tent during the two preceding
 years1 when he was defending  the      

,champagne against ,cond and his        
,spanish allies4 ,in the same year      
7#afed71 the ,procureur de l',echevinage
 speaks of the chief trade of  ,reims as
 consisting in the sale of wine1 of     
which the inhabitants  collect large    
quantities1 both from the ,montagne de  
,reims and the  ,rivire de ,marne1      
through the merchants who make this     
their special  trade--a trade sorely    
interrupted by the incursions of ,montal
 and his  ,spaniards in #afeg and #afeh4
 ,guy ,patin too1 writing in #afff1     
mentions  the fact of ,louis ,,xiv4     
making a present to ,charles ,,ii4 of   
,england  of two hundred pices of       
excellent wine--,champagne1 ,burgundy1  
and  ,hermitage2 and three years later  
is fain himself to exclaim1 ',vive le   
pain de ,gonesse1 vive le bon vin de    
,paris1 de ,bourgogne1 de ,champagne6'  
whilst ,tavernier the traveller did his 
best to spread the fame of the          
,champagne wine by presenting specimens 
to all the sovereigns whom he  had the  

honour of saluting during his           
journeyings abroad4#fd    ,it was about 
the eighth decade of this century1 when 
the renown of the  ,grand ,monarque was 
yet at its apogee1 and when for many    
years the soil  of the province had not 
been profaned by the foot of an invader1
 that  the still wine of the ,champagne 
attained its final point of perfection4 
,the ,roi ,soleil himself1 we are       
assured by ,st4 ,simon1 never drank any 
other wine in his life till about #afib1
 when his physician1 the austere        
,fagon1 condemned his debilitated       
stomach to well-watered ,burgundy1 so   
old that it was almost tasteless1 and   
the king consoled himself with  laughing
 at the wry faces pulled by foreign     
nobles who sought and  obtained the     
honour of tasting his especial          
tipple4#fe ,an anonymous  ,mmoire#ff    
written early in the ensuing century    
7#agah7 states that1  although their red
 wine had long before been made with    
greater care  and cleanliness than any  

other wine in the kingdom1 the          
,champenois  had only studied to produce
 a gray1 and indeed almost white1 wine1 
within the preceding fifty years4 ,this 
would place about #afgj the first       
introduction of the new colourless wine1
 obtained by gathering grapes  of the   
black variety with the utmost care at   
early dawn1 and ceasing  the vintage at 
nine or ten in the morning1 unless the  
day were cloudy4  ,despite these        
precautions a rosy tinge--compared to   
that lent by a  dying sunset to the     
waters of a clear stream--was often     
communicated  to the wine1 and led to   
the term 'partridge's eye' being applied
 to  it4 ,st4 ,evremond1 the epicurean  
,frenchman--who emigrated to the gay    
court of ,charles ,,ii4 at ,whitehall to
 escape the gloomy cell designed  for   
him in the ,bastille--and the mentor of 
the ,count de ,grammont1  writing from  
,london about #afgd1 to his brother     
'profs dans l'ordre des  coteaux1'#fg   
the ,count d',olonne1 then undergoing on

 his part a species  of exile at        
,orleans for having suffered his tongue 
to wag a little  too freely at court1   
says3 ',do not spare any expense to get 
,champagne  wines1 even if you are at   
two hundred leagues from ,paris4 ,those 
of  ,burgundy have lost their credit    
amongst men of taste1 and barely retain 
a remnant of their former reputation    
amongst dealers4 ,there is no  province 
which furnishes excellent wines for all 
seasons but ,champagne4  ,it supplies us
 with the wines of ,ay1 ,avenay1 and    
,hautvillers1 up to the  spring2        
,taissy1 ,sillery1 ,verzenai1 for the   
rest of the year4'#fh ',the  wines of   
the ,champagne1' elsewhere remarks this 
renowned gourmet1  'are the best4 ,do   
not keep those of ,ay too long2 do not  
begin those of  ,reims too soon4 ,cold  
weather preserves the spirit of the     
,river wines1  hot removes the got de   
terroir from those of the ,mountain4'   
,writing  also in #agja1 he alludes to  
the care with which the ,sillery wines  

were  made forty years before4    ,such 
a distinction of seasons would imply    
that wine1 instead of  being kept1 was  
drunk within a few months of its        
manufacture2 though  this1 except in the
 case of wine made as 'tocane1' which   
could not  be kept1 would appear to be a
 matter rather of taste than necessity4 
,this custom of drinking it before      
fermentation was achieved1 and  also the
 natural tendency of the wine of this   
particular region to  effervesce--a     
tendency since taken such signal        
advantage of by the  manufacturers of   
sparkling ,champagne--are treated of in 
a work of  the period1#fi the author of 
which1 after noting the excellence of   
certain growths of ,burgundy1 goes on to
 say that1 ',if the vintage in  the     
,champagne is a successful one1 it is   
thither that the shrewd and  dainty     
hasten4 ,there is not1' continues he1   
'in the world a drink more  noble and   
more delicious2 and it is now become so 
highly fashionable  that1 with the      

exception of those growths drawn from   
that fertile and  agreeable district    
which we call in general parlance that  
of ,reims1 and  particularly from ,st4  
,thierry1 ,verzenay1 ,ay1 and different 
spots of the  ,mountain1 all others are 
looked upon by the dainty as little     
better  than poor stuff and trash1 which
 they will not even hear spoken of4' ,he
  extols the admirable sve of the ,reims
 wine1 its delicious flavour1  and its  
perfume1 which with ludicrous hyperbole 
he pronounces capable  of bringing the  
dead to life4 ,burgundy and ,champagne1 
he says1 are both  good1 but the first  
rank belongs to the latter1 'when it has
 not that  tartness which some          
debauchees esteem so highly1 when it    
clears itself  promptly1 and only works 
as much as the natural strength of the  
wine  allows2 for it does not do to     
trust so much to that kind of wine which
  is always in a fury1 and boils without
 intermission in its vessel4'    ,such  
wine1 he maintains1 is quite done for by

 the time ,easter is over1  and only    
retains of its former fire a crude      
tartness very unpleasant  and very      
indigestible1 which is apt to affect the
 chest of those who  drink it4 ,he      
recommends that ,champagne should be    
drunk at least six  months after the end
 of the year1 and that the grayest wines
 should  always be chosen as going down 
more smoothly and clogging the stomach  
less1 since1 however good the red wine  
may be as regards body1 from  its longer
 cuvaison1 it is never so delicate1 nor 
does it digest so  promptly1 as the     
others4 ,he concludes1 therefore1 that  
it is better  to drink old wine1 or at  
any rate what then passed as old wine1  
as  long as one can1 in order not to    
have to turn too soon to the new  ones1 
'which are veritable head-splitters1 and
 from their potency  capable of         
deranging the strongest constitutions4' 
,above all1 he urges  abstinence from   
such 'artificial mummeries' as the use  
of ice1 'the  most pernicious of all    

inventions' and the enemy of wine1      
though at  that time1 he admits1 very   
fashionable1 especially amongst certain 
'obstreperous voluptuaries1' 'who       
maintain that the wine of ,reims is     
never more delicious than when it is    
drunk with ice1 and that this  admirable
 beverage derives especial charms from  
this fatal novelty4'  ,ice1 he holds1   
not only dispels the spirit and         
diminishes the flavour1  sve1 and colour
 of the wine1 but is most pernicious and
 deadly  to the drinker1 causing        
'colics1 shiverings1 horrible           
convulsions1  and sudden weakness1 so   
that frequently death has crowned the   
most  magnificent debauches1 and turned 
a place of joy and mirth into a         
sepulchre4' ,wherefore let all drinkers 
of ,champagne frapp beware4    ,here we 
have ample proof of the popularity of   
the wines of the  ,champagne1 a         
popularity erroneously said to be due in
 some measure  to the fact that both the
 ,chancellor le ,tellier1 father of     

,louvois1  and ,colbert1 the energetic  
comptroller-general of the state        
finances1  and son of a wool-merchant of
 ,reims1 possessed large vineyards in   
the province4#gj ,lafontaine1 who was   
born in the neighbourhood1  declared his
 preference for ,reims above all cities1
 on account of the  ,sainte ,ampoule1   
its good wine1 and the abundance of     
other charming  objects2#ga and         
,boileau1 writing in #afgd1 depicts an  
ignorant  churchman1 whose library      
consisted of a score of well-filled     
hogsheads1  as being fully aware of the 
particular vineyard at ,reims over which
  the community he belonged to held a   
mortgage4#gb ,james ,,ii4 of ,england   
was particularly partial to the wine of 
the ,champagne4 ,when the  quinquennial 
assembly of the clergy was held in      
#agjj1 at the ,chteau of  ,st4          
,germain-en-,laye1 where he was         
residing1 ,charles ,maurice le ,tellier1
  brother to ,louvois and ,archbishop of
 ,reims1 who presided1 'kept a grand    

table1 and had some ,champagne wine that
 was highly praised4 ,the ,king  of     
,england1 who rarely drank any other1   
heard of it1 and sent to ask  some of   
the archbishop1 who sent him six        
bottles4 ,some time afterwards  the     
king1 who found the wine very good1 sent
 to beg him to send some  more4 ,the    
archbishop1 more avaricious of his wine 
than of his money1  answered curtly that
 his wine was not mad1 and therefore did
 not run  about the streets1 and did not
 send him any4'#gc ,du ,chesne1 who1    
when ,fagon became medical attendant to 
,louis ,,xiv41 succeeded him as         
physician to the 'fils de ,france1' and 
who died at ,versailles in #agjg1  aged 
ninety-one1 in perfect health1 ascribed 
his longevity to his habit  of eating a 
salad every night at supper1 and        
drinking only ,champagne1 a  rgime which
 he recommended to all4#gd    ,the wine 
was nevertheless the indirect cause of  
the death of the poet  ,santeuil1 who1  
although a canon of ,st4 ,victor1 was   

very much fonder  of ,champagne and of  
sundry other good things than he ought  
to have  been4 ,a wit and a bon vivant1 
he was a great favourite of the ,duc de 
,bourbon1 son of the ,prince de ,cond1  
whom he accompanied in the summer  of   
#afig to ,dijon4 ',one evening at supper
 the duke amused himself with  plying   
,santeuil with ,champagne1 and going on 
from joke to joke1 he  thought it funny 
to empty his snuff-box into a goblet of 
wine1 and make  ,santeuil drink it1 in  
order to see what would happen4 ,he was 
pretty  soon enlightened4 ,vomiting and 
fever ensued1 and within forty-eight    
hours the unhappy wretch died in the    
torments of the damned1 but  filled with
 the sentiments of great penitence1 with
 which he received  the sacraments and  
edified the company1 who1 though little 
given to  be edified1 disapproved of    
such a cruel experiment4'#ge ,of course 
nothing was done1 or even said1 to the  
duke4    ',sire1' said the president of 
a deputation bringing specimens of the  

various productions of ,reims to the    
,grand ,monarque when he visited the    
city in #afff1 'we offer you our wine1  
our pears1 our gingerbread1 our         
biscuits1 and our hearts2' and ,louis1  
who was a noted lover of the good       
things of this life1 answered1 turning  
to his suite1 ',there1 gentlemen1  that 
is just the kind of speech ,i like4' ,to
 this day ,reims manufactures  by the   
myriad the crisp finger-shaped          
sponge-cakes called 'biscuits de        
,reims1' which the ,french delight to   
dip in their wine2 juvenile ,france     
still eagerly devours its pain d'pice1  
and the city sends forth far  and wide  
the baked pears which have obtained so  
enviable a reputation4  ,but the        
production of such wine as that offered 
to the king has long  since almost      
ceased1 while its fame has been eclipsed
 tenfold by wine  of a far more         
delicious kind1 the origin and rise of  
which has now to  be recounted4 ,this is
 the sparkling wine of ,champagne1 which

 has been  fitly compared to one of     
those younger sons of good family1 who1 
after  a brilliant and rapid career1    
achieve a position far eclipsing that of
  their elder brethren1 whose fame      
becomes merged in theirs4#gf            
,illustration                           
,,iii4              _/,invention and    
,development of ,sparkling ,champagne4_/
        ,the ancients acquainted with   
sparkling wines--,tendency of ,champagne
      wines to effervesce noted at an   
early period--,obscurity enveloping     
the discovery of what we now know as    
sparkling ,champagne--,the ,royal       
,abbey of ,hautvillers--,legend of its  
foundation by ,st4 ,nivard and      ,st4
 ,berchier--,its territorial possessions
 and vineyards--,the monks      the     
great viticulturists of the ,middle     
,ages--,dom ,perignon--,he      marries 
wines differing in character--,his      
discovery of sparkling      white       
wine--,he is the first to use corks to  
bottles--,his secret for      clearing  

the wine revealed only to his successors
 ,frre ,philippe      and ,dom          
,grossart--,result of ,dom ,perignon's  
discoveries--,the wine      of          
,hautvillers sold at #ajjj livres the   
queue--,dom ,perignon's      memorial in
 the ,abbey-,church--,wine flavoured    
with peaches--,the      effervescence   
ascribed to drugs1 to the period of the 
moon1 and      to the action of the sap 
in the vine--,the fame of sparkling     
wine rapidly spreads--,the ,vin de      
,perignon makes its appearance      at  
the ,court of the ,grand ,monarque--,is 
welcomed by the young                   
courtiers--,it figures at the suppers of
 ,anet and ,chantilly1 and      at the  
orgies of the ,temple and the ,palais   
,royal--,the rapturous      strophes of 
,chaulieu and ,rousseau--,frederick     
,william ,i4 and the      ,berlin       
,academicians--,augustus the ,strong and
 the page who pilfered      his         
,champagne--,horror of the old-fashioned
 gourmets at the                        

innovation--,bertin du ,rocheret and the
 ,marshal d',artagnan--,system      of  
wine-making in the ,champagne early in  
the eighteenth      century--,bottling  
of the wine in flasks--,icing ,champagne
 with the      corks loosened4      ,a  
sybarite of our day has remarked that   
the life of the ancient ,greeks  would  
have approached the perfection of       
earthly existence had they  only been   
acquainted with sparkling ,champagne4   
,as1 however1 amongst  the nations of   
antiquity the newly-made wine was       
sometimes allowed  to continue its      
fermentation in close vessels1 it may be
 conceived  that when freshly drawn it  
occasionally possessed a certain degree 
of  briskness from the retained carbonic
 acid gas4#gg ,virgil's expression1     
',ille impiger hausit      ,spumantem   
pateram1'#gh    demonstrates that the   
,romans--whose patera1 by the way1      
closely  resembled the modern           
champagne-glass--were familiar with     
frothy and  sparkling wines1 although   

they do not seem to have intentionally  
sought  the means of preserving them in 
this condition4#gi    ,illustration     
,illustration    ,the early vintagers of
 the ,champagne can hardly have helped  
noting  the natural tendency of their   
wine to effervesce1 the difficulty of   
entirely overcoming which is exemplified
 in the precautions invariably  taken   
for the production of ,sillery sec2     
indeed tradition claims for  certain    
growths of the ,marne1 from a period of 
remote antiquity1  a disposition to     
froth and sparkle4#hj ,local writers    
profess to  recognise in the property   
ascribed by ,henry of ,andelys to the   
wine  of ,chalons1 of causing both the  
stomach and the heels to swell1#ha  a   
reference to this peculiarity4#hb ,the  
learned ,baccius1 physician  to ,pope   
,sixtus ,v41 writing at the close of the
 sixteenth century of  the wines of     
,france1 mentions those 'which bubble   
out of the glass1  and which flatter the
 smell as much as the taste1'#hc though 

he does  not refer to any wine of the   
,champagne by name4 ,an anonymous       
author1  some eighty years later1#hd    
condemns the growing partiality for the 
'great vert which certain debauchees    
esteem so highly' in ,champagne  wines1 
and denounces 'that kind of wine which  
is always in a fury1  and which boils   
without ceasing in its vessel4' ,still  
he seems to  refer to wine in casks1    
which lost these tumultuous properties  
after  ,easter4 ,necessity being the    
mother of invention1 the inhabitants of 
the province had in the sixteenth       
century already devised and put in      
practice a method of allaying           
fermentation1 and obtaining a settled   
wine within four-and-twenty hours1 by   
filling a vessel with 'small  chips of  
the wood called in ,french sayette1' and
 pouring the wine  over them4#he        
,with all this1 a conscientious writer  
candidly acknowledges that1  despite    
minute and painstaking researches1 he   
cannot tell when what is  now known as  

sparkling ,champagne first made its     
appearance4 ,the most  ancient          
references to it of a positive character
 that he could discover  are contained  
in the poems of ,grenan and ,coffin1    
printed in #agaa and  #agab2 yet its    
invention certainly dates prior to that 
epoch1#hf and  earlier poets have also  
praised it4 ,it seems most probable that
 the  tendency to effervescence already 
noted became even more marked in  the   
strong-bodied gray and 'partridge-eye'  
wines1 first made from red  grapes about
 #afgj1 than in the yellowish wine      
previously produced1 like  that of ,ay1 
from white grapes1#hg and recommended1  
from its deficiency  in body1 to be     
drunk off within the year4#hh ,these new
 wines1 when in  a quasi-effervescent   
state prior to the month of ,march1     
offered a novel  attraction to palates  
dulled by the potent vintages of        
,burgundy and  ,southern ,france2#hi and
 their reputation quickly spread1 though
 some  old gourmets might have          

complained1 with ,st4 ,evremond1 of the 
taste  introduced by faux delicats4#ij  
,they must have been merely cremant     
wines--for glass-bottle making was in   
its infancy1 and corks as yet           
unknown#ia--;and doubtless resembled the
 present wines of ,condrieu1  which     
sparkle in the glass on being poured    
out1 during their first and  second     
years1 but with age acquire the         
characteristics of a full-bodied  still 
wine4 ,the difficulty of regulating     
their effervescence in  those           
pre-scientific days must have led to    
frequent and serious  disappointments4  
,the hour1 however1 came1 and with it   
the man4    ,illustration3 ,,gateway    
,,of ,,the ,,abbey ,,of ,,hautvillers4  
,illustration3 ,,the ,,church ,,of      
,,hautvillers1 ,,with ,,the ,,remains   
,,of ,,the  ,,abbey4    ,in the year    
#afgj1 among the sunny vineyard slopes  
rising from the  poplar-fringed ,marne1 
there stood in all its pride the famous 
royal  ,abbey of ,st4 ,peter at         

,hautvillers4 ,its foundation1 of remote
 antiquity1  was hallowed by saintly    
legend4 ,tradition said that about the  
middle  of the seventh century ,st4     
,nivard1 ,bishop of ,reims1 and his     
godson1  ,st4 ,berchier1 were seeking a 
suitable spot for the erection of a     
monastery on the banks of the river4    
,the way was long1 the day was  warm1   
and the saints but mortal4 ,weary and   
faint1 they sat down to  rest at a spot 
identified by tradition with a vineyard 
at ,dizy1 to-day  belonging to ,messrs4 
,bollinger1 but at that time forming    
part of the  forest of the ,marne4 ,st4 
,nivard fell asleep1 with his head in   
,st4  ,berchier's lap1 when 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 afar off on the     
stump of a tree4 ,such an omen could  no

 more be neglected by a seventh-century 
saint than a slate full of  scribble by 
a nineteenth-century spiritualist1 and  
accordingly the  site thus miraculously 
indicated was forthwith decided upon4   
,plans for  the edifice were duly drawn 
out and approved of1 and the abbey rose 
in stately majesty1 the high altar at   
which ,st4 ,berchier was solemnly       
invested with the symbols of abbatial   
dignity being erected upon the  precise 
spot occupied by the tree on which the  
snow-white dove had  alighted4#ib ,as   
time rolled on and pious donations      
poured in1 the  abbey waxed in          
importance1 although it was sacked by   
the ,normans when  they ravaged the     
,champagne1 and was twice destroyed by  
fire--once in  #ajih1 and again in      
#addj--when each time it rose           
phoenix-like from its  ashes4           
,illustration    ,illustration    ,in   
#afgj the abbey was1 as we have said1 in
 all its glory4 ,true1 it had  been     
somewhat damaged a century previously by

 the ,huguenots1 who had  fired the     
church1 driven out the monks1 sacked the
 wine-cellars1 burnt  the archives1 and 
committed sundry other depredations     
inherent to civil  and religious        
warfare2 but the liberal contributions  
of the faithful1  including ,queen      
,marie de ,medicis1 had helped to efface
 all traces of  their visit4 ,the abbey 
boasted many precious relics rescued    
from the  ,reformers' fury1 the most    
important being the body of ,st4        
,helena1 the  mother of ,constantine the
 ,great1 which had been in its          
possession since  #hdd1 and attracted   
numerous pilgrims4 ,the hierarchical    
status of the  abbey was high2 for no   
less than nine archbishops had passed   
forth  through its stately portal to the
 see of ,reims1 and twenty-two abbots1  
including the venerable ,peter of       
,cluny1 to various distinguished        
monasteries4 ,its territorial           
possessions were extensive2 for its     
abbot  was lord of ,hautvillers1        

,cumires1 ,cormoyeux1 ,bomery1 and ,dizy
 la  ,rivire1 and had all manner of     
rights of fourmage1 and huchage1        
vinage1 and pressoir banal1 and the     
like1#ic to the benefit  of the monks   
and the misfortune of their numerous    
dependents4 ,its  revenues were ample1  
and no small portion was derived from   
the tithes  of fair and fertile         
vinelands extending for miles around1   
and from  the vineyards which the monks 
themselves cultivated in the immediate  
neighbourhood of the abbey4             
,illustration    ,it should be          
remembered that for a lengthy           
period--not only in ,france1  but in    
other countries--the choicest wines were
 those produced in  vineyards belonging 
to the ,church1 and that the vinum      
theologium was  justly held superior to 
all others4 ,the rich chapters and      
monasteries  were more studious of the  
quality than of the quantity of their   
vintages2 their land was tilled with    
particular care1 and the learning1  of  

which in the ,middle ,ages they were    
almost the sole depositaries1  combined 
with opportunities of observation       
enjoyed by the members of  these        
fraternities by reason of their retired 
pursuits1 made them  acquainted at a    
very early period with the best methods 
of controlling  the fermentation of the 
grape and ameliorating its produce4#id  
,to  the monks of ,bze we owe           
,chambertin1 the favourite wine of the  
first  ,napoleon2 to the ,cistercians of
 ,citaulx the perfection of that ,clos  
,vougeot which passing regiments saluted
 tambour battant2 and the  ,benedictines
 of ,hautvillers were equally regardful 
of the renown of  their wines and       
vineyards4 ,in #afcf they cultivated one
 hundred arpents  themselves1#ie their  
possessions including the vineyards now 
known as  ,les ,quartiers and ,les      
,prires at ,hautvillers1 and ,les       
,barillets1 ,sainte  ,hlne1 and         
,cotes--bras at ,cumires1 the last named
 of which still  retains a high         

reputation4    ,illustration    ,over   
these vineyards there presided in #afgj 
a worthy ,benedictine named  ,dom       
,perignon1 who was destined to gain for 
the abbey a more world-wide  fame than  
the devoutest of its monks or the       
proudest of its abbots4  ,his position  
was an onerous one1 for the reputation  
of the wine was  considerable1 and it   
was necessary to maintain it4 ,henry of 
,andelys had  sung its praises as early 
as the thirteenth century2 and ,st4     
,evremond1  though absent from ,france  
for nearly half a score years1 wrote of 
it  in terms proving that he had        
preserved a lively recollection of its  
merits4 ,dom ,perignon was born at      
,sainte ,mnehould in #afch1 and had     
been elected to the post of procureur of
 the abbey about #affh1 on  account of  
the purity of his taste and the         
soundness of his head4 ,he  proved      
himself fully equal to the momentous    
task1 devotion to which  does not seem  
to have shortened his days1 since he    

died at the ripe  old age of            
seventy-seven4 ,it was ,dom ,perignon's 
duty to superintend  the abbey          
vineyards1 supervise the making of the  
wine1 and see after  the tithes1 paid   
either in wine or grapes#if by the      
neighbouring  cultivators to their      
seignorial lord the abbot4 ,the wine    
which thus  came into his charge was    
naturally of various qualities2 and     
having  noted that one kind of soil     
imparted fragrance and another          
generosity1  while the produce of others
 was deficient in both of these         
attributes1  ,dom ,perignon1 in the     
spirit of a true ,benedictine1 hit upon 
the happy  idea of 'marrying1' or       
blending1 the produce of different      
vineyards  together1#ig a practice which
 is to-day very generally followed  by  
the manufacturers of ,champagne4 ,such  
was the perfection of ,dom  ,perignon's 
skill and the delicacy of his palate1   
that in his later  years1 when blind    
from age1 he used to have the grapes of 

the different  districts brought to him1
 and1 recognising each kind by its      
flavour1  would say1 ',you must marry   
the wine of this vineyard with that of  
such  another4'#ih    ,illustration     
,but the crowning glory of the          
,benedictine's long and useful life     
remains to be told4 ,he succeeded in    
obtaining for the first time in  the    
,champagne a perfectly white wine from  
black grapes1 that hitherto  made having
 been gray1 or of a pale-straw          
colour4#ii ,moreover1 by some  happy    
accident1 or by a series of experimental
 researches--for the  exact facts of the
 discovery are lost for ever--he hit    
upon a method  of regulating the        
tendency of the wines of this region to 
effervesce1  and by paying regard to the
 epoch of bottling1 finally succeeded in
  producing a perfectly sparkling wine1 
that burst forth from the bottle  and   
overflowed the glass1 and was twice as  
dainty to the palate1 and  twice as     
exhilarating in its effects1 as the     

ordinary wine of the  ,champagne4 ,a    
correlative result of his investigations
 was the present  system of corking     
bottles1 a wisp of tow dipped in oil    
being the sole  stopper in use prior to 
his time4#ajj ,to him1 too1 we owe not  
only  sparkling ,champagne itself1 but  
the proper kind of glass to drink it    
out of4 ,the tall1 thin1 tapering flute 
was adopted1 if not invented1  by him1  
in order1 as he said1 that he might     
watch the dance of the  sparkling       
atoms4#aja ,the exact date of ,dom      
,perignon's discovery of  sparkling wine
 seems to be wrapped in much the same   
obscurity as  are the various attendant 
circumstances4 ,it was certainly prior  
to  the close of the seventeenth        
century2 as the author of an anonymous  
treatise1 printed at ,reims in #agah1   
remarked that for more than twenty      
years past the taste of the ,french had 
inclined towards sparkling  wines1 which
 they had 'frantically adored1' though  
during the last  three years they had   

grown a little out of conceit with      
them4#ajb ,this  would place it at      
#afig1 at the latest4    ,illustration  
,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 round1 and      
sound2      ,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  found out a method of        
clearing wine1 so as to preserve it     
perfectly  limpid and free from all     
deposit1 without being obliged1 like all
 who  sought to rival him in its        
production1 to dpoter the bottles--that 
is1 to decant their contents into fresh 
ones4#ajc ,this secret1 which  helped to

 maintain the high reputation of the    
wine of ,hautvillers when  the          
manufacture of sparkling ,champagne had 
extended throughout the  district1 he   
guarded even better than he was able to 
guard the apple of  his eye4 ,at his    
death1 in #agae1 he revealed it only to 
his successor1  ,frre ,philippe1 who1   
after holding sway over vat and vineyard
 for  fifty years1 died in #agfe1       
imparting it with his latest breath to  
,frre ,andr ,lemaire4 ,revoked perforce 
from his functions by the ,french       
,revolution1 he in turn1 before his     
death about #agie1 communicated it  to  
,dom ,grossart1 who exults over the fact
 that whilst the greatest  ,champagne   
merchants were obliged to dpoter1 the   
monks of ,hautvillers  had never done   
so4#ajd ,dom ,grossart1 who had counted 
the ,mots amongst  his customers1 died  
in his turn without making any sign1 so 
that the  secret of ,perignon perished  
with him4 ,prior to that event1 however1
  the present system of dgorgeage was   

discovered1 and eventually  dpotage was 
no longer practised4#aje    ,the        
material result of ,dom ,perignon's     
labours was such that one of the        
presses of the abbey bore this          
inscription3 ',m4 de ,fourville1 abbot  
of  this abbey1 had me constructed in   
the year #afid1 and that same year  sold
 his wine at a thousand livres the      
queue4'#ajf ,their moral effect  was so 
complete that his name became identified
 with the wine of the  abbey4 ,people   
asked for the wine of ,perignon1 till   
they forgot that  he was a man and not a
 vineyard1#ajg and within a year of his 
death  his name figures amongst a list  
of the wine-producing slopes of the     
,champagne4#ajh ,his reputation has     
outlasted the walls within which he     
carried on his labours1 and his merits  
are thus recorded1 in conventual  ,latin
 of the period1 on a black-marble slab  
still to be seen within the  altar-steps
 of the abbey-church of                 
,hautvillers4#aji    ,illustration3     

,d 4 ,o 4 ,m 4      ,,hic ,,jacet ,,dom4
      ,,petrus ,,perignon      ,,hujus  
,m,,rii ,,per      ,,annos ,,quadginta  
,,septem ,,cellerarius      ,,qui ,,re  
,,familliari      ,,summa ,,cum         
,,laude ,,administrata      ,,virtutibus
      ,,plenus ,,paterno      ,,que     
,,jmprimis ,,in      ,,pauperis ,,amore 
,,obiit ,,tatis #ggo4      ,,anno #agae 
,,requiscat ,,in ,,pace    ,,amen       
,the anonymous ,mmoire of #agah gives1  
with an amount of preliminary  flourish 
which would imply a doubt as to the     
accuracy of the statement  made1 the    
secret mode said to have been employed  
by ,dom ,perignon to  improve his wine1 
and to have been confided by him a few  
days before  his death to 'a person     
worthy enough of belief1' by whom it was
 in turn  communicated to the writer4   
,according to this1 a pound of          
sugar-candy  was dissolved in a chopine 
of wine1 to which was then added five or
  six stoned peaches1 four sous' worth  
of powdered cinnamon1 a grated  nutmeg1 

and a demi septier of burnt brandy2 and 
the whole1 after  being well mixed1 was 
strained through fine linen into a pice 
of  wine immediately after fermentation 
had ceased1 with the result of          
imparting to it a dainty and delicate   
flavour4 ,dom ,grossart1 however1  in   
his letter to ,m4 ,dherbs1 distinctly   
declares that 'we never did put  sugar  
into our wine4'#aaj ,this collature1 in 
which peaches play a  part1 was probably
 made use of by some wine-growers2 and  
the peach-like  flavour extolled by ,st4
 ,evremond in the wine of ,ay may have  
been due  to it1 or to the practice then
 and long afterwards followed of putting
  peach-leaves in the hot water with    
which the barrels were washed out1      
under the idea that this improved the   
flavour of the wine4#aaa    ,opinions   
were widely divided as to the cause of  
the effervescence  in the wines of      
,hautvillers1 for the connection between
 sugar and  fermentation was then       
undreamt of1 although ,van ,helmont had 

recognised  the existence of carbonic   
acid gas in fermenting wine as early as 
#afbd4  ,some thought it due to the     
addition of drugs1 and sought to obtain 
it  by putting not only alum and spirits
 of wine1 but positive nastinesses1     
into their wine4#aab ,others ascribed it
 to the greenness of the wine1  because 
most of that which effervesced was      
extremely raw2 and others  again        
believed that it was influenced by the  
age of the moon at the  epoch of        
bottling4 ,experience undoubtedly showed
 that wine bottled  between the vintage 
and the month of ,may was certain to    
effervesce1 and  that no time was more  
favourable for this operation than the  
end of  the second quarter of the moon  
of ,march4 ,nevertheless1 as the wines1 
especially those of the ,mountain of    
,reims1 were not usually matured at     
this epoch1 it was recommended1 in order
 to secure a ripe and exquisite         
sparkling wine1 to defer the bottling   
until the ascent of the sap in  the vine

 between the tenth and fourteenth day of
 the moon of ,august2  whereas1 to      
insure a non mousseux wine1 the bottling
 ought to take  place in ,october or    
,november4#aac    ,the fame of the new  
wine1 known indifferently as vin de     
,perignon1  flacon ptillant1 flacon     
mousseux1 vin sautant1 vin mousseux1    
saute bouchon1 c41 and even             
anathematised as vin du diable--for  the
 present term1 vin de ,champagne1 was   
confined as yet to the still  or        
quasi-still growths--quickly spread4    
,never1 indeed1 was a discovery  more   
opportune4 ,at the moment of its        
introduction the glory of ,france  was  
on the wane2 ,colbert1 ,louvois1 and    
,luxembourg were dead2 the ,treaty  of  
,ryswick had been signed2 famine and    
deficit reared their threatening  heads1
 and lo1 ,providence offered this new   
consolation for all outward  and inward 
ills4 ,with the ,king it could only find
 scant favour4 ,the  once brilliant     
,louis was now a bigoted and almost     

isolated invalid4 ,his  debilitated     
stomach1 ruined by long indulgence1     
could scarcely even  support the old    
,burgundy--so old that it was almost    
tasteless--which  ,fagon had prescribed 
as his sole beverage some years         
before2#aad and  the popping of         
sparkling ,champagne corks would have   
scandalised the  quiet tte--tte repasts 
which he was wont to partake of with the
  pious ,madame de ,maintenon4#aae      
,illustration    ,illustration    ,but  
the men who were to be the future rous  
of the ,regency were  in the flower of  
youthful manhood in #afih1 and the      
recommendation  of ,comus had with them 
more weight than the warnings of        
sculapius4  ,at the joyous suppers of   
,anet1 where the ,duc de ,vendme laid   
aside  the laurels of ,mars to wreathe  
his brows with the ivy of ,bacchus2 at  
the ,temple1 where his brother1 the     
,grand ,prior1 nightly revived the  most
 scandalous features of the orgies of   
ancient ,rome2 at the ,palais  ,royal1  

where the future ,regent was            
inaugurating that long series of  petits
 soupers which were ultimately to cost  
the lives of himself and  his favourite 
daughter2 and at ,chantilly1 where the  
,prince de ,conti  sought successfully  
to reproduce a younger and brighter     
,versailles1  the pear-shaped flasks1   
'ten inches high1 including the four or 
five  of the neck1'#aaf stamped with the
 arms of the noble hosts1 and  secured  
with ,spanish wax1#aag were an          
indispensable adjunct to the            
festivities of the table4 ,a story is   
told of the ,marquis de ,sillery1  who  
had turned his sword into a             
pruning-knife1 and applied himself to   
the cultivation of the paternal         
vineyards1 having first introduced the  
sparkling wine bearing his name at one  
of the ,anet suppers1 when1 at a  given 
signal1 a dozen of blooming young       
damsels1 scantily draped in the  guise  
of ,bacchanals1 entered the room1       
bearing apparently baskets of  flowers  

in their hands1 but which1 on being     
placed before the guests1  proved to be 
flower-enwreathed bottles of the new    
sparkling wine4#aah  ,if ever a beverage
 was intended for the pleasures of      
society1 it was  certainly this one1    
which it was said ,nature had made      
especially for  the ,french1#aai who    
found in its discovery a compensation   
for the  victories of ,marlborough4     
,chaulieu1 the poetic abb1 and the      
favourite of both the ,vendmes1  hailed 
this new product of his native province 
in rapturous strophes4  ,in an          
invitation to supper addressed to his   
friend1 the ,marquis de la  ,fare1 in   
#agja1 he describes how        ',of     
fivescore clear glasses the number and  
brightness      ,make up for of dishes  
the absence and lightness1          ,and
 the foam1 sparkling pure1          ,of 
fresh delicate wine          ,for       
,fortune's frail lure      ,blots out   
all regret in this memory of mine4'#abj 
,in a letter to ,st4 ,evremond1 he      

mentions sundry wonderful things that   
should happen 'if the ,muses were as    
fond of the wine of ,champagne  as the  
poet who writes this to you2' and1 in   
one to the ,marquis de  ,dangeau1       
jestingly remarks that        ',st4     
,maur's harsher muse      ,all flight   
will refuse1      ,unless you sustain   
,her wings with ,champagne4'#aba        
,replying to an invitation to ,sonning's
 house at ,neuilly on ,july #bj1  #agjg1
 he says that when he comes it will be  
wonderful to see how the  ,champagne    
will be drained from the tall glasses   
known as flutes4#abb  ,that the         
,champagne he extols was a sparkling    
wine is established in a  poetical      
epistle to ,madame ,d41 in answer to her
 complaint that the wine  he had sent   
her did not froth as when they supped   
together1 and in this  he also speaks of
 its newness4    ,his brother-rhymster1 
,jean ,baptiste ,rousseau1 who must not 
be  confounded with the philosophic     
,jean ,jacques1 invited ,chaulieu to    

join  him at ,neuilly1 in mingling the  
water of ,hippocrene with the wine of   
,hautvillers1#abc and announced to the  
,champagne-loving ,marquis d',uss1      
apropos of the latter's favourite source
 of inspiration1 that even              
',phoebus will no more go climbing      
,for water up ,helicon's mount1         
,but admit1 as a source of good rhyming1
          ,champagne excels             
,hippocrene's fount4'#abd    ,such      
general attention did the subject       
attract that ,frederick ,william  ,,ii4 
of ,prussia actually proposed to the    
,academy of ,arts and ,sciences  at     
,berlin the question1 ',why does        
,champagne foam8' for solution4 ,the    
,academicians1 with unexpected          
sharpness1 petitioned the ,king for a   
supply of the beverage in question on   
which to experiment4 ,but the           
parsimonious monarch was equal to the   
occasion1 and a solitary dozen  of the  
wine was all he would consent to furnish
 them with4 ,his ally1  ,augustus the   

,strong of ,saxony1 was the hero of a   
ludicrous adventure  connected with     
sparkling ,champagne4 ,at a banquet     
given to him at  ,dresden1 a page1 who  
had surreptitiously appropriated a      
bottle of  this costly beverage1 and    
hidden it in the breast of his coat1 had
 to  approach the ,king4 ,the heat and  
motion combined had imparted briskness  
to the wine1 out popped the cork1 and   
the embroidered garments and  flowing   
periwig of ,mr4 ,carlyle's ',man of     
,sin' were drenched with the  foaming   
liquid4 ,the page fell on his knees and 
roared for mercy1 and  the ,king1 as    
soon as he recovered from his bursts of 
laughter1 freely  forgave him his       
offence4    ,the success of ,dom        
,perignon's wine caused a revolution in 
the  wine-production of the province1   
and gave rise to numerous imitations1   
despite the outcry raised against       
sparkling wine by many gourmets1  and   
even by the wine-merchants themselves1  
who complained that they  had to pander 

to what they regarded as a depraved     
taste4 ,the elder  ,bertin du ,rocheret1
 father of the lieutenant criminel and a
 notable  dealer in wine1 was much      
opposed to it4#abe ,marshal de          
,montesquiou  d',artagnan1 the gallant  
assailant of ,denain1 had ordered some  
wine of  him1 and he writes in reply1 on
 ,november #aa1 #agaa3 ',i have chosen  
three  poinons of the best wine of      
,pierry at #djj francs the queue1 not to
 be  drawn off as mousseux--that would  
be too great a pity4 ,also a poinon  to 
be drawn off as mousseux at #bej francs 
the queue2 or1 if you will  only go as  
far as #ahj francs1 it will froth just  
as well1 or better4  ,also a poinon of  
tocane of ,ay to be drunk this          
winter--that is to  say1 it should be   
drunk by ,shrovetide--at #cjj francs the
 queue3 this  wine is very fine4'#abf   
,on the #bgth ,december #agab the       
,marshal writes3 ',with regard to my    
wine  being made mousseux1 many prefer  
that it should be so2 and ,i should  not

 be vexed1 provided it does not in any  
way depreciate its quality4'  ,on the   
#ahth ,october of the following year the
 stern laudator temporis  acti describes
 how the bottling has been carried out1 
'in order that  your wines might be     
mousseux1 without which ,i should not   
have done  it1 and perhaps you would    
have found it better1 but it would not  
have  had the merit of being mousseux1  
which in my opinion is the merit of  a  
poor wine1 and only proper to beer1     
chocolate1 and whipped cream4  ,good    
,champagne should be clear and fine1    
should sparkle in the glass1  and should
 flatter the palate1 as it never does   
when it is mousseux1  but has a smack of
 fermentation2 hence it is only mousseux
 because it  is working4'    ,the       
converted ,marshal replies on ,october  
#beth3 ',i was in the wrong  to ask you 
to bottle my wine so that it might be   
mousseux2 it is a  fashion that prevails
 everywhere1 especially amongst young   
people4  ,for my own part1 ,i care very 

little about it2 but ,i wish the wine to
  be clear and fine1 and to have a      
strong ,champagne bouquet4' ,in the     
following ,december ,bertin1 in answer  
to the ,marshal's request for three     
quartaux of wine1 says3 ',will you      
kindly let me know at what date you     
propose to drink this wine8 ,if it is to
 be drunk as mousseux1 ,i shall  not    
agree with you4'    ,the allusion to the
 time of year at which the wine was to  
be drunk  throws a light upon a practice
 of the day1 confirmed by other passages
  in this correspondence4 ,much of the  
wine made was drunk as vin  bourru      
fined1 but not racked off1 at the       
beginning of the year1 or  as tocane1   
which was apt to go off if kept beyond  
,shrovetide4 ,this  speedy consumption  
and the careful choice made of the      
grapes intended  for vin mousseux       
militated against the formation in the  
bottles of  that deposit1 which1 up to  
the commencement of the present century1
  when the system of dgorgeage was      

introduced1 could only be remedied  by  
dpotage1#abg though1 as we have seen1   
the ,abbey of ,hautvillers  had a secret
 method1 carefully guarded1 of checking 
its formation4#abh    ,it is singular   
that the presence of a natural          
liqueur--the  consequence of a complete 
but not excessive ripeness of the grape1
 and  at present considered one of the  
highest qualities of the wine--was1 at  
the commencement of the eighteenth      
century1 regarded as a disease4 ,the    
,mmoire of #agah states that when the   
wine has any liqueur1 however  good it  
may otherwise be1 it is not esteemed1   
and recommends the owner  to get rid of 
this 'bad quality' forthwith by putting 
a pint of new  milk warm from the cow   
into each pice1 stirring it well1       
letting  it rest three days1 and then   
racking the wine off4 ,at this epoch the
  wine of the ,champagne seems to have  
been preferred perfectly dry4#abi  ,in  
,june #agaf the ,marshal d',artagnan    
reproached ,bertin du ,rocheret for     

sending him ,hautvillers wine of the    
preceding vintage which had turned  out 
liquoreuse4 ,however1 in ,august he felt
 forced to write that  it had become    
excellent1 and similar experiences seem 
to have soon  removed all prejudices    
against this liqueur character4 ,bertin1
 in #agbe1  speaks of it as one of the  
qualities of wine1 and charges for it in
  proportion2 and six years later       
remarks that the ,english are as mad for
  liqueur and colour in their wines as  
the ,french4#acj    ,illustration       
,illustration                           
,,iv4                          _/,the   
,battle of the ,wines4_/                
,temporary check to the popularity of   
,sparkling ,champagne--,doctors         
disagree--,the champions of ,champagne  
and ,burgundy--,pna and his             
patient--,a young ,burgundian student   
attacks the ,wine of ,reims--,the       
,faculty of ,reims in arms--,a local    
,old ,parr cited as an example      in  
favour of the ,wines of the             

,champagne--,salins of ,beaune and      
,le ,pescheur of ,reims engage warmly in
 the dispute--,a pelting      with      
pamphlets--,burgundy sounds a           
war-note--,the ,sapphics of      ,benign
 ,grenan--,an asp beneath the           
flowers--,the gauntlet picked           
up--,carols from a ,coffin--,champagne  
extolled as superior to all      other  
wines--,it inspires the heart and stirs 
the brain--,the      apotheosis of      
,champagne foam--,burgundy1 an invalid1 
seeks a      prescription--,impartially 
appreciative drinkers of both           
wines--,bold      ,burgundian and stout 
,rmois1 each a jolly tippling           
fellow--,canon      ,maucroix's parallel
 between ,burgundy and ,demosthenes and 
,champagne      and ,cicero--,champagne 
a panacea for gout and stone--,final    
decision      in favour of ,champagne by
 the medical faculty of                 
,paris--,pluche's      opinion on the   
controversy--,champagne a lively wit and
 ,burgundy a      solid                 

understanding--,champagne commands      
double the price of the      best       
,burgundy--,zealots reconciled at table4
      ,by a strange fatality the        
popularity of the sparkling wine of the 
,champagne1 which had helped to         
dissipate the gloom hanging over  court 
and capital during the last twenty years
 of the reign of ,louis  ,quatorze1#aca 
began to wane the year preceding that   
monarch's  death4#acb ,dom ,perignon    
too1 as though stricken to the heart by 
this1  forthwith drooped and died4 ,the 
inhabitants of the province once more   
turned their attention to their red     
wines1 which continued to enjoy  a high 
reputation during the first half of the 
century1#acc despite  the sweeping      
assertion that they were somewhat dry1  
rather flat1 and  possessed a strong    
flinty flavour1#acd the got de terroir  
alluded  to by ,st4 ,evremond4          
,illustration    ,these red wines were  
not only sent to ,paris in large        
quantities by  way of the ,marne1#ace   

but commanded an important export trade1
 those  of the ,mountain1 which were    
better able to bear the journey than the
  growths of the ,river1 gracing the    
best-appointed tables of ,london1       
,amsterdam1 ,copenhagen1 and the        
,north1#acf and especially of ,flanders1
  where they were usually sold as       
,burgundy4#acg ,it must not be lost     
sight of that the yield of white        
sparkling wine from the crs d'lite  was 
for a long time comparatively small1    
especially when contrasted  with that of
 to-day4#ach ,at a later period the     
manufacture of vin  mousseux increased1 
notably in the districts south of the   
,marne1#aci  and drove out almost       
entirely the still red wine2 the place  
of the  latter being supplied1 as       
regards ,holland1 ,belgium1 and         
,northern  ,france1 by the growths of   
,bordeaux1 which were found to keep     
better in  damp climates4#adj           
,illustration    ,one cause of this     
falling off in the popularity of the    

sparkling wine  arose from the great    
battle which raged for many years       
respecting  the relative merits of      
,champagne and ,burgundy4 ,it was waged 
in the  schools1 and not in the field2  
for the combatants were neither dashing 
soldiers1 brilliant courtiers1 nor even 
gay young students1 but potent1  grave1 
and reverend physicians--the wigged1    
capped1 and gowned pedants  of the      
,diaphorus type whom ,molire so         
piteously pilloried4 ,the only  blood   
shed was that of the grape1 excepting   
when some enthusiastic  ,sangrado was   
impelled by a too conscientious         
practical examination into  the         
qualities of the vintage he championed  
to a more than ordinary  reckless use of
 the lancet4 ,the contending armies     
couched pens instead  of lances1 and    
marshalled arguments in array in place  
of squadrons4  ,they hurled pamphlets   
and theses at each others' heads in lieu
 of  bombshells1 and kept up withal a   
running fire of versification1 so that  

the rumble of hexameters replaced that  
of artillery4    ,illustration          
,national pride1 and perhaps a smack of 
envy at the growing popularity  of the  
still red wines of the ,champagne1 had1 
as far back as #afeb1 led  a hot-headed 
young ,burgundian1 one ,daniel ,arbinet1
 to select as the  subject of a thesis1 
maintained by him before the schools of 
,paris1  the proposition that the wine  
of ,beaune was more delicious and more  
wholesome than any other wine1#ada the  
remaining vintages of the  universe     
being pretty roughly handled in the     
thesis in question4 ,the  ,champenois   
contented themselves for the time being 
with cultivating  their vineyards and   
improving their wines1 till in #afgg1   
when these  latter had acquired yet more
 renown1 ,m4 de ,rvlois of ,reims boldly
  rushed into print with the assertion  
that the wine of ,reims was the  most   
wholesome of all4#adb ,though the first 
to write in its favour1  he was not the 
first doctor of eminence who had        

expressed an opinion  favourable to the 
wine of ,champagne4 ,pna1 a leading     
,parisian physician  of the seventeenth 
century1 was once consulted by a        
stranger4 ',where  do you come from8' he
 inquired4 ',i am a native of ,saumur4' 
',a native  of ,saumur4 ,what bread do  
you eat8' ',bread from the ,belle       
,cave4' ',a  native of ,saumur1 and you 
eat bread from the ,belle ,cave4 ,what  
meat  do you get8' ',mutton fed at      
,chardonnet4' ',a native of ,saumur1    
eating  bread from the ,belle ,cave and 
mutton fed at ,chardonnet4 ,what wine do
  you drink8' ',wine from the           
,cteaux4'#adc ',what6 ,you are a native 
of ,saumur2 you eat bread from the      
,belle ,cave1 and mutton fed at         
,chardonnet1 and drink the wine of the  
,cteaux1 and you come here to  consult  
me6 ,go along2 there can be nothing the 
matter with you6'#add    ,burgundy      
remained silent in turn for nearly      
twenty years1 when1 lo1 in              
#afif--probably just about the time when

 the popping of ,dom ,perignon's  corks 
began to make some noise in the world--a
 yet more opinionated  young champion of
 the ,cte d',or1 ,mathieu ,fournier1 a  
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 
,reims irritated the nerves1 and  caused
 a predisposition to catarrh1 gout1 and 
other disorders1 owing  to which ,fagon1
 the ,king's physician1 had forbidden   
them to his royal  master4#ade          
,illustration3 ,,louis ,,xiv4    7,from 
a portrait of the time74    ,shocked at 
these scandalous assertions1 the entire 
,faculty of ,medicine  at the ,reims    
,university rose in arms in defence of  
their native  vintage4 ,its periwigged  
professors put their learned heads      
together  to discuss the all-important  

question1 ',is the wine of ,reims more  
agreeable and more wholesome than the   
wine of ,burgundy8' and in  #agjj ,giles
 ,culotteau embodied their combined     
opinions in a pamphlet  published under 
that title4#adf ,after extolling the    
liquid purity1 the  excellent           
brightness1 the divine flavour1 the     
paradisiacal perfume1  and the great    
durability of the wines of ,ay1 ,pierry1
 ,verzy1 ,sillery1  ,hautvillers1 c41 as
 superior to those of any growth of     
,burgundy1  he instanced the case of a  
local ,old ,parr named ,pierre ,pieton1 
a  vigneron of ,hautvillers1 who had    
married at the age of #aaj1 and  reached
 that of #aah without infirmity1 as a   
convincing proof of the  material       
advantages reaped from their            
consumption4    ,illustration           
,illustration3 ,,ancient ,,tower ,,of   
,,reims ,,university4    ,salins1 the   
doyen of the ,faculty of ,medicine of   
,beaune1 was intrusted  with the task of
 replying1 and in #agjd bitterly        

assailed ,culotteau's  thesis in a      
',defence of the ,wine of ,burgundy     
against the ,wine of  ,champagne1' which
 ran to five editions in four years4 ,m4
 le ,pescheur1  a doctor of ,reims1     
vigorously attacked each of these       
editions in  succession1 maintaining    
amongst other things that the wine of   
,reims  owed its renown to the many     
virtues discovered in it by the great   
lords  who had accompanied ,louis ,,xiv4
 to his coronation2 and that if the     
,king1  on the advice of his doctors1   
had renounced its use1 his courtiers had
  certainly not4 ,he also asserted that 
,england1 ,germany1 and the ,north of   
,europe consumed far more ,champagne    
than they did ,burgundy1 and that it    
would be transported without risk to the
 end of the world1 ,tavernier  having   
taken it to ,persia1 and another        
traveller to ,siam and ,surinam4        
,illustration    ,illustration    ,the  
partisanship quickly spread throughout  
the country1 and the  respective        

admirers of ,burgundy and ,champagne    
pitilessly pelted each  other in prose  
and verse2 for the two camps had their  
troubadours1 who1  like those of old1   
excited the courage and ardour of the   
combatants4  ,the first to sound the    
warlike trumpet was ,benign ,grenan1    
professor  at the college of ,harcourt1 
who1 with the rich vintage of his native
  province bubbling at fever-heat       
through his veins1 sought in #agaa to   
crush ,champagne by means of ,latin     
sapphics1 a sample of which has been    
thus translated3        ',lift to the   
skies thy foaming wine1          ,that  
cheers the heart1 that charms the eye2  
,exalt its fragrance1 gift divine1      
,champagne1 from thee the wise must fly6
        ,a poison lurks those charms    
below1          ,an asp beneath the     
flowers is hid2      ,in vain thy       
sparkling fountains flow          ,when 
wisdom has their lymph forbid4          
',tis1 but when cloyed with purer fair  
,we can with such a traitress flirt2    

,so following ,beaune with reverent air1
          ,let ,reims appear but at     
dessert4'#adg    ,the gauntlet thus     
contemptuously thrown down was promptly 
and  indignantly picked up by the       
,rector of the ,university of ,beauvais1
 the  learned ,dr4 ,charles ,coffin1 a  
native of ,buzancy1 near ,reims1 who in 
the quiet retirement of the ,picardian  
,alma ,mater had evidently not          
forgotten to keep up his acquaintance   
with the vintage of his native          
province4 ,the ,latin poem he produced  
in reply1 under the title of  ,campania 
vindicata1#adh had nothing in common    
with his lugubriously  sepulchral name1 
as may be seen by the following somewhat
 freely  translated extracts from it4   
,after invoking the aid of a bottle of  
the  enlivening liquor whose praises he 
is about to sing1 he exclaims3          
',as the vine1 although lowly in aspect1
 outshines          ,the stateliest     
trees by the produce it bears1      ,so 
midst all earth's list of rich generous 

wines1          ,our ,reims the bright  
crown of preminence wears4        ,the  
,massica1 erst sang by ,horace of old1  
,to ,sillery now must abandon the field2
      ,falernian1 nor ,chian1 could     
ne'er be so bold          ,to rival the 
nectar ,ay's sunny slopes yield4        
,as bright as the goblet it sparklingly 
fills          ,with diamonds in fusion1
 it foaming exhales      ,an odour      
ambrosial1 the nostril that thrills1    
,foretelling the flavour delicious it   
veils4        ,at first with false fury 
the foam-bells arise1          ,and     
creamily bubbling spread over the brim1 
,till equally swiftly their petulance   
dies          ,in a purity that makes   
e'en crystal seem dim4'#adi             
,illustration    ,praising the flavour  
of this nectar1 which he declares is in 
every way  worthy of its appearance1 he 
stoutly defends the wine from the charge
  of unwholesomeness adduced against it 
by ,grenan3        ',despite the tongue 
of malice1      ,no poison in thy       

chalice        ,was ever found1         
,champagne6      ,simplicity most loyal 
,was e'er thy boast right royal1        
,and this thy wines retain4      ,no    
harm lurks in the fire      ,that helps 
thee to inspire        ,the heart and   
spur the brain4'#aej    ,illustration   
,so far from causing inconvenience1 he  
claims for ,champagne the property  of  
keeping off both gout and gravel1       
neither of which1 he says1 is  known in 
,reims and its neighbourhood1 and       
continues3        ',when on the         
fruit-piled board1      ,thy cups1 with 
nectar stored1        ,commence their   
genial reign1      ,the wisest1 sternest
 faces      ,of mirth display the       
traces1        ,and to rejoice are fain4
      ,as laughter's silv'ry ripple     
,greets every glass we tipple4          
,away fly grief and pain4'#aea    ,the  
jovial old rector with the sepulchral   
appellation then proceeds1  according to
 the most approved method of warfare1 to
 carry the campaign  into the enemy's   

territory4 ,he admits the nutritive and 
strengthening  properties of ,burgundy1 
but demands what it possesses beyond    
these1  which are shared in common with 
it by many other vintages4 ,he then     
prophesies1 with the return of          
peace1#aeb the advent of the ,english to
  buy the wine of ,reims2 and concludes 
by wishing that all who dispute  the    
merits of ,champagne may find nothing to
 drink but the sour cider  of ,normandy 
or the acrid vintage of ,ivri4 ,the     
citizens of ,reims1  thoroughly alive to
 the importance of the controversy1 were
 enchanted  with this production2 they  
did not1 however1 crown the poet with   
laurel1 but more wisely and             
appropriately despatched to him four    
dozen  of their best red and gray wines1
 by the aid of which he continued to    
tipple and to sing4    ,grenan1 resuming
 the offensive in turn1 at once         
addressed an epistle  in ,latin verse1  
in favour of ,burgundy against          
,champagne1 to ,fagon1 the  ,king's     

physician4#aec ,complaining that the    
latter wine lays claim  unjustly to the 
first rank1 he allows it certain        
qualities--brilliancy1  purity1         
limpidity1 a subtle savour that touches 
the most blunted  palate1 and an aroma  
so delicious that it is impossible to   
resist its  attractions4 ,but he objects
 to its pretensions4        ',its vinous
 flood1 with swelling pride          ,in
 foaming wavelets welling up1           
,pours forth its bright and sparkling   
tide1          ,bubbling and glittering 
in the cup4'#aed    ,he goes on to      
accuse the ,champenois poet of being    
unduly inspired by  this wine1 the      
effects of which he finds apparent in   
his inflated style  and his attempts to 
place ,champagne in the first rank1 and 
make all  other vintages its subjects2  
and he reiterates his allegations that1 
unlike ,burgundy1 it affects both the   
head and the stomach1 and is bound  to  
produce gout and gravel in its          
systematic imbibers4 ,he concludes by   

begging ,fagon to pronounce in his      
favour1 as having proved the virtues  of
 ,burgundy on the ,king himself1 whose  
strength had been sustained by  it4 ,the
 retort was sharp and to the point1     
taking the form of a twofold  epigram   
from an anonymous hand3        ',to the 
doctor to go          ,on behalf of your
 wine      ,is1 as far as ,i know1      
,of its sickness a sign4        ,your   
cause and your wine          ,must be   
equally weak1      ,since to check their
 decline          ,a prescription you   
seek4'#aee    ,nor was the poet of the  
funereal cognomen backward in stepping  
into the  field2 for he published a     
metrical decree1 supposed to be issued  
by the  faculty of the island of ,cos in
 the fourth year of the ninety-first    
,olympiad1#aef in which1 though a       
verdict is nominally given in favour  of
 ,burgundy1 ,grenan's pleas on behalf of
 this wine are treated with  withering  
sarcasm4    ,but whilst these           
enthusiastic partisans thus belaboured  

one another1  there were not wanting    
impartial spirits who could recognise   
that there  were merits on both sides4  
,bellechaume1 in an ode jointly         
addressed to  the two combatants1#aeg   
adjures them to live at peace on        
,parnassus1  and1 remembering that      
,horace praised both ,falernian and     
,massica1 to  jointly animate their muse
 with ,champagne and ,burgundy3         
',to learn the difference between       
,the wine of ,reims and that of ,beaune1
      ,the fairest plan would be1 ,i    
ween1          ,to drink them both1 not 
one alone4'#aeh    ,another equally     
judicious versifier called also on the  
,burgundian  champion#aei to cease the  
futile contest1 since        ',bold     
,burgundian ever glories          ,with 
stout ,remois to get mellow2      ,each 
well filled with vinous lore is         
,each a jolly tippling fellow4'#afj     
,and the learned ,canon ,maucroix of    
,reims exhibited a similar  conciliatory
 spirit in the ingenious parallel which 

he drew between  the two greatest       
orators of antiquity and the wines of   
the ,marne  and the ,cte d',or4 ',in the
 wine of ,burgundy1' he observes1 'there
  is more strength and vigour2 it does  
not play with its man so much1  it      
overthrows him more suddenly1--that is  
,demosthenes4 ,the wine of  ,champagne  
is subtler and more delicate2 it amuses 
more and for a  longer time1 but in the 
end it does not produce less            
effect1--that is  ,cicero4'#afa         
,illustration3 ,,remains ,,of ,,the     
,,gate ,,of ,,bacchus1 ,,near ,,reims   
,,university4    ,the national disasters
 which marked the close of the reign of 
,louis  ,,xiv4 diverted public attention
 in some degree from the nugatory       
contest2#afb and though ,fontenelle     
sought to prove that a glass of         
,champagne was better than a bottle of  
,burgundy1#afc the impartially          
appreciative agreed with ,panard that   
',old ,burgundy and young ,champagne    
,at table boast an equal reign4'#afd    

,but the doctors continued to disagree1 
and new generations of them  still went 
on wrangling over the vexed questions of
 supremacy and  salubrity4 ,in #agci    
,jean ,franois carried the war into the 
enemy's camp  by maintaining at ,paris  
that ,burgundy caused gout2 and a little
 later  ,robert ,linguet declared the   
wine of ,reims to be as healthy as it   
was  agreeable4 ,in #aggg ,xavier1      
,regent of the ,faculty of ,medicine at 
the  ,reims ,university1 affirmed that  
not only did the once vilified vin      
mousseux share with the other wines of  
the ,champagne the absence of  the      
tartarous particles which in many red   
wines are productive of  gout and       
gravel1 but that the gas it contained   
caused it to act as a  dissolvent upon  
stone in the human body1 and was also   
invaluable1 from  its antiseptic        
qualities1 in treating putrid           
fevers4#afe ,further1  the appropriately
 named ,champagne ,dufresnay            
established1 to his own  satisfaction   

and that of his colleagues1 that the    
wine was superior to  any other growth1 
native or foreign4#aff ,at length1 in   
#aggh1 when the  bones of the original  
disputants were dust1 and their lancets 
rust1 on  the occasion of a thesis being
 defended before the ,faculty of        
,medicine  of ,paris1 a verdict was     
formally pronounced by this body in     
favour of  the wine of the              
,champagne4#afg    ,illustration        
,illustration                           
,v4               _/,progress and       
,popularity of ,sparkling ,champagne4_/ 
,sparkling ,champagne intoxicates the   
,regent d',orlans and the      rous of  
the ,palais ,royal--,it is drunk by     
,peter the ,great at      ,reims--,a    
horse trained on ,champagne and         
biscuits--,decree of ,louis      ,,xv4  
regarding the transport of              
,champagne--,wine for the petits        
cabinets du ,roi--,the petits soupers   
and ,champagne orgies of      the royal 
household--,a bibulous royal            

mistress--,the ,well-,beloved      at   
,reims--,frederick the ,great1 ,george  
,,ii41 ,stanislas ,leczinski1      and  
,marshal ,saxe all drink                
,champagne--,voltaire sings the praises 
of the effervescing wine of ,ay--,the   
,commander ,descartes and               
,lebatteux extol the charms of sparkling
 ,champagne--,bertin      du ,rocheret  
and his balsamic molecules--,the        
,bacchanalian      poet ,panard chants  
the inspiring effects of the vintages of
      the ,marne--,marmontel is jointly 
inspired by ,mademoiselle de            
,navarre and the wine of ,avenay--,the  
,abb de l',attaignant and      his fair 
hostesses--,breakages of bottles in the 
manufacturers'      cellars--,attempts  
to obviate them--,the early sparkling   
wines      merely crmant--,saute bouchon
 and demi-mousseux--,prices      of     
,champagne in the eighteenth            
century--,preference given to      light
 acid wines for sparkling               
,champagne--,lingering relics      of   

prejudice against vin mousseux--,the    
secret addition of                      
sugar--,originally the wine not cleared 
in bottle--,its transfer      to other  
bottles necessary--,adoption of the     
present method      of ridding the wine 
of its deposit--,the vine-cultivators   
the      last to profit by the          
popularity of sparkling                 
,champagne--,marie      ,antoinette     
welcomed to ,reims--,reception and      
coronation of ,louis      ,,xvi4 at     
,reims--',the crown1 it hurts           
me6'--,oppressive dues and      tithes  
of the ancien rgime--,the ,fermiers     
,gnraux and their      htel at          
,reims--,champagne under the            
,revolution--,napoleon at               
,epernay--,champagne included in the    
equipment of his satraps--,the          
,allies in the ,champagne--,drunkenness 
and pillaging--,appreciation      of    
,champagne by the invading troops--,the 
beneficial results which                
followed--,universal popularity of      

,champagne--,the wine a favourite       
with kings and potentates--,its traces  
to be met with everywhere4              
,illustration    ,whilst doctors went on
 shaking their periwigged heads1 and    
debating  whether sparkling ,champagne  
did or did not injure the nerves and    
produce gout1 the timid might hearken to
 their counsels1 but there were  plenty 
of spirits bold enough to let the corks 
pop gaily1 regardless of  all           
consequences4 ,the wine continued in    
high favour with the viveurs  of the    
capital1 and especially with the        
brilliant band of titled  scoundrels who
 formed the ,court of ,philippe le      
,dbonnaire4 ',when my son  gets drunk1' 
wrote1 on the #acth ,august #agaf1 the  
,princess ,charlotte  ,elizabeth of     
,bavaria1 the ,regent's mother1 'it is  
not with strong  drinks or spirituous   
liquors1 but pure wine of               
,champagne2'#afh and  as the pupil of   
the ,abb ,dubois very seldom went to bed
 sober1#afi  he must have consumed a    

fair amount of the fluid in question in 
the  course of his career4 ,even his    
boon companion1 the ,duke de ,richelieu1
  is forced to admit that there was a   
great deal more drunkenness about  him  
than was becoming in a ,regent of       
,france2 and that1 as he could not      
support wine so well as his guests1 he  
often rose from the table drunk1  or    
with his wits wool-gathering4 ',two     
bottles of ,champagne1' remarks  the    
duke in his ,chronique1 'had this effect
 upon him4'    ,desirous1 seemingly1    
that such enjoyments should not be      
confined to  himself alone1 he abolished
 in #agai sundry dues on wine in        
general1  whilst his famous1 or rather  
infamous1 suppers conduced to the vogue 
of that sparkling ,champagne which was  
an indispensable accompaniment  of those
 dcollet repasts4 ,it unloosed the      
tongues and waistcoats  of the rous of  
the ,palais ,royal1 the ,nocs1          
,broglios1 ,birons1  ,brancas1 and      
,canillacs2 it lent an additional       

sparkle to the bright  eyes of ,mesdames
 de ,parabre and de ,sabran1 and        
inspired the scathing  remark from the  
lips of one of those fair frail ones1   
that ',god1 after  having made man1 took
 up a little mud1 and used it to form   
the souls of  princes and lackeys4' ,it 
played its part1 too1 at the memorable  
repast  at which the ,regent and his    
favourite daughter so scandalised their 
hostess1 the ,duchess of ,burgundy1 and 
at the fatal orgie shared by the  same  
pair on the terrace of ,meudon4         
,illustration3 ,,the ,,regent           
,d',,orl,,ans 7,from the picture by     
,santerre74    ,the example set in such 
high quarters could not fail to be      
followed4  ,champagne fired the sallies 
of the wits and versifiers whom the     
,duchess  of ,maine gathered around her 
at ,sceaux1 and stimulated the madness  
which seized upon the whole of ,paris at
 the bidding of the financier  ,law4 ,it
 frothed1 too1 in the goblets which     
,bertin du ,rocheret had  the honour of 

filling with his own hand for ,peter the
 ,great1 on the  passage of the         
,northern ,colossus through ,reims in   
,june #agag2 and  its consumption was   
increased by a decree of #agbh1 which   
especially  provided that people        
proceeding to their country seats might 
take with  them for their own use a     
certain quantity of this wine free of   
duty4    ,a curious purpose to which the
 wine was applied appeared from a wager 
laid by the ,count de ,saillans--one of 
the most famous horsemen of his  day1   
and already distinguished by similar    
feats--to the effect that he  would ride
 a single horse from the gate of        
,versailles to the ,htel des  ,invalides
 within an hour4 ,his wife1 fearing the 
dangerous descent from  ,svres towards  
,paris1 prevailed on the ,king to       
prohibit him from riding  in person2 but
 a valet1 whose neck was of course of no
 moment1 was  allowed to act as his     
deputy in essaying the feat4 ,the horse 
selected  was carefully fed for some    

days beforehand on biscuits and         
,champagne4  ,crowds assembled to       
witness the attempt1 which was made on  
,may #i1 #agbe1  and resulted in the    
valet's coming in two and a half minutes
 behind  time4 ,whether this was due to 
the badness of the roads1 as was        
alleged1  or to the singular rgime      
adopted for the animal selected1 remains
 a  moot question4#agj    ,champagne won
 equal favour in the eyes of ,louis     
,,xv41 as in those  of the curious      
compound of embodied vices who had      
watched over the  welfare of the kingdom
 during his minority1 though it is true 
that at a  comparatively early age--in  
the year #agca--;he had1 on             
representations  that over-production of
 wine was lowering its value1 prohibited
 the  planting of fresh vineyards       
without his permission under a penalty  
of  #cjjj francs1 and had renewed this  
prohibition the year following4#aga     
,illustration3 ,,louis ,,xv4 ,,when     
,,young    7,from a picture of the      

epoch74    ,illustration3 ,a ,,french   
,,country ,,inn ,,of ,,the ,,eighteenth 
,,century    7,from the ',routes de     
,france'74    ,the royal repasts at ,la 
,muette1 ,marly1 and ,choissy were1     
however1  enlivened with wine from the  
,champagne2 for we find ,bertin du      
,rocheret  in #agch despatching thirty  
pieces of the still wine to ,m4 de      
,castagnet  for the petits cabinets du  
,roi1#agb and the eldest of the fair    
sisters ,la ,nesle1 ,madame de ,mailly1 
the ',queen of ,choissy' and  matresse  
en titre1 in #agdj reforming the cellar 
management1 and  suppressing the petits 
soupers and ,champagne orgies of the    
royal  household4#agc ,her conduct in   
this respect seems1 however1 not to     
have been dictated by motives of virtue1
 but rather by the conviction  that the 
wine was too precious to be consumed by 
inferiors4 ,we are  assured that the    
countess loved wine1 and above all that 
of ,champagne1  and that she could hold 
her own against the stoutest toper4     

',she has  been reproached with having  
imparted this taste to the ,king1 but it
 is  probable that his ,majesty was     
naturally inclined that way4'#agd       
,illustration3 ,,un ,,petit ,,souper    
,,of ,,the ,,eighteenth ,,century       
7,from the collection of the ',chansons 
de ,laborde'74    ,when1 in #agda1 the  
',well-,beloved' passed through ,reims1 
,dom ,chatelain1  after rejoicing over  
the year's vintage having been a very   
fine one1  adds that it was drunk to a  
considerable extent and with the        
greatest  joy in the world during the   
ten days that the ,king remained in the 
city4 ',it was no longer a question1' he
 exclaims exultingly1 'of  sending for  
,burgundy or ,laon wine4' ,three years  
later1 when traversing  the ,champagne1 
on his way to ,metz1 he again halted at 
,reims2 and after  hearing mass1        
'retired to the ,archevch1 where the    
,corps de la ,ville  presented his      
,majesty with the wines of the town1    
which he ordered  to be taken to his    

apartments4'#age ,wine was also         
presented to the  ,prince de ,soubise1  
,governor of the ,champagne2 the ,duke  
de ,villeroy1 ,m4  d',argenson1 and the 
,count de ,joyeuse2 whilst1 for the     
benefit of the  populace1 four fountains
 of the same fluid flowed at the corners
 of the  ,place de l',htel de           
,ville4#agf ,in like manner1 at the     
inauguration of  that 'brazen lie1' the 
statue of this same ,louis ,,xv41 in    
#agfg1 wine  flowed in rivers from the  
different fountains of the city4#agg    
,the satyr-like sovereign of ,france was
 by no means the only monarch  of his   
time who appreciated sparkling          
,champagne4 ,frederick the ,great  has  
praised its consoling powers in the     
doggerel which ,voltaire was  engaged to
 turn into poetry2 and ,george ,,ii4 of 
,england at ,st4 ,james's1  and         
,stanislas ,leczinski of ,poland at     
,nancy1 both quaffed of the  same       
vintage of ,ay despatched in #aged from 
the cellars of ,bertin du  ,rocheret4   

,marshal ,saxe1 during his sojourn in   
#agde at ,brussels1 where  he held a    
quasi-royal court1 of which             
,mademoiselle de ,navarre was the       
bright particular star1 drew an ample   
supply of ,champagne from the  cellars  
of that lady's father1 ,claude ,hevin de
 ,navarre of ,avenay1 who  had          
established himself as a wine merchant  
in the ,belgian capital4#agh  ,despite1 
too1 the continued outcry of some       
connoisseurs1#agi the  vin mousseux     
became the universal source of          
inspiration for the  cabaret-haunting   
poets of that graceless witty epoch4#ahj
 ,voltaire1  all unmoved by the         
excellent still ,champagne with which he
 and the ,duke  de ,richelieu had been  
regaled at ,epernay by ,bertin du       
,rocheret in ,may  #agce1 persisted in  
singing the praises of the effervescing 
wine of ,ay1  in the sparkling foam of  
which he professed to find the type of  
the  ,french nation3#aha                
',chloris and ,egl1 with their snowy    

hands1      ,pour out a wine of ,ay1    
whose prisoned foam1      ,tightly      
compressed within its crystal home1     
,drives out the cork2 'midst laughter's 
joyous sound      ,it flies1 against the
 ceiling to rebound4      ,the sparkling
 foam of this refreshing wine      ,the 
brilliant image of us ,french does      
shine4'    ,the ,commander ,descartes   
seems not to have been afraid to extol  
the  charms of the sparkling wine to the
 younger ,bertin du ,rocheret1 as  stern
 a decrier of its merits as his father  
had previously been4 ,in a  letter dated
 ,december #agce1 asking for 'one or two
 dozen bottles of  sparkling white wine1
 neither vert nor liquoreux1 ,i should  
like1  he says1 some        ,of that    
delectable white wine          ,which   
foams and sparkles in the glass1        
,and seldom mortal lips does pass2      
,but cheers1 at festivals divine1       
,the gods to whom it owes its birth1    
,or else the great1 our gods on         
earth4'#ahb    ,amongst other versifiers

 of this epoch enamoured with the merits
 of the  wine may be cited ,charles     
,lebatteux1 professor of rhetoric at    
,reims  ,university1 who in #agci       
composed an ode1 ',in ,civitatem        
,remensam1'  containing the following   
invocation to ,bacchus3        '',tis   
not on the icy-topped mountains of      
,thrace1      ,or those of ,rhodope1 thy
 favours ,i trace--          ,not there 
to invoke thee ,i'd roam4      ,no6     
,reims sees thee reign sovereign lord   
o'er her hills2      ,there ,i offer my 
vows1 and the nectar that thrills       
,to my soul ,i will seek close at home4 
,whether ,venus-like rising midst foam  
sparkling white1      ,or wrapped in a  
mantle of rose rich and bright1         
,thou seekest my senses to fire1        
,come aid me to sing1 for my ,muse is   
full fain      ,to owe on this day each 
melodious strain          ,to the       
fervour 'tis thine to inspire4'#ahc     
,bertin du ,rocheret1 who by no means   
shared his friend ,voltaire's           

admiration for the sparkling vintage of 
,ay1 sang the praises of the  still wine
 of the ,champagne after the following  
fashion in #agda3        ',no1 such     
blockheads do not sip          ,of that 
most delicious wine2      ,soul of love 
and fellowship1          ,sweet as truly
 'tis benign4      ,no1 their palate1   
spoilt and worn1          ,craves       
adult'rate juice to drain2      ,poison 
raw which we should scorn1              
,beverage fit for frantic brain4        
,let us1 therefore1 hold as fools       
,such as now feign to despise           
,those balsamic molecules               
,horace used to sing and prize4         
,no1 such blockheads do not sip         
,of that most delicious wine2      ,soul
 of joy and fellowship1          ,sweet 
as truly 'tis benign4      ,of that     
wine1 so purely white1          ,which  
the sternest mood makes pass1      ,and 
which sparkles yet more bright          
,in your eyes than in my glass4         
,drink1 then1 drink2 ,i pledge you1     

dear1          ,in the nectar old we    
prize2      ,sparkling in our glasses   
clear1          ,but more brightly in   
your eyes4'#ahd    ,illustration        
,marmontel1 the author of ,blisaire and 
editor of the ,mercure de  ,france1     
found inspiration in his youthful days  
in the sparkling wine  of ,champagne4   
,he describes1 in somewhat fatuous      
style1 the results of  an invitation he 
received from ,mademoiselle de ,navarre 
to pass some  months with her in #agdf  
at ,avenay1 where her father owned      
several  vineyards1 and where1 she      
added1 ',it will be very unfortunate if 
with  me and some excellent vin de      
,champagne you do not produce good      
verses4'  ,he tells how1 in stormy      
weather1 she insisted1 on account of her
 fear  of lightning1 on dining in the   
cellars1 where1 'in the midst of fifty  
thousand bottles of ,champagne1 it was  
difficult not to lose one's  head2' and 
how he was accustomed to read to her the
 verses thus jointly  inspired when     

seated together on a wooded hillock1    
rising amidst the  vineyards of         
,avenay4#ahe    ,the foregoing in some  
degree recalls the circumstances under  
which  ,gluck1 whose fame began to be   
established about this epoch1 was       
accustomed to seek his musical          
inspirations4 ,the celebrated composer  
of  ,orpheus and ,iphegenia in ,aulis   
was wont1 when desirous of a visit  from
 the 'divine afflatus1' to seat himself 
in the midst of a flowery  meadow with a
 couple of bottles of ,champagne by his 
side4 ,by the time  these were emptied1 
the air he was in search of was         
discovered and  written down4    ,the   
lively and good-humoured ,abb de        
l',attaignant1 whose occupations  as a  
canon of ,reims ,cathedral seem to have 
allowed him an infinite  quantity of    
spare time to devote to versifying1     
addressed some rather  indifferent      
rhymes to ,madame de ,blagny on the cork
 of a bottle of  ,champagne exploding in
 her hand2#ahf and in some lines to     

,madame de  ,boulogne1 on her pouring   
out ,champagne for him at table1 he     
maintains  that the nectar poured out by
 ,ganymede to ,jupiter at his repasts   
must  yield to this vintage4#ahg        
,that boon convivialist ,panard--who    
flourished at the same epoch1 and  was  
one of the chief songsters of the       
original ,caveau1 and a man of  whom it 
was said that1 'when set running1 the   
tide of song flowed on  till the cask   
was empty'--has not neglected sparkling 
,champagne in  his ,bacchanalian        
compositions4 ,the ',la ,fontaine of    
,vaudeville1' as  ,marmontel dubbed him1
 does not hesitate to admit that he     
preferred  the popping of ,champagne    
corks to the martial strains of drum and
  trumpet4#ahh ,the wine1 moreover1     
furnishes him with frequent             
illustrations for his code of careless  
philosophy4        ',doctor for vintner 
vials fills          ,most carefully1   
with lymph of wells4      ,champagne1   
that grew on ,nanterre's hills1         

,vintner in turn to doctor sells4       
,so still we find1 as on we jog         
,throughout the world1 'tis dog bite    
dog4'#ahi    ,elsewhere ,panard gives   
expression to the ,bacchanalian         
sentiment1 which  he seems to have made 
his rule of life1 in the following      
terms3        ',let's quit this vain    
world1 with its pleasures that cloy1    
,a destiny tranquil and sweet to enjoy3 
,descend to my cellar1 and there taste  
the charms      ,of ,champagne and      
,beaune2          ,our pleasure will    
there be without the alarms          ,of
 any joy queller2      ,for the ennui   
that often mounts up to the throne      
,will never descend to the cellar4'#aij 
,the poet appears to have rivalled one  
of the characters in his piece1  ,les   
,festes ,sincres 7represented on the    
#eth ,october #agdd on the  occasion of 
the ,king's convalescence71 who1 after  
describing how wine  was freely         
proffered to all comers1 said that he   
had contented himself  with thirty      

glasses1 'half ,burgundy and half       
,champagne4'    ,in a piece of verse    
entitled ',la ,charme du ,vaudeville    
,table1' ,panard  sketches in glowing   
colours the inspiriting effect of       
sparkling  ,champagne upon such a joyous
 company of periwigged beaux and patched
  and powdered beauties as we may       
imagine to be assembled at the          
hospitable board of some rich financier 
of the epoch4              '',tis then  
some joyous guest            ,a flask1  
filled with the best      ,of ,reims or 
,ay1 securely sealed1 holds up2         
,he deftly cuts the string1             
,aloft the cork takes wing2             
,the rest with eager eyes               
,thrust glasses t'wards the prize1      
,and watch the nectar foaming o'er the  
cup4              ,they sip1 they drink1
 they laugh1            ,and then anew  
they quaff      ,their bumpers1 crowned 
above the brim with foam                
,that gives to laughter birth1          
,and makes fresh bursts of mirth4       

,its spirit and its fire                
,unto the brain aspire1      ,and rouse 
the wit of which this is the home4'#aia 
,illustration    ,to its praise he also 
devotes a poetic tour de force1 the     
concluding  verses of which may thus be 
rendered3        ',thanks to the bowl   
,that cheers my soul1          ,no care 
can make me shrink4      ,the foam      
divine      ,of this gray wine1#aib     
,i think1        ,when it ,i drain1     
,gives to each vein          ,a link4   
,source of pure joy1      ,without      
alloy1          ,come1 dear one1 fain   
,i'd drink6        ,divine ,champagne1  
,all grief and pain          ,in thee ,i
 gladly sink4      ,all ills agree      
,away from thee          ,to slink4     
,sweet to the nose      ,as new-blown   
rose          ,or pink4      ,with gifts
 that ease      ,and charms that please1
          ,come1 dear one1 fain ,i'd    
drink6'#aic    ,despite the success     
achieved by the vin mousseux1 merchants1
 owing to  the excessive breakage of the

 bottles--of the cause of which and of  
the  means of stopping it they were     
equally ignorant--often saw their hopes 
of fortune fly away with the splintered 
fragments of the shattered  glass4#aid  
,the following passages from the        
_/,,ms4_/ notes of the founder  of one  
of the first houses of ,reims1 written  
in #aggj1 would imply  some knowledge of
 the fact that a liquoreux wine was     
likely to lead  to a destructive casse1 
and also that the importance of the     
trade  in sparkling ,champagne was far  
greater during the first half of the    
eighteenth century than is usually      
supposed4#aie ,the _/,,ms4_/ in question
  says3 ',in #agdf ,i bottled #fjjj     
bottles of a very liquoreux wine2 ,i    
had only #abj bottles of it left4 ,in   
#agdg there was less liqueur2 the       
breakage amounted to one-third of the   
whole4 ,in #agdh it was more vinous  and
 less liquoreux2 the breakage was only a
 sixth4 ,in #agei it was  more rond1 and
 the breakage was only a tenth4 ,in     

#agff the wine of  ,jacquelet was very  
rond2 the breakage was only a           
twentieth4'#aif    ,the writer then     
proceeds to recommend1 as a means of    
preventing  breakage1 that the wine     
should not be bottled till the liqueur  
had almost disappeared1 and that1 if    
necessary1 fermentation should  be      
checked by well beating the wine4 ,but  
as at that epoch there was  really no   
means of effectually testing this       
disappearance1 and as the  beating      
theory was an utterly fallacious one1   
the followers of his  precepts remained 
with the sad alternative of producing in
 too many  instances either mousses     
folles and their inevitable             
accompaniment of  disastrous breakage1  
or wine so mature as to be incapable of 
continuing  its fermentation in bottle1 
and producing mousse at all4#aig    ,it 
is therefore evident that much of the   
sparkling wine drunk at the             
commencement of the last century was    
what we should call crmant1 or1  as it  

was then styled1 sablant1#aih as        
otherwise the breakage would  have been 
something frightful4 ,bertin du         
,rocheret plainly indicates  after #agcj
 a difference between the fiercely      
frothing kinds1 to which  the term saute
 bouchon or pop-cork was applied1 and   
wine that was  merely mousseux4#aii ,the
 price of the former is the highest1    
ranging  up to #c livres #f sols1 whilst
 that of the bon mousseux does not      
exceed #ej sols1 the difference in the  
two being no doubt based to a  certain  
extent on the loss by breakage4#bjj     
,hence1 too1 a partiality for weak sour 
growths for making vin  mousseux1 as1   
although science could give no reason1  
experience  showed that with these the  
breakage would be less than with those  
of a  saccharine nature4#bja ,thus      
,bertin writes in #agdd that the        
vineyards  of ,avize1 planted for the   
most part in #agae1 and almost entirely 
with  white grapes1 only produced a thin
 wine1 with a tartness that caused  it  

to be one of the least esteemed in the  
district2 but that 'since  the mania for
 the saute bouchon1 that abominable     
beverage1 which has  become yet more    
loathsome from an insupportable         
acidity1' the ,avize  wines had         
increased in value eightfold4#bjb ,to   
this acidity the ,abb  ,bignon refers in
 a poem of #agda1 in which1 protesting  
against the  partiality for violently   
effervescing wines1 he says3            
',your palate is a cripple      ,worn   
out by fiery tipple1      ,or else it   
would prefer juice      ,of grapes to   
fizzing verjuice4'#bjc    ,this serves  
to explain the preference so long       
accorded by gourmets to  the finer non  
mousseux wines1 full of aroma and       
flavour1 and often  sugary and          
liquoreux1 but looked upon by the       
general public up to the  close of the  
eighteenth century as inferior to those 
which were sharp1  strong1 and even     
sourish1 but which effervesced well4#bjd
 ,lingering  relics of prejudice against

 sparkling wine existed as late as      
#aghb1  when that conscientious         
observer1 ,legrand d',aussy1 remarked   
that since  it had been known that      
sparkling wines were green wines bottled
 in  spring1 when the universal         
revolution of ,nature causes them to    
enter  into fermentation1 they had not  
been so much esteemed1 the gourmets  of 
that day preferring those which did not 
sparkle4#bje    ,it was not till the    
close of the eighteenth century that any
 attempt  was openly made to improve    
sparkling ,champagne by the addition of 
sugar4#bjf ,science then came forward to
 prove that such an addition  was not   
contrary to the nature of wine1 and that
 fermentation converted  the saccharine 
particles of the must into alcohol1 and 
increased the  vinosity4#bjg ,several   
growers began to profit by this         
discovery of  ,chaptal1 though1 as a    
rule1 those who followed his            
recommendations in  secret were loudest 
in asserting that ,providence alone had 

rendered  their wine better than that of
 their neighbours4#bjh ,m4 ,nicolas     
,perrier of ,epernay1 an ex-monk of     
,prmontr1 pointed out1 at the  beginning
 of the present century1 that up to that
 period sugar was  only regarded as a   
means of rendering the wine more        
pleasant to drink1  and had always been 
added after fermentation1 and as late as
 possible4  ,this practice was favoured 
by the tyrannical routine reigning among
  the peasants of not tasting the wine  
till ,december or ,january1 when in     
#ahjj a decisive experience confirmed   
the value of the new discoveries4       
,numerous demands for wine during the   
vintage led to anticipations of  a brisk
 and speedy sale1 and sugar was         
thereupon added at the time of  the     
first fermentation1 merely with the     
view1 however1 of bringing the  wine    
more forward for the buyer to taste4    
,the result went beyond the             
expectations entertained2 and at ,ay    
wines of the second class1 commonly     

called vins de vignerons1 rose to a     
price previously unheard of4#bji    ,the
 present system of clearing the wine in 
bottles was not practised  formerly4    
,people were then not so particular     
about its perfect  limpidity2 besides   
which the wine consumed at the beginning
 of the  year#baj had not time to       
deposit1 and that bottled as mousseux1  
owing to its being originally made from 
carefully-selected grapes1  formed very 
little sediment in the flask4#baa ,the  
method of collage  employed at the      
,abbey of ,hautvillers is said to have  
preserved the  wines from this evil4    
,whether this method transpired1 or     
other people  discovered it1 is unknown2
 but certainly ,bertin du ,rocheret     
transmitted  it1 or something very      
similar1 in ,july #ageb to his          
correspondent in  ,london1 who bottled  
,champagne wines regularly every        
year4#bab    ,the necessity of ridding  
the wine of the deposit which deprived  
it of  its limpidity was1 however1      

recognised later on4 ,at first no other 
method suggested itself1 excepting to   
dpoter it--that is1 to decant  it into  
another bottle2 a plan fraught1 in the  
case of sparkling wines1  with several  
disadvantages4 ,at the commencement of  
the present century1  however1 the      
system of dgorgeage was substituted4#bac
 ,as at first  practised1 each bottle   
was held neck downwards1 and either     
shaken  or tapped at the bottom to      
detach the sediment1 the operation being
  constantly repeated until the deposit 
had settled in the neck1 when it  was   
driven out by the force of the explosion
 which followed upon the  removal of the
 cork4 ,somewhat later the plan now     
followed of placing  the bottles in     
sloping racks and turning them every day
 was adopted1 to  the great saving of   
time and labour4 ,its discovery has been
 popularly  attributed to ,madame       
,clicquot2 but the fact is the          
suggestion emanated  from a person in   
her employ named ,mller4 ,the idea is   

said to have  simultaneously occurred to
 a workman in ,marizet's house of the   
name of  ,thommassin4    ,although the  
advent of such a delectable beverage as 
sparkling  ,champagne proved of much    
benefit to the world in general1 and the
  wine-merchants of ,reims and ,epernay 
in particular1 those most  immediately  
concerned in its production had little  
or no reason to  rejoice over its       
renown4 ,the hapless peasants1 from     
whose patches of  vineyard it was to a  
great extent derived1 were the last to  
profit by  its popularity4 ,bidet1      
writing in #agei1 foreshadows the misery
 which  marked the last thirty years of 
the ancien rgime4#bad ,speaking  of the 
important trade in wine carried on by   
the city of ,reims1 he  urges that this 
would in reality be benefited by the old
 decrees1  prohibiting the planting of  
new vineyards in the ,champagne1 being  
enforced to the letter4 ,extensive      
plantations of vines in land suitable   
for the growth of corn had doubled and  

even tripled the value of arable  land1 
and caused a rise in the price of wheat4
 ,manure1 so necessary  to bring these  
new plantations into bearing1 and wood1 
owing to the  demand for vine-stakes1   
barrel-staves1 c41 had risen to thrice  
their  former value4 ,recent epidemics  
had cost the lives of a large number  of
 vine-dressers1 and public corves       
occupied the survivors a great  part of 
the year1 and hence a considerable      
increase in the cost of  cultivation1   
landowners having to pay high wages to  
labourers from  a distance4 ',putting   
together all these excessive charges1   
with the  crushing dues levied in       
addition upon vine-land as well as upon 
the  sale and transport of wine1 the    
result will infallibly be that the more 
profitable the wine-trade formerly was  
to ,reims and to the vineyards  of the  
environs1 the more it will languish in  
the end1 till it becomes  a burden to   
all the vineyard owners4' ,happily these
 gloomy forebodings  have since been    

completely falsified4    ,illustration3 
,,the ,,arms ,,of ,,reims ,,on ,,the    
,,porte ,,de ,,paris4    ,reims accorded
 an enthusiastic welcome to the youthful
 and ill-fated  ,marie ,antoinette1 on  
her passage through the city on ,may    
#ab1 #aggj1  shortly after her arrival  
in ,france2#bae and five years          
subsequently  the ,rmois were regaled   
with the splendours of a coronation1    
when  the young ,king1 ,louis ,,xvi41   
and his radiant ,queen passed beneath   
the elaborately wrought escutcheon      
surmounting the ,porte de  ,paris1      
expressly forged by a blacksmith of     
,reims in honour of the  occasion1#baf  
and received from the hands of the      
,lieutenant des  ,habitans the three    
silver keys of the city4#bag ,the ,king 
was crowned  on the #aath ,june by the  
,cardinal ,archbishop of ,reims1        
,charles ,antoine  de la ,roche ,aymon1 
a prelate who had previously baptised1  
confirmed1  and married him1 when the   
six lay peers were represented by       

,monsieur  7the ,count of ,provence71   
the ,count d',artois1 the ,dukes of     
,orleans1  ,chartres1 and ,bourbon1 and 
the ,prince de ,cond4 ,the royal train  
was  borne by the ,prince de ,lambesq2  
the ,marshal de ,clermont ,tonnerre     
officiated as ,constable2 and the       
sceptre1 crown1 and hand of justice     
were carried respectively by the        
,marshals de ,contades1 de ,broglie1    
and de ,nicolai4#bah ,how the ill-fated 
,king exclaimed1 as the crown  of       
,charlemagne was placed upon his brow1  
',it hurts me1' even as  ,henri ,,iii4  
had cried1 under the same circumstances1
 ',it pricks me1'  and how his natural  
benevolence led him to slur over that   
portion  of the coronation oath in which
 he ought to have bound himself to      
exterminate all heretics1 are matters of
 history4 ,an innovation to  be noted   
is1 that at the banquet at the          
archiepiscopal palace1 after  the       
ceremony1 the youthful sovereign did not
 sit alone in solitary  state beneath a 

canopy of purple velvet1 ornamented with
 golden fleurs  de lis1 with his table  
encumbered by the great gold nef1 the   
crown  and the sceptres1 the ,constable1
 sword in hand1 close by him1 and the   
,grand ,echanson and ,ecuyer ,tranchant 
tasting his wine and cutting his        
food1#bai circumstances under which 'the
 roast must be without savour  and the  
,ai without bouquet4'#bbj ,the ,king on 
this occasion admitted  his brothers to 
his board2 and the ecclesiastical peers1
 the lay peers1  the ambassadors1 and   
the great officers of the crown formed1 
as usual1  four groups at the remaining 
tables1 whilst the ,queen and her ladies
  witnessed the gustatory exploits from 
a gallery4    ,illustration3 ,,louis    
,,xvi4 ,,taking ,,the ,,coronation      
,,oath ,,at ,,reims    7,from a painting
 by ,moreau74    ,the frightful         
oppression of tailles1 aides1 corves1   
gabelles1 and other dues that crushed   
the hapless peasant in the              
pre-,revolutionary era1 weighed with    

especial severity upon the  vigneron4   
,in virtue of the droit de gros1 the    
officers could at any  hour make an     
inventory of his wine1 decree how much  
he might consume  himself1 and tax him  
for the remainder4#bba ,the fermiers    
gnraux1  who farmed the taxes of the    
province1 became his sleeping partners1 
and had their share in his crop4#bbb ,in
 a vineyard at ,epernay1 upon  four     
pieces of wine1 the average produce of  
an arpent1 and valued at  #fjj francs1  
the ferme levied first #cj francs1 and  
then when the  pieces were sold #ge     
francs more4#bbc ,the ecclesiastical    
tithe was also  a heavy burden1 at      
,hautvillers the eleventh of the wine   
being taken  as dismes1 at ,dizy the    
twelfth1 and at ,pierry the             
twentieth4#bbd  ,the result was one     
continuous struggle of trickery on the  
part of the  grower1 and cunning on that
 of the officers4#bbe ,the visits of the
  latter were paid almost daily1 and    
their registers recorded every drop  of 

wine in the cellars of the              
inhabitants4#bbf    ,illustration       
,but the wine had by no means acquitted 
all its dues4 ,the merchant  buying it  
had to pay another #ge francs to the    
ferme before  despatching it to the     
consumer4 ,when he did despatch it1 the 
ferme  strictly prescribed the route it 
was to take1 any deviation from this    
being punished by confiscation2 and it  
had to pay at almost every step4        
,transport by water was excessively     
onerous from constantly recurring       
tolls1 and by land whole days were lost 
in undergoing examinations and          
verifications and making payments4#bbg  
,the commissionnaire charged  with the  
conveyance of ,bertin du ,rocheret's    
wine to ,calais from ,epernay  had from 
#gj to #ge francs per poinon4 ,despite  
all these drawbacks1 the  export trade  
must have been considerable1 for we are 
told that prior to  the ,revolution the 
profits on supplying two or three abbeys
 of ,flanders  were sufficient to enable

 a wine-merchant of ,reims to live in   
good  style4#bbh    ,on arriving at the 
town where it was to be drunk1 the wine 
was subject  to a fresh series of       
charges--octroi1 droit de dtail1 le     
billot1  le cinquime en sus l'impt1     
jaugeage1 courtage1 gourmettage1        
c4--frequently ranging up to #fj or #gj 
francs4#bbi ,all this really  affected  
the grower2 for if the retail consumer1 
inhibited by high  prices1 could not    
buy1 the former was unable to sell4 ,at 
this epoch  vine-grower and pauper were 
synonymous terms4#bcj ,in certain       
districts  of the ,champagne the        
inhabitants actually threw their wine   
into the  river to avoid paying the     
duties1 and the ,provincial ,assembly   
declared  that 'in the greater part of  
the province the slightest increase in  
duty would cause all the husbandmen to  
abandon the soil4'#bca ,it  is scarcely 
to be wondered at that under such a     
system of excessive  taxation the       
fermiers gnraux1 who all made good      

bargains with the  ,state1 should have  
amassed immense fortunes1 whilst denying
 themselves  no kind of luxury and      
enjoyment4 ,they built themselves       
princely hotels1  rivalled the nobility 
and even the ,court in the splendour of 
their  entertainments1 grasped at money 
for the sensual gratification it would  
purchase1 and loved pleasure for its own
 sake1 and women for their  beauty and  
complaisance4 ,the fermiers gnraux of   
the province of  ,champagne had their   
bureaux1 known as the ,htel des ,fermes1
 at ,reims1  and1 after the town-hall1  
this was the handsomest civil edifice in
 the  city4 ,erected in #agef from      
designs by ,legendre1 it occupies to-day
 the  principal side of the ,place      
,royale4 ,on the pediment of the faade  
is a  bas-relief of ,mercury1 the god of
 commerce1 in company with ,penelope    
and the youthful ,pan1 surrounding whom 
are children engaged with the  vintage  
and with bales of wool1 typical of the  
staple trades of the  capital of the    

,champagne4    ,illustration3           
,,bas-,,relief ,,on ,,the ,,ancient     
,h,,tel ,,des ,,fermes ,,at ,,reims4    
,illustration3 ,l',,accord ,,fraternel  
7,from a print published at the         
commencement of the ,revolution74       
,the revolutionary epoch presents a wide
 gap in the written history  of         
sparkling ,champagne which no one seems 
to have taken the trouble  of filling1  
though this hiatus can be to some extent
 bridged over by  a glance at the       
caricatures of the period4 ,it is       
evident from these  that ,champagne     
continued to be the fashionable wine par
 excellence4  ,we can comprehend it was 
de rigueur to 'fouetter le              
,champagne'#bcb  at the epicurean       
repasts held at the petits maisons of   
the rich  fermiers gnraux1 and that the 
talons rouges of the ,court of  ,louis  
,seize were not averse to the payment of
 #c livres #aj sols for  a bottle of    
this delightful beverage#bcc when       
regaling some fair  mule of ,sophie     

,arnould or ,mademoiselle ,guimard in   
the coulisses4  ,one evening            
,mademoiselle ,laguerre appeared on the 
stage as ,iphigenia  unmistakably       
intoxicated4 ',ah1' interjected the     
lively ,sophie1 'this  is not ,iphigenia
 in ,tauris1 but ,iphigenia in          
,champagne4' ,a proof of  the           
aristocratic status of the wine is      
furnished by a print entitled           
,l',accord ,fraternel1 published at the 
very outset of the revolutionary        
movement1 when it was fondly hoped that 
the ,three ,orders of the ,states       
,general would unite in bringing about a
 harmonious solution to the  evils by   
which ,france was sorely beset4 ,in this
 the burly well-fed  representative of  
the clergy holds out a bumper of        
,burgundy2 the  peasant--not one of the 
lean scraggy labourers1 with neither    
shirt  nor sabots1#bcd prowling about   
half naked and hunger-stricken in  quest
 of roots and nettle-tops1 but a regular
 stage peasant in white  stockings and  

pumps--grips a tumbler well filled with 
vin du pays2  while the nobleman1       
elaborately arrayed in full military    
costume1 with  sword1 cockade1 and      
tie-wig all complete1 delicately poises 
between  his finger and thumb a tall    
flute charged with sparkling ,champagne4
  ,moreover1 we can plainly trace the   
exhilarating influence of the wine  upon
 the 'feather-headed young ensigns' at  
the memorable banquet given  to the     
officers of the ,rgiment de ,flandre by 
the ,gardes du ,corps at  ,versailles1  
on the #b;d ,oct4 #aghi4bce             
,illustration3 ,,mirabeau ,,tonneau     
7,from a sketch by ,camille             
,desmoulins74    ,conspicuous amongst   
the titled topers of this period was the
 ,viscount  de ,mirabeau--the younger   
brother of the celebrated orator and a  
fervent  ,royalist--nicknamed ,mirabeau 
,tonneau1 or ,barrel ,mirabeau1 'on     
account  of his rotundity1 and the      
quantity of strong liquor he            
contains4'#bcf  ,in a caricature dated  

',an #a;er de la libert1' and ascribed  
to  ,camille ,desmoulins1#bcg with whom 
the viscount long waged a paper  war1   
his physical and bibacious attributes   
are very happily hit off4  ,his body is 
a barrel2 his arms1 pitchers2 his       
thighs1 rundlets2 and  his legs inverted
 ,champagne flasks2 whilst in his left  
hand he holds a  foam-crowned flute1 and
 in his right another of those flasks1  
two of  which he was credited with      
emptying at each repast4#bch            
,illustration3 ,,le ,,nouveau ,,pressoir
 ,,du ,,clerg1 #aghi    7,from a        
caricature of the epoch74    ,we have   
seen that the origin of many of the most
 famous crs of  ,france was due to      
monkish labours1 and that at ,reims1 as 
elsewhere1  a large proportion of the   
ecclesiastical revenue was derived1     
either  directly or indirectly1 from the
 vineyards of the district4 ,this  was  
happily hit off in ,le ,nouveau         
,pressoir du ,clerg1 or ,new            
,wine-,press for the ,clergy1 published 

in #aghi4 ,a man of the people  and a   
representative of the ,third ,estate1   
the latter in the famous  slouched hat  
and short cloak1 are working the levers 
of a press1 under  the influence of     
which a full-faced abb is rapidly       
disgorging a shower  of gold4 ,a yet    
more portly ecclesiastic1 worthy to be  
the ,archbishop  of ,reims himself1 is  
being led forward1 in fear and          
trembling1 to  undergo a like operation2
 whilst in the background a couple of   
his  compeers1 reduced to the leanness  
of church-rats1 are making off with     
gesticulations of despair4              
,illustration3 ,,henri ,,quatre ,,and   
,,louis ,,seize4    ',ventre ,st4 ,gris6
 ,is this my grandson ,louis8'          
7,facsimile of a woodcut of the time47  
,the chief personal traits of ,louis    
,seize1 as depicted in numerous         
contemporary memoirs1 seem to have been 
a passion for making locks and  a gross 
and inordinate appetite4 ,high feeding  
usually implies deep  drinking1 and one 

may suppose that a wine so highly       
esteemed at ,court  as ,champagne was   
not neglected by the royal gourmand4    
,still there seems  to have been nothing
 in the unfortunate monarch's career to 
justify  the cruel caricature wherein he
 is shown with the ears and hoofs of a  
swine wallowing in a wine-vat1 with     
bottles1 flasks1 pitchers1 cups1        
goblets1 glasses1 and fltes of every    
variety scattered around him2  whilst   
,henri ,quatre1 who has just crossed the
 ,styx on a visit to earth1  exclaims in
 amazement1 ',ventre ,st4 ,gris6 is this
 my grandson ,louis8' ,in  another      
caricature1 entitled ',le ,gourmand1'   
and said to represent an  incident in   
the flight of the royal family from     
,paris1 ,louis ,,xvi4 is  shown seated  
at table--surrounded by stringed flasks 
of ,champagne1 with  the customary tall 
glasses--engaged in devouring a plump   
capon4 ,his  ,majesty is evidently      
annoyed at being interrupted in the     
middle of his  repast1 but it is        

difficult to divine who the intruder is 
intended for4  ,he can scarcely be one  
of the commissioners despatched by the  
,national  ,assembly to secure the      
king's return to ,paris1 as the ,german 
hussars  drawn up in the doorway are    
inconsistent with this supposition4 ,the
  female figure before the looking-glass
 is of course intended for ,marie       
,antoinette1 whilst the ungainly young  
cub in the background is meant  for the 
,dauphin in an evident tantrum with his 
nurse4#bci    ,as to the pamphleteers1  
who advocated the ,rights of ,man and   
aspersed  ,marie ,antoinette2 the poets1
 who addressed their countless airy     
trifles  to ,phyllis and ,chloe2 the    
penniless disciples of ,boucher and     
,greuze2  and the incipient demagogues1 
briefless advocates1 unbeneficed abbs1  
discontented bourgeois1 whose eloquence 
was to shatter the throne of  the       
,bourbons1 they were fain for the time  
being to content themselves  with the   
petit bleu of ,argenteuil or ,suresnes1 

consumed in company  with ,manon or     
,margot1 in one of the dingy smoky      
cabarets which the  caf was so soon in a
 great measure to replace4 ,when1       
however1 their  day did come1 we may be 
sure they denied themselves no luxury1  
and  sparkling ,champagne would         
certainly have graced ,danton's         
luxurious  repasts1 and may possibly    
have played its part at the last repast 
of  the condemned ,girondins4 ,in '#ic1 
we find ,champagne of #aggi--the still  
wine1 of course--announced for sale at  
,lemoine's shop in the ,palais  ,royal2 
while a delectable compound1 styled crme
 de fleur d'orange  grille au vin de    
,champagne1 was obtainable at ,thron's  
in the ,rue ,st4  ,martin4#bdj ,the     
sparkling wine can scarcely have failed 
to figure on  the carte of the sumptuous
 repasts furnished by the restaurateurs1
  ,mot and ,beauvillers1 to the de facto
 rulers of ,france1#bda  although in    
#agie the price of wine generally in    
,paris had increased  tenfold4#bdb      

,ex-procureurs of the defunct           
,parliament carefully  hoarded all that 
remained of the ,champagne formerly     
lavished upon them  by their            
ex-clients2#bdc whilst the latter had to
 content themselves  with tea at ,london
 and beer at ,coblenz4#bdd              
,illustration    ,although details      
respecting the progress of the          
,champagne wine-trade  at home and      
abroad at the outset of the present     
century are somewhat  scanty1 we readily
 gather that the great popularity of the
 sparkling  wine throughout ,europe     
dates from an event which1 at the time  
of  its occurrence1 the short-sighted   
,champenois looked upon as most         
disastrous4 ,this was the ,allied       
invasion of #ahad-ae4 ,consumption1  so 
far as the foreign market was concerned1
 had been grievously  interrupted by the
 great upset in all commercial matters  
consequent  upon the wars of the        
,revolution and the ,empire4 ,it appears
 that the  white wines of ,champagne    

were sent to ,paris1 ,normandy1 ,italy1 
and1  'when circumstances permitted of  
it1' to ,england1 ,holland1 ,sweden1    
,denmark1 ,russia1 ,spain1 ,portugal1   
and 'beyond the seas4' ,but the trade   
had suffered greatly during the wars    
with ,austria and ,russia in #ahjf  and 
#ahjg2 and in the following years the   
consumption of white wine had  fallen   
considerably1 and a large number of     
wine-merchants had found  themselves    
unable to meet their engagements4#bde   
,the wine which ,napoleon ,i4 preferred 
is said to have been ,chambertin2       
still1 his intimacy with the ,mots of   
,epernay could scarcely fail to  have   
led to a supply of the best sparkling   
,champagne from the cellars  he had     
deigned to visit in person4 ,his        
satraps1 who travelled with the  retinue
 of sovereign princes1 included the wine
 in their equipment  wherever they went1
 and the popping of its mimic artillery 
echoed in  their tents the thunder of   
their victorious cannon4 ,but           

comparatively  few foreign guests met at
 their tables2 and as their foes had on 
their  side few victories to celebrate  
in a similar style1 the knowledge of    
sparkling ,champagne outside ,france was
 confined to the comparatively  small   
number of persons of wealth and position
 able to pay an  extravagant price for  
it4    ,at length the fatal year1 #ahad1
 arrived1 and the ,allies swarmed across
  the frontier after the 'nations'      
fight' at ,leipzig4 ,the ,champagne     
lying directly on the way to ,paris saw 
some hard fighting and pitiless         
plundering4 ,the ,prussians of ,baron   
von ,tromberg got most consumedly  drunk
 at ,epernay4 ,the ,cossacks ravaged    
,rilly1 ,taissy1 and the other  villages
 of the ,mountain2 and not being able to
 carry off all the wine  they found at  
,sillery1 'added to their atrocities1'  
in the words of an  anonymous local     
chronicler1#bdf by staving in the       
barrels and flooding  the cellars4 ,the 
,russians1 under the renegade ,st4      

,priest1 seized on  ,reims1 whetted     
their thirst with salt herrings till the
 retail price  of these dainties rose   
from #e liards a pair to #c sous apiece1
 and then  set to work to quench it with
 ,champagne to such an extent that when 
,napoleon suddenly swooped down upon the
 city like his own emblematic  eagle1 a 
large number of them1 especially among  
the officers1 were  neither in a        
condition to fight nor fly4#bdg    ,the 
immense body of foreign troops who      
remained quartered in the  east of      
,france after the downfall of the       
,empire continued to pay  unabated      
devotion to the dive bouteille4         
,tradition has especially  distinguished
 the ,russians1 and relates how the     
,cossacks used to pour  ,champagne into 
buckets1 and share it with their horses4
 ,but the walking  sand-beds of ,north  
,germany1 the swag-bellied warriors of  
,baden and  ,bavaria1 and the stanch    
topers of ,saxony and ,swabia must of a 
surety  have distinguished themselves4  

,the votaries of ,gambrinus1 the beer   
king1 strove whether they could empty as
 many bottles of ,champagne at  a       
sitting as they could flagons filled    
with the amber-hued beverage of  their  
native province2 while the inhabitants  
of those districts where  the grape     
ripens sought to institute exhaustive   
comparisons between the  vintages they  
gathered at home and the growths of the 
favoured region  in which they now found
 themselves4    ,illustration3 ,,les    
,,russes  ,,paris    7,from a coloured  
print of the time74    ,the ,berliner   
was fain to acknowledge the superiority 
of the foam  engendered by ,champagne   
over that crowning his favourite        
weissbier1  his own beloved kuhle       
blonde1 and the beer-topers of ,munich  
and  ,dresden to give the preference to 
the exhilaration produced by quaffing   
the wine of ,reims and ,epernay over    
that due to the consumption of          
bockbier4 ,the ,nassauer and the        
,rhinelander had to admit certain       

intrinsic merits in the vintages        
produced on the slopes of the ,marne1   
and found to be lacking in those grown  
on the banks of the ,rhine1 the  ,ahr1  
the ,main1 and the ,moselle4 ,the       
,austrian recognised the superiority  of
 the wines of the ,mountain over those  
of ,voslau or the ,luttenberg2  and the 
,magyar had to allow that the crs of the
 ,river possessed a  special charm which
 ,nature had denied to his imperial     
,tokay4 ,even the  red-coated officers  
who followed ',milord ,vilainton' to the
 great review  at ,mont ,aim1 near      
,epernay1 proved faithless to that      
palladium of the  ,british mess-table1  
their beloved 'black strop4' ,claret    
might in their  eyes be only fit for    
boys and ,frenchmen1 and ,port the sole 
drink for  men2 but they were forced to 
hail ,champagne as being1 as old        
,baudius  had already phrased it1 'a    
wine for gods4'    ,illustration3 ,,le  
,d,,ner ,,de ,,milord ,,gogo1 #ahaf     
7,after a coloured print of the time74  

,the officers of the ,allied armies     
quartered in ,paris after the  ,hundred 
,days supplemented the charms of the    
,palais ,royal--then in the  very apogee
 of its vogue as the true centre of     
,parisian life1 with  its cafs1         
restaurants1 theatres1 gambling-houses1 
and ,galeries de  ,bois--with an        
abundance of sparkling ,champagne4      
,royalty itself set the  example by     
indicating a marked preference for the  
wine1 ,louis ,dixhuit1  according to a  
statement made by ,wellington to        
,rogers1 drinking nothing  else at      
dinner4 ,to celebrate the victories of  
,leipsic and ,waterloo or  a successful 
assault on the bank at ,frascati's1 to  
console for the  loss of a grosse mise  
at ,no4 #aac or of a comrade transfixed 
beneath  a lamp in the ,rue ,montpensier
 by a ,bonapartist sword-blade1 to win  
the  smiles of some fickle ,aspasia of  
the ,palais ,royal ,camp des ,tartares  
or  to blot out the recollection of her 
infidelity1 to wash down one of the     

,homeric repasts in which the ,english  
prototypes of the ',fudge ,family       
,abroad' indulged1 the wine was         
indispensable2 until1 as a modern writer
  has put it1 ',waterloo was avenged at 
last by the gros bataillons of  the     
bankers at roulette and trente et       
quarante1 and by the sale  to the       
invaders of many thousand bottles of    
rubbishing ,champagne at  twelve francs 
the flask4'#bdh ,the rancorous enmity   
prevailing between  the officers of     
,bonapartist proclivities placed on     
half-pay and the  returned migrs who had
 accepted commissions from ,louis       
,,xviii41  resulted1 as is well known1  
in numerous hostile meetings4 ,captain  
,gronow has dwelt upon the bellicose    
exploits of a gigantic ,irish  officer  
in the gardes du corps1 named ,warren1  
who1 when 'excited by  ,champagne and   
brandy1'#bdi was prepared to defy an    
army2 and he tells  us that at          
,tortoni's there was a room set apart   
for such quarrelsome  gentlemen1 where1 

after these meetings1 they indulged in  
riotous  ,champagne breakfasts4#bej ,at 
home1 the ,british ,government were     
being  twitted on their parsimony in    
limiting the supply of ,champagne for   
the table of the exiled ,emperor at ,st4
 ,helena to a single bottle per  diem1 a
 circumstance which led ,sir ,walter    
,scott to protest against the  conduct  
of ,lord ,bathurst and ,sir ,hudson     
,lowe in denying the captive  'even the 
solace of intoxication4'    ,as is not  
unfrequently the case1 out of evil came 
good4 ,the assembled  nations had drunk 
of a charmed fountain1 and it had       
excited a thirst  which could not be    
quenched4 ,the ,russians had become     
acquainted with  ,champagne1 which      
,talleyrand had styled 'le vin          
civilisateur par  excellence1' and to   
love this wine was with them a very     
decided step  towards a liberal         
education4 ,millions of bottles1        
specially fortified  to the pitch of    
strength and sweetness suited for a     

hyperborean  climate1 were annually     
despatched to the great northern empire 
from the  house of ,clicquot2 and later 
on the travellers of rival firms1 eager 
to secure a portion of this patronage1  
traversed the dominions of the  autocrat
 throughout their length and breadth1   
and poured their wines  in wanton       
profusion down the throats of one and   
all of those from whom  there appeared a
 prospect of securing custom4           
,illustration    ,from this influx of   
sparkling wine into the frozen empire of
 the ,czar  the acceptance of           
civilisation--of rather a superficial   
character1  it is true--may be said to  
date4 ,had ,peter the ,great only       
preferred  ,champagne to corn-brandy1   
the country would have been             
,europeanised long  ago4 ,as it is1 the 
wine has to-day become a recognised     
necessity in  higher class ,russian     
society1 and scandal even asserts that  
whenever it  is given at a dinner-party1
 the host is careful to throw the       

windows  open1 in order that the popping
 of the corks may announce the fact  to 
his neighbours4 ,abroad the ,russians   
are more reserved in their  manners2 and
 though ranking amongst the best        
customers of the ,parisian              
restaurateurs for high-class wines1 it  
is only now and then that some  excited 
,calmuck is to be seen flooding the     
glasses of his companions  with         
,champagne in a public dining-room4 ,the
 ,russians1 it should be  noted1 have   
sought1 and not unsuccessfully1 to      
produce sparkling wines  of their own1  
more especially in the country of the   
,don ,cossacks and  near the ,axis4     
,illustration    ,branger might exclaim1
 with a poet's license1 that he         
preferred a  ,turkish invasion to seeing
 the wines of the ,champagne profaned by
  the descendants of the ,alemanni2#bea 
but the merchants of ,reims and         
,epernay were of a different opinion4   
,les militaires have always  affected   
,champagne2 and a military aristocracy  

like that of the  ,fatherland1 in the   
cruel days when peace forbade any more  
free quarters  and requisitions1 became 
as large purchasers of the wine as their
  somewhat scanty revenues allowed of4  
,their example was followed to a        
considerable extent by the self-made    
members of that plutocratic class  which
 modern speculation has caused to spring
 into life in ,germany4  ,advantage was 
speedily taken of this taste by their   
own countrymen1  who aimed at           
supplanting ,champagne by sparkling     
wines grown on native  slopes4 ,nay     
more1 the ,germans1 as a military       
nation1 felt bound to  carry the war    
into the enemy's territory1 and hence it
 is that many  important houses at      
,reims and ,epernay are of ,german      
origin4 ,across the  ,rhine patriotism  
has had to yield to popularity1 and the 
stanchest  native topers have been      
forced to acknowledge1 after due        
comparison in  smoky wein stuben and    
gloomy keller1 that1 though the         

sparkling  wines of the ,rhine and the  
,moselle are in their own way most      
excellent1  there is but one            
,champagner-wein1 with ,reims for its   
,mecca and  ,epernay for its ,medina4   
,illustration    ,of ,england we shall  
elsewhere speak at length2 but the      
speculative  trade of her colonies1 with
 its sharp bargains1 dead smashes1 and  
large  profits could hardly be carried  
on without the wheels of the car of     
,commerce and the tongues of her        
votaries being oiled with ,champagne4   
,the ,swiss have only proved the truth  
of the proverb that imitation  is the   
sincerest form of flattery by producing 
tolerable replicas of  ,champagne at    
,neufchtel1 ,vevay1 and ,sion4          
,northern1 or1 to speak by the  map1    
,scandinavian1 ,europe takes its fair   
share of the genuine article2  and      
although the economic ,belgian is apt to
 accept sparkling ,saumur and  ,vouvray 
as a substitute1 both he and his        
neighbour1 the ,dutchman1 can  to the   

full appreciate the superiority of the  
produce of the ,marne over  that of the 
,loire4    ,the ,italian and the        
,spaniard may affect to outwardly       
despise a liquor  which they profess not
 to be able to recognise as wine at all2
 but the  former has to allow1 per      
,bacco1 that it excels in its particular
  way his extolled ,lacryma ,christi1   
while the latter does not carry his     
proverbial sobriety so far as to exclude
 the wine from repasts in  the upper    
circles of ,peninsular society4         
,moreover1 of recent years  they have   
both commenced making sparkling wines of
 their own4 ,the  ,austrian also        
produces sparkling wines from native    
vintages1 notably  at ,voslau1 ,graz1   
and ,marburg2 still this has not in any 
way lessened  his admiration for1 or his
 consumption of1 ,champagne4 ,the ,greek
 is  ready enough to 'dash down yon cup 
of ,samian wine1' provided there be a   
goblet of ,champagne close at hand to   
replace it with2 and boyards and        

magnates of the debateable ground of    
,eastern ,europe not only imbibe  the   
sparkling wines of the ,marne           
ostentatiously and approvingly1 but     
several of them have essayed the        
manufacture of vin mousseux on their    
own estates4    ,the ,east1 the early   
home of the vine1 and the first region  
to impart  civilisation1 is perhaps the 
last to receive its reflux in the shape 
of  sparkling wine4 ,but1 the           
prohibition of the ,prophet             
notwithstanding1  ,champagne is to be   
purchased on the banks of the ,golden   
,horn1 and has  been imported           
extensively into ,egypt in company with 
opra-bouffe1  ,french figurantes1       
stock-jobbing1 and sundry other matters 
of  foreign extraction under the rgime  
of the late ,khedive4 ,the land  of     
,iran has beheld with wonderment its    
sovereign freely quaffing the  fizzing  
beverage of the ,franks in place of the 
wine of ,shiraz4 ,the  ,east ,indies    
consume ,champagne in abundance2 for it 

figures not only  on the proverbially   
hospitable tables of the merchants and  
officials  of ,calcutta1 ,bombay1 and   
,madras1 but at the symposia of most of 
the  rajahs1 princes1 nawabs1 and other 
native rulers4 ,the almond-eyed         
inhabitant of 'far ,cathay1' reluctant  
to abandon that strange  civilisation so
 diametrically opposed in all its       
details to our own1  continues to drink 
his native vintages1 warm and out of    
porcelain  cups1 and to regard the      
sparkling drink of the ,fanquis as a    
veritable  'devils' elixir4' ,but his   
utterly differing neighbour1 the        
,japanese1 so  eager to welcome         
everything ,european1 has gladly greeted
 the advent of  ,champagne1 and freely  
yielded to its fascination4    ,turning 
to the undiscovered continent1 we find  
sable sovereigns ruling  at the mouths  
of the unexplored rivers of ,equatorial 
,africa fully  acquainted with          
,champagne1 though disposed1 from the   
native coarseness  of their taste1 to   

rank it as inferior to rum2 whilst the  
,arab1 filled  with wonderment at the   
marvels of ,european civilisation which 
meet his  eye at ,algiers1 bears back   
with him to the douar1 wrapped up in the
  folds of his burnous1 a couple of     
bottles of the wondrous effervescing    
drink of the ,feringhees as a testimony1
 even as ,othere brought the            
walrus-tooth to ,alfred4 ,one           
enthusiastic ,algerian colonist has gone
  so far as to prophesy the advent of   
the day when the products of the  native
 vineyards shall eclipse ,champagne4#beb
 ,let us hope1 however1  in the interest
 of ,algerian digestions1 that this day 
is as yet far  distant4    ,illustration
    ,with respect to the consumption of 
,champagne in the ,western world1  the  
,united ,states' exceeds that of any    
,european country1 ,england and  ,france
 alone excepted1 despite the competition
 of sparkling ,catawba and  of a certain
 diabolical imitation1 the raw material 
of which1 it is  asserted1 is furnished 

not by the grapes of the ,carolinas1 the
 peaches  of ,new ,jersey1 or the apples
 of ,vermont1 but by the oil-wells of   
,pennsylvania--in fact1 petroleum       
,champagne4 ,the cabinet particulier    
seems to be an institution as firmly    
established in the leading  cities of   
the ,states as in ,paris2 and rumour    
says that drinking from  a              
,champagne-glass touched by a fair one's
 lips has replaced the ,new  ,england   
pastime of eating the same piece of     
maple-candy till mouths  meet4 ,as      
regards the ,south ,american ,republics1
 the popping of musketry  at each fresh 
pronunciamento is certain to be         
succeeded by that of  ,champagne-corks  
in honour of the success of one or the  
other of the  contending parties4    ,in
 ,europe ,champagne has continued to be1
 from the days of ,paulmier and  ,venner
 downwards1 the drink of kings1 princes1
 and great lords as they  described it4 
,take a list of the potentates of the   
present century1  and the majority of   

them will be found to have evinced at   
some time or  other a partiality for the
 wine4 ,louis ,,xviii4 drank nothing    
else at  table4 ,the late ruler of      
,prussia1 ,frederick ,william ,,iv41 had
 such a  penchant for ,champagne of a   
particular manufacture1 that he obtained
  the cognomen of ,king ,clicquot4 ,the 
predecessor of ,pio ,nono1 ,gregory     
,,xvi41 rivalled him in this            
appreciation1 and1 terrible to relate1  
so  did the ,commander of the ,faithful1
 ,abdul ,medjid4 ,the latter might1     
however1 have pleaded the excuse put    
forward by ,abd-el-,kader1 that         
although the ,prophet had forbidden     
wine1 yet ,champagne came into the      
category of aerated waters1 concerning  
which he had said nothing1 a  remark    
justifying the title given to this      
wit-inspiring beverage of  being 'the   
father of bons mots4' ,prince ,bismarck1
 in the stormy  period of his youth1 was
 in the barbarous habit of imbibing     
,champagne  mixed with porter2 but at   

present he judiciously alternates it    
with old  ,port4 ,marshal ,mac,mahon and
 the ,king of the ,belgians are said to 
drink  the pink variety of the vin      
mousseux by preference4                 
,illustration3 ',,sous ,,la ,,tonnelle' 
7,from a print of the time of the       
,restoration74    ,illustration         
,illustration    ,illustration          
,illustration3 ',,au ,,beau ,,sexe6'    
,naturally1 in ,france as elsewhere1 the
 sparkling vintage of the ,marne        
maintains its claims to be reckoned the 
wine of beauty and fashion1  and more   
especially in beauty's gayer hours4 ,a  
glass of ,champagne  and a biscuit de   
,reims has been a refection which1      
though often  verbally declined1 was in 
the end pretty sure to be accepted from 
the  days of the merveilleuses and      
incroyables1 through those of the       
lionnes1 down to the present epoch of   
the cocodettes de la haute  gomme4      
,neither at ceremonial banquets nor at  
ordinary dinner-parties  among our      

neighbours does ,champagne hold1        
however1 so prominent a  place as       
amongst ourselves1 owing to the great   
variety of other  wines--all capable of 
appreciation by trained                 
palates--entering into  the composition 
of these festive repasts4 ,in fact1 a   
repas de noces  is the only occasion on 
which ,champagne flows in ,france with  
anything  like the freedom to which we  
are accustomed2 and then it is that its 
exhilarating effect is marked1 as some  
portly old boy rises with  twinkling eye
 to propose the health of the bride1 or 
of that beau  sexe to which he feels    
bound to profess himself deeply devoted4
 ,at  such open-air gatherings as the   
races at ,longchamps and ,chantilly1 the
  buffet will be besieged by a          
succession of frail fair ones in the    
most elaborate toilettes de courses1    
seeking to nerve themselves to  witness 
a coming struggle1 or to console        
themselves for the defeat  of the horse 
backed by their favoured admirer4 ,and1 

when writing of  this wine1 it is       
altogether impossible to omit a         
reference to those  tte--tte repasts en 
cabinet particulier1 of which it is the 
indispensable adjunct4 ,its mollifying  
influence on the feminine heart  on     
occasions such as these has been happily
 hit off by ,charles ,monselet  in his  
,polichinelle au ,restaurant3           
,illustration          '_/,polichinelle 
au ,restaurant4_/        ,i4        ,in 
a cabinet of ,vachette1                 
,pomponnette      ,listens to the       
pressing lover2      ,who1 before       
they've done their soup1                
,cock-a-hoop1      ,dares his passion to
 discover4        ,,ii4        ,elbows  
resting on the cloth1          ,partly  
wrath--      ,so much do his words      
astound--      ,resolute she to resist  
,being kissed1      ,draws her mantle   
closer round4        ,,iii4             
,whilst in vain his cause he pressed1   
,a third guest1      ,who in ice-pail by
 them slumbered1      ,rears above his  

wat'ry bed          ,silver head        
,and long neck with ice encumbered4     
,,iv4        ',tis ,champagne1 who      
murmurs low1          ,don't you know   
,that when once you set me flowing1     
,this fair rebel to ,love's dart        
,in her heart      ,soon will find soft 
passion glowing8        ,v4             
,this1 if you will list to me1          
,you shall see2      ,cease to swear by 
flames and fire1      ,cast aside each  
angry thought1          ,as you ought1  
,and at once cut through my wire1       
,,vi4        ,for ,i am the ,king       
,champagne1          ,and ,i reign      
,over e'en the sternest lasses1         
,when midst maddening song and shout    
,i gush out1      ,flooding goblets1    
bumpers1 glasses4        ,,vii4         
,as thus spoke the generous wine1       
,its benign      ,influence her heart   
'gan soften4      ,who seeks such a     
cause to gain1          ,to ,champagne  
,his success finds owing often4'#bec    
,illustration                           

,,vi4                                   
_/,champagne in ,england4_/        ,the 
strong and foaming wine of the          
,champagne forbidden his troops      by 
,henry ,v4--,the ,english carrying off  
wine when evacuating      ,reims on the 
approach of ,jeanne ,darc--,a legend of 
the siege      of ,epernay--,henry      
,,viii4 and his vineyard at ,ay--,louis 
,,xiv4's      present of ,champagne to  
,charles ,,ii4--,the courtiers of the   
,merry ,monarch retain the taste for    
,french wine acquired in                
exile--,st4 ,evremond makes the         
,champagne flute the glass of           
fashion--,still ,champagne quaffed by   
the beaux of the ,mall and      the     
rakes of the ,mulberry ,gardens--,it    
inspires the poets and      dramatists  
of the ,restoration--,is drank by ,james
 ,,ii4 and ,william      ,,iii4--,the   
advent of sparkling ,champagne in       
,england--,farquhar's      ,love and a  
,bottle--,mockmode the ,country ,squire 
and the witty      liquor--,champagne   

the source of wit--,port-wine and war   
combine      against it1 but it helps   
,marlborough's downfall--,coffin's      
poetical      invitation to the ,english
 on the return of peace--,a fraternity  
of      chemical operators who draw     
,champagne from an apple--,the influence
      of ,champagne in the ,augustan age
 of ,english literature--,extolled      
by ,gay and ,prior--,shenstone's verses 
at an inn--,renders ,vanbrugh's         
comedies lighter than his               
edifices--,swift preaches temperance    
in ,champagne to                        
,bolingbroke--,champagne the most       
fashionable      wine of the eighteenth 
century--,bertin du ,rocheret sends it  
in cask and bottle to the ,king's       
wine-merchant--,champagne at            
,vauxhall in ,horace ,walpole's         
day--,old ,q4 gets ,champagne from      
,m4 de ,puissieux--,lady ,mary's        
,champagne and chicken--,champagne      
plays its part at masquerades and       
bacchanalian suppers--,becomes      the 

beverage of the ultra-fashionables above
 and below      stairs--,figures in the 
comedies of ,foote1 ,garrick1 ,coleman1 
and      ,holcroft--,champagne and real 
pain--,sir ,edward ,barry's learned     
remarks on ,champagne--,pitt and ,dundas
 drunk on ,jenkinson's                  
,champagne--,fox and the ,champagne from
 ,brooks's--,champagne smuggled         
from ,jersey--,grown in                 
,england--,experiences of a traveller in
 the      ,champagne trade in ,england  
at the close of the century--,sillery   
the favourite wine--,nelson and the     
'fair ,emma' under the influence      of
 ,champagne--,the ,prince ,regent's     
partiality for ,champagne               
punch--,brummell's ,champagne           
blacking--,the ,duke of ,clarence       
overcome by ,champagne--,curran and     
,canning on the wine--,henderson's      
praise of ,sillery--,tom ,moore's summer
 fte inspired by ,pink                  
,champagne--,scott's ,muse dips her wing
 in ,champagne--,byron's      sparkling 

metaphors--,a joint-stock poem in praise
 of ,pink      ,champagne--,the wheels  
of social life in ,england oiled by     
,champagne--,it flows at public banquets
 and inaugurations--,plays its      part
 in the ,city1 on the ,turf1 and in the 
theatrical world--,imparts      a charm 
to the dinners of ,belgravia and the    
suppers of      ,bohemia--,champagne the
 ladies' wine par excellence--,its      
influence      as a matrimonial         
agent--',o the wildfire wine of         
,france6'      ,illustration    ,so     
great a favourite as ,champagne now is  
with all classes in ,england1  the      
earliest notice of it in connection with
 our history nevertheless  represents it
 in a somewhat inimical light4 ,for1    
according to an  ,italian writer of the 
fifteenth century1 'the strong and      
foaming wine  of ,champagne was found so
 injurious that ,henry ,v4 was obliged1 
after  the battle of ,agincourt1 to     
forbid its use in his army1 excepting   
when tempered with water4'#bed ,although

 this may be the earliest  mention of   
the wine of the ,champagne by name in   
association with our  own countrymen1   
opportunities had been previously       
afforded to them  of becoming acquainted
 with its assumed objectionable         
qualities4 ,the  prelates who crossed   
'the streak of silver sea' with         
,thurstan of ,york  to attend the       
ecclesiastical councils held at 'little 
,rome1' as ,reims  was styled in the    
twelfth century1 and the knights and    
nobles who  swelled the train of ,henry 
,,ii4 when he did homage to ,philip     
,augustus at  the latter's coronation1  
may be regarded as exceptionally        
fortunate1  or unfortunate1 in this     
respect1 since the bulk of the ,english 
wine-drinkers of that day had to content
 themselves with the annual  shipments  
of ,anjou and ,poitevin wines from      
,nantes and ,la ,rochelle4#bee  ,but the
 stout men-at-arms and death-dealing    
archers who followed the  third ,edward 
to the gates of ,reims in the days when 

'',twas merry1 'twas merry in ,france to
 go1      ,a yeoman stout with a bended 
bow1      ,to venge the ,king on his    
mortal foe1        ,and to quaff the    
,gascon wine1'    no doubt found        
consolation for some of the hardships   
they endured  during their wet and weary
 watches in the bitter winter of #acfe  
in the  familiarity they acquired with  
the vintages of the ,mountain and the   
,marne4    ,illustration    ,and1 their 
sovereign's prohibition notwithstanding1
 there is every  reason to believe that 
the heroes of ,agincourt drank          
pottle-deep of  the forbidden beverage4 
,the grim ,earl of ,salisbury bore no   
love to  the burghers of ,reims2#bef but
 there is little likelihood that his    
aversion extended to the wine of the    
province he ruled as governor1  and the 
garrisons of its various strongholds    
over which the red cross  of ,st4       
,george triumphantly floated revelled on
 the best of 'the white  wyne and the   
rede4' ,in the days of hot fighting and 

keen foraging which  marked the close of
 ,bedford's regency1 there is ample     
evidence to show  that our countrymen   
had acquired and retained a very decided
 taste for  these growths4 ,when        
,charles ,,vii4 entered ,reims in       
triumph1 with ,jeanne  ,darc by his side
 and the chivalry of ,france around him1
 the retreating  ,english garrison bore 
forth with them on the opposite side of 
the city  a string of wains piled high  
with casks of wine1 the pillage of the  
burghers' cellars4#beg    ,tradition    
tells1 too1 how the ,english1 besieged  
in the town of ,epernay1  had gathered  
there great store of wine1 and how this 
suggested to  their captain a cunning   
stratagem4 ,having caused a number of   
wagons to  be laden with casks of wine1 
he despatched them with a feeble escort 
through the gate furthest from the      
beleaguering forces1 as though  destined
 to ,chalons as a place of safety4 ,the 
,french commander marked  this1 and as  
soon as the convoy was well clear of the

 walls1 a body  of horse came spurring  
after it in hot haste4 ,the wagon-train 
halted2  there was a brief attempt to   
turn the laden vehicles homewards1 and  
then1 seeing the hopelessness of this1  
the escort galloped back into  the town1
 and down swooped the ,frenchmen on     
their prize4 ,the ride had  been sharp2 
the day was hot1 and the road dusty4 ,so
 a score of the  captured casks were    
quickly broached2 and as the generous   
fluid flowed  freely down the throats of
 the captors1 it soon began to produce  
an  effect4 ,some of them1 overcome by  
the heat and the wine1 loosened  their  
armour1 and stretched themselves at     
length on the ground2 whilst  others1   
grouped around some fast emptying       
barrel1 continued to quaff  from their  
helmets and other improvised drinking   
vessels confusion  to the 'island       
bull-dogs4' ,when lo1 the gate of the   
town flew open2  an ,english trumpet    
rang out its note of defiance2 and1 with
 lances  levelled1 the flower of the    

garrison poured forth like a living     
avalanche upon the startled ,frenchmen4 
,before they could make ready to  fight 
or fly1 the foe was upon them1 and their
 blood was soon mingling  on the dusty  
highway with the pools of wine which had
 gushed forth  from the abandoned casks4
 ,hardly one escaped the slaughter2 but 
local  tradition chuckles grimly as it  
notes that in revenge thereof every  man
 of the garrison was put to the edge of 
the sword on the subsequent  capture of 
the town by the ,french4#beh            
,illustration    ,at the close of the   
fruitless struggle against the growing  
power  of ,charles the ,victorious1 we  
were fain to fall back1 as of old1  upon
 the strong wines of south-western      
,france1 the vintages of  ,bergerac1    
,gaillac1 and ,rabestens1 shipped to us 
from the banks of the  ,garonne1#bei and
 the luscious malmseys of the           
,archipelago1 to which  were            
subsequently added the growths of       
southern ,spain4 ,the taste of the  wine

 of the ,champagne must have been almost
 forgotten amongst us when  the growing 
fame of the vineyards of ,ay attracted  
the notice of ,bluff  ,king ,hal4 ,most 
likely he and ,francis ,i4 swore eternal
 good fellowship  at the ,field of the  
,cloth of ,gold over a beaker of this   
regal liquor4  ,once alive to its       
merits1 the ,king1 whose ambassadors1   
pace ,john  ,styles1 seem to have had   
standing orders to keep an equally sharp
 look  out for wines or wives likely to 
suit the royal fancy1 neglected no      
opportunity of securing it in           
perfection4 ,like his contemporaries1   
,charles ,v41 ,francis ,i41 and ,leo    
,x41 he stationed a commissioner at  ,ay
 intrusted with the onerous duty of     
selecting a certain number of  casks of 
the best growths1 and despatching them1 
carefully sealed1 to  the cellars of    
,whitehall1 ,greenwich1 and ,richmond4  
,the example set  by the monarch was1   
however1 too costly a one to be followed
 by his  subjects1 and the very name of 

,champagne probably remained unknown to 
them for years to come4 ,the poets and  
dramatists of the ,elizabethan  era1 who
 have left us so accurate a picture of  
the manners of their  day1 and make such
 frequent allusions to the wines in     
vogue1 do not  even mention ,champagne2 
,gervase ,markham preserves a like      
silence in  his ,modern ,housewife1#bfj 
while the passages in ,surflet's ,maison
  ,rustique extolling the wine of ,ay   
are merely translations from the        
original ,french edition4#bfa ,and      
though ,venner speaks of these wines  as
 excelling all others1 he is careful to 
attribute their consumption  to the     
,king and the nobles of ,france4#bfb    
,the captive ,queen of ,scots1 whose    
consumption of wine elicited dire       
lament from one of her lordly           
jailers1#bfc may have missed at         
,fotheringay the vintage she had tasted 
in early life when enjoying  the        
hospitality of her uncle1 ,cardinal     
,charles of ,lorraine1 at ,reims2  but  

to the half-hearted pedant1 her son1 the
 name of ,epernay recalled  no convivial
 associations--it was merely the title  
of a part of his  slaughtered mother's  
appanage4 ,spanish influence and        
,spanish wine ruled  supreme at his     
,court2 and though ,rhenish crowned the 
goblets of many of  the high-souled     
cavaliers who rallied round ,king       
,charles and ,henrietta  ,maria1 the    
bulk of the ,english nation remained    
faithful1 till the close  of the        
,commonwealth1 to their old favourites  
of the south of ,spain and  the fragrant
 produce of the ,canaries4              
,illustration    ,all this was altered  
when 'the ,king enjoyed his own again2' 
for  the ,restoration made              
,champagne--that is1 the still red wine 
of the  province--the most fashionable1 
if not the most popular1 wine in        
,england4 ,at the ,court of ,louis      
,,xiv4 the future ,merry ,monarch and   
his  faithful followers had acquired a  
taste for the wines of ,france1 and     

they brought back this taste1#bfd       
together with sundry others of a  far   
more reprehensible character1 with them 
to ,england4 ,one of the  first and most
 acceptable gifts of ,louis to his      
brother-sovereign  on the latter's      
recall was 'two hundred hogsheads of    
excellent  wine--,champagne1 ,burgundy1 
and ,hermitage4'#bfe ,returning home    
more  ,french than the ,french          
themselves1 the late exiles ruminated on
 the  flesh-pots of ,egypt1 and sighed2 
and we can readily picture a gallant    
who had seen hot service under ,cond or 
,turenne exclaiming to his  friend and  
fellow-soldier3        ',ah1 ,courtine1 
must we be always idle8 ,must we never  
see our      glorious days again8 ,when 
shall we be rolling in the lands of milk
      and honey1 encamped in large      
luxuriant vineyards1 where the loaded   
vines cluster about our tents1 drink the
 rich juice just pressed      from the  
plump grape8'#bff    ,and that friend   
replying3        ',ah1 ,beaugard1 those 

days have been2 but now we must resolve 
to      content ourselves at an humble  
rate4 ,methinks it is not unpleasant    
to consider how ,i have seen thee in a  
large pavilion drowning      the heat of
 the day in ,champagne wines--sparkling 
sweet as those      charming beauties   
whose dear remembrance every glass      
recorded--with      half a dozen honest 
fellows more4'#bfg    ,demand created   
supply1 until1 in #affg1 a few years    
after the  ,restoration1 ,france        
furnished two-fifths of the amount of   
wine consumed  in the kingdom2#bfh and  
the taste of the royal sybarite for the 
light-coloured wines of the ,marne seems
 to be hinted at in ,malagene's         
exclamation3        ',i have discovered 
a treasure of pale wine4444 ,i assure   
you 'tis      the same the ,king drinks 
of4'#bfi    ,st4 ,evremond1 who1 though 
not precisely cast by ,nature from 'the 
mould  of form1' fulfilled for many     
years the duties of arbiter elegantiarum
  at ,charles's graceless ,court1       

decidedly did his best to render the    
,champagne flte 'the glass of fashion4' 
,ever ready to speak in praise  of the  
wines of ,ay1 ,avenay1 and ,reims1#bgj  
the mentor of the ,count de  ,grammont  
strove by example as well as by precept 
to win converts to  his creed4 ,in verse
 he declares that the beauties of the   
country fail  to console him for the    
absence of ,champagne2 regrets that the 
season  of the wines of the ,marne is   
over1 and that the yield of those of the
  ,mountain had failed2 and shudders at 
the prospect of being obliged to  have  
recourse to the ,loire1 to ,bordeaux1 or
 to ,cahors for the wine he  will have  
to drink4#bga    ,illustration    ,the  
lively ,frenchman found plenty of native
 writers to recho him4  ,champagne      
sparkles in all the plays of the        
,restoration1 and seems the  fitting    
inspiration of their matchless briskness
 of dialogue4 ,the  ,millamours and     
,bellairs1 the ,carelesses and ,rangers1
 the ,sir ,joskin  ,jolleys and ,sir    

,fopling ,flutters1 the beaux of the    
,mall and the  rakes of the ,mulberry   
and ,new ,spring ,gardens1 the gay      
frequenters of  the ,folly on the       
,thames and the habitus of ,pontack's   
,ordinary1 whom  the contemporary       
dramatists transferred bodily to the    
stage of the  ,king's or the ,duke's1   
are constantly tossing off bumpers of   
it4 ,their  lives would seem to have    
been one continuous round of love-making
 and  ,champagne-drinking1 to judge from
 the following 'catch1' sung by four    
merry gentlemen at a period when1       
according to ,redding1 ten thousand     
tuns of ,french wine were annually      
pouring into ,england3            ',the 
pleasures of love and the joys of good  
wine1          ,to perfect our          
happiness1 wisely we join2          ,we 
to ,beauty all day          ,give the   
sovereign sway1          ,and her       
favourite nymphs devoutly obey4      ,at
 the plays we are constantly making our 
court1      ,and when they are ended we 

follow the sport            ,to the     
,mall and the ,park1          ,where we 
love till 'tis dark2          ,then     
sparkling ,champaign#bgb          ,puts 
an end to their reign2          ,it     
quickly recovers          ,poor         
languishing lovers2      ,makes us      
frolic and gay1 and drowns all our      
sorrow2      ,but1 alas1 we relapse     
again on the morrow4'#bgc               
,illustration    ,we learn1 indeed1 that
 under the influence of        'powerful
 ,champaign1 as they call it1 a spark   
can no more refrain      running into   
love than a drunken country vicar can   
avoid disputing      of religion when   
his patron's ale grows stronger than his
      reason4'#bgd    ,probably it was  
owing to this quality of inspiring a    
tendency to  amativeness that ladies    
were sometimes expected to join in such 
potations4          ',she's no mistress 
of mine        ,that drinks not her     
wine1      ,or frowns at my friends'    
drinking motions2        ,if my heart   

thou wouldst gain1        ,drink thy    
flask of ,champaign2      ',twill serve 
thee for paint and love-potions1'#bge   
is the sentiment enunciated in chorus by
 four half-fuddled topers in  the ,new  
,spring ,gardens4 ,at the ,mulberry     
,gardens we find that        ',jack     
,wildish sent for a dozen more          
,champaign1 and a brace of      such    
girls as we should have made honourable 
love to in any other      place4'#bgf   
,with such manners and customs can we   
wonder at one gentleman  complaining how
 another        'came where ,i was last 
night roaring drunk2 swore--d--him6--he 
had      been with my ,lord ,such-a-one1
 and had swallowed three quarts of      
,champaign for his share2'#bgg    or    
have any call to feel surprised that    
such boon companions should             
'come1 as the sparks do1 to a playhouse 
too full of ,champaign1      venting    
very much noise and very little         
wit'8#bgh    ,champagne remains ignored 
in such books as the ,mystery of        

,vintners2#bgi but although technical   
works may be silent1 the poets  vie with
 the dramatists in extolling its        
exhilarating effects--effects  surely   
perceptible in the witty1 careless1     
graceful verse with which  the epoch    
abounds4 ,john ,oldham--who1 after      
passing his early years as a            
schoolmaster1 was lured into becoming1  
in the words of his biographer1  'at    
once a votary of ,bacchus and ,venus' by
 the patronage of ,rochester1  ,dorset1 
and ,sedley in #afha1 and who realised  
the fable of the pot of  brass and the  
pot of earthenware by dying from the    
effects of the  company he kept two     
years later--has given a list of the    
wines in vogue  in his day3             
',let wealthy merchants1 when they dine1
          ,run o'er their witty names of
 wine3      ,their chests of ,florence  
and their ,mont ,alchine1      ,their   
,mants1 ,champaigns1 ,chablees1         
,frontiniacks tell2      ,their aums of 
,hock1 of ,backrag ,bacharach and       

,mosell4'#bhj    ,he gives the wines of 
our 'sweet enemy' a high position1 too1 
in his  ,dithyrambick1 spoken by a      
,drunkard1 who is made to exclaim1      
',were ,france the next1 this round     
,bordeau shall swallow1      ,champaign1
 ,langou ,l',anjou1 and ,burgundy shall 
follow4'#bha    ,butler makes the hero  
of his immortal satire prepared to      
follow the old  ,roman fashion with     
regard to his lady's name1 and to       
',drink ev'ry letter on't in stum1      
,and make it brisk ,champaign           
become2'#bhb    and speaks of routed    
forces having        ',recovered many a 
desperate campaign      ,with ,bordeaux1
 ,burgundy1 and ,champaign4'#bhc    ,and
 ,sir ,charles ,sedley1 in an apologue  
written towards the close of  the       
century1 tells how a doctor of his day  
was sorely troubled by the  unreasonable
 lives led by his patients1 until       
',one day he called 'em all together1   
,and1 one by one1 he asked 'em whether  
,it were not better by good diet        

,to keep the blood and humours quiet1   
,with toast and ale to cool their brains
      ,than nightly fire 'em with       
,champains4'#bhd    ,in #afgi the       
peculiar ideas of political economy then
 prevailing led  to a formal prohibition
 of the importation of ,french wines1   
and the  consequent substitution in     
their place of those of ,portugal4 ,one 
can  imagine the consternation of the   
'beaux' and 'sparks' at this fatal      
decree1 and the satisfaction of the few 
vintners whose cellars chanced  to be   
well stored with the forbidden vintages 
of ,france--with        ',the ,claret   
smooth1 red as the lips we press        
,in sparkling fancy while we drain the  
bowl2      ,the mellow-tasted ,burgundy1
 and1 quick      ,as is the wit it      
gives1 the gay ,champagne4'#bhe    ,but1
 ,port wine and prohibitions            
notwithstanding1 men of fashion of that 
epoch were not entirely obliged to      
abandon their favourite potations1      
since five thousand hogsheads of ,french

 wine were surreptitiously  landed on   
the south-west coast of ,england in a   
single year4#bhf  ,fortunately1 too1 for
 them1 the ,government came to the      
conclusion that  it was for the time    
being futile to fight against popular   
tastes1 and  in #afhe the obnoxious     
prohibition was removed1 with the result
 that1  two years later1 the imports of 
,french wine were registered as fifteen 
thousand tuns--that is1 sixty thousand  
hogsheads4#bhg    ,illustration    ,on  
the outbreak of hostilities with ,france
 in #afhi1 the import of  ,french wines 
received a serious check1 and as they   
vanished from the  revenue returns1 so  
,champagne began to disappear from the  
social board  and the literature of the 
day4 ,strange to say1 however1 it was   
not only  the favourite wine of ,william
 ,,iii41 but of his dethroned           
father-in-law1  ,james ,,ii4 ,the red   
wines of the province of ,champagne had 
always found  a ready sale in ,flanders 
and the ,low ,countries1#bhh and        

quickened the  minds of the stout seamen
 who fought against ,blake and ,rupert4 
,the  variety produced from the ,beaune 
grape at ,vertus was the one patronised 
by ,macaulay's pet hero1 the hook-nosed 
,dutchman1#bhi whilst the exile  of ,st4
 ,germain seems to have been more       
catholic in his tastes4#bij    ,eagerly 
must the gourmets of the day1 when1 'if 
we did not love the  ,french1 we coveted
 their wines1'#bia have hailed the      
return of a peace  which permitted them 
not only to indulge in their old        
favourites1 but  to welcome a new       
attraction in the shape of sparkling    
,champagne4 ,the  term 'sparkling' as   
applied to wine did not at the outset   
necessarily  mean effervescing1 as in   
one of ,farquhar's comedies we find     
,roebuck  comparing himself to 'a bumper
 of ,claret1 smiling and sparkling4'#bib
  ,towards the close of the century1    
however1 we meet with sure proof of  the
 advent of the delectable beverage with 
which the worthy cellarer of            

,hautvillers was the first to endow     
droughty humanity4 ,the contemporary    
dramatists were ever on the alert to    
shoot ,folly as she flew4 ,the stage    
was really the mirror of that time1 and 
those who wrote for it seized  on every 
passing whim1 fashion1 or fancy of the  
day4 ,the introduction  of a new wine   
was certainly not to be missed by them1 
and the recently  discovered vin        
mousseux of ,dom ,perignon is plainly   
referred to in  ,farquhar's aptly-named 
comedy1 ,love and a ,bottle1 produced in
 #afih1  just after the ,peace of       
,ryswick had allowed the reopening of   
trade with  ,france4    ,the second     
scene of act ii4 represents the lodgings
 of ,mockmode1 the  country squire1 who 
aims at being 'a beau1' and who is      
discovered in  close confabulation with 
his landlady1 the ,widow ,bullfinch3    
',mock4 ,but what's most modish for     
beverage now8 ,for ,i suppose the       
fashion of that always alters with the  
clothes4        ,w4 ,bull4 ,the tailors 

are the best judges of that2 but        
,champaign1      ,i suppose4            
,mock4 ,is ,champaign a tailor8         
,methinks it were a fitter name for a   
wig-maker4 ,i think they call my wig a  
campaign4        ,w4 ,bull4 ,you're     
clear out1 sir--clear out4 ,champaign is
 a fine      liquor1 which all great    
beaux drink to make 'em witty4          
,mock4 ,witty6 ,o1 by the universe1 ,i  
must be witty6 ,i'll drink      nothing 
else2 ,i never was witty in my life4    
,here1 ,club1 bring us a      bottle of 
what d'ye call it--the witty liquor4'   
,the ,widow having retired1 ,club1      
,mockmode's servant1 renters with a     
bottle and glasses4        ',mock4 ,is  
that the witty liquor8 ,come1 fill the  
glasses4444 ,but      where's the wit   
now1 ,club8 ,have you found it8         
,club4 ,egad1 master1 ,i think 'tis a   
very good jest4        ,mock4 ,what8    
,club4 ,why1 drinking4 ,you'll find1    
master1 that this same      gentleman in
 the straw doublet1 this same ,will o'  

the ,wisp1 is a      wit at the bottom4 
,here1 here1 master1 how it puns and    
quibbles in      the glass6#bic         
,mock4 ,by the universe1 now ,i have it2
 the wit lies in the      jingling6 ,all
 wit consists most in jingling4 ,hear   
how the glasses      rhyme to one       
another4444 ,i fancy this same wine is  
all sold at      ,will's ,coffee-house4'
    ,here we have a palpable hit at the 
source of inspiration indulged in  by   
many of the wits and rhymesters who     
gathered round 'glorious ,john  ,dryden'
 within the hallowed walls of that      
famous rendezvous4 ,and likely  enough1 
when they        'were all at supper1   
all in good humour1 ,champaign was the  
word1      and wit flew about the room  
like a pack of losing cards4'#bid       
,farquhar seems1 above all others1 to   
have hailed the new wine with  pleasure4
 ,we all remember the 'red ,burgundy'   
which saves ,mirabel from  his perilous 
position in the cut-throats' den2 but   
the flighty hero of  the ,inconstant is 

equally enthusiastic over sparkling wine
 when he  exclaims3        ',give me the
 plump ,venetian1 brisk and sanguine1   
that smiles upon      me like the       
glowing sun1 and meets my lips like     
sparkling wine1      her person shining 
as the glass1 and spirit like the       
foaming      liquor4'#bie    ,the       
benignant influence of the beverage is1 
moreover1 referred to by  ,farquhar in  
his epilogue to the ,constant ,couple1  
where1 in alluding  to the critics1 it  
is said that        ',to coffee some    
retreat to save their pockets1          
,others1 more generous1 damn the play at
 ,locket's2      ,but there1 ,i hope1   
the author's fears are vain1            
,malice ne'er spoke in generous         
,champain4'#bif    ,further1 he makes   
,benjamin ,wouldbe exclaim3             
',show me that proud stoick that can    
bear success and ,champain2             
philosophy can support us in hard       
fortune1 but who can have      patience 
in prosperity8'#big    ,farquhar shows  

his usual keen observation of the       
minutest features  of the life of his   
day in his allusion to the flask--the   
pear-shaped  flacon in which ,champagne 
made its entre into fashionable         
life4#bih ,archer1 in his ditty on      
'trifles1' thus warbles3        ',a     
flask of ,champaign1 people think it    
,a trifle1 or something as bad2         
,but if you'll contrive how to drink it1
          ,you'll find it no trifle1    
egad6'#bii    ,congreve1 in evident     
reference to the still wine1 thus writes
 to ,mr4  ,porter1 husband of the       
celebrated actress1 from ,calais1       
,august #aa1 #agjj3        ',here is    
admirable ,champaign for twelvepence a  
quart1 as good      ,burgundy for       
fifteenpence2 and yet ,i have virtue    
enough to resolve      to leave this    
place to-morrow for ,st4 ,omers1 where  
the same wine is      half as dear      
again1 and may be not quite so          
good4'#cjj    ,champagne suffered like  
other ,french wines from the ,war of    

,succession  and the ,methuen ,treaty1  
by which the ,government strove to pour 
,port wine down the throats of the      
people4 ,the poets and satirists1       
supported by ,dean ,aldrich1 'the       
,apostle of ,bacchus2' the miserly ,dr4 
,ratcliffe1 who ascribed all diseases to
 the lack of ,french wines1 and  imputed
 the badness of the vintages he was wont
 to place upon his  table to the        
difficulty he experienced in obtaining  
them2 the jovial  ,portman ,seymour2 the
 rich 'smell-feast' ,pereira and        
,general ,churchill1  ,marlborough's    
brother1 together with a host of 'bottle
 companions1'  lawyers1 and physicians1 
united to fight against this            
attempt4#cja  ,they would drink their   
old favourites1 in spite of treaties1   
and  would praise them as they deserved2
 and means were found to gratify  their 
wishes4 ,according to official returns1 
the nominal importation  of ,french     
wines fell in #agja to a trifle over two
 thousand tons2 and  though this        

quantity was only once exceeded up to   
#aghf1 the influence  of a steady       
demand1 a short sea-passage1 an         
extensive coast-line1  and a            
ridiculously inefficient preventive     
service in aid of the high  duty need to
 be taken into consideration4 ,the      
contraband traders of  the beginning of 
the century smuggled ,french wine into  
,england1 just  as they continued to do 
at a later period into ,scotland and    
,ireland1  when the taste for ardent    
spirits which sprang up in the ,georgian
 era  rendered the surreptitious import 
of ',nantz' and ',geneva' the more      
profitable transaction as regarded      
,england4 ,farquhar throws light on  one
 method pursued when ,colonel ,standard 
hands ,alderman ,smuggler his           
pocket-book1 which he had dropped1 with 
the remark3        ',it contains an     
account of some secret practices in your
      merchandising1 amongst the rest1  
the counterpart of an agreement         
with a correspondent at ,bordeaux about 

transporting ,french wine in            
,spanish casks4'#cjb    ,that the       
,champenois were themselves aware of the
 appreciation in which  their wine was  
held in ,england is shown by a passage  
in ,coffin's  ,campania vindicata4      
,writing in #agab1 the year before the  
ratification  of the ,treaty of         
,utrecht1 he calls on the ,britons in   
presence of  returning peace to cross   
the seas1 and instead of lavishing their
  wealth to pleasure blood-stained      
,mars1 to fill their ships with the     
treasures of the ,remois ,bacchus1 and  
bear home these precious spoils  instead
 of fatal trophies4#cjc    ,addison1    
referring to one source whence ,french  
wines were derived1  remarks3           
',there is in this ,city a certain      
fraternity of ,chymical ,operators      
who work underground1 in holes1 caverns1
 and dark retirements1      to conceal  
their mysteries from the eyes and       
observation of      mankind4 ,these     
subterraneous ,philosophers are daily   

employed      in the ,transmigration of 
,liquors1 and1 by the power of ,magical 
,drugs and ,incantations1 raise under   
the streets of ,london the      choicest
 products of the hills and valleys of   
,france4 ,they can      squeeze         
,bourdeaux out of a ,sloe1 and draw     
,champagne from an      ,apple4'#cjd    
,he tells us that        'the person who
 appeared against them was a ,merchant1 
who had by      him a great magazine of 
wines1 that he had laid in before the   
war3      but these ,gentlemen 7as he   
said7 had so vitiated the nation's      
palate1 that no man could believe his to
 be ,french1 because it      did not    
taste like what they sold for such4'    
,for the defence it was urged that      
'they were under a necessity of making  
,claret if they would keep      open    
their doors1 it being the nature of     
,mankind to love everything      that is
 ,prohibited4'#cje    ,the enquiry1     
',and where would your beaux have       
,champaign to toast their               

mistresses were it not for the          
merchant8'#cjf    is from a panegyrist  
of the more legitimate school of trade4 
,altogether it is tolerably certain that
 ,champagne--genuine or  fictitious1    
from grape or gooseberry--played a more 
important part in  the conviviality of  
the early portion of the eighteenth     
century than  might be supposed from the
 imports of the epoch1 whilst there is  
little  doubt but that it helped to     
inspire some of the finest productions  
of  the ,augustan age of ,english       
literature4    ,gay places it first     
amongst the wines offered to a party of 
guests  entering a tavern1 making the   
drawer exclaim3        ',name1 sirs1 the
 wine that most invites your taste1     
,champaign or ,burgundy1 or ,florence   
pure1      ,or ,hock antique1 or ,lisbon
 new or old1      ,bourdeaux1 or neat   
,french wine1 or ,alicant4'#cjg    ,this
 reference to ,champagne most likely    
relates to the still wine2 but  it is   
probably the sparkling variety which is 

alluded to in the verses  which ,gay    
addressed to ,pope on the completion of 
the ,iliad in #agbj1  and wherein he    
represents ,general ,wilkinson thus     
apostrophising as the  ship conveying   
the poet passes ,greenwich3             
',come in1 my friends1 here shall ye    
dine and lie2          ,and here shall  
breakfast and shall dine again1         
,and sup and breakfast on 7if ye        
comply71          ,for ,i have still    
some dozens of ,champaign4'#cjh         
,witty ,mat ,prior1 poet and            
diplomatist1 was always ready to        
manifest his  contempt for the heavy    
fluid with which the ,methuen treaty    
deluged our  island in place of the     
light fresh-tasting wines of ,france    
that had  cheered and inspired his      
earlier sallies4 ,writing whilst in     
custody on  a charge of treason between 
#agae and #agag1 and referring to the   
mind  under the name of ,alma1 he tells 
us how        ',by nerves about our     
palate placed1      ,she likewise judges

 of the taste1      ,else 7dismal       
thought67 our warlike men      ,might   
drink thick ,port for fine              
,champagne4'#cji    ,he likewise        
inculcates a lesson of philosophy1      
especially suited to his  own situation 
at that moment1 when he remarks of      
fortune3        ',i know we must both   
fortunes try1      ,and bear our evils1 
wet or dry4        ,yet1 let the goddess
 smile or frown1      ,bread we shall   
eat1 or white or brown2      ,and in a  
cottage or a court      ,drink fine     
,champagne or muddled ,port4'#caj       
,there were many1 no doubt1 ready to    
emulate the hero of one of his  minor   
pieces1 and                             
'from this world to retreat      ,as    
full of ,champagne as an egg's full of  
meat4'#caa    ,shenstone gives          
expression to much the same sentiment as
 ,prior when he  found 'his warmest     
welcome at an inn1' and wrote on the    
window-pane at  ,henley3        '',tis  
here with boundless power ,i reign1     

,and every health which ,i begin        
,converts dull ,port to bright          
,champagne2          ,such freedom      
crowns it at an inn4'#cab               
,illustration    ,vanbrugh1 whose       
writings were of a decidedly lighter    
character than  the edifices he erected1
 probably had recourse to ,champagne to 
assist  him in the composition of the   
former1 and neglected it when planning  
the designs for the latter4 ,these1     
indeed1 would seem to have been         
conceived under the influence of some   
such 'heavy muddy stuff' as the         
',norfolk nog1' which ,lady ,headpiece  
reproaches her husband for allowing     
their son and heir to indulge in1       
saying3        ',well1 ,i wonder1 ,sir  
,francis1 you will encourage that lad to
 swill      such beastly lubberly       
liquor4 ,if it were ,burgundy or        
,champaign1      something might be said
 for't2 they'd perhaps give him some art
 and      spirit4'#cac    ,swift has    
given in his ,journal to ,stella        

extensive information as  to the wines  
in vogue in ,london in #agaj-ac4 ,he    
seems for his own part  to have been1 as
 far as nature permitted him1 an        
accommodating toper1  indulging1 in     
addition to ,champagne1 in ,tokay1      
,portugal1 ,florence1  ,burgundy1       
,hermitage1 ',irish wine1' i4e4 ,claret1
 'right ,french  wine1' ,congreve's     
'nasty white wine' that gave him the    
heartburn1 and  ,sir ,william ,read's   
'admirable punch4' ,he acknowledges that
 the more  fashionable beverages of the 
day were not to his taste4 ',i love1'   
writes he1 'white ,portugal wine better 
than ,claret1 ,champaign1 or  ,burgundy4
 ,i have a sad vulgar appetite4'#cad    
,still1 while observing  due moderation1
 he did not entirely shun the lighter   
potations with  which the table of the  
luxurious and licentious ,st4 ,john was 
so freely  supplied4 ,on one occasion he
 writes3        ',i dined to-day by     
appointment with ,lord ,bolingbroke2 but
 they fell      to drinking so many     

,spanish healths in ,champaign1 that ,i 
stole away      to the ladies and drank 
tea till eight4'#cae    ,and on another 
we find him refusing to allow his host  
to        'drink one drop of ,champaign 
or ,burgundy without water4'#caf    ,our
 countrymen do not appear to have taken 
heed of the controversy  regarding the  
respective merits of ,champagne and     
,burgundy1 but  thankfully accepted the 
goods that the gods and the sunny soil  
of  ,france provided them4 ,the         
accusation1 however1 banded about by the
  partisans of these rival vintages1 of 
their tendency to produce gout1  had    
apparently been accepted as gospel truth
 over here in the first  decade of the  
century4 ,thus the ,dean notes that he  
'dined with ,mr4 ,secretary ,st4 ,john1 
and staid till seven1 but would      not
 drink his ,champaign and ,burgundy1 for
 fear of the gout4'#cag    ,when        
suffering from a rheumatic pain he      
displays commendable caution at  dinner 
with ,mr4 ,domville1 only drinking      

'three or four glasses of ,champaign by 
perfect teasing1'#cah    for fear of    
aggravating his suffering4 ,he is       
prompt1 however1 to  acknowledge himself
 mistaken3        ',i find myself       
disordered with a pain all round the    
small of my      back1 which ,i imputed 
to ,champaign ,i had drunk1 but find it 
to have      been only my new cold4'#cai
    ,the ,dean does not appear to have  
been the only sufferer1 for we find  him
 writing3        ',i called this evening
 to see ,mr4 ,secretary1 who had been   
very ill      with the gravel and pains 
in his back1 by ,burgundy and           
,champaign1      added to the sitting up
 all night at business2 ,i found him    
drinking      tea1 while the rest were  
at ,champaign1 and was very glad of     
it4'#cbj    ,even ,pope1 the perforcedly
 abstemious1 was lured into similar     
excesses  by the young ,earl of ,warwick
 and ,colley ,cibber1 during his visits 
to  ,london1 whilst engaged on his      
translation of the ,iliad1 and writes to

  ,congreve1        ',i sit up till two 
o'clock over ,burgundy and              
,champagne4'#cba    ,a proof of the     
popularity of ,french wines at this     
period is found  in the fact that in    
#agac1 the year of the ,peace of        
,utrecht1 the  registered imports1      
despite high duties1 reached #beea tuns1
 an amount  not exceeded till #aghf4    
,the ,treaty of ,commerce1 with which   
,bolingbroke  7whose partiality to      
,champagne we have seen7 and ,m4 de     
,torcy sought to  supplement that of    
,peace1 having fallen through1 the      
tavern-keepers  put such a price on     
these wines that it was only members of 
the  fashionable world who could afford 
to have what was termed 'a good         
,champagne stomach4'#cbb ,their vogue is
 confirmed by the order given to  her   
servant by a lady aspiring to take a    
leading position in the beau  monde to  
'go to ,mr4 ,mixture1 the wine-merchant1
 and order him to send in      twelve   
dozen of his best ,champaign1 twelve    

dozen of ,burgundy1 and      twelve     
dozen of ,hermitage1'#cbc    as the     
entire stock for her cellar4 ',good     
wine' was indeed1 in those  days1 'a    
gentleman4'    ,illustration3 ',,good   
,,wine ,a ,,gentleman4'    ,the         
unvarying rule that the fashions set by 
the most select are  inevitably aped by 
the most degraded1 so far as lies in    
their power1 is  exemplified in the     
,tavern ,scene of ,hogarth's ,rake's    
,progress1 where  the table at which the
 hero and his inamoratas are seated is  
set out  with the tall wine-glasses     
wherein        ',champaign goes briskly 
round4'#cbd    ,illustration3 ,,tavern  
,,scene ,,from ',,the ,,rake',s         
,,progress4'    ,the ,jacobites1        
faithful to their traditional ally1     
continued to toast  'the ,king over the 
water' by passing glasses charged with  
the sparkling  wine of ,france across a 
bowl filled to the brim with the pure   
element4  ,the middle classes clung to  
their beer1 or at most indulged in ,port

 and  punch2 whilst the lower orders    
seem to have become seized with that    
insane passion for ardent spirits which 
,hogarth satirised in his ',gin  ,lane1'
 and hailed with glee ,sir ,robert      
,walpole's                              
'attempt1      ,superior to ,canary or  
,champagne1      ,geneva salutiferous to
 enhance4'#cbe    ,illustration3 ',,the 
,,king ,,over ,,the ,,water4'           
,illustration    ,the registered imports
 of the wines of ,france--though figures
 in this  respect are1 we admit1        
exceedingly deceptive--show a continuous
 falling  off1 which reached its lowest 
ebb in #agdf1 during war time2 and we   
may  be certain that when1 after supper1
        ',champagne was the word for two
 whole hours by ,shrewsbury             
clock1'#cbf    it was at the cost of a  
pretty penny4 ,although the recorded    
imports  of ,french wines show but      
little improvement with the return of   
peace  in #agdh1 we gather from other   
sources that the ,champagne of #agdi met

  with a ready market over here1 and    
find ,bertin du ,rocheret writing       
exultingly to his friend1 the ,marquis  
de ,calvires1 that the ,champenois  were
 making the ,english pay the cost of the
 war4    ,the voluminous correspondence 
of ,bertin du ,rocheret gives some      
curious  information as to the manner in
 which the ,champagne trade was carried 
on with ,england during the second      
quarter of the eighteenth century4      
,from #agbe to #aged he was in constant 
communication with ,mr4 ,james          
,chabane1 who seems to have been the    
,court wine-merchant1 and to whom  he   
despatched at first ten1 but during the 
latter portion of their  transactions   
seldom more than four1 pices of wine    
annually during  the winter months4#cbg 
,as regards the particular vintage      
consumed  in ,england1 a preference     
evidently existed for that of ,ay1      
though it  really appears as if ,bertin 
was wont to introduce under this name   
the  then far cheaper growths of ,avize4

 ,such1 at any rate1 seems to have  been
 the case with the parcel of wine       
divided1 in #aged1 between ,king        
,george in ,london and ,king ,stanislas 
at ,nancy4 ,referring to the wines  of  
,hautvillers and ,sillery1 ,bertin      
writes to ,chabane in #agca1 that a     
year's notice must be given in advance  
to obtain them4 ,a liquoreux  wine was  
then preferred1 as in #agcb he remarks1 
respecting the yield  of the preceding  
year1 that the ,english are as mad after
 liqueur as  the ,french2 and it is     
evident that the taste continued1 as in 
#agdd he  announces the departure for   
,london of eleven poinons liquoreux4    
,not only was ,chabane accustomed to    
bottle these wines1 but while  doing so 
was able to insure to them a            
semi-sparkling character4 ,with  this   
view ,bertin tells him1 in #agca1 that  
he must not keep them in  cask after the
 three sves1 or motions of the sap of   
,april1 ,june1  or ,august1 except in   
the case of a pice from 'the clos'      

reserved  'for the supply of the        
,court1' and intended to be drunk as    
still wine4  ,some wine despatched in   
#aged is recommended to be bottled      
during the  first quarter of the        
moon4#cbh ,in addition to the wine thus 
sent  in casks1 ,bertin was also        
accustomed to send his correspondent a  
certain quantity in bottles4 ,in #agbe  
he quotes for him 'flacons blancs       
mousseux liqueur1' at from #cj to #ej   
sols1 and 'ambrs non-mousseux  sablant1'
 at #be sols4 ,these flasks were all    
despatched to ,dunkirk or  into         
,holland1 whence they were smuggled to  
their ultimate destination1  for the    
introduction of wine in bottles into    
,england was rigidly  prohibited until  
the close of #agde1 when it was         
legalised by ,act of  ,parliament4#cbi  
,horace ,walpole1 who deals with men    
rather than manners1 with sayings       
rather than doings1 and whose forte is  
epigram and not description1 has  little
 to tell us about the drinking customs  

of his day4 ,the strictly  temperate    
regimen that marked his later years1 and
 rendered him unfit  for mere convivial 
gatherings1 extended to his writings1   
and he seldom  permits his pen to       
expatiate on those pleasures in which he
 sought no  share4 ,even in his letters 
from ,reims1 written in #agci1 when he  
was  doing the grand tour1 he omits all 
mention of the wine for which that  city
 is famed4 ,still he incidentally       
furnishes a few instances of the  esteem
 in which ,champagne was held by the    
upper classes in the middle  of the     
eighteenth century4 ,in a letter to     
,george ,montague1 dated ,june  #bc1    
#agej1 he describes how ,lord ,granby   
joined his party at ,vauxhall  whilst   
suffering considerably under the        
influence of the ,champagne he  had     
consumed at ',jenny's ,whim1' a noted   
tavern at ,chelsea2 and writing  to ,sir
 ,horace ,mann1 a year later1 he says   
that the then chief subjects  of        
conversation in ,london were the two    

,miss ,gunnings and an extravagant      
dinner at ,white's4    ,illustration3   
,,scene ,,at ,,vauxhall ,,gardens       
7,from an engraving after a drawing by  
,gravelot74        ',the dinner was a   
frolic of seven young men1 who bespoke  
it to      the utmost extent of expense2
 one article was a tart made of duke    
cherries1 from a hothouse2 and another1 
that they tasted but one      glass out 
of each bottle of ,champagne4 ,the bill 
of fare has got      into print1 and    
with good people has produced the       
apprehension of      another            
earthquake4'#ccj    ,the ,earl of       
,march1 afterwards ',old ,q1' in a      
letter to ,walpole's friend1  ,george   
,selwyn1 in ,november #agff1 writes3 ',i
 have not yet received  some ,champaign 
that ,monsieur de ,prissieux has sent   
me4'#cca ,and we  find ,horace          
,walpole's fair foe1 that               
eighteenth-century exemplar of          
strong-minded womanhood1 ,lady ,mary    
,wortley ,montague1 whose letters       

indicate a penchant for ,burgundy1      
acknowledging in verse the  exhilarating
 effects of ,champagne4 ,of the beaux of
 #agba she says that        ',they sigh1
 not from the heart but from the brain1 
,vapours of vanity and strong           
,champagne4'#ccb    ,better known by far
 are her oft-quoted lines1        ',but 
when the long hours of the public are   
past1      ,and we meet with ,champagne 
and a chicken at last1      ,may every  
fond pleasure that moment endear1       
,be banished afar both discretion and   
fear1'#ccc    which drew from ,byron the
 terror-stricken comment1 ',what say you
 to  such a supper with such a          
woman8'#ccd    ,illustration            
,illustration    ,during the third      
quarter of the eighteenth century a     
cloud dims the  lustre of ,champagne4   
,it was then looked upon by a vast      
majority as  only a fit accompaniment to
 masquerades1 ridottos1                 
ultra-fashionable  dinners1 and         
,bacchanalian suppers4 ',the ,champaign 

made some eyes  sparkle that nothing    
else could brighten1'#cce says the      
contemporary  account of one of those   
scenes of shameless revelry held under  
the  title of masquerades at the        
,pantheon1 and the orgies that1 under   
the auspices of ,mrs4 ,cornelys1        
disgraced ,carlisle ,house were mainly  
inspired by the consumption of the same 
wine4 ,the citizens of the  ,georgian   
era1 who had lost the tastes of their   
fathers1 hated ,french  wines simply    
because they were ,french2 and the      
hundred thousand gallons  imported on an
 average annually from #agej to #aghf   
were entirely  consumed amongst the     
upper or the dissipated classes4 ,though
 smuggling  was still looked upon as    
patriotic1 if not loyal1 those engaged  
in it  had discovered that1 thanks to   
the combined effects of duty and demand1
  ,nantes brandy and ,hollands gin paid 
better4 ,what1 indeed1 is to be  thought
 of the taste of an era that produced   
poets whose muse sought  inspiration in 

punch1 and who had the sublime audacity 
to extol the rum  of the ,west ,indies  
above the produce of ',marne's flowery  
banks'8#ccf  ,only a few of the         
higher-class men1 however1 engaged in   
literature and  art seem to have        
retained a preference for ,french wine4 
,the accounts of  the ,literary ,club   
established by ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds   
show the average  consumption at each   
sitting to have been half a bottle of   
,port and a  bottle of ,claret per head4
 ,johnson drank ,port mixed with sugar  
from  about #ageb to #agfd2 became a    
total abstainer until #agha1 and then   
seems  to have given the preference to  
,madeira4    ,illustration3 ,,the       
,,literary ,,club4    ,in               
contemporaneous comedy we are pretty    
sure to find the mirror held  up to     
fashion1 if not to ,nature2 and turning 
to the playwrights of  that day1 it is  
easy to cull a few confirmatory         
excerpts4 ,thus we have  ,sterling1 the 
ambitious ,british merchant1 in order to

 do honour to his  noble guests1        
preparing to        'give them such a   
glass of ,champaign as they never drank 
in their      lives2 no1 not at a duke's
 table4'#ccg    ,while ,lord ,minikin1  
the peer of fashion1 makes his entrance 
on the  stage1 exclaiming3        ',o my
 head6 ,i must absolutely change my     
wine-merchant2 ,i cannot      taste his 
,champaigne without disordering myself  
for a week4'#cch    ,on ,miss ,tittup   
inquiring if his depression is due to   
losses at cards1  he replies1           
',no1 faith1 our ,champaigne was not    
good yesterday4'#cci    ,jessamy1 his   
lordship's valet1 profits of course by  
so aristocratic an  example2 and when   
speaking of his exploits at the         
masquerade1 says1        ',i was in     
tip-top spirits1 and had drunk a little 
too freely of the      ,champaigne1 ,i  
believe4'#cdj    ,with ,philip the      
butler1 ',burgundy is the word1' and    
from the choicest  vintages of his      
master's cellar he places on the table  

',claret1  ,burgundy1 and ,champaign2   
and a bottle of ,tokay for the          
ladies2'#cda  while ,port is            
characterised by the ,duke's servant as 
'only fit for a  dram4'#cdb ,mrs4       
,circuit presses the guests at a        
clandestinely-given  repast to 'taste   
the ,champagne2' and her husband1 the   
,sergeant1 is  surprised on his return  
home to find that they have been so     
indulging3        ',delicate eating1 in 
truth2 and the wine ,drinks ,champagne1 
as      ,i live6 ,must have t'other     
glass 444 delicate white wine1 indeed6  
,i      like it better every glass4'#cdc
    ,such is his comment4    ,the       
effects of the wine are characterised in
 the following fashion by  ,garrick1    
when ,sparkish1 entering1 according to  
the stage directions1  'fuddled1'       
declares that        'when a man has    
wit1 and a great deal of it1 ,champaign 
gives it a      double edge1 and nothing
 can withstand it2 'tis a lighted match 
to      gunpowder2 the mine is sprung1  

and the poor devils are tossed heels    
uppermost in an instant4'#cdd           
,illustration3 ,,lord ,,minikin4    ,we 
greet1 too1 what was perhaps the first  
appearance of a joke now  grown         
venerable in its antiquity in a farce of
 ,foote's1 the scene of  which is laid  
at ,bath4 ,he introduces us to a party  
of pseudo-invalids  devoting their whole
 time and attention to conviviality1    
recruiting  their debilitated stomachs  
with turtle and venison1 and alternating
  ,bath waters with the choicest        
vintages1 so that the hero ,racket is   
fain  to observe to one of them1        
',my dear ,sir ,kit1 how often has ,dr4 
,carawitchet told you that your         
rich food and ,champaigne would produce 
nothing but poor health and      real   
pain8'#cde    ,and how many gentlemen in
 difficulties have not since followed   
the  example set by ,harry ,dornton in  
the spunging-house1 and ordered1 as a   
consolation1        'a bottle of        
,champagne and two rummers'6#cdf        

,turning from fancy to fact1 we find    
,sir ,edward ,barry furnishing some     
particulars respecting the ,champagne   
wines consumed in ,england during  the  
latter half of the last century4#cdg ,he
 informs us at the outset  that         
'the wines of ,champaign and ,burgundy  
are made with more care than      any   
other ,french wines2 and the vaults in  
which the former are      preserved are 
better than any other in ,france4 ,these
 wines1 from      their finer texture   
and peculiar flavour1 cannot be         
adulterated      without the fraud being
 easily discovered1 and are therefore   
generally imported pure1 or by proper   
care may be certainly      procured in  
that state4'    ,his remarks evidently  
refer to the still wines1 as he proceeds
 to  explain that 'the ,champaign ,river
 ,wines are more delicate and pale than 
those which are distinguished from them 
by the name of ,mountain gray  ,wines1' 
the latter being more durable and better
 suited for exportation1  whilst the    

former1 if allowed to remain too long in
 the cask1 acquire a  taste from the    
wood1 although keeping in flasks from   
four to six years  without harm4        
,referring to the taste of the day1 he  
explains that        'among the ,river  
,wines the ,auvillers and ,epernay are  
most esteemed1      and among the       
,mountain ,wines the ,selery and ,st4   
,thyery1 and in      general such as are
 of the colour of a partridge's eye4    
,these are      likewise distinguished  
for their peculiar grateful pungency and
      balsamic softness1 which is owing 
to the refined saline principle         
which prevails more in them than in the 
,burgundy ,wines1 on which      account 
they are less apt to affect the head1   
communicate a milder      heat1 and more
 freely pervade and pass through the    
vessels of the      body4444 ,to drink  
,champaign ,wines in the greatest       
perfection1 the      flask should be    
taken from the vault a quarter of an    
hour before it      is drunk1 and       

immersed in ice-water1 with the cork so 
loose in it      as is sufficient to    
give a free passage to the air1 and yet 
prevent      too great an evaporation of
 its spirituous parts4'                 
,illustration3 ,,high ,,living ,,at     
,,bath    7,after ,rowlandson1 in the   
,new ,bath ,guide74    ,the foregoing   
practice still obtains with ,sillery1   
classed by ,barry as  the first of the  
,mountain growths1 and in the highest   
favour in ,england  throughout the      
remainder of the century4 ,regarding    
sparkling wine1 of  which he was        
evidently no admirer1 he adds3          
',for some years the ,french and        
,english have been particularly fond    
of the sparkling frothy ,champaigns4    
,the former have almost entirely        
quitted that depraved taste1 nor does it
 now so much prevail here4      ,they   
used to mix some ingredients to give    
them that quality2 but      this is     
unnecessary1 as they are too apt        
spontaneously to run into      that     

state2 but whoever chooses to have such 
,wines may be assured      that they    
will acquire it by bottling them any    
time after the      vintage before the  
month of the next ,may2 and the most    
sure rule to      prevent that          
disposition is not to bottle them before
 the ,november      following4 ,this    
rule has been confirmed by repeated     
experiments4'    ,on the signature of   
the ,treaty of ,peace with ,france in   
#aghc1 it had  been stipulated that a   
,treaty of ,commerce should likewise be 
concluded2  and in #aghf1 under the     
auspices of ,pitt1 a treaty of this     
character was  made1 the first article  
providing that ',the wines of ,france   
imported  directly from ,france into    
,great ,britain shall in no case pay any
  higher duties than those which the    
wines of ,portugal now pay4' ,pitt1     
spite of his well known penchant for    
,port1 had yet a sneaking liking  for   
,champagne1 arising no doubt from his   
early familiarity with the  wine when he

 went to ,reims to study1 after leaving 
the ,university of  ,cambridge4 ,it was 
with ,champagne that he was primed on   
the memorable  occasion when he1 ,lord  
,chancellor ,thurlow1 and ,mr4          
,secretary ,dundas  galloped after dusk 
through an open turnpike-gate without   
paying toll1  and only just missed      
receiving the contents of a loaded      
blunderbuss1  which the turnpike man1   
fancying they were highwaymen1 fired    
after  them4 ,the party had been dining 
with the ,president of the ,board of    
,trade at ,addiscombe1 and a rhymester  
of the epoch commemorated the  incident 
in the following lines3        ',how as 
,pitt wandered darkling o'er the plain1 
,his reason drowned in ,jenkinson's     
,champagne1      ,a rustic's hand1 but  
righteous fate withstood1      ,had shed
 a premier's for a robber's blood4'     
,illustration3 ,,dundas ,,and ,,pitt    
,,as ,,silenus ,,and ,,bacchus          
7,after ,gilray74    ,illustration3     
,,william ,,pitt    7,after ,gilray74   

,tickell has noted the appreciation of  
,brooks' ,champagne shown by ,pitt's    
great rival in the lines addressed to   
,sheridan1 and purporting to be an      
invitation to supper from ,fox4 ,the    
illustrious member for ,westminster     
promises his guest that        ',derby  
shall send1 if not his plate1 his cooks1
      ,and know ,i've bought the best   
,champaign from ,brooks4'#cdh           
,brooks' ,club enjoyed a high reputation
 for its ,champagne1 and we find        
,fighting ,fitzgerald emptying three    
bottles there without assistance1  the  
same evening on which he bullied the    
members into electing him4#cdi    ,the  
year after the ,treaty of ,commerce was 
signed1 we have an anonymous  writer    
remarking#cej that in time of peace the 
,english drew large  quantities of wine 
from ,bordeaux and ,nantes1 and that the
 other ,french  wines they were in the  
habit of consuming were those of        
,mantes1  ,burgundy1 and ,champagne1    
shipped respectively from ,rouen1       

,dunkirk1 and  ,calais4 ,arthur ,young1 
writing at the same time1 remarks1      
apropos  of ,champagne1 that the trade  
with ,england 'used to be directly from 
,epernay2 but now the wine is sent to   
,calais1 ,boulogne1 ,montreuil1  and    
,guernsey1 in order to be passed into   
,england they suppose here  by          
smuggling4 ,this may explain our        
,champagne not being so good as         
formerly4'#cea ,it is to be hoped that  
neither ,arthur ,young nor other        
connoisseurs of ,champagne had been     
enticed into drinking as the genuine    
article any of the produce of the       
vineyard which the ,hon4 ,charles       
,hamilton had planted with the ,auvernat
 grape near ,cobham1 in ,surrey1  and   
which was said to yield a wine          
'resembling ,champagne4'#ceb    ,the    
reduction of duty consequent upon the   
treaty as a matter of course  largely   
increased the importation of ,french    
wine4 ,respecting the taste  for        
,champagne then prevailing in ,england1 

and the price the wine  commanded1 a few
 interesting particulars are afforded by
 the early  correspondence and          
account-books of ,messrs4 ,mot  ,chandon
 of ,epernay1  which we have courteously
 been permitted to inspect4 ,from these 
we find  that in ,october #aghh the     
,chevalier ,colebrook1 writing in       
,french to  the firm from ,bath1 asks   
that seventy-two bottles of ,champagne  
may be  sent to his friend1 the ,hon4   
,john ,butler of ,molesworth-street1    
,dublin1  'who1 if content with the     
wine1 will become a very good customer1 
being  rich1 keeping a good house1 and  
receiving many amateurs of vin de       
,champagne4' ,the writer is no doubt the
 ',m4 ,collebrock' to whom the  firm    
shortly afterwards forward fifty bottles
 of 'vin non mousseux1  #aghc1' on his  
own account4 ,messrs4 ,carbonnell1      
,moody1  ,walker1  predecessors of the  
well-known existing firm of ,carbonnell 
,co41  ,london1 in a letter dated       
,november #aghh1 and also written in    

,french1  say3 ',if you can supply us   
with some ,champagne of a very good     
body1 not  too much charged with        
liqueur1 but with an excellent flavour1 
and not  at all moussu1 we beg you to   
send two ten dozen baskets4 ,also1 if   
you  have any dry ,champagne of very    
good flavour1 solidity1 and excellent   
body1 send two baskets of the same      
size4'    ,the taste of the day was     
evidently for a full-bodied             
non-sparkling  wine2 and this is        
confirmed by ,jeanson1 ,messrs4 ,mot's  
traveller in  ,england1 who writes from 
,london in ,may #agij3 ',how the taste  
of this  country has altered within the 
last ten years6 ,almost everywhere they 
ask for a dry wine2 but they want a wine
 so vinous and so strong1  that there is
 hardly anything but ,sillery that will 
satisfy them4'  ,additional confirmation
 is found in a letter1 written from     
,london in  ,may #agii to ,messrs4 ,mot1
 by a ,mr4 ,john ,motteux1 complaining  
of delay  in the delivery of a parcel of

 wine said to have been sent off by way 
of ,havre1 and very likely destined to  
be surreptitiously introduced  into     
,england vi ,guernsey4 ,he asks for a   
further supply of ,sillery1  if its safe
 arrival can be guaranteed1 and remarks1
 ',there is nothing  to be compared to  
,sillery when it is genuine2 it must not
 have the  least sweetness nor          
mousse4'#cec    ,during the great       
,french war1 patriotism and increased   
duties might have  been expected to     
check the import of ,french wines2 yet1 
if statistics  are worth anything1 the  
reverse would appear to have been the   
case4  ,the registered imports1 which   
from #aggj to #aghf had fluctuated      
between  #hj1jjj and #abe1jjj gallons1  
rose during the last fourteen years of  
the  century to an average of #eej1jjj  
gallons per annum4 ,in those fighting1  
rollicking1 hard-drinking times1 when it
 was a sacred social duty to  toast     
'great ,george our ,king' on every      
possible occasion1 ,champagne  continued

 to be 'the wine of fashion4' ,the      
sparkling variety was  terribly costly1 
no doubt1 and was often doled out1 as   
,mr4 ,walker  relates1 'like drops of   
blood4'#ced ,but whilst the stanch      
admirers of  ,port might profess to     
despise ,champagne as effeminate1 and   
the 'loyal  volunteers' condemn it as   
the produce of a foeman's soil1 there   
were  plenty to sing in honour of ',the 
,fair of ,britain's ,isle3'             
',fill1 fill the glass1 to beauty       
charge1          ,and banish care from  
every breast2      ,in brisk ,champaign 
we'll quick discharge1          ,a toast
 shall give the wine a zest4'#cee       
,indeed1 the greatest of ,england's     
naval heroes was not insensible to  the 
attractions of this gift from 'our sweet
 enemy ,france4' ,in ,october  #ahjj    
,nelson1 together with ,sir ,william and
 ,lady ,hamilton1 was a guest  of ,mr4  
,elliot1 the ,british ,resident at      
,dresden4 ,at dinner ,lady ,hamilton    
drank more ,champagne than the narrator 

of this little incident imagined  it was
 possible for a woman to consume1 and   
inspired thereby1 insisted  on favouring
 the company with her imitations of     
classical statuary4  ,nelson thereupon  
got uproarious1 and went on emptying    
bumper after  bumper of the same fluid  
in honour of the fair ,emma1 and        
swearing that  she was superior to      
,siddons4 ,the host kept striving 'to   
prevent the  further effusion of        
,champagne1' but did not succeed till   
,sir ,william  in his turn had          
astonished all present with a display of
 his social  talents4 ,the grave        
diplomatist lay down on his back1 with  
his arms and  legs in the air1 and in   
this position bounded all round the room
 like a  ball1 with his stars and       
ribbons flying around him4#cef    ,if we
 may give credit to ,tom ,moore1 'the   
best wigged prince in  ,christendom1'   
who was subsequently to 'd---- ,madeira 
as gouty1' and  bring ,sherry into      
fashion1 preferred stronger potations   

than those  produced on the banks of the
 ,marne4 ,in one of the poet's political
  skits the ,prince is introduced       
soliloquising  la ,jemmy ,thompson--    
',o ,roman ,punch6 ,o potent ,curaoa6   
,o ,maraschino6 ,maraschino ,o6         
,delicious drams'#ceg--    and          
describing his favourite luncheon as    
'good mutton cutlets and  strong        
curaoa4'#ceh ,nevertheless1 the ,first  
,gentleman in ,europe  did consume      
,champagne2 but it was concentrated in  
the form of punch1  especially devised  
for him1 and indulged in by him in      
company with  ,barrymore1 ,hanger1 and  
their fellows4#cei    ,his sometime     
model and subsequent victim1 poor       
,brummell1 is said to  have put the wine
 to a still more ignoble use4 ,one day a
 youthful beau  approached the great    
master in the arts of dress and         
deportment1 and  said1 ',permit me to   
ask you where you get your blacking8'   
',ah1' replied  ,brummell1 gazing       
complacently at his boots1 'my blacking 

positively  ruins me4 ,i will tell you  
in confidence it is made with the finest
  ,champagne4'#cfj ,probably the great  
dandy was merely quizzing his           
interlocutor1 though such an act of     
extravagance would have been a pull  on 
even the longest purse in those days1   
'your bottle of ,champagne in  the year 
#ahad costing you a guinea4'#cfa        
,illustration3 ,,the ,,prince ,,regent  
7,after ,gilray74    ,as to the ,prince 
,regent's brothers1 we know that the    
,duke of ,york  was such a powerful     
toper1 that 'six bottles of ,claret     
after dinner  scarce made a perceptible 
change in his countenance1'#cfb and     
remember  the ,duke of ,clarence making 
his appearance at the table of the      
,royal  household at ,windsor1 and      
getting so helplessly drunk on          
,champagne as  to be utterly incapable  
of keeping his promise to open the ball 
that  evening with his sister ,mary4#cfc
 ,two prominent orators of that day  are
 credited with mots upon ,champagne4    

,curran said1 apropos of the  rapid but 
transient intoxication produced by this 
wine1 that ',champagne  made a runaway  
rap at a man's head2' while ,canning    
maintained that any  man who said he    
really liked dry ,champagne simply lied4
    ,after ,waterloo1 although a few    
gourmets continued to prefer the  still 
wine1 sparkling ,champagne became the   
almost universally accepted  variety4   
,nevertheless1 ,henderson1 while noting 
that 'by ,champagne wine  is usually    
understood a sparkling or frothy        
liquor1' gives the foremost  place to   
the wine of ,sillery1 which1 he remarks1
 'has always been in  much request in   
,england1 probably on account of its    
superior strength  and durable quality4'
 ,he extols the ,ay wine as 'an         
exquisite liquor1  lighter and sweeter  
than the ,sillery1 and accompanied by a 
delicate  flavour and aroma somewhat    
analogous to that of the                
pine-apple4'#cfd    ,the poets of the   
first half of the present century have  

hardly done  justice to ,champagne4 ,tom
 ,moore1 the most ,anacreontic of them  
all1  although ready1 like his ,grecian 
prototype1 to 'pledge the universe in   
wine1' the merits of which he was       
continually chanting in the abstract1   
has seldom been so invidious as to      
particularise any especial vintage4     
,champagne1 the wine of all others best 
fitted to inspire his bright  and       
sparkling lyrics1 has received but scant
 attention in his earlier  productions4 
,bob ,fudge1 writing from ,paris in     
#ahah1 is made to speak  approvingly of 
,beaune and ,chambertin1 but only       
mentions ,champagne as a  vehicle in    
which to sauter kidneys2#cfe and in the 
,sceptic it is  simply brought in to    
point a moral respecting the senses3    
',habit so mars them1 that the ,russian 
swain      ,will sigh for train-oil     
while he sips ,champagne4'#cff    ,in   
two instances only the poet who sang in 
such lively numbers of woman  and wine  
pointedly refers to the vintage of the  

,champagne4 ,one is when  he says3      
',if ever you've seen a party           
,relieved from the presence of ,ned1    
,how instantly joyous and hearty        
,they've grown when the damper was fled4
      ,you may guess what a gay piece of
 work1          ,what delight to        
,champagne it must be1      ,to get rid 
of its bore of a cork1          ,and    
come sparkling to you1 love1 and        
me4'#cfg    ,and his description of a   
summer fte is indeed                    
'a mere terrestrial strain              
,inspired by naught but pink            
,champagne2'#cfh    such as might be    
penned        ',while as the sparkling  
juice of ,france          ,high in the  
crystal brimmers flowed1      ,each     
sunset ray1 that mixed by chance        
,with the wine's diamond1 showed        
,how sunbeams may be taught to          
dance2'#cfi    with the final result    
that        ',thus did ,fancy and       
,champagne          ,work on the sight  
their dazzling spells1      ,till nymphs

 that looked at noonday plain           
,now brightened in the gloom to         
belles4'#cgj    ,moore's ,diary1        
however1 proves that if he did not care 
to praise  the wine in verse1 it was not
 for want of opportunities of becoming  
acquainted with it4 ,witness his 'odd   
dinner in a borrowed room' at  ,horace  
,twiss's in ,chancery-lane1 with the    
strangely incongruous  accompaniments of
 ',champagne1 pewter spoons1 and old    
,lady ,cork4'#cga    ,as to that most   
convivial of songsters1 ,captain        
,charles ,morris1  poet-laureate of the 
,ancient ,society of ,beefsteaks1 he    
labours under  a similar reproach4      
,though he has filled several hundred   
octavo pages  of his ,lyra ,urbanica    
with verses in praise of wine1 the      
liquor  with which he crowns 'the       
mantling goblet1' 'the fancy-stirring   
bowl1' or 'the soul-subliming cup1'     
usually figures under some such         
fanciful designation as 'the inspiring  
juice1' 'the cordial of life1'  or      

',bacchus' balm4' ,champagne he         
evidently ignores as a beverage of      
,gallic origin1 utterly unfitted for the
 praise of so true a ,briton as         
himself2 and the only vintage which he  
does condescend to mention with         
approbation is the favourite one of our 
beef-eating1 hard-drinking1  frog-hating
 forefathers1 'old ,oporto' from 'the   
stout ,lusitanian vine4'                
,illustration3 ,,captain ,,charles      
,,morris 7,after ,gilray74    ,strange  
as it may seem1 the manlier ,muse of    
,scott used at times to dip  her wing   
into the ,champagne cup1 although she   
has failed to express any  verbal       
gratitude to this source of inspiration4
 ',in truth1' says his  biographer1 'he 
liked no wines except sparkling         
,champaign and ,claret2  but even as to 
this last he was no connoisseur1 and    
sincerely preferred  a tumbler of       
whisky-toddy to the most precious liquid
 ruby that ever  flowed in the cup of a 
prince4 ,he rarely took any other       

potation when  alone with his family2   
but at the ,sunday board he circulated  
the  ,champaign briskly during dinner1  
and considered a pint of ,claret each   
man's fair share afterwards4'#cgb ,scott
 himself1 wearied with a round  of      
,london festivities1 is impelled to     
write1 ',i begin to tire of my          
gaieties4 ,i wish for a sheep's head and
 whisky-toddy against all the  ,french  
cookery and ,champaign in the           
world4'#cgc ,lockhart1 in his  ,life of 
,scott1 notes the excellent flavour of  
some ,champagne sent  to ,abbotsford by 
a ,french admirer of the ,northern      
,wizard in return  for a set of his     
works1 and more than once incidentally  
refers to the  presence of the wine at  
,scott's table on festive gatherings4   
,byron1 who furnished in the course of  
his career a practical  exemplification 
of the maxim that                       
',comus all allows      ,champaign1     
dice1 music1 or your neighbour's        
spouse1'#cgd    did the vintage of the  

,marne justice in his verses4 ,in ,don  
,juan he  shows himself not insensible  
to the charms of                        
',champagne with foaming whirls      ,as
 white as ,cleopatra's melted           
pearls4'#cge    ,the wine1 moreover1    
furnishes two striking comparisons in   
that  poem--one when he observes that   
',the evaporation of a joyous day       
,is like the last glass of ,champagne1  
without      ,the foam which made its   
virgin bumper gay2'#cgf    and the      
other1 where1 in his sketch of ,lady    
,adeline ,amundeville1 he  rejects the  
trite metaphor of the snow-covered      
volcano in favour of                    
'a bottle of ,champagne      ,frozen    
into a very vinous ice1          ,which 
leaves few drops of that immortal rain2 
,yet in the very centre1 past all price1
          ,about a liquid glassful will 
remain2      ,and this is stronger than 
the strongest grape      ,could e'er    
express in its expanded shape3          
',tis the whole spirit brought to a     

quintessence2        ,and thus the      
chilliest aspects may concentre      ,a 
hidden nectar under a cold              
presence4'#cgg    ,although we find     
,henderson remarking1 in #ahbb1 that    
'the pink ,champagne is less in request 
than the colourless1 and has      in    
fact nothing to entitle it to the       
preference1'    yet wine of this tint   
continued to reappear from time to time1
 securing  a transitory popularity from 
its attractive appearance1 which caused 
it to be likened to the dying reflection
 of the setting sun on a clear  stream4 
,an interesting incident in connection  
with its advent on one  of these        
occasions at the table of ,rogers1 the  
banker-poet1 has been  recorded by ,mr4 
,r4 ,a4 ,tracy ,gould of the ,american  
,bar4 ,he was dining1  it seems1 in     
company with ,tom ,moore and ,john      
,kenyon1 with ,rogers at  ,st4          
,james's-place1 when their host1 who had
 recently received through  the ,french 
,ambassador a present of a case of pink 

,champagne from ,louis  ,philippe1 had  
the first bottle of it produced at the  
end of the dinner4  ,the saucer-shaped  
,champagne glasses were then just coming
 into use1 and  pink ,champagne1 which  
was a revived novelty in ,england at    
that moment1  looked singularly         
beautiful in them1 crowned with its     
snow-white foam4  ,kenyon1 who1 as      
,gould remarks1 was nothing if not      
declamatory1 held up  his glass1 and    
apostrophised it as follows3            
',lily on liquid roses floating6        
,so floats yon foam o'er pink           
,champagne6      ,fain would ,i join    
such pleasant boating1          ,and    
prove that ruby main1              ,and 
float away on wine6'    ,this being     
vociferously applauded1 after a few     
minutes' pause he added  the second     
verse3        ',those seas are          
dangerous1 graybeards swear1            
,whose sea-beach is the goblet's brim2  
,and here it is they drown dull ,care-- 
,but what care we for him8              

,so we but float on wine6'    ,on being 
desired to continue1 ,kenyon declared   
that he had done his  part1 and that it 
was now the turn of some one else4      
,moore and  ,rogers both claimed        
exemption1 as being on the 'retired     
list' of  the ,parnassian army1 and     
peremptorily demanded a contribution    
from  the ,transatlantic guest1 ,tracy  
,gould1 who thereupon1 with 'great      
diffidence1' as he tells us1 delivered  
himself of the third and fourth         
stanzas3        ',gray ,time shall pause
 and smooth his wrinkles1               
,bright garlands round his scythe shall 
twine2      ,while sands from out his   
glass he sprinkles1          ,to fill it
 up with wine--              ,with rosy 
sparkling wine6        ,thus hours shall
 pass which no man reckons1             
',mongst us1 who1 glad with mirth       
divine1      ,heed not the shadowy hand 
that beckons          ,across the sea of
 wine--              ,of billowy gushing
 wine6'    ,kenyon then added another   

stanza1 which suggested a final verse to
 the  ,american3        ',and though    
'tis true they cross in pain1           
,who sober cross the ,stygian ferry1    
,yet only make our ,styx ,champagne1    
,and we shall cross right merry1        
,floating away on wine6'        ',old   
,charon's self shall make him mellow1   
,then gaily row his bark from shore2    
,while we and every jolly fellow        
,hear unconcerned the oar               
,that dips itself in wine6'    ,by this 
time the inspiration and the ,champagne 
were alike exhausted4    ,the history of
 ,champagne in ,england during the      
latter half of the  present century may 
be briefly summed up in the assertion of
 the  ever-growing popularity of the    
wine1 and the high repute attained  by  
certain brands1 which it would be       
invidious to particularise4  ,its       
success in oiling the wheels of social  
life is so great and so  universally    
acknowledged that its eclipse would     
almost threaten a  collapse of our      

social system4 ,we cannot open a        
railway1 launch a  vessel1 inaugurate a 
public edifice1 start a newspaper1      
entertain a  distinguished foreigner1   
invite a leading politician to favour us
 with  his views on things in general1  
celebrate an anniversary1 or specially  
appeal on behalf of a benevolent        
institution without a banquet1 and      
hence without the aid of ,champagne1    
which1 at the present day1 is the       
obligatory adjunct of all such repasts4 
,when the ,municipality of ,london      
welcome the ,khan of ,kamschatka to our 
shores and to the ,guildhall1 ,champagne
 flows in the proverbial buckets  full4 
,when the ,master and ,wardens of the   
,coalscuttle-,makers' ,company  bid the 
,livery to one of their periodical      
feasts1 scandal says that  even this    
measure is exceeded4 ,when ,sir ,fusby  
,guttleton gives one of  his noted      
'little spreads' at ,greenwich1 are not 
torrents of iced  'dry' needed to quench
 the thirst excited by the devilled     

bait8 ,aware1  too1 of the unloosening  
effect the wine exercises upon the      
strings of  both heart and purse1       
,pomposo1 as chairman at the annual     
festival of  the ,decayed               
,muffinmongers' ,asylum1 is careful to  
see that the glasses  of the guests have
 been well charged with it before he    
commences his  stirring appeal on behalf
 of that deserving institution4    ,does
 ,ingenioso wish to introduce to the    
notice of the ,british public  a new    
heating-power or lighting-apparatus or  
ice-making machinery1 he  straightway   
issues cards for a private view to      
critics and cognoscenti1  and is careful
 that these shall observe the merits of 
his invention  through the medium of a  
glass--bubbling over with ,champagne4   
,so it is  at the openings of the latest
 extension of the ,mugby ,junction      
,railway  and of the ,palatial ,hotel1  
at the private view of the ,amicable    
,afghans1  or ,tinto's new picture1 or  
any one of ,crotchet's manifold         

inventions4  ,if the bidding1 too1 flags
 at a sale of shorthorns or             
thoroughbreds1 at  a wink from the      
auctioneer the ,champagne-corks are set 
a-popping1 and  advance promptly follows
 advance in responsive echoes4    ,not  
less important is the part that         
,champagne plays in the ,city4 ,capel   
,crash1 the great financier1 literally  
floats the concerns he deigns  to       
'promote' by its agency4 ,when ,consol1 
the millionaire1 makes one of  a set for
 rigging the market1 and the 'ring' thus
 formed has reaped the  reward of their 
ingenuity1 does he not entertain his    
intimate friends  with the story and    
with the choicest ,champagne8 ,the      
amount of business1  moreover1          
transacted by the aid of the wine is    
incalculable4 ,bargains  in stocks and  
shares1 tea and sugar1 cotton and corn1 
hemp and iron1  hides and tallow1       
broadcloth and shoddy1 are clinched by  
its agency4 ,on  the other hand1 many a 
bit of sharp practice has been forgiven1

 many a  hard bargain has been          
forgotten1 many a smouldering resentment
 has been  quenched for ever1 and many  
an enmity healed and a friendship       
cemented1  over a bottle of ,champagne4 
,illustration3 ',i say1 old fellow1 how 
do you go to the ,derby this  year8'    
',o1 the old way--hamper-and-four4'     
7,from a drawing by ,john ,leech in     
',punch4'7    ,illustration3 ,,at ,,the 
,,derby    7,from a drawing by ,john    
,leech in ',punch4'7    ,the ,turf is   
said to be our national pastime1 and no 
one will deny  the close connection     
existing between sport and ,champagne4  
,from the  highest to the lowest of that
 wonderful agglomeration of individuals 
interested in equine matters1 it is     
recognised as the only standard         
'tipple4' ,champagne goes down to the   
,derby in its hamper-and-four1 like     
other pertinacious patrons of the race1 
and its all but ubiquitous  presence on 
the course is warmly welcomed by        
thousands of thirsty  visitors of very  

various grades4 ,at ,ascot1 does ,h4 ,r4
 ,h4 the ,prince of  ,wales seek to     
congratulate the ,marquis of ,hartington
 on his success1  it is by wishing him  
further success in a glass of sparkling 
wine4  ,does ,mr4 ,william ,kurr1       
welsher1 desire to make the acquaintance
 of ,mr4  ,druscovitch1 detective1 he   
seeks an introduction from ,mr4         
,meiklejohn  over a bottle of 'fiz4'    
,does the favourite horse win--quick1   
fill high  the bowl with sparkling wine1
 to celebrate his triumph2 does he lose1
  the same vintage will serve to drown  
our sorrows and obliterate the          
recollection of our losses4 ,how many   
cunning coups1 how many clever          
combinations1 have there not been worked
 out in all their details over  a bottle
 of ',cham4' in quiet hotel-parlours at 
,doncaster or ,newmarket6  ,how many    
bets have been laid and paid in the same
 medium6 ,how many a  jockey has been   
bought1 and how many a race has been    
sold1 owing to the  moral as well as    

physical obliquity of vision which the  
ingurgitation  of the wine has induced6 
,nor should the existence of ,champagne 
,stakes  be forgotten4 ,there are now   
several races of this name at different 
meetings2 but the oldest is that        
established at ,doncaster in #ahbh1 and 
taking its title from the fact of the   
owner of the winner having to  present  
six dozen of ,champagne to the          
,doncaster ,club4    ,illustration3     
,jones3 ',i say1 ,brown1 things are     
deuced bad in the  ,city4'    ,brown3   
',then ,i'm deuced glad ,i'm at ,epsom4'
    7,from a drawing by ,john ,leech in 
',punch4'7    ,illustration             
,illustration3 ,,at ,,the ,,star ,,and  
,,garter1 ,,richmond4    ,look1 too1 at 
the influence exercised by the wine on  
the ,british drama1  or rather on what  
to-day passes as such4 ,plagioso the    
playwright freely  opens a bottle of    
,champagne with the object of           
stimulating the wit of  his friend and  
collaborateur in the task of adapting   

,messrs4 ,meilhac   ,halvy's latest     
production to the ,london stage4        
,adverse critics1  moreover1 are said to
 be mollified by the subjugating        
influence of the  wine2 while authors1  
enraged at the way in which their pieces
 have been  'cut1' are similarly        
soothed2 squabbles too between rival    
artistes  as to parts and lengths are   
satisfactorily arranged in the          
managerial  sanctum over a bottle of    
fiz4 ,does ,lord ,nortiboy wish to      
smooth over a  tiff with the tow-haired 
young lady who is making ducks and      
drakes of  his money at the ,gynarchic  
,theatre1 and whose partiality for      
sparkling  wine is notorious1 a dinner  
at ,richmond and floods of ',cham' for  
herself and friends is the plan that    
naturally suggests itself4 ,should  the 
enterprising lessees of the             
,chansonnette ,theatre determine to     
celebrate the thousand and first night  
of the run of ,their ,girls1 a          
,champagne supper is recognised as the  

fit and proper method of doing  so4     
,supper is the favourite meal of the    
profession1 and ,champagne is of  course
 the best of all wine to take at that   
repast4 ,on the stage itself  it has    
often proved of very serious service4   
,robust tragedians and  prima donnas in 
good training may indulge in stout1 as  
more 'mellering  to the organ2' but by  
the judicious administration of         
,champagne many a  nervous dbutant has  
been encouraged to conquer 'stage       
fright' and to  face the footlights1    
many a jaded tragdienne enabled to rally
 her  fainting energies in the last act1
 and to carry her audience with her  in 
a final outburst of pathos or passion4  
,statesmen no longer prime themselves   
with ,port before strolling down  to the
 ,house1 till they get into the         
condition of the two members1 one  of   
whom averred that he could not see any  
,speaker in the chair1 whilst  the other
 gravely accounted for the phenomenon of
 this disappearance  by asserting that1 

for his part1 he saw a couple4 ,perhaps 
it is to be  regretted that the records 
of the 'tea-room' do not vouch for a    
larger  consumption of ,champagne1 as   
then perhaps the reporters overnight and
  their readers the nest morning might  
escape the wearisome reiteration  of    
purposeless recrimination and threadbare
 platitudes4 ,such should  certainly be 
the case1 since the power of the wine as
 an incentive to  brisk and sparkling   
conversation has been universally       
acknowledged in  social life4           
,illustration3 ',now1 ,george1 my boy1  
there's a glass of ,champagne for  you4 
,don't get such stuff at school1 eh8'   
',h'm6 ,awfully sweet4 ,very good sort  
for ladies4 ,but ,i've arrived at a     
time of life when ,i confess ,i like my 
wine dry4'    7,from a drawing by ,john 
,leech in ',punch4'7    ,to the dinners 
of ,bloomsbury and ,belgravia1 as well  
as the suppers of  ,bohemia1 ,champagne 
imparts a charm peculiarly its own by   
placing all  there present en rapport4  

,the modern mind may well look back with
  shuddering horror to that dreary      
period when ,champagne1 if given at     
all1 was doled out at dinner-parties    
'like drops of blood4' ,no wonder  the  
ladies used to fly from the table and   
the gentlemen to slide  underneath it4  
,and1 speaking of the ladies1 is not    
,champagne their wine  par excellence8  
,how would the fragile products of      
modern civilisation  be able to outdo   
the most robust of their                
ancestresses--whose highest  saltatory  
feats were the execution of the slow and
 stately minuet1  the formal quadrille  
with its frequent rests1 or at most the 
romping  country dance--by whirling     
almost uninterruptedly in the mazes of  
the  giddy waltz from nine in the       
evening until five in the morning1      
without  the sustaining power the       
sparkling fluid affords them8 ,has it   
not on  their tongues an influence equal
 to that which it exercises on their    
swiftly-flying feet1 inspiring pretty   

prattle1 sparkling repartee1  enchanting
 smiles1 and silvery laughter8 ,old     
,bertin du ,rocheret was  quite right   
when he invited his fair friends to     
continue drinking        ',de ce nectar 
dlicieux1      ,qui ptille dans vos     
beaux yeux      ,mieux qu'il ne brille  
dans mon verre4'    ,since these lines  
were penned1 many thousands of bright   
eyes have so  borrowed an additional    
lustre4    ,illustration                
,illustration    ,it would certainly be 
going too far to suggest that flirtation
 and  ,champagne must have been         
introduced simultaneously1 yet the      
former  can only have attained          
perfection since the advent of the      
latter4  ,only consider what a failure a
 picnic or a garden-or water-party1  or 
any other kind of entertainment to which
 that much-abused term  fte champtre is 
applied1 and where flirtation would be1 
without  ,champagne6 ,as a matrimonial  
agent1 ,champagne's achievements outdo  
those  of the cleverest of manoeuvring  

mammas4 ,it was solely those two extra  
glasses at supper which emboldened young
 ,impey ,cue of the ,foreign  ,office to
 summon up sufficient courage to propose
 in the conservatory  to ,miss          
,yellowboy1 the great heiress2 and      
,impey ,cue now lords it at  ,yellowboy 
,park as though to the manor born4 ,nor 
must the part it plays  on the eventful 
day when the fatal knot is firmly tied  
be overlooked4  ,it has been cynically  
remarked that it is a painful spectacle 
even for  the most hardened to witness  
the consigning of a victim to the doom  
matrimonial2 and that it becomes all the
 more painful when1 under the  futile   
pretext of festivity1 bewildered        
fathers1 harassed mothers1  sorrowing   
sisters1 envious cousins1 bored         
connections1 and pitying  friends1      
arrayed in their best attire1 meet at an
 abnormally early hour  round the       
miscalled social board4 ,still1 fancy   
what a wedding breakfast  would be      
without the accompaniment of ,champagne6

    ,illustration3 ,,the ,,social       
,,treadmill--,,the ,,wedding ,,breakfast
    7,from a drawing by ,john ,leech in 
',punch'74    ,illustration3 ,,coming   
,,of ,,age 7,drawn by ,r4 ,caldecott74  
,with mamma in tears and papa in the    
fidgets1 the bride half-way towards     
hysterics1 and the bridegroom wishing   
from the bottom of his heart  that the  
crowded dining-room would suddenly      
transform itself into a  securely-locked
 first-class coup speeding onwards in   
the direction  of ,dover1 the task of   
those speakers on whom devolves the duty
 of  descanting upon 'the happy occasion
 which has brought us together' is  of a
 surety no easy one4 ,and it would be   
still more uphill work were  it not for 
the amount of cheerful inspiration      
fortunately to be drawn  from the       
familiar foil-topped bottles4 ,by and   
by1 when the more serious  speeches have
 been duly stammered through1 and the   
jovial bachelor--a  middle-aged one by  
preference--rises to propose 'the health

 of the  bridesmaids1' bursts of        
laughter from the men and responsive    
titters1  bubbling up like the sparkling
 atoms in the wine which has inspired   
them1 from the lips of the damsels in   
question and their compeers1  prove     
beyond question that ,champagne has done
 its duty in dissipating  the gloom     
originally prevailing4    ,a wedding1   
too1 is the customary precursor of other
 family gatherings  at which the vintage
 of the ,marne plays the same enlivening
 part4  ,there are1 for instance1       
christenings where godfathers bring as  
their  offerings masterpieces of the    
silversmith's craft1 and the infant's   
health is quaffed by turns in           
',sherry in silver1 ,hock in gold1 and  
glassed ,champagne2'    for the wine of 
mirth is out of place in metal1 however 
precious1 and  needs the purest crystal 
to exhibit all its finer qualities4     
,there  are also coming-of-age banquets1
 whereat young ,hopeful is enabled to   
stumble and stutter through a series of 

jerky and disjointed phrases  of        
thanks--commonplace as they may be1     
which never fail to awaken the          
tenderest emotions in the heart of the  
maternal author of his being--by  the   
aid of sundry glasses of the sparkling  
wine of the ,marne4        ',o the      
wildfire wine of ,france6               
,quick with fantasies florescent1       
,rapturously effervescent1      ,how its
 atoms leap and dance6        ,floric   
fount of love and laughter1             
,where its emanations rise          ,all
 the difficulty dies      ,from the now 
and the hereafter4          ,through the
 happy golden haze      ,time's gray    
cheek is bright with dimples1      ,and 
his laugh more lightly wimples          
,than the sea's on summer days4         
,tongue and throat it makes to tingle1  
,beats the blood from heart to vein1    
,and ascending to the brain1      ,bids 
the spirit forth and mingle             
,with a world no longer grim1      ,but 
serene and sweet and spacious1          

,where the girls are fair and gracious1 
,and the ,cupids light of limb4         
,soul and sense are all untethered6     
,who would be an angel when1            
,clement king of gods and men1      ,he 
can soar so grandly1 feathered          
,with thy plumage1 ,o ,champagne8       
,bottled gladness6 thou magician6       
,silver-bearded6 mist ,elysian6         
,ecstasy of sun and rain6        ,swift 
and subtle1 glad and glorious1          
,o the wildfire wine of ,france6        
,how its atoms frisk and dance1         
,over ,fate and ,time victorious6'      
,illustration    ,illustration3    ,,map
 ,,of ,,the    ,,champagne ,,vineyards1 
,reduced1 by permission1 from the larger
 ,map4    ,drawn by _/,m4 ,j4           
,lignier_/1 ,staff-,captain1    ,for    
,messrs4 ,m,,et  ,,chandon1 of ,epernay4
    ,the purple tint indicates the      
,vineyards4    ,the yellow1 the ,woods  
and ,forests4    ,the green1 the        
,meadows4    ,the blue1 the ,ponds and  
,lakes4    ,the figures indicate the    

altitudes in metres above the level of  
the sea4    _/,scale in ,metres_/3      
7#bjjj ,metres are equal to #a-a_/d     
,miles47          ,illustration3 ,,the  
,,vineyards ,,and ,,abbey ,,of          
,,hautvillers4                          
,,part ,,ii4                            
,i4            _/,the ,champagne        
,vinelands--,the ,vineyards of the      
,river4_/        ,the vinelands in the  
neighbourhood of ,epernay--,viticultural
 area      of the ,champagne--,a visit  
to the vineyards of 'golden             
plants'--,the      ,dizy                
vineyards--,antiquity of the ,ay        
vineyards--,st4 ,tresain and      the   
wine-growers of ,ay--,the ,ay vintage of
 #ahga--,the ,mareuil      vineyards and
 their produce--,avernay2 its vineyards1
 wines1 and      ancient abbey--,the    
vineyards of ,mutigny and               
,cumires--,damery      and 'la belle    
htesse' of ,henri ,quatre--,adrienne    
,lecouvreur      and the ,marchal de    
,saxe's matrimonial schemes--,pilgrimage

 to      ,hautvillers--,remains of the  
,royal ,abbey of ,st4 ,peter--,the      
ancient      church--,its quaint        
decorations and monuments--,the view    
from the      heights of                
,hautvillers--,the abbey vineyards and  
wine-cellars in the      days of ,dom   
,perignon--,the vinelands of the ,cte   
d',epernay--,pierry      and its        
vineyard cellars--,the ,moussy1 ,vinay1 
and ,ablois ,st4 ,martin                
vineyards--,the ,cte d',avize--,chavot1 
,monthelon1 ,grauves1 and               
,cuis--,the vineyards of ,cramant and   
,avize1 and their light delicate        
white wines--,the ,oger and ,le ,mesnil 
vineyards--,vertus and its              
picturesque ancient remains--,its       
vineyards planted with ,burgundy        
grapes from ,beaune--,the red wine of   
,vertus a favourite beverage of         
,william ,,iii4 of ,england4            
,illustration3 ,,ch,,teau ,,de          
,,boursault4    ,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 ,epernay1 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 in 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#cgh    ,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
 west2  while ,sillery lies at the foot 
of the so-called ,mountain of ,reims1   
and  within an hour's drive of the old  
cathedral city4    ,it was on one of    
those occasional sunshiny days in the   
early part of  ,october#cgi when we     
first visited ,ay--the vineyard of      
'golden plants1'  the unique premier cru
 of the ,wines of the ,river--and the   
various  adjacent vinelands4 ,the road  
lay between two rows of closely-planted 
poplar-trees reaching almost to the     
village of ,dizy1 whose quaint gray     
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 
,the vineyards of ,dizy1 the upper soil 
of  which is largely mixed with loose   

stones1 have chiefly a southern or      
western aspect1 and1 excepting in the   
case of the precipitous height          
suggestively styled ',grimpe ,chat1'    
their incline is generally a gentle     
one4 ,in these vineyards1 which rank    
among the premiers crus of the          
,champagne1 a quantity of wine from     
white grapes is regularly made4    ,from
 ,dizy the road runs immediately at the 
base of vine-clad slopes1  broken up    
occasionally by a conical peak detaching
 itself from the  mass1 and tinted from 
base to summit with richly-variegated   
hues1  among which deep purple1 yellow1 
green1 gray1 and crimson by turns       
predominate4 ,on our right hand 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          
immediately before us at the foot of    
the slopes of vines1 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  
white  varieties of grapes being no     
longer cultivated as formerly4#chj      
,illustration3 ,,dizy ,,and ,,its       
,,vineyard ,,slopes4    ,the ,ay        
vineyards are mentioned in a charter of 
,edmund of ,lancaster1  son of our      
,henry ,,ii4 and guardian of ,jehanne1  
heiress of ,henri le  ,gros1 ,count of  
,champagne1 dated #abgf1 and confirming 
the right of  the ,abbey of ,avenay to  
four hogsheads of wine from the terroir 
of  ,ay4#cha ,if faith1 however1 may be 
placed in monkish legends1 their        
existence dates back to the sixth       

century1 at which epoch ,st4 ,tresain1  
the patron saint of ,avenay and a       
contemporary of ,st4 ,remi1 emigrated   
to the ,champagne from ,scotland4       
,having given away all he possessed  in 
charity1 he became perforce a swineherd 
at ,mutigny1 a village on  the summit of
 the hill overlooking ,ay1 ,mareuil1 and
 ,avenay4 ,one day  the vine-growers of 
,ay1 hearing that ,st4 ,remi was at     
,ville-en-,selve1  sought him out1 and  
clamorously accused ,st4 ,tresain of    
neglecting  to look after his pigs1     
which had devastated the vineyards on   
the  slopes1 and so caused great loss to
 the community4 ,when called upon  for  
his defence1 ,st4 ,tresain acknowledged 
that he was wont to listen  in the      
church-porch to the celebration of mass1
 and to forget on these  occasions all  
such sublunary matters as swine4 ,st4   
,remi1 finding him so  deeply religious1
 not only forgave him his negligence and
 relieved him  from his porcine charge  
for the future1 but appointed him parish

 priest  of ,mareuil and ,mutigny1 the  
inhabitants of which1 it is to be hoped1
  received more attention from him than 
his pigs had done4 ,st4 ,tresain1       
although his promotion was brought about
 by the complaint of the men  of ,ay1   
retorted on the latter in a vindictive  
and unsaintly spirit1  for he           
ill-naturedly cursed them1 and declared 
that after thirty years  of age not one 
of them or their posterity should       
prosper temporally or  spiritually--a   
prophecy which1 if it affected the      
vine-growers of that  epoch1 has proved 
harmless enough in the case of their    
descendants4#chb    ,at ,ay we visited  
the pressoir of the principal producer  
of vin brut1  who1 although the owner of
 merely five hectares1 or about twelve  
and  a half acres of vines1 expected to 
make as many as #aejj pices of  wine    
that year1 mainly of course from grapes 
purchased from other  growers4#chc ,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 and found a    
crowd of coopers and others connected in
  some way with the vintage1 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 #bjj litres1
 equal to #dd 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 winepress4#chd            
,illustration    ,the ,mareuil          
vinelands1 which include the vineyard   
bequeathed some  six hundred years ago  
by ,canon ,john de ,brie to the chapter 

of ,reims  cathedral1 and possibly those
 vineyards bestowed in #abjh on the     
,abbey  of ,avenay by ,alain de         
,jouvincourt1 cover the slopes of two   
coteaux1  the first a continuation of   
the ,cte d',ay1 and the second a        
detached  spur1 known as the ,mont de   
,fourche1 overlooking the ,marne canal4 
,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  most of   
which1 on account of their known        
partiality for the ripe  fruit1 were    
muzzled while thus employed4 ,the wine  
yielded by the  ,mareuil vineyards      
possesses body and vinosity1 and while  
of course  regarded as inferior to that 
of ,ay1 found a ready market the year of
  our visit at from five to six hundred 
francs the pice4 ,prior to the  ,french 
,revolution1 the produce of the         
winepresses of the ,seigneurs  of       

,mareuil and the ,abbess of ,avenay were
 almost as renowned as the  best growths
 of ,ay4 ,the reputation of the wine was
 then shared by the  inhabitants of the 
village2 the popular local diction1     
',les gens d',ay1  les messieurs de     
,mareuil1 et les crotts d',avenay1'     
referring to the  days when the first   
was inhabited by enriched wine-growers1 
the second  by people of some position1 
and the third merely by peasants1 simply
  from its being cut off1 in a great    
measure1 from outside intercourse       
through the badness of its approaches4  
,it was not until after #aggf1  when the
 seigneurie of ,louvois was purchased   
from the ,marquis de  ,souvr by ,madame 
,adelade1 aunt of ,louis ,,xvi41 that   
the road from  ,epernay to ,louvois1    
which passes through ,mareuil and       
,avenay1 was1  if not constructed1 at   
any rate rendered practicable1 in order 
to  facilitate the visits of the        
princess to her new acquisition4 ,these 
roads exist1 though no traces remain of 

the ancient fort of ,mareuil on  the    
bank of the ,marne1 taken from the      
,english in #acei by ,gaucher de        
,chatillon1 captain of ,reims1 and      
alternately occupied by ,leaguers and   
,royalists during the ,war of ,religion 
in the sixteenth century4 ,nor does     
there seem any chance of identifying    
either the 'vineyard called la          
,gibaudelle1 lying next the vineyard of 
,oudet1 surnamed ,leclerc1' in the      
territory of ,mareuil1 which ,guillaume 
de ,lafors and ,marguerite his wife     
bestowed upon the ,abbey of ,avenay in  
#abgc1 or those from which1 in the      
fourteenth century1 ,archbishop ,richard
 ,pique of ,reims used to draw ten      
muids or hogsheads of wine annually for 
'droits de vinage4'    ,illustration3   
,,avenay ,,as ,,seen ,,from ,,the       
,,railway4    ,the vineyards of ,avenay 
also date prior to the thirteenth       
century1  mention being frequently made 
of them in the charters of that         
epoch4#che ,their best wine1 which      

,saint ,evremond extolled so highly1  is
 vintaged to-day up the slopes of ,mont 
,hurl4 ,avenay itself is a  tumbledown  
little village situated in the direction
 of ,reims1 and  the year of our visit  
we found the yield from its vineyards   
had been  scarcely more than the third  
of an average one1 and that the wine    
produced at the first pressure of the   
grapes had been sold for #ejj  francs   
the pice4 ,we tasted there some very    
fair still red wine1 made  from the same
 grapes as ,champagne1 remarkably deep  
in colour1 full  of body1 and possessing
 that slight sweet bitterish flavour    
which  characterises certain of the     
better-class growths of the ,south of   
,france4    ,although at ,avenay        
vineyards cover the slopes as of yore1  
when  ,marmontel used to wander amongst 
them in company with his inamorata      
,mademoiselle ,hvin de ,navarre1 no     
traces remain of the ancient royal      
abbey--founded by ,st4 ,bertha in #ffj1 
on the martyrdom of her husband1  ,st4  

,gombert1 one of the early ,christian   
missionaries to ,scotland--where        
,charles ,v4 took up his quarters when  
invading ,champagne in #aedd1 and  where
 the deputies of the ,leaguers of ,reims
 and of the ,royalists of  ,chlons met  
in ,october #aeib to settle the terms of
 the ',trait des  ,vendanges1' securing 
to both parties liberty to gather in the
 vintage  unmolested4#chf ,the villagers
 still point out the house where ,henri 
,quatre slept1 and the window from which
 he harangued the populace  during the  
visit paid by him to ,madame ,franoise  
de la ,marck1 the  ,abbess of           
,avenay1#chg in ,august of the same     
year4 ,this1 by the  way1 does not seem 
to have been the only occasion when the 
spot was  honoured by the presence of   
,royalty2 for a tradition1 which1       
although  unsupported by any documentary
 evidence1 appears to be worthy of      
credence1 is current to the effect that 
,marie ,antoinette paid a visit  to the 
,abbey of ,avenay during her sojourn at 

,louvois as the guest of  ,madame       
,adelade in #aghf4 ,the spring which1   
according to the legend1  gushed forth  
when ,st4 ,bertha1 in imitation of      
,moses1 struck the rock  with her       
distaff1 is still shown to travellers2  
and scandal has gone  so far as to say  
that recourse is sometimes had to it to 
eke out the  native vintage4    ,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      
cru--yield a wine which1 though         
celebrated in the verses of ,eustache   
,deschamps1 a famous and prolific       
,champenois poet of the fourteenth      
century1 varies to-day considerably  in 
quality1 the best coming from the       
',ctes--bras1' the property of  the     
,abbey of ,hautvillers in ,dom          
,perignon's day4 ,the ,cumires vineyards
  join those of ,hautvillers on the one 

side and ,damery on the other1 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 ,pay1 
sa belle htesse1 as the gallant ,barnais
 was wont  to style her4 ,damery also   
claims to be the birthplace of ,adrienne
  ,lecouvreur1 the celebrated actress of
 the ,regency1 and mistress of the      
,marchal de ,saxe1 who coaxed her out of
 her #cj1jjjl4 of savings to  enable him
 to prosecute his suit with the obese   
,anna ,iwanowna1 niece of  ,peter the   
,great1 which1 had he only been         
successful1 would have secured  the     
future hero of ,fontenoy the coveted    
dukedom of ,courland4 ,from  ,cumires   
can be distinguished far away on the    
horizon the ruined tower  of the bourg  
of ,chtillon1 the birthplace of ,pope   
,urban ,,ii41 preacher  of the first    
,crusade1 and a devotee of the wine of  
,ay4#chh    ,it was during the budding  
spring-time when we made our formal     

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 hand2    
then diverged sharply to  the left1 and 
we commenced ascending the vine-clad    
hills1 on a narrow  plateau of which the
 church and abbey remains are           
picturesquely  perched4 ,the            
closely-planted vines extend along the  
undulating slopes  to the summit of the 
plateau1 and wooded heights rise up     
beyond1  affording shelter from the     
bleak winds that sweep over here from   
the  north4 ,spite of the reputation    
which the wine of ,hautvillers enjoyed a
  couple of centuries ago1 and its      
association with the origin of vin      
mousseux1 the vineyards to-day appear to
 have been relegated to the  rank of a  
second cru1 their produce ordinarily    
commanding less than  two-thirds of the 
price obtained for the ,ay and ,verzenay
 growths4#chi    ,the church of         

,hautvillers and the remains of the     
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 ,time1   
the  iconoclasts of the great           
,revolution1 and the quieter1 yet far   
more  destructive1 labours of the ,bande
 ,noire1 have spared but little of the  
royal abbey of ,st4 ,peter1 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 twelfth
 century1 the remnants  of the          
cloisters1 and one of the abbey's       
ancient gateways1 are all that  remain  
to testify to the grandeur of its past1 
when 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 monasteries4                 
,illustration3 ,,fountain ,,at ,a ,,caf 
,,in ,,the ,,rue ,,de ,,bacchus1        

,,hautvillers4    ,passing through an   
unpretentious gateway1 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 eighteenth-century chteau  
on the site of  the abbot's house4      
,formerly the abbey precincts were      
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 
winepresses4  ,the court is enclosed on 
its remaining sides by huge barn-like   
buildings1 stables1 and cart-sheds2     
while 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
 ,m4 ,paul  ,chandon de ,brialles1 of   
the firm of ,mot  ,chandon1 the great   
,champagne  manufacturers of ,epernay1  
who maintains them as a farm1 keeping   
some  six-and-thirty cows there1 with   
the object of securing the necessary    
manure for the numerous vineyards which 
the firm own hereabouts4                
,illustration3 ,,the ,,porte ,,des      
,,pressoirs1 ,,abbey ,,of ,,hautvillers 
7,destroyed by fire in #ahgi74          
,illustration3 ,,remains ,,of           
,,cloisters1 ,,abbey ,,of ,,hautvillers4
    ,the dilapidated cloisters1 littered
 with old casks1 farm implements1  and  
the like1 preserve ample traces of their
 former architectural  character1       
changed as they are since the days when 
the sandalled feet  of the worthy       
cellarer resounded through the echoing  
arches as he paced  to and fro1         
meditating upon coming vintages and     
future marryings of  wines4 ,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      
other1 which has  been already cited in 
detail1 setting forth the virtues and   
merits of  ,dom ,petrus ,perignon1 the  
discoverer of the effervescing qualities
 of  ,champagne4 ,in the central aisle a
 similar slab marks the resting-place   
of ,dom ,thedoricus ,ruynart--obit      
#agji--;an ancestor of the ,reims       
,ruinarts2 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 
seventeenth  and eighteenth 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 which the contemplated ,abbey  
of ,st4 ,peter is to  occupy1 as set    
forth in the legend already related4    
,illustration3 ,,from ,,the ,,abbey     
,,church1 ,,hautvillers4                
,illustration3 ,,from ,,the ,,abbey     
,,church1 ,,hautvillers4    ,at a short 
distance from the abbey farm1 ,messrs4  
,mot  ,chandon have  erected a tower1   
whence a splendid view1 extending over  
the vineyards  of ,cumires1             
,hautvillers1 ,dizy1 and ,ay1 with those
 lying on the  opposite bank of the     
river1 is to be obtained4 ,gazing from  
here1 it is  easy to imagine the scene  
presented in the days when the ,abbey of

 ,st4  ,peter still reared its stately  
walls1 when ,louis ,chaumejan de        
,tourille  wore the abbatial insignia1  
and ,dom ,perignon displayed with equal 
pride as the badge of his office the key
 of the abbey cellars4 ,over  these     
slopes on a dewy autumn morning the     
latter's eyes1 ere sealed  in blindness1
 must have often wandered1 and an       
unctuous chuckle must  have welled up   
from between his lips as he marked the  
grapes steadily  advancing towards      
maturity4 ,we can fancy him pausing from
 time to time        ',to breathe an    
ejaculatory prayer      ,and a          
benediction on the vines1'    although  
in those halcyon days there was neither 
odium nor phylloxera  to be dreaded1 and
 an extra taper or so to ,st4 ,vincent1 
the patron of  vine-dressers1 sufficed  
to secure the crop from ordinary        
accidents of  flood and field4    ,when 
the epoch of the vintage arrived1 and   
the slopes were all alive  with bands of
 vintagers engaged in stripping the     

ripened purple bunches  from the vines1 
and carefully transporting them to the  
winepress1  one can picture ,dom        
,perignon smiling contentedly at the    
report of  the gray-haired bailiff that 
no such crop had been garnered for      
years before4 ,and when the must began  
to gush forth as the stalwart           
bare-armed peasants tugged at the levers
 of the huge press on which ,m4  de     
,tourille had placed the glorifying     
inscription elsewhere cited1 with  what 
satisfaction must ,perignon have        
recognised a foreshadowing of that      
divine aroma which lends so exquisite a 
charm to the choice vintages of  the    
,champagne6 ,later on we can imagine him
 entering the abbey cellar1  stored with
 the results of his careful labours1 as 
a                                       
'sacred place1      ,with a thoughtful1 
solemn1 and reverent pace1'    and      
softly chanting to himself1 as he draws 
off a flagon of the best  and choicest  
vintage which the gloomy vaults contain3

        ',ah1 how the streamlet laughs  
and sings6      ,what a delicious       
fragrance springs      ,from the deep   
flagon as it fills1      ,as of         
hyacinths and daffodils6'    ,the       
vineyards of the ,cte d',epernay1 on the
 southern bank of the  ,marne1 extend   
eastward from beyond ,boursault1 on     
whose wooded height  stands the fine    
chteau built by ,madame ,clicquot1 and  
in which her  granddaughter1 the        
,comtesse de ,mortemart1 to-day resides4
 ,they then  follow the course of the   
river1 and1 after winding round behind  
,epernay1 diverge towards the           
south-west4 ,amongst them are the slopes
  of ,pierry1 ,mardeuil1 ,moussy1       
,vinay1 ,ablois1 and ,chouilly1 the last
  named situate somewhat apart from the 
rest to the east of ,epernay1  and      
yielding a light wine1 qualified as     
slightly purgative4 ,the vines  of the  
,cte d',epernay produce only black      
grapes1 and many of the  vineyards are  
of great antiquity1 the one known as the

 ,closet1 near  ,epernay1 having been   
bequeathed under that name by a canon of
 ,laon  named ,parchasius to the        
neighbouring ,abbey of ,st4 ,martin six 
and a half  centuries ago4              
,illustration3 ,,the ,,village ,,of     
,,pierry4    ,illustration3 ,,vineyard  
,,wine-,,cellars ,,at ,,pierry4    ,a   
short drive along the high-road leading 
from ,epernay to ,orleans  brings us to 
the village of ,pierry1 cosily nestling 
amongst groves of  poplars in the valley
 of the ,cubry1 with some half-score of 
chteaux  of the last century1 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 so prevalent 
in which  the village is said to owe its

 name4 ,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 ivy1 and  suggestive in  
appearance of catacombs4 ,early in the  
last century the  wine vintaged here 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 himself2 and     
to-day the ,pierry vineyards1  producing
 exclusively black grapes1 hold a high  
rank among the  second-class crus of the
 ,marne4#cij    ,crossing the ,sourdon1 
a little stream which1 after bubbling up
 in the  midst of huge rocks in the     
forest of ,epernay1 rushes down the     
hills1  and then changes its name to the
 ,cubry1 we soon reach ,moussy1 where   
vineyards have been in existence for    
something like eight centuries2  for we 
find enumerated in the list of bequests 

made to the hospital of  ,st4 ,mary at  
,reims in the eleventh and twelfth      
centuries sundry 'vineas  in ,moiseio'  
devised by such long-forgotten          
notabilities as ,pontius1  priest and   
canon1 ,tebaldus ,papilenticus1         
,johannes de ,germania1 and  ,macela1   
wife of ,pepinus4 ,spite1 however1 of   
their long pedigree and  advantageous   
southern aspect1 the ,moussy vineyards  
rank to-day merely  as a second cru4    
,continuing to skirt the vine-clad      
slopes we come to  ,vinay1 noted for an 
ancient grotto#cia--the former          
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 renown2 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   
once a fief of ,mary ,queen  of ,scots1 
and 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    ,as the ,cte d',avize lies
 to the south-east1 to reach it we have 
to  retrace our steps to ,pierry1 and   
follow the road which there branches    
off1 leaving on our right hand the      
vineyards of ,chavot1 ,monthelon1 and   
,grauves1 now of no particular note1    
although of undoubted antiquity1        
,blanche of ,castille1 ,countess of     
,champagne1 having endowed the ,abbey of
  ,argensolles1 on its foundation in    
#abbd1 with sundry strips of vineland1  
including one at ,grauves1 possibly the 
vineyard of ,les ,roualles1  which      
yields a wine not unlike certain growths
 of the ,mountain of  ,reims4 ,after    
passing through ,cuis1 where the slopes1
 planted with  both black and white     
varieties of vines1 are extremely       
abrupt1 and  where ,simon la ,bole1     
man-at-arms of ,epernay1 and his wife   

,basile  gave1 in #abaj1 'four hogsheads
 of vinage to be taken annually' to     
,hugo1 ,abbot of ,st4 ,martin at        
,epernay1 we eventually reach ,cramant1 
one of the grand premiers crus of the   
,champagne4 ,from the vineyards  around 
this picturesque little village1 and    
extending along the  somewhat           
precipitous ,cte de ,saran--a prominent 
object1 on which is ,m4  ,mot's handsome
 chteau--there is vintaged a wine from  
white grapes1  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 century   
7#agae71 when the ,count de ,lhery1 its 
feudal lord1  cleared away the remains  
of its ancient ramparts1 filled up the  

moat1 and planted the ground with vines1
 the produce of which proved  admirably 
suited for the sparkling wines then     
coming into vogue4  ,prior to this the  
,avize wine1 made almost entirely from  
white grapes1  fetched only from #be to 
#cj francs the queue2 but being found   
well  adapted for the manufacture of the
 strongly-effervescent wine known  as   
saute-bouchon1 it soon commanded as much
 as #cjj francs1 and the  arpent of     
vineyard rose in value from #bej to     
#bjjj francs4#cib ,to-day  the light    
delicate wine of ,avize is classed1 like
 that of ,cramant1 as  a premier cru1   
and it is the same with the wine of     
,oger1#cic lying  a little to the south1
 while the neighbouring growths of ,le  
,mesnil  hold a slightly inferior rank4 
,the latter village and its gray ,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 grapes2 besides  which1 the wines 
of ,le ,mesnil are remarkable for their 
effervescent  properties4               
,illustration3 ,,le ,,mesnil ,,and ,,its
 ,,vineyards4    ,illustration3 ,,view  
,,of ,,vertus4    ,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 town1 which is mentioned in a letter
 of the ,emperor  ,louis and a charter  
of ,charles the ,bald in the ninth      
century4 ,it was  once strongly         
fortified1 though a dilapidated gateway 
is all that  to-day remains of the      
ancient ramparts1 which failed to secure
 it in  #achj1 when the ,english1 under 
the ',comte de ,bouquingouan1'          
presumably  ,buckingham1 burnt the whole
 of the town except the ,abbey of ,st4  
,martin1 and elicited from the native   
poet1 ,eustache ,deschamps1 dit  ,morel1
 'huissier d'armes' to ,charles ,,vi4   

and castellan of ,fismes1 a             
lamentation1 wherein he fails not to    
mention the high renown of the  local   
vintage4#cid    ,illustration3 ,,old    
,,houses ,,at ,,vertus4    ,vertus can  
still boast a curious old church of the 
eleventh century1  with solid           
,romanesque towers1 elaborate mouldings1
 and richly  ornamented capitals2 also a
 picturesque promenade1 shaded with     
centenarian trees1 together with several
 quaint old houses1 including  one with 
a florid ,gothic window surrounded by a 
border of grapes and  vine-leaves1 and  
another with a quaintly projecting      
corner turret1  dominated by a conical  
roof4 ,the ,vertus vineyards are        
mentioned in a  charter of the ,abbey of
 ,ste4 ,marie1 dated #aaea4 ,they were  
originally  planted with vines from     
,beaune in ,burgundy1 and in the        
fourteenth  century yielded a red wine  
held in high repute1 of pleasant        
flavour1  and rich in perfume1#cie but  
which would appear to have been imbued  

with those purgative properties#cif     
traceable in other growths of the       
,champagne4 ,the red wine of ,vertus    
formed the favourite beverage of        
,william ,,iii4 of ,england1 and was    
long in high repute4 ,to-day1 however1  
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 from being in the    
opinion of some  manufacturers          
especially valuable for binding a cuve  
together4 ,the  ,vertus growths rank    
among the second-class ,champagne       
crus4#cig          ,illustration3       
,,sillery ,,and ,,its ,,vineyards4      
,,ii4           _/,the ,champagne       
,vinelands--,the ,vineyards of the      
,mountain4_/        ,the wine of        
,sillery--,origin of its renown--,the   
,marchale      d',estres a successful   
,marchande de ,vin--,the ,marquis de    
,sillery      the greatest wine-farmer  
in the ,champagne--,cossack appreciation

      of the ,sillery produce--,the     
route from ,reims to ,sillery--,henri   
,quatre and the ,taissy wines--,failure 
of the ,jacquesson      system of vine  
cultivation--,chteau of                 
,sillery--,wine-making      at ,m4      
,fortel's--,sillery sec--,the vintage at
 ,verzenay and      the                 
vendangeoirs--,renown of the ,verzenay  
wine--,the ,verzy                       
vineyards--,edward ,,iii4 at the ,abbey 
of ,st4 ,basle--,excursion      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 ,champagne            
plains--,wine-making at ,mailly--,the   
village in the wood--,chteau and park of
 ,louvois1 ,louis le      ,grand's ,war 
,minister--,the vineyards of            
,bouzy--,its church-steeple1      and   
the lottery of the great gold           
ingot--,pressing grapes at      the     
,werl vendangeoir--,still red           

,bouzy--,ambonnay--,a pattern           
peasant vine-proprietor--,the ,ambonnay 
vintage--,the vineyards of              
,ville-,dommange and ,sacy1 ,hermonville
 and ,st4 ,thierry--,the still red      
wine of the latter4      ,illustration3 
,,tower ,,and ,,gateway ,,of ,,the      
,,ch,,teau ,,de ,,sillery4    ,the      
vineyards of the ,mountain of ,reims may
 be divided into two zones1  one of     
which1 known as the ,basse ,montagne1 is
 situate north-west  of ,reims1 and     
comprises the vineyards of ,st4         
,thierry1 ,marsilly1  ,hermonville1 and 
others2 whilst the more important zone  
lies to the  south of the old cathedral 
city1 and includes the better-known crus
  of ,sillery1 ,verzy1 ,verzenay1       
,mailly1 ,ludes1 ,chigny1 and ,rilly4   
,the  vinelands of ,bouzy and ,ambonnay 
are also reckoned within it1 though     
situate somewhat apart on a southern    
slope of the ,mountain some few  miles  
from the ,marne4    ,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 
family of the ,brularts1 ,marquises of  
,sillery and ,puisieux1 to whom the     
estate originally belonged1 and who     
seem to have devoted great attention to 
viticulture from certainly the  middle  
of the seventeenth century4 ,the        
reputation of the still wine of         
,sillery1 'the highest manifestation of 
the divinity of ,bacchus in all         
,france1' was firmly established at this
 epoch4 ',as to ,m4 de ,puyzieux1'      
writes ,st4 ,evremond to his friend     
,lord ,galloway in ,august #agja1 'he   
acts wisely to fall in with the bad     
taste now in fashion concerning         
,champagne in order to sell his own the 
better2' but at the same time  he       
counsels his correspondent to get the   
marquis to make him 'a little  barrel   
after the fashion in which it was made  
forty years before1 prior  to the       
existing depravation of taste4'#cih ,the

 marquis here referred  to was ,roger   
,brulart1 ,governor of ,epernay1 who was
 himself a joyous  bon vivant1 and died 
from over-indulgence in the good things 
provided  at a dinner given by the      
,chartreux in #agai4cii ,he was         
succeeded by  his nephew1 ,louis        
,philogne ,brulart1 ,marquis de ,sillery
 et de ,puisieux1  to whom1 in #agbg1 on
 the occasion of his marriage with      
,mademoiselle de  ,souvr1 granddaughter 
of ,louvois1 the ,sieurs ,quatresous and
 ,chertemps  presented at his chteau of 
,sillery1 on behalf of the town of      
,epernay1  a basket of one hundred      
flasks of wine4#djj ,he died in #agga1  
leaving  an only daughter1 ,adelade     
,flicit ,brulart de ,sillery1 married1  
in  #agdd1 to ,louis ,csar le ,tellier1 
,marchal ,duc d',estres4    ,the wine   
attained its apogee under the fostering 
care of the ,marchale  d',estres1 to    
whom not only this cru1 but those of    
,mailly1 ,verzy1 and  ,verzenay         
belonged1 and who concentrated their    

joint 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 being made with the utmost care
 and a rare intelligence1 shown  by the 
removal of every unripe1 rotten1 or     
imperfect grape from the  bunches before
 pressing1 so that the ,vin de la       
,marchale1 as it was  styled1 became    
famous throughout ,europe4#dja ,this    
lady is not to be  confounded with that 
other ,marchale d',estres mentioned by  
,st4 ,simon1  noted for her exquisite   
and magnificent although rare           
entertainments1  and 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      
daughter6'  but ',my diamonds6' as1     
rushing forward1 she strove to pick up1 

not the  fallen dancer1 but her         
scattered gems4    ,later owners of the 
famous ,sillery cru did their best to   
sustain its  reputation1 and ,arthur    
,young1 who stopped here in #aghg1      
speaks of the  ,marquis de ,sillery as  
'the greatest wine-farmer in the        
,champagne1'  having on his own hands   
#ahj arpents of vines1 and cellar-room  
for a  couple of hundred pices of       
wine4#djb ,among more recent            
appreciation  of the merits of ,sillery 
sec may be mentioned the ,cossacks1 who 
pillaged the district in #ahad1 and who1
 not being able to carry off all  the   
wine from the cellar of the ,count de   
,valence at ,sillery1 stove in  some    
thirty pices of the best1 and set the   
place afloat4#djc    ,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#djd    ,to the left rises ,mont de
 la ,pompelle1 where the first          
,christians of  ,reims suffered         
martyrdom1 and where1 in #afeh1 the     
,spaniards under  ,montal1 when         
attempting to ravage the vineyards of   
the district1  were repulsed with       
terrible slaughter by the ,rmois        
militia1 led on  by ,grandpr4 ,a quarter

 of a century ago the low ground on our 
right  near ,sillery was planted with   
vines by the late ,m4 ,jacquesson1 the  
then 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    ,illustration3
 ,,henri ,,quatre4    ,illustration3    
,,ch,,teau ,,de ,,sillery4    ,after    

again crossing the railway we pass the  
trim 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 stout squire ,laurent        
,pichiet kept watch and ward over the   
'forte  maison de ,sillery' on behalf of
 the ,archbishop of ,reims at the close 
of the fourteenth century1 that the     
,marchale d',estres carried on her      
successful business as a marchande de   
vins1 and that 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 ,they have fallen   
somewhat from their high estate since   
the days when old ,coffin of ,beauvais  
,university sang their praises in       
,latin3        ',let ,horace the charms 

of old ,massica own1          ,and the  
praise of ,falernian sound2      ,such  
wines1 although famous1 must bow to that
 grown          ,on ,sillery's fortunate
 ground4'#dje    ,to-day the ,vicomte de
 ,brimont and ,m4 ,fortel of ,reims1 the
 latter  of whom cultivates some 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    
cider-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 nowadays1 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 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      
pressure2 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 are  
perched4 ,everywhere  the vintagers are 
busy detaching the grapes with their    

little  hook-shaped serpettes1 the women
 all wearing projecting 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 panniers    
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  ,verzenay--where in the ,middle     
,ages the ,archbishop of ,reims had a   
fief--overlooking a veritable sea of    
vines4 ,rising up in front of the  old  
gray cottages1 encompassed by orchards  
or gardens1 are the white  walls and    
long red roofs of the vendangeoirs      
belonging to the great  ,champagne      
houses--,mot  ,chandon1 ,clicquot1 ,g4  
,h4 ,mumm1 ,roederer1 ,deutz            
,geldermann1 and others--all teeming    
with bustle and excitement1 and  with   

the vines almost reaching to their very 
doors4 ,messrs4 ,mot   ,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 ,raoul 
,chandon4 ,verzenay ranks as a premier  
cru1  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 #ajej 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#djf which is apparently 
more than can be said of the  probity of

 the inhabitants1 for1 according to an  
old ,champagne saying1  ',whenever at   
,verzenay ,stop thief is cried every one
 takes to his  heels4'    ,illustration3
 ,,the ,,vineyards ,,of ,,verzenay4     
,illustration3 ,,device ,,above         
,,entrance ,,to ,,vendangeoir ,,at      
,,verzenay4    ,just over the ,mountain 
of ,reims is the village of ,verzy1 the 
vine-growers of which distinguished     
themselves in the fifteenth century  by 
their resistance to the officials sent  
to levy the 'aide en gros'  of two sols 
per queue1 imposed by ,louis ,,xi4 on   
all wine made within a  radius of four  
miles of ,reims4 ,the ,verzy            
vineyards--ranked to-day as a  second   
cru--date at least from the days of the 
,knights ,templars1 when  the           
,commanderie of ,reims had 'two         
vineyards near the abbey' here4 ,they   
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    ,immediately
 prior to the ,revolution1 one-fourth of
 the inhabitants of  ,verzy were        
landholders1 each cultivating about five
 arpents of vines1  and obtaining       
therefrom1 on an average1 twenty        
poinons1 out of which  the abbey exacted
 one and three-quarters for 'droits de  
dimes et de  banalit de pressoir4'      
,southwards of ,verzy are the           
third-class crus of  ,villers-,marmery  
and ,trpail1 the former of which was of 
some repute in  the ,middle ,ages4      
,illustration3 ,,portion ,,of ,,frieze  
,,of ,,old ,,house1 ,,rue ,,du          
,,barbatre1 ,,reims4    ,we made several
 excursions to the vineyards of ,bouzy1 
driving out of  ,reims along the ancient

 ,rue du ,barbtre and past the quaint   
old church  of ,st4 ,remi1 one of the   
sights of the ,champagne capital1 and   
notable1  among other things1 for its   
magnificent ancient stained-glass       
windows1  and the handsome modern tomb  
of the popular ,rmois 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 cross1  
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     
proceeding1 which1 if it did  not edify1
 certainly afforded much amusement to   
the lookers-on4    ,illustration3       
,,ancient ,,well1 ,,rue ,,du ,,barbatre1
 ,,reims4    ,after crossing the canal  

and the river ,vesle1 and leaving the   
gray  antiquated-looking village of     
,cormontreuil on our left1 we traversed 
a  wide stretch of cultivated country   
streaked with patches of woodland1  with
 occasional windmills dotting the       
distant heights1 and villages  nestling 
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    
came in sight1 and the country too grew 
more  picturesque4 ,we passed           
successively on our right hand ,rilly1 a
 former  fief of the ,archbishop of     
,reims1 and noted for its capital red   
wine2  then ,chigny1 where the ,abbot of
 ,st4 ,remi had a vineyard as early as  
the commencement of the thirteenth      
century2 and afterwards ,ludes1--all    
three of them situated more or less up  
the mountain1 with vines in  every      
direction1 relieved by a dark background
 of forest-trees4 ,in  the old days1 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  and1    
though classed only as a second cru1    
yielding a wine noted for  finesse and  
bouquet1 identified by some as the      
vintage which was  recommended in the   
ninth century to ,bishop ,hincmar of    
,reims by his  confrre1 ,pardulus of    
,laon4 ,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 visited1 at      
,mailly1 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 cider-press1 and   
applying  its pressure longitudinally4  
,this ancient press doubtless differs   
but  little from the one which the      
chapter of ,reims ,cathedral possessed  
at ,mailly in #achd4 ,as soon as the    
must was expressed it was emptied  into 
large vats1 holding about #dej gallons1 
and in these it remained  for several   
days before being drawn off into casks4 
,of the above  thirty pices1 twenty     
resulting from the first pressure were  
of the  finest quality1 while 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 an   
inferior quality4    ,illustration3     

,,the ,,vineyards ,,of ,,bouzy4    ,we  
now crossed the mountain1 sighting      
,ville-en-,selve--the village in  the   
wood--among the distant trees1 and      
eventually reached ,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  
,chteau and park are to-day the         
property of ,m4 ,frdric ,chandon1 who   
has bestowed much care on the           
restoration of the former4 ,soon after  
we left ,louvois the vineyards of       
,bouzy appeared 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 is said to have   
been indebted for its spire to  the     
lucky gainer--who chanced to be a native

 of ,bouzy--of the great  gold ingot    
lottery prize1 value #af1jjjl41 drawn in
 ,paris 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 were passing slowly in       
between the vines1  and carts laden with
 grapes came rolling over the dusty     
roads4 ,the  mountain which rises behind
 the vineyards 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 ,,vendangeoir ,,of 
,m4 ,,werl ,,at ,,bouzy4    ,the        
principal vineyard proprietors at       

,bouzy1 which ranks1 of course1 as  a   
premier cru1 are ,m4 ,werl1 ,m4 ,irroy1 
and ,messrs4 ,mot  ,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  #ajjj 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 receptacles 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-a_/b per cent1 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 grapes1 before being   
placed beneath the press1  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 bottle--where1 by  
the way1  it invariably deposits a      
sediment1 which is indeed the case with 
all  the wines of the ,champagne1 still 
or sparkling--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 is  as light as a    
wine of ,bordeaux1 while in reality it  
is quite as strong  as ,burgundy1 to the
 finer crus of which it bears a slight  
resemblance4  ,it was1 we learnt1 very  
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    ,illustration3 ,,the         
,,ambonnay ,,vineyards4    ,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 with rising ground fringed   
either 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-proprietor1 we were  directed to an
 open porte-cochre1 and on entering the 
large court  encountered half a dozen   

labouring men engaged in various farming
  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
 we 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  catechising4
    ,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-a_/b acres7 of  
vines had yielded  #de caques of grapes1
 weighing some #b-c_/d tons1 which      
produced #f-a_/b  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  
eighty 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  
#cjjl4 the acre1 which1 although        
,ambonnay is classed merely  as a second
 cru1 has since risen in particular     
instances to upwards  of #fjjl4 per     
acre4 ,owing to the properties being    
divided into such  infinitesimal        
portions1 they were not always bought up
 by the large  ,champagne houses1 who   
objected to be embarrassed with the     
cultivation  of such tiny plots1        
preferring rather to buy the produce    
from their  owners4    ,there are other 
vineyards of lesser note in the         
neighbourhood of  ,reims producing very 
fair wines1 which enter more or less    
into the  composition of ,champagne1 and
 almost all of which can boast of a     
pedigree extending back at least to the 
,middle ,ages4 ,noticeable among  these 
are ,ville-,dommange and ,sacy1         
south-west of ,reims4 ,at ,sacy the     
,abbey of ,st4 ,remi had a vineyard in  
#abah2 and in the return of church      

property made in #achd1 the doyen of the
 ,cathedral is credited with  'rentes de
 vin' and about six jours of vineland   
here1 the ,convent of  ,clermares at    
,reims owning a piece of 'vigne         
gonesse4' ,north-west of  the city the  
best-known vineyards are those of       
,hermonville--mentioned  likewise at the
 beginning of the thirteenth century1   
and in the return  which we have just   
quoted--and ,st4 ,thierry1 where the    
,black ,prince  took up his quarters    
during the siege of ,reims1 and where   
,gerard de la  ,roche wrought such havoc
 amongst the vines in the twelfth       
century1 to  the great indignation of   
their monkish owners4 ,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 here1 as      
elsewhere1 more profitable to press the 
grapes for sparkling in preference to   
still wine4          ,illustration3     

,,labourers ,,at ,,work ,,in ,,the      
,,early ,,spring ,,in ,m4 ,,ernest      
,,irroy',s ,,bouzy ,,vineyards4         
,,iii4          _/,the ,vines of the    
,champagne and the ,system of           
,cultivation4_/        ,a combination of
 circumstances essential to the         
production of      good                 
,champagne--,varieties of vines         
cultivated in the ,champagne            
vineyards--,different classes of        
vine-proprietors--,cost of              
cultivation--,the soil of the           
vineyards--,period and system of        
planting the vines--,the operation of   
'provenage'--,the 'taille' or           
pruning1 the 'bchage' or                
digging--,fixing the vine-stakes--,great
      cost of the latter--,manuring and 
shortening back the vines--,the         
summer hoeing around the                
plants--,removal of the stakes after the
      vintage--,precautions adopted     
against spring frosts--,the ,guyot      
system of roofing the vines with        

matting--,forms a shelter from          
rain1 hail1 and frost1 and aids the     
ripening of the grapes--,various        
pests that prey upon the ,champagne     
vines--,destruction caused      by the  
,eumolpe1 the ,chabot1 the ,bche1 the   
,cochylus1 and the                      
,pyrale--,attempts made to check the    
ravages of the latter with the          
electric light4      ,illustration3     
,,carrying ,,manure ,,to ,,the          
,,vineyards4    ,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 somewhat 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 ,so1 on the     
principle that a little  leaven leavens 
the whole lump1 the produce of grapes   
grown in the  more favoured vineyards is
 added in definite proportions1 in order
 to  secure certain special             
characteristics1 as well as to maintain 
a fixed  standard of excellence4        
,while it is admitted that climate is   
not without its influence in  imparting 
a delicate sweetness and aroma1 combined
 with finesse and  lightness1 to the    
wine1 some authorities maintain that to 
the careful  selection of the vines best
 suited to the soil and temperature of  
the  district the excellence of genuine 
,champagne is mainly to be ascribed4    
,four descriptions of vines are chiefly 
cultivated in the ,champagne1  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 with its          
closely-jointed  shoots and small       
leaves1 producing squat bunches of small
 round  grapes1 with thickish skins of a
 bluish-black tint1 and sweet and       
refined in flavour4 ,the next is the    
plant vert dor1 with its leaves  of     
vivid green1 more robust and more       
productive than the former1 but         
yielding a less generous wine1 and the  
berries of which1 growing in  compact   
pyramidal bunches1 are dark and oval1   
very thin-skinned1 and  remarkably sweet
 and juicy4 ,the third variety1         
extensively planted in  the vineyards of
 ,verzy and ,verzenay1 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 somewhat straggling clusters amongst 
its  dark-green leaves1 are both juicy  
and sweet4 ,it ripens1 however1 much    
later than either of the black          
varieties4    ,illustration3 ,,types    
,,of ,,the ,,champagne ,,vines ,,in     
,,bearing4    ,there are several other  
species of vines cultivated in the      
,champagne  vineyards1 notably the      
common meunier1 or miller1 prevalent in 
the  valley of ,epernay1 which bears    
black grapes1 and takes its name from   
the young leaves appearing to have been 
sprinkled with flour4 ,this  variety    

being more hardy than the franc pineau  
is replacing the  latter on the lower   
parts of the slopes1 which are the most 
exposed  to frosts--a regrettable       
circumstance1 as it impairs the quality 
of  the wine4 ,there are also the black 
and white gouais2 the meslier1 a        
prolific white variety yielding a wine  
of fair quality2 the black and  white   
gamais1 the leading grape in the        
,mconnais1 and chiefly found in  some of
 the ,vertus vineyards2 together with   
the tourlon1 the marmot1  the cohras1   
the plant doux1 and half a score of     
others4    ,the land in the ,champagne1 
as in other parts of ,france1 is        
minutely  subdivided1 and it has been   
estimated that the #dj1jjj acres of     
vines are divided amongst no less than  
#af1jjj proprietors4 ,a few of  the     
principal ,champagne firms are large    
owners of vineyards2 and  as the value  
of the soil has more than quadrupled    
within the last  thirty years1 even the 
smallest peasant proprietors have cause 

for  congratulation4#djg ,these latter  
cultivate their vineyards themselves2   
while the larger landowners employ      
labourers1 termed forains when  coming  
from a distance and working by the week 
for their lodging1 food1  and from #bj  
to #cj francs wages1 or tcherons when   
paid by the job4  ,the last-mentioned   
class usually contract to cultivate and 
dress an  arpent of vines1 exclusive of 
the vintage1 at from #hl4 to #abl4 per  
annum4    ,in the ,champagne the old    
rule holds good--poor soil1 rich        
product1  grand wine in moderate        
quantity4 ,the soil of the vineyards is 
chalk1  with a mixture of silica and    
light clay1 combined with a varying     
proportion of oxide of iron4 ,many of   
the best have a substratum  of stones   
and sand1 and a thin superstratum of    
vegetable earth4  ,the ruddier the soil1
 and consequently the more impregnated  
with  ferruginous earth1 the better     
suited it is found to the cultivation of
  black grapes2 whilst the gray or      

yellowish soils1 such as abound in the  
,cte d',avize1 are preferable for the   
white varieties4    ,illustration3      
,,manuring ,,the ,,newly-,,planted      
,,young ,,vines4    ,the vines are      
almost invariably planted on rising     
ground1 the lower  slopes1 which seldom 
escape the spring frosts1 producing the 
best  wines4 ,the vines are placed very 
close together1 there often being  as   
many as six within a square yard1 and   
the result is that they  reciprocally   
impoverish each other4 ,planting takes  
place between  ,november and ,april1 the
 vine-growers of the ,river being       
usually in  advance of those of the     
,mountain in this operation4 ,plants two
 or  three years old and raised in      
nurseries are usually made use of4      
,these  are placed either in holes or   
trenches4 ,the roots have a little earth
  sprinkled over them1 to which a       
liberal supply of manure or compost is  
added1 and the holes having been filled 
up and trodden1 the vines are  pruned   

down to a couple of buds above the      
ground4    ,illustration3 ,,vine        
,,prepared ,,for ',,provinage4'    ,in  
the course of two or three years they   
are ready for the operation  of         
'provinage1' or layering1 a method of   
multiplication universally  practised in
 the ,champagne4 ,this consists in      
burying in a trench1 from  six to eight 
inches deep dug on one side of the      
plant1 two or more of  the principal    
shoots1 left when the vine was pruned   
for this especial  purpose4 ,the whole  
of the two-years'-old wood is thus      
buried1 and  the ends of the shoots of  
one-year-old1 which are left above      
ground1  are cut down to the second bud4
 ,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     
simultaneously with the 'bchage' in the 
early spring1 and  is annually repeated 
until the vine is five years old1 the   

plants thus  being in a state of        
continual progression2 a system which   
accounts for  the juvenescent aspect of 
the ,champagne vineyards1 where none of 
the  wood of the vines showing above    
ground is more than three years old4    
,illustration3 ,,plan ,,of ',,provinage 
,l',,cart' ,,in ,a ,,newly-,,planted    
,,vineyard4    ,the two principal plans 
adopted in provining are styled the     
'cart' and  the 'avance4' ,in the first1
 which is usually followed in           
newly-planted  vineyards1 the two shoots
 are carried forward to the right and   
left--so  as to form the two base points
 of an equilateral triangle1 of which   
the  point of departure is the          
summit--and are maintained in this      
position  by the aid of wooden or iron  
pegs4 ,in the 'provinage  l'avance' both
  shoots are carried forward in the same
 direction1 and sometimes a  variation  
embodying the two systems is employed4  
,illustration3 ,,provinage  ,l',,cart4  
,illustration3 ,,provinage  ,l',,avance4

    ,when the vine has attained its     
fifth year it is allowed to rest for a  
couple of years1 and then the provining 
is resumed1 the shoots being  dispersed 
in any direction throughout the         
vineyard1 so as to fill up  vacancies4  
,the plants remain in this condition    
henceforward1 merely  requiring to be   
renewed from time to time by judicious  
provining4 ,for  instance1 it is        
sometimes found necessary to bend one of
 the shoots  round into a circle1 so    
that its end may issue from the ground  
at  the point occupied by the parent    
stock4 ,the system of provinage is      
sometimes carried to excess in the      
,champagne1 with a view of increasing   
the yield of wine1 which suffers1       
however1 in quality4 ,the network of    
roots1 too1 renders the various         
operations of cultivation difficult and 
dangerous1 as they are liable to be     
injured by the short-handled hoe in     
universal use among the ,champenois     
vine-dressers4    ,illustration3        

,,triple ',,provinage' ,,to ,,replace   
,,the ,,parent ,,stock4                 
,viticulturists inclined to make        
experiments have tried the system of    
arranging the vines in transverse and   
longitudinal lines1 quincunxes1  c41 or 
have replaced their vine-stakes with    
iron wires supported by  wooden pickets4
 ,some of these experiments have proved 
successful1  although none of them are  
as yet in general use4    ,illustration3
 ,,vine ,,dresser',s ,,hoe4             
,illustration3 ,,vine ,,prior ,,to ,,the
 ,,february ,,pruning1 ,,showing ,,the  
,,extent  ,,of ,,root4    ,the first    
operation of importance carried out     
during the year in the  vineyards is the
 'taille1' or pruning1 which takes place
 in ,february1  and consists in cutting 
away the superfluous shoots1 simply     
leaving  one--or1 if it is intended to  
multiply by provinage1 two--on each     
stock4 ,this is followed about ,march or
 ,april by the 'bchage1' or             
'hoyerie'--that is1 the digging round   

the roots of the vine--with which  is   
combined the provinage4 ,a trench being 
opened1 as already noted1 and  the vine 
laid bare to the roots1 it is bent down 
so that1 on filling  up the trench with 
earth and manure1 the stock is entirely 
covered and  only the new wood appears  
above ground4 ,this new wood is then    
shortened  back1 and the stakes intended
 for the support of the vines are fixed 
in  the ground4 ,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  wood4 ,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 #ejjj stakes in the course
 of  the day4 ,when of oak these stakes 
cost sixty francs the thousand2 and  as 

the close system of plantation followed 
in the ,champagne renders the           
employment of no less than #bd1jjj      
stakes necessary on every acre of  land1
 the cost per acre of propping up the   
vines amounts to upwards of  #egl41 or  
more than treble what it is in the ,mdoc
 and quadruple what  it is in ,burgundy4
 ,the stakes last only some fifteen     
years1 and their  renewal forms a       
serious item in the vine-grower's       
budget4    ,illustration3 ,,vines ,,in  
,,february ,,after ,,the ',,taille4'    
,illustration3 ,,the ',b,,chage' ,,of   
,,the ,,vines4    ,illustration3        
,,putting ,,stakes ,,to ,,the ,,vines   
,,in ,,the ,,spring4    ,illustration3  
,,apparatus ,,for ,,fixing              
,,vine-,,stakes4    ,illustration3      
,,unstacking ,,the ,,vine-,,stakes4     
,illustration3 ,,newly-,,staked ,,vines 
,,after ,,the ',b,,chage4'              
,illustration3 ,,vines ,,in ,,autumn    
,,after ,,the ,,vintage4    ,in ,may or 
,june1 after the vines have been hoed   

around their roots1  they are secured to
 the stakes1 and their 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 termed 'cendre'--dug  out  
from the sides of the hills1 and of     
supposed volcanic origin--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  and 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 vintage1  excepting   
that some growers remove a portion of   
the leaves in order  that the grapes may

 receive the full benefit of the sun1   
and raise up  those bunches that rest   
upon the ground4 ,the vintage over1 the 
stakes  supporting the vines are pulled 
up later in the autumn and stacked in   
compact masses1 styled 'moyres1' with   
their ends out of the ground1  or else  
'en chevalet1' 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 following the vine is
 pruned and  subsequently sunk into the 
earth1 as already described1 so as to   
leave  only the new wood above ground4  
,owing to the vines being planted so    
closely together they naturally starve  
one another1 and numbers of them        
perish4 ,whenever this is the case1 or  
the stems chance to get broken  during  
the vintage1 their places are filled up 
by provining4    ,illustration3         
,,stacking ,,stakes ',,en ,,chevalet4'  
,illustration3 ,,stacking ,,stakes ,,in 
,a ',,moy,,re4'    ,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 cent1 some of  the cultivators 
place heaps of hay1 fagots1 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 a 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   
during a long day4    ,illustration3    
,,unrolling ,,matting ,,for ,,roofing   
,,the ,,vines ,,with4    ,dr4 ,guyot's  
system of roofing the vines with straw  
matting1 to protect  them alike against 
frosts 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
  made about a foot and a half in width1
 and in rolls of great length1  is      
fastened either with twine or wire to   
the vine-stakes2 and it is  estimated   
that half a dozen men can fix nearly    
#aa1jjj yards of it1 or  sufficient to  
roof over #b-a_/b acres of vines1 during
 an ordinary day4  ,to carry out the    
system properly1 a double row of tall   

and short stakes  connected with iron   
wires has to be provided4 ,the matting  
can then be  used as a shelter to the   
young vines in spring1 as a south wall  
to aid  the ripening of the grapes in   
summer1 and as a protection against rain
  and autumn frosts4    ,illustration3  
,,matting ,,arranged ,,to ,,aid ,,the   
,,ripening ,,of ,,the ,,grapes4         
,illustration3 ,,matting ,,arranged ,,to
 ,,protect ,,the ,,vines ,,against      
,,autumn  ,,frosts4    ,owing to the    
system of cultivation by rejuvenescence1
 and the constant  replenishing of the  
soil by well-compounded manures1 the    
,champenois  wine-growers entertain     
great hopes that their vineyards will   
escape  the ravages of the phylloxera   
vastatrix4 ,they certainly deserve such 
an immunity1 for1 according to ,dr4     
,plonquet of ,ay1 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  
,one of the  most destructive of these  

is the eumolpe1 gribouri1 or crivain as 
it  is popularly styled1 from the traces
 it leaves upon the vine-leaves  bearing
 some resemblance to lines of writing4  
,it is a species of  beetle1 the larv of
 which pass the winter amongst the roots
 of the  vine1 and in the spring attack 
the young leaves and buds1 their ravages
  often proving fatal to the plant4     
,then there is the chabot1 which  has   
caused great destruction at ,verzy and  
,verzenay2 the attelabe1  cunche1 or    
bche1 which rolls up the leaves of the  
vine like cigars1  and seems to be      
identical with the hurebet or urbec of  
the ,middle  ,ages2 and the cochylis1   
teigne1 or vintage-worm1 which develops 
into  a white-and-black butterfly1      
producing in the course of the year two 
generations of larv1 having the form of 
small red caterpillars1 one  of which   
attacks the blossoms of the vine1 while 
the second pierces  and destroys the    
grapes themselves4 ,the list of foes    
further comprises  the altise1 a kind of

 beetle allied to the gribouri2 the     
liset or  coupe-bourgeon1 a tiny worm   
assailing the first sprouting shoots2   
and  the hanneton or cockchafer4        
,illustration3 ,,matting ,,arranged ,,to
 ,,keep ,,off ,,rain ,,or ,,hail4       
,illustration3 ,,the ,,pyrale4    ,the  
greatest havoc1 however1 appears to be  
wrought by the pyrale1 a  species of    
caterpillar1 which feeds on the young   
leaves1 flowers1  and shoots until the  
vine is left completely bare4 ,the larva
 of this  insect1 after passing the     
winter either in the crevices of the    
stakes  or in the cracks in the bark of 
the vine1 emerges in the spring1        
devours leaves1 buds1 and shoots        
indifferently1 and eventually becomes   
transformed into a small                
yellow-and-brown butterfly1 which       
deposits  its eggs amongst the bunches  
of grapes in ,july4 ,between #ahej and  
#ahfj  the vineyards of ,ay were        
devastated by the pyrale1 which1 like   
the  locusts of ,scripture1 spared no   

green thing2 and all the efforts made   
to rid them of this scourge proved      
ineffectual until the wet and cold      
weather of #ahfj put a stop to the      
insect's ravages4#djh ,more recently  it
 was discovered that its attacks could  
be checked by sulphurous  acid1 or by   
scalding the stakes and the vine-stocks 
with boiling water  during the winter4  
,nevertheless1 it appeared impossible to
 check its  destructiveness at ,ay1     
where it made its reappearance in #ahgi1
 and  caused an immense amount of       
damage4 ,on this occasion an ingenious  
gentleman1 ,m4 ,testulat ,gaspar1 was   
seized with the idea of combating  the  
pyrale by means of the electric light4  
,his theory was1 that on  a powerful    
light being exhibited in a central      
position at midnight  amongst the       
vineyards1 with a number of tin         
reflectors distributed in  every        
direction around1 the butterflies1      
roused from slumber1 would  wing their  
way in myriads towards the latter1 when 

their flight could  be arrested by      
sheets of muslin stretched between      
poles1 smeared with  honey and baited   
with a dash of ,champagne liqueur4 ,the 
theory was put  to the test in ,august  
#ahgi1 amongst the vineyards between    
,dizy and ,ay1  where the pyrale was    
committing the greatest ravages4 ,the   
light was  turned on1 and the           
butterflies rose 'in millions2' but they
 failed to  flock to the reflectors1 and
 the honey-smeared muslin proved quite  
useless to secure the few which came in 
contact with it4          ,illustration3
 ,a ,,vintage ,,scene ,,in ,,the        
,,champagne4                            
,,iv4                        _/,the     
,vintage in the ,champagne4_/           
,period of the ,champagne               
vintage--,vintagers summoned by         
beat of drum--,early morning the best   
time for plucking      the              
grapes--,excitement in the neighbouring 
villages at                             
vintage-time--,vintagers at work--,mules

 employed to convey the      gathered   
grapes down the steeper slopes--,the    
fruit carefully      examined before    
being taken to the wine-press--,arrival 
of the      grapes at the               
vendangeoir--,they are subjected to     
three squeezes1      and then to the    
'rbche'--,the must is pumped into casks 
and left      to ferment--,only a few of
 the vine-proprietors in the ,champagne 
press their own grapes--,the prices the 
grapes command--,air of      jollity    
throughout the district during the      
vintage--,every one      is interested  
in it1 and profits by it--,vintagers'   
fte on ,st4                             
,vincent's-day--,endless philandering   
between the sturdy sons of toil      and
 the sunburnt daughters of labour4      
,illustration3 ,,wine-,,press ,,in ,,the
 ,,champagne4    ,when the weather has  
been exceedingly propitious1 the vintage
 in the  ,champagne commences as early  
as the third week in ,september1 and in 
good average years the pickers set to   

work during the first week of  ,october4
 ,if1 however1 the summer has been an   
indifferent one1 and only  an inferior  
vintage is looked forward to1 it is     
scarcely before the  latter half of     
,october that the gathering of the      
grapes is proceeded  with4 ,there is no 
vintage-ban in the ,champagne1 as in    
,burgundy and  other parts of ,france2  
but1 as a rule1 the growers of ,ay and  
of the  neighbouring slopes commence    
operations a week or more earlier than  
those of the ,mountain of ,reims1 whilst
 around ,cramant and ,avize1 the        
white-grape region1 the vintagers       
usually set to work when in the other   
districts they have nearly finished4    
,illustration3 ,,the ,,champagne        
,,vintage ,,in ,,the ,,neighbourhood    
,,of ,,epernay4    ,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     
,this1 as we  have already explained1 is
 generally either a franc and a half1   
with  food consisting of three meals1 or
 two francs and a half1 rising on       
exceptional occasions to three francs1  
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    ,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 them1    
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  
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       
dexterously the latter may be squeezed  
in the press1 is occasionally of  a     
positive purple tinge1 and consequently 
useless for conversion into  ,champagne4
    ,illustration    ,at vintage-time   
everywhere is bustle and excitement2    
every one is big  with the business in  
hand4 ,in these ordinarily quiet little 
villages  nestling amidst vine clad     
hollows1 or perched half-way up a slope 
tinted from base to summit with         
richly-variegated hues1 there is a      

perpetual pattering of sabots and a     
rattling and bumping of wheels over  the
 roughly-paved streets4 ,the majority of
 the inhabitants are afoot3  the feeble 
feminine half1 baskets on arm1 thread   
their way with the  juveniles through   
the rows of vines planted half-way up   
the mountain1  and all aglow with their 
autumnal glories of green and purple1   
crimson  and yellow2 while the sturdy   
masculine portion are 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 jostle the low railway-trucks
 laden with brand-new  casks1 and the   
somewhat rickety cabriolets of the      
agents of the big  ,champagne houses1   
who are reduced to clinch their final   
bargain for a  hundred or more pices of 
the peerless wine of ,ay or ,bouzy1     
,verzy or  ,verzenay1 beside the reeking
 wine-press4    ,dotting the steep      
slopes like a swarm of huge ants are a  

crowd of men1  women1 and children1 the 
men1 in blue blouses or stripped to     
their  shirt-sleeves1 being for the most
 part engaged in carrying the baskets   
to and fro and loading the carts2 whilst
 the women1 in closely-fitting  neat    
white caps1 or wearing old-fashioned    
unbleached straw-bonnets of  the        
contemned coalscuttle type1 resembling  
the 'sun-bonnet' of the  ,midland       
counties1 together with the children1   
are intent on stripping  the vines of   
their luscious-looking fruit4 ,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 which they 
carry on  their arms1 and the contents  
of which they empty from time to time   
into  a larger basket resembling an     
ass's pannier in shape1 numbers of these
  being dispersed about the vineyard for
 the purpose1 and invariably  in the    

shade4 ,when filled the baskets 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 up2 and when one has      
secured its load it is driven slowly to 
the neighbouring pressoir1  so that the 
grapes may not be in the least degree   
shaken1 such is  the care observed      
throughout every stage of the process of
 ,champagne  manufacture4 ,when the     
vineyard slopes are very steep--as1 for 
instance1  at ,mareuil--and the paths do
 not admit of the approach of carts1    
mules1  equipped with panniers and duly 
muzzled1 are employed to convey the     
gathered fruit to the press-house4      
,illustration    ,illustration    ,in   
many vineyards the grapes are inspected 

in bulk instead of in detail  before    
being sent to the wine-press4 ,the      
hand-baskets1 when filled1  are brought 
to a particular spot1 where their       
contents are minutely  examined by some 
half-dozen men and women1 who pluck off 
the bruised1  rotten1 and unripe        
berries1 and fling them aside into a    
separate  basket4 ,in other vineyards we
 came upon parties of girls1 congregated
  round a wicker sieve perched on the   
top of a large tub by the roadside1     
engaged in sorting the grapes1 pruning  
away the diseased stalks1 and  picking  
off all the doubtful berries4 ,the      
latter were let fall through  the       
interstices of the sieve1 while the     
sound fruit was deposited  in large     
baskets standing beside the sorters1 and
 which1 as soon as  they were filled1   
were conveyed to the pressoir4 ,when the
 proprietor  is of an economic turn he  
usually has the refuse grapes pressed   
for  wine for home consumption4 ,spite  
of the minute examination to which  the 

grapes are subjected1 a sharp eye will  
frequently discover in the  heart of    
what looks like a regular and well-grown
 bunch a grape that  is absolutely      
rotten1 and capable of infecting its    
companions when the  whole are heaped up
 together in the wine-press4            
,illustration3 ,,arrival ,,of ,,the     
,,grapes ,,at ,,the ,,press-,,house4    
,illustration3 ,,the ,,vintage ,,in     
,,the ,,champagne3 ,a ,,wine-,,press    
,,at ,,work4    ,carts laden with grapes
 are continually arriving at the        
pressoirs1  discharging their loads and 
driving off for fresh ones4 ,the        
piled-up  baskets1 marked with the names
 of the vineyard-owners whose grapes    
they contain1 are temporarily stored    
under a shed in a cool place1  and are  
brought into the pressoir from time to  
time as required4 ,in  the district of  
the ,river the grapes are weighed1 while
 in that of  the ,mountain they are     
measured1 before being emptied on to the
 floor  of the press4 ,in some places   

the latter is of the old-fashioned type1
  resembling the ordinary cider-press2  
but usually powerful presses of  modern 
invention1 worked by a large fly-wheel  
requiring four sturdy men  to turn it1  
are employed4 ,the grapes are spread    
over the floor of the  press in a       
compact mass1 and in some rare cases are
 lightly trodden  by a couple of men    
with their naked feet before being      
subjected to  mechanical pressure1 which
 is again and again repeated1 only the  
first  squeeze giving a high-class wine1
 and the second and third a relatively  
inferior one4 ,after three pressures the
 grapes are usually worked about  with  
peels1 and subjected to a final squeeze 
known as the 'rbche1'  which produces a 
sort of piquette1 given to the workmen  
to drink1 but  in many instances forming
 the habitual1 and indeed only1 beverage
 of  the economically-inclined peasant  
proprietor4    ,the must filters 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 casks and delivered to the   
purchaser4    ,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  press the 
grapes they grow2 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 by caque1 a    
measure  estimated to hold sixty        
kilogrammes 7equal to #acb lb4          
avoirdupois7 of  grapes4 ,the price     
which the fruit fetches varies of course
 according to  the quality of the       
vintage and the requirements of the     
manufacturers2  but the average may be  
taken at about #hj centimes per         
kilogramme1  equivalent to rather more  
than #c-a_/b;d4 per lb4#dji             
,illustration    ,if in the ,champagne  
the picturesque rejoicings immortalised 
in the  ,italian vintage scenes of      
,lopold ,robert are lacking1 and if the 
grapes1 instead of being trodden to the 
blithe accompaniment of flute  and      
fiddle1 as in some parts of ,france1 are
 pressed in more quiet  fashion1 a      
pleasant air of jollity nevertheless    

pervades the district  at the season of 
the vintage4 ,every one participates in 
the interest  which this excites4 ,it   
influences the takings of all the       
artificers  and all the tradespeople1   
and brings grist to the mill of the     
baker  and the bootmaker1 as well as to 
the caf and cabaret4 ,the contending    
interests of capital and labour are1    
moreover1 singularly satisfied1  the    
vintagers being content at getting their
 two francs and a half a  day1 and the  
men at the pressoirs their three francs 
and their food2  the vineyard proprietor
 reaping the return of the time1 care1  
and  money expended upon his patch of   
vines1 and the ,champagne manufacturer  
acquiring raw material on sufficiently  
satisfactory terms1 the which1  when    
duly guaranteed by his name and brand1  
will bring to him both fame  and        
fortune4    ,should the vintage be a    
scanty one1 the plethoric               
commissionnaires-en-vins will wipe their
 perspiring foreheads with  satisfaction

 when they have at last secured the full
 number of hogsheads  they had been     
instructed to buy--at a high figure     
maybe2 still this is  no disadvantage to
 them1 as their commission mounts up the
 higher4 ,and  even the thickest-skulled
 among the small vine-proprietors1 who  
make  all their calculations on their   
fingers1 see at a glance that1 although 
the crop may be no more than half an    
average one1 they are gainers1  thanks  
to the ill-disguised anxiety of the     
agents to secure all the  wine they     
require1 which has the effect of sending
 prices up to nearly  double those of   
ordinary years1 and this with only half 
the work in the  vineyard and at the    
winepress to be done4    ,illustration  
,the vintage in the ,champagne comes to 
a close without any of those  festivals 
which still linger in the department of 
the ,gironde4 ,on  the #bb;d of         
,january1 the fte of ,st4 ,vincent1 the 
patron saint of  vine-growers1 it is    
customary1 however1 for one of the      

proprietors in  each village to pay for 
a mass and give a breakfast to his      
relatives  and friends1 at which he     
presents a bouquet to one of the guests1
 who1  in his turn1 is expected to pay  
for the mass and give the breakfast  the
 year following4 ,on the same day the   
proprietors entertain their  workpeople1
 who1 after having eaten and drunk their
 fill1 wind up the  day with song and   
dance1 leading to no end of innocent    
philandering  between the sturdy sons of
 toil and the sunburnt daughters of     
labour4  ,on these occasions the famous 
vintage song is sometimes heard3        
',vendangeons et vive la ,france1       
,le monde un jour avec nous trinquera4' 
,illustration          ,illustration3   
,,the ,,disgorging1 ,,liqueuring1       
,,corking1 ,,stringing1 ,,and  ,,wiring 
,,of ,,champagne4                       
,v4                        _/,the       
,preparation of ,champagne4_/           
,the treatment of ,champagne after it   
comes from the wine-press--,the         

racking and blending of the wine--,the  
proportions of red and      white       
vintages composing the                  
'cuve'--,deficiency and excess      of  
effervescence--,strength and form of    
,champagne bottles--,the      'tirage'  
or bottling of the wine--,the process of
 gas-making      commences--,details of 
the origin and development of the       
effervescent properties of              
,champagne--,the inevitable breakage    
of bottles which ensues--,this remedied 
by transferring the wine      to a lower
 temperature--,the wine stacked in      
piles--,formation of                    
sediment--,bottles placed 'sur pointe'  
and daily shaken to detach      the     
deposit--,effect of this occupation on  
those incessantly      engaged in       
it--,the present system originated by a 
workman of      ,madame                 
,clicquot's--',claws' and               
'masks'--,champagne cellars--,their     
construction and aspect--,raw recruits  
for the ',regiment de                   

,champagne'--,transforming the 'vin     
brut' into ,champagne--,disgorging      
and liqueuring the wine--,the           
composition of the liqueur--,variation  
in the quantity added to suit diverse   
national tastes--,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 round the world4  
,illustration    ,the special           
characteristic of ,champagne is that its
 manufacture only  commences where that 
of other wines ordinarily ends4 ,no one 
would  recognise in the still brut      
fluid--which1 after being duly racked   
and  fined1 has somewhat the taste and  
colour of an acrid ,rhine wine1 with a  
more or less pronounced bitter          
flavour--that exhilarating essence which
  is capable of raising the most        
depressed spirits1 and imparting gaiety 
to the dismallest gatherings4 ,much as  

,champagne may stand indebted to        
,nature1 soil1 climate1 and species of  
vine1 the sparkling fluid has           
contracted a far greater debt towards   
man1 to whose incessant labour1  patient
 skill1 and minute precautions it owes  
that combination of  qualities which    
causes it to be so highly prized4    ,in
 the preceding chapter we left the      
newly-expressed must flowing  direct    
from the press into capacious           
reservoirs1 whence it is drawn  off into
 large vats1 where it clears itself by  
depositing its mucous  lees1 usually    
within twenty-four hours4 ,it is then   
transferred to new  or perfectly clean  
casks1 holding some forty gallons each1 
in which a  sulphur match has been      
previously burnt4 ,these casks are not  
filled  quite up to the bunghole1 which 
is generally covered with a vine-leaf   
kept in its place by a piece of tile4   
,the bulk of the newly-made wine  is    
left to repose at the vendangeoirs until
 the commencement of the  following     

year2 still1 when the vintage is over1  
numbers of long narrow  carts laden with
 casks of newly-expressed must may be   
seen rolling  along the dusty highways1 
bound for those towns and villages in   
the  department of the ,marne where the 
manufacture of ,champagne is carried    
on1 and where the leading firms have    
their establishments4 ,chief  amongst   
these is the cathedral city of ,reims1  
after which comes the  rising town of   
,epernay1 stretching to the very verge  
of the river2 then  ,ay1 nestling       
between the vine-clad slopes and the    
,marne canal1 with the  neighbouring    
village of ,mareuil2 next ,pierry2 and  
finally ,avize1 in  the centre of the   
white-grape district southwards of      
,epernay4 ,chlons1  owing to its        
distance from the vineyards1 does not   
usually draw its  supply of wine until  
the new year4    ,in the vast celliers  
of the manufacturers' establishments1   
where a  temperature of about #fj to #gj
 degrees ,fahrenheit usually prevails1  

the wine undergoes its first            
fermentation1 entailing a loss of about 
#g-a_/b per cent1 and lasting 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 certain proportion of its      
natural saccharine to insure 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 yellow1 and   
cause it to lose  some of its lightness 
and perfume4 ,after being racked and    
fined--an  operation generally performed
 about the third week in ,december--the 
produce of the different vineyards is   

ready for mixing together in  accordance
 with the traditional theories of the   
various manufacturers2  and should the  
vintage have been an indifferent one1 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 insure 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 obtained from black grapes1 and  
now of a pale-pink hue1 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 ,river2  
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  crus1 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 ,in the opinion of   
some clever amalgamators1  a blend      
comprising one-third of the vintages of 
,sillery1 ,verzenay1  and ,bouzy1       
one-third of those of ,mareuil1 ,ay1 and
 ,dizy1 and the  remaining third        
composed of the produce of ,pierry1     
,cramant1 and ,avize1  constitutes the  
wine of ,champagne par excellence4      
,others not less  expert declare that a 
simple mixture of the ,ay1 ,pierry1 and 
,cramant  vintages furnishes a perfect  
wine4 ,as when this blending takes place

  the wine is only imperfectly fermented
 and exceedingly 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 already      
contains1 and the further quantity  it  
is likely to develop1 which depends upon
 the amount of its natural  saccharine4 
,after the bottling1 if the gas be      
present in excess1 there  will be a     
shattering of bottles and a flooding of 
cellars2 while1 on  the other hand1 if  
there be a paucity1 the corks will      
refuse to pop1  and the wine to sparkle 
aright in the glass4 ,the amount of     
saccharine  in the cuve has therefore to
 be accurately ascertained by means of  
a glucometer2 and should it fail to     
reach the required standard1 as is  the 

case at times when the season has been  
wet and cold and the vintage  a poor    
one1 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  of the wine until the     
superfluous saccharine matter has been  
absorbed  by fermentation in the cask4  
,illustration    ,the cuve completed1   
the blended wine1 which in its present  
condition  gives 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 
usually isinglass1 made into a jelly and
 strained through a  'tammy2' while1 as 
a precaution against ropiness and other 
maladies1  liquid tannin1 derived from  
nut-galls1 catechu1 or grape husks and  
pips1 is at the same time frequently    
added to supply the place of the        

natural tannin1 which has departed from 
the wine with its reddish hue  at the   
epoch of its first fermentation4 ,if at 
the expiration of a month  the wine has 
not become perfectly clear and limpid1  
it is racked off  the lees1 and the     
operation of fining is repeated4        
,illustration    ,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 weakened1 and  can   
never be safely trusted again4#daj ,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 insure this unusual         
strength1 it is necessary that the 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 on one  occasion 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 ,champagne come 
from the factories of  ,loivre 7which   
supplies the largest quantity71         

,folembray1 ,vauxrot1 and               
,quiquengrogne1 and they cost on the    
average from #bh to #cc francs the      
hundred4#daa ,they are generally tested 
by a practised hand1 who1 by  knocking  
them sharply together1 professes to be  
able to tell1 from the  sound that they 
give1 the substance of the glass and its
 temper1 though  occasionally a special 
machine1 subjecting them to hydraulic   
pressure1  is had recourse to4          
,illustration    ,the operation of      
washing1 which takes place immediately  
preceding  the bottling of the wine1 is 
invariably performed by women1 who at   
the larger establishments accomplish it 
with the aid of machines1  provided at  
times with a revolving brush1 although  
small glass beads  are generally used by
 preference4 ,each bottle after being   
washed is  minutely examined1 to make   
certain of its perfect purity1 and is   
then  placed neck downwards in a tall   
basket to drain4    ,illustration3      
,,machine ,,for ,,fixing ,,the          

,,agrafes4    ,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 wine1 after a 
preliminary test as to its  fitness for 
bottling1 is emptied from the casks into
 vats or tuns of  varying capacity in   
the salle du tirage4 ,from these 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 motion4 ,speed  in   
the process is of much importance1 as   
during a single day the wine  may       
undergo a notable change4 ,from the     
corkers the bottles are passed  on to   

the agrafeurs1 who secure the corks by  
means of an iron clip  termed an agrafe2
 and they are afterwards conveyed either
 to a spacious  room above-ground known 
as a cellier or to a cool vault         
underground1  according to the number of
 atmospheres which the wine may         
indicate4    ,illustration    ,with     
reference to these atmospheres1 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 base1 which is      
driven  through the cork of the bottle4 
,a pressure of #e-c_/d 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 four 
atmospheres1 it is  advisable to keep   
the wine in a cellier above-ground1 that
 it may more  rapidly acquire the       
requisite sparkling qualities4 ,if fewer
 than four  atmospheres are indicated1  
it would be necessary to pour the wine  
back  into the casks again1 and add a   
certain amount of cane-sugar to it2  but
 such an eventuality very rarely        
happens1 thanks to the scientific       
formulas and apparatus1 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 latent         
effervescence to  develop itself4#dab   
,illustration3 ,,the ,,tirage ,,or      
,,bottling ,,of ,,champagne4    ,the    
bottles are first placed in a horizontal
 position1 the side to be  kept         

uppermost being indicated by a daub of  
whitewash1 and are stacked  in rows of  
varying length and depth1 one above the 
other1 to about  the height of a man1   
with narrow laths between them4 ,thus   
they will  spend the summer1 providing  
all goes well2 but in about three weeks'
  time the process of gas-making inside 
the bottles is at its height1  and a    
period of considerable anxiety to the   
,champagne manufacturer  ensues1 through
 his dread lest an undue number of them 
should burst  from the expansion of the 
carbonic acid gas generated in the wine4
 ,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 ,moreover1 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 ,not only does

  the increased temperature unduly      
accelerate fermentation1 but the mere   
shock of one bottle exploding often     
starts such of its neighbours as  are   
predisposed that way1 in addition to the
 direct havoc wrought by  the heavier   
fragments of flying glass4 ,the only    
remedy is the instant  removal of the   
wine to a lower temperature whenever    
this is practicable4    ,illustration   
,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  
#fjjj bottles2 and it is not long since 
that #abj1jjj out of  #bjj1jjj were     
destroyed in the cellars of a well-known
 ,champagne firm4  ,m4 ,maumn1 moreover1
 relates that in #ahej he was called in 
to consult  about the checking of a     
casse1 which had already reached #if per
  cent4#dac ,over-knowing purchasers    
affect to select a wine which has       
exploded in the largest proportion in   
the cellars1 as being well up to  the   

mark as regards its effervescence1 and  
are in the habit of making  inquiries as
 to its performances in this direction4 
,illustration    ,it is evident that1 in
 spite of the teachings of science1 the 
bursting  of ,champagne bottles has not 
yet been reduced to a minimum1 for      
whereas  in some cellars it averages #g 
and #h per cent1 and rises to #ae when  
the  pressure is unusually strong1 in   
others it rarely exceeds #b-a_/b or #c4 
,the period between ,may and ,september 
is that in which the greatest           
destruction takes place4 ,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      
position1  in which they gradually      
develop two essential qualities1 that of
  effervescing well and that of         

travelling satisfactorily1 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 ,during this period 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    ,illustration    ,by   
this time the fermentation is over2 but 
in the interval1 commencing  from a few 
days after the bottling of the wine1 a  
loose dark-brown  sediment has been     
forming1 which has now settled on the   
lower side of  the bottle1 and to get   
rid of which is a delicate and tedious  
task4 ,as  the time approaches for      
preparing the wine for shipment1 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#dad ,the    
object of this change in  their position
 is to cause the sediment to leave the  
side of the bottle  where it has        
gathered4 ,afterwards it becomes        
necessary to twist and  turn it 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 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 day1 whilst #cj1jjj 
to  #dj1jjj is by no means an uncommon  
performance4    ,illustration    ,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 ten hours6 ,why1 the  treadmill and  
the crank1 with their periodical        
respites1 must be  pastime compared to  
this maddeningly monotonous occupation1 
which  combines hard labour1 with the   
wrist1 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 as an antidote to the damp
 to which  they are exposed1 and merely 
pay the penalty of their                
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   
,at a still earlier date the process was
 more  or less successfully accomplished
 by holding the bottles upside down  by 
the neck1 tapping them at the bottom to 
detach the sediment1 and  then1 after   
shaking them well up1 laying them on    
their sides until the  operation was    
repeated4 ,in #ahah1 however1 a man     
named ,mller1 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 obliquely1 so  
that they might recline at varying      
angles4 ,his  suggestions were privately
 adopted by ,madame ,clicquot2 but      
eventually  the improved plan got wind1 
and the system which he initiated now   
prevails throughout the ,champagne4#dae 
,illustration    ,when the bottles have 
gone through their regular course of    
shaking1  they are examined before a    
lighted candle to ascertain whether the 
deposit has all fallen on to the cork1  
and the wine has become  perfectly      
clear4 ,sometimes it happens that1 twist
 these men never so  wisely1 the        
deposit1 instead of becoming flaky or   
granular1 refuses to  stir1 and takes   
the shape of a bunch of threads         
technically called a  'claw1' or an     
adherent membrane 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 bottle in the         
workman's hands4 ,by way of precaution1 
therefore1  the operator protects his   
face with a wire mask1 or by gigantic   
wire  spectacles1 which give to him a   
ghoul-like aspect4 ,frequently it is    
found impossible to detach the 'mask'   
from the side of the bottle1 and  in    
this case the only thing that remains is
 to pour the wine back again  into the  
cask1 with the view of mixing it in some
 future cuve4#daf    ,illustration      
,the cellars of the ,champagne          
manufacturers are very varied in        
character4 ,the wine that has been grown
 on the chalky hills is left to  develop
 itself in vaults burrowed out of the   
calcareous strata which  underlie 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 narrow1  low1 winding          
corridors1 varied1 perhaps1 by recesses 
hewn roughly out  of the chalk1 and     
resembling the brigands' cave of        
melodrama2 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 recruits for the  historically   
famous ',regiment de                    
,champagne'#dag--;awaiting their turn   
to be thoroughly drilled and            
disciplined4 ,these are varied by       
bottles  reposing neck downwards in     
racks at different degrees of           
inclination1  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 pile1 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    ,illustration3          
,,detaching ,,the ',,mask' ,,from ,,the 

,,sides ,,of ,,the ,,bottles4    ,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 a
 cask set  on end1 and having a large   
oval opening in front4 ,this            
nimble-fingered  manipulator seizes a   
bottle1 raises it for a moment before   
the light to  test the clearness of the 
wine and the subsidence of the deposit2 
holds  it horizontally in his left hand1
 with the neck directed towards the     

opening already mentioned2 and with a   
jerk of the steel hook which he  holds  
in his right hand loosens the agrafe    
securing the cork4 ,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 allow the bottle to empty
  itself by the time he discovered that 
the cork was out4 ,yet such is the      
dexterity acquired by practice that the 
average amount of wine1 foam1  and      
deposit ejected by this operation does  
not exceed one-fourteenth  of the       
contents of the bottle4 ,occasionally a 
bottle bursts in the  dgorgeur's hand1  
and his face is sometimes scarred from  
such  explosions4 ,the sediment removed1
 the dgorgeur slips a temporary  cork   
into the bottle1 or places the latter in

 a machine provided with  fixed         
gutta-percha corks and springs for      
securing the bottles firmly  in their   
places4 ,the wine is now ready for the  
important operation of  the dosage1 upon
 the nature and amount of which the     
character of  perfected ,champagne1     
whether it be dry or sweet1 light or    
strong1 very  much depends4#dah         
,illustration    ,different             
manufacturers have different recipes for
 the composition of  this syrup1 all    
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#dai ,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 cent of     
liqueur4#dbj    ,illustration    ,in    
establishments wedded to old-fashioned  
usages the dose is  administered with a 
tin can or ladle2 but more generally an 
ingenious  machine which regulates the  
percentage of liqueur to a nicety is    
employed4 ,the bottle being usually     
nearly full when passed to  the doseur1 
he1 when a heavy percentage of liqueur  
has to be  administered1 is constrained1
 under the old system1 to pour out some 
of the wine to make room for it1 and    
this surplus in many cases is           
afterwards transformed into the         
well-known tisane de ,champagne4  ,as   
soon as the dosage is accomplished1 the 
bottle is passed to  another workman    
known as the galiseur1 who fills it up  
with pure  wine1 frequently with a part 

of that which has been poured out by    
the doseur1 to the requisite level for  
corking4 ,in the event of  a pink       
,champagne being required1 the wine thus
 added will be red1  although           
manufacturers of questionable reputation
 sometimes employ  the solution of      
elderberries1 known as teinte de        
,fismes1 to impart  that once-favourite 
roseate hue which has been compared to  
the glow of  fading sunlight on a       
crystal stream4    ,illustration3 ,,the 
,,doseur4    ,illustration3 ,,the       
,,corker4    ,illustration3 ,,the       
,,metteur ,,de ,,fil4    ,illustration3 
,,dosing ,,machine4    ,illustration3   
,,corking ,,machine4    ,the galiseur in
 his turn hands the bottle to the       
corker1 who places  it under a machine  
furnished with a pair of claws 7so as to
 compress  the cork to a size           
sufficiently small to allow it to enter 
the neck of  the bottle7 and a suspended
 weight1 which in falling drives it     
home4  ,these corks1 principally        

obtained from ,catalonia and ,andalucia1
 are  bound to possess a close and      
regular fibre and perfect elasticity4   
,they form no unimportant item in the   
,champagne manufacturer's budget1       
costing upwards of twopence each1 and   
are delivered in huge sacks  resembling 
hop-pockets4 ,previous to being used    
they are either boiled  in wine or      
soaked in a solution of tartar1 or else 
they have been  steamed by the cork     
merchants1 in order to prevent their    
imparting a  bad flavour to the wine1   
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 top1 at a   
rate which allows from a thousand to    

twelve  hundred bottles to pass through 
his hands in course of the day4 ,the    
metteur de fil next affixes the wire    
with like celerity2#dba 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    ,illustration  
,the final manipulation accomplished1   
the agitated course of existence        
through which the wine has been passing 
at last 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 them1 they are confided 
to  feminine hands to have their dainty 
toilettes made1 and are tastefully      
labelled1 and are either capsuled1 or   

else have their corks and necks         
imbedded in sealing-wax or swathed in   
gold or silver foil1 whereby  they are  
rendered presentable at the             
best-appointed tables4 ,all that  now   
remains is to wrap them up in coloured  
tissue-paper1 to slip them  into straw  
envelopes1 or encircle them with wisps  
of straw1 and pack  them either in cases
 or baskets for despatch to all quarters
 of the  civilised globe4               
,illustration    ,it is thus that       
,champagne sets out on its beneficial   
pilgrimage to  promote the spread of    
mirth and light-heartedness1 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        
,nowadays the exhilarating wine  graces 

not merely princely but middle-class    
dinner-tables1 and is the  needful      
adjunct at every petit souper1 as well  
as the stimulant to  the wildest revels 
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 the  exhilarating influence 
of the wine4 ,champagne 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 the wine 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 the

 ,romans died they left traces behind   
them in their quaint  funeral urns2     
wherever the civilised man of the       
nineteenth century 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    
,marne4 ,they are strewn broadcast over 
the face of the globe1 literally  from  
,indus to the ,pole4 ,the crews of the  
,alert and the ,discovery  left them on 
the ice-bound verge of the paleocrystic 
sea2 the ,french  expeditionary columns 
have scattered them within the limits of
 the  ,great ,sahara4 ,in the lodges of 
the red man they are found playing the  
part of a great medicine1 and in the    
huts of the negro they assume all  the  
importance due to a big fetish4         

,stanley1 arriving fainting and         
exhausted at the mouth of the ,congo1   
hailed with joy the foil-tipped  flask  
that the hospitable merchants who       
answered his appeal for succour  had    
despatched2 and as he quaffed its       
contents1 recalled how he and           
,livingstone1 when thousands of miles   
from any other ,european1 had  emptied a
 bottle of sparkling ,champagne together
 on the night of their  memorable       
meeting at ,ujiji4 ,and when1 after the 
battle of ,ulundi1 the  victorious      
,british troops occupied ,cetewayo's    
kraal1 they found within  the sable     
potentate's private chamber several     
empty ,champagne bottles1  the contents 
of which1 it is to be presumed1 he had  
quaffed the night  before to the success
 of his followers4 ,in the ,transvaal   
too1 during  the negotiations for an    
armistice1 ,sir ,evelyn ,wood regaled   
the ,boer  delegates with ,champagne4   
,on a subsequent occasion1 the latter   
were  unable to return the compliment1  

excusing themselves by suggestively     
remarking1 ',we don't take such things  
with us when we go to fight4'           
,illustration          ,illustration3   
,,renaissance ,,house ,,at ,,reims1 ,,in
 ,,which ,,madame ,,clicquot  ,,resided4
                                        
,,vi4                   _/,reims and its
 ,champagne ,establishments4_/          
,the city of ,reims--,its historical    
associations--,the ,cathedral--,its     
western front one of the most splendid  
conceptions of the      thirteenth      
century--,the sovereigns crowned within 
its      walls--,present aspect of the  
ancient archiepiscopal city--,the       
woollen manufactures and other          
industries of ,reims--,the city         
undermined with the cellars of the great
 ,champagne firms--,reims               
hotels--,gothic house in the ,rue du    
,bourg ,st4 ,denis--,renaissance        
house in the ,rue de ,vesle--,church of 
,st4 ,jacques3 its gateway      and     
quaint weathercock--,the ,rue des       

,tapissiers and the ,chapter            
,court--,the long tapers used at        
religious processions--,the ,place      
des ,marchs and its ancient houses--,the
 ,htel de ,ville--,statue      of ,louis
 ,,xiii4--,the ,rues de la ,prison and  
du ,temple--,messrs4      ,werl  ,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--,remains of the      
,commanderie--,the forty-five           
cellars of the ,clicquot-,werl          
establishment--,our tour of inspection  
through them--,ingenious dosing         
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 vendangeoirs4      ,illustration3   
,,head ,,of ,,bacchus ,,in ,,the        

,,courtyard ,,of ,,the ,h,,tel ,,du     
,,lion  ,d',,or4    ,the ancient city of
 ,reims is pleasantly situate in a      
spacious natural  basin1 surrounded by  
calcareous hills1 for the most part     
planted with  vines4 ,it is fertile in  
historical associations1 rich in        
archological  treasures1 and at the same
 time able to claim the respect more    
readily accorded in the nineteenth      
century to a busy and prosperous        
commercial centre4 ,indeed1 its         
historical1 archological1 and           
commercial importance is in advance of  
its actual political situation1  for    
administratively it only ranks as a     
simple subprefecture in the  department 
of the ,marne4 ,the student of history  
can hardly afford to  neglect a city so 
intimately associated with the story of 
monarchy in  ,france1 and one which has 
witnessed the coronations of a long     
series of  sovereigns1 beginning with   
,clovis and ending with ,charles ,x4    
,from the  day when the 'proud          

,sicamber' bent his neck at the         
adjuration of ,st4  ,remi1 and vowed to 
adore that which he had burnt and to    
burn that which  he had adored1 down to 
the time when the future exile of       
,holyrood had  his forehead touched by  
,jean ,baptiste ,antoine de ,latil with 
the remnant  of the 'sacred pomatum' so 
miraculously saved from revolutionary   
hands1 few of the titular rulers of the 
country have failed to honour  it with  
their presence4 ,as the ,durocortorum of
 ,csar1 the residence  of ,charlemagne1 
the seat of the great ,ecclesiastical   
,councils of  the twelfth century1 the  
stronghold of the ,league1 and the scene
 of  one of the first ,napoleon's most  
brilliant feats of arms during the      
campaign of #ahac-ad1 it has also earned
 for itself a conspicuous place  in     
history4 ,to ,englishmen it is1 perhaps1
 most noteworthy as having  successfully
 checked the victorious advance of the  
third ,edward after  ,cressy1 and       
witnessed the apogee of that meteoric   

career1 which began  in the inn-yard at 
,domremi and ended in the market-place  
at ,rouen1  the career of ,jeanne la    
,pucelle4 ,nor must it be forgotten that
 ,reims  sheltered the childhood of     
,mary ,stuart1 and saw the heralds of   
,england  hurl solemn defiance at ,henri
 ,,ii4 in the ,abbey of ,st4 ,remi1 at  
the  command of ,mary ,tudor4           
,illustration3 ,,general ,,view ,,of    
,,reims1 #ahhj4    ,to the archologist  
as to the ordinary sightseer1 the chief 
attractions  presented by ,reims consist
 in its numerous ecclesiastical         
edifices1  some still serving the       
purpose for which they were originally  
erected1  others long since converted to
 secular usages4 ,most conspicuous among
  them is the cathedral church of ,notre
 ,dame1 the stately basilica  in which  
the sovereigns of ,france were wont to  
be crowned4 ,this  superb monument of   
,gothic architecture was commenced in   
#abaj1 upon  the plans of ,robert de    
,coucy1 by ,archbishop ,alberic de      

,humbert4 ,it  was completed at the     
commencement of the fourteenth century1 
and  though the original design was     
somewhat modified--owing1 it is said1   
to the contributions of the faithful not
 coming in with sufficient  rapidity--it
 remains a marvel of strength1 admirably
 combined with  grace4 ,the exterior is 
extremely fine2 and the western face1   
with its  elaborately ornate portal1 has
 been described as 'one of the most     
splendid conceptions of the thirteenth  
century4'#dbb ,amidst the almost        
bewildering multiplicity of ornament1   
the triple porch1 surmounted  by a group
 representing the ,coronation of the    
,virgin1 the great rose  window1 flanked
 by colossal effigies of ,david and     
,goliath1 and the  range of statues     
known as the ,gallery of the ,kings1    
running across the  faade near its      
summit1 are conspicuous4 ,the interior1 
although fine1  and containing many     
objects of interest1 is less impressive1
 while  the plundered treasury can still

 boast of many quaint and curious       
relics of bygone times4 ,but the chief  
interest centres in the fact  of the    
surrounding walls having witnessed so   
many scenes of stately  pomp and        
pageantry4 ,st4 ,louis1 ,philip the     
,fair1 ,philip of ,valois1  the         
unfortunate ,john the ,good1 ,charles   
the ,simple1 and ,charles the           
,victorious1 with ,joan of ,arc1        
standard in hand1 by his side2 the wily 
,louis ,,xi41 ,louis the ,father of his 
,people1 the magnificent ,francis ,i41  
and his scarcely less magnificent son1  
the young husband of ,mary ,queen  of   
,scots2 the savage ,charles ,,ix41      
,henri ,,iii41 with his protest that    
the crown hurt him1 ,louis the ,just1   
the ,roi ,soleil himself1 ,louis the    
,well-,beloved1 the hapless ,louis      
,seize1 and ,charles ,x41 have all knelt
  here in turns whilst the crown was    
placed on their heads1 the sword  girded
 to their sides1 and the oriflamme waved
 above them4    ,many of the most famous

 cities of the ,middle ,ages are mere   
fossilised  representatives of former   
grandeur1 but with ,reims the case is   
otherwise4 ,if somewhat fallen from its 
former high estate1 politically         
speaking--though it should be remembered
 that ,troyes was the titular  capital  
of the ,champagne when the province was 
ruled by independent  ,counts--its      
material prosperity has augmented4      
,round the nucleus of  narrow and often 
tortuous streets1 representing the old  
archiepiscopal  city--the ',little      
,rome' of the twelfth century--a network
 of spacious  thoroughfares and broad   
boulevards has spread itself1 and the   
life  and movement of a busy            
manufacturing population are not        
lacking4 ,in  addition to the wine      
trade1 which of course employs1 both    
directly and  indirectly1 a large number
 of hands1 ,reims is one of the most    
important  seats of the woollen         
manufacture in ,france1 and the         
industrial element  forms a very        

important factor amongst its            
inhabitants4 ,in addition  to the       
flannels1 merinoes1 blankets1           
trouserings1 shawls1 c41 that  are      
annually produced1 to the value of from 
thirty to forty million  of francs1     
there is also a considerable production 
of gingerbread1  biscuits1 and dried    
pears1 enjoying a wide-spread           
reputation4    ,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 beyond its more distant          
outskirts4 ,in whichever direction we   
may elect to proceed when  visiting the 
principal ,champagne establishments1 our
 starting-point  will necessarily be the
 vicinity of the ,cathedral1 for it is  
here  that all the hotels are situated4 
,facing the great western doorway of    
the ancient ,gothic edifice is the ,htel

 ,lion d',or1 formerly the ,htel  ,petit
 ,moulinet1 where the allied sovereigns 
sojourned on their way to  ,paris in    
#ahad1 and ,napoleon rested on his      
flight after the battle of  ,waterloo4  
,close by is the ,htel ,maison ,rouge1  
with the commemorative  tablet on its   
renovated faade setting forth that in   
the year #adbi1  at the coronation of   
,charles ,,vii4 in this hostelry1 then  
named the  ,striped ,ass1 the father and
 mother of ,jeanne ,darc were lodged at 
the  expense of the city council4       
,almost facing is the newly-erected     
,grand  ,htel1 and on the north-western 
side of the ,cathedral is the ,htel de  
,commerce1 the resort1 as its name      
implies1 of most of the commercial      
travellers frequenting the capital of   
the ,champagne4 ,the visitor to  ,reims1
 be his object business or pleasure1 is 
bound to put up at one  or other of     
these four hostelries1 and hence the    
starting-point of his  peregrinations is
 necessarily the same4    ,illustration3

 ,,gothic ,,doorway ,,in ,,the ,,rue    
,,du ,,bourg ,,st4 ,,denis1 ,,reims4    
,proceeding along the ,rue ,tronon      
,ducoudray1 we reached the ,rue de      
,vesle1 where the ,palais de ,justice   
and the new theatre are situated4 ,in   
the adjacent ,rue du ,bourg ,st4 ,denis 
is an old house--the ground-floor  of   
which is a wine-shop styled ,buvette du 
,thtre--notable for its  antique ,gothic
 doorway1 containing1 within the upper  
portion of  the arch1 the bas-relief of 
a man fighting with a bear4 ,there is a 
tradition that on this spot formerly    
stood a hospital dedicated to ,st4      
,hubert1 and intended for the reception 
of persons wounded when hunting1  or who
 might have chanced to be bitten by mad 
dogs4 ,in the ,rue de ,vesle  is another
 old house with an ornamental frieze    
surmounting its faade1  which looks on  
to one of the entrances of the ,church  
of ,st4 ,jacques4  ,this edifice1       
originally erected at the close of the  
twelfth century1  is hemmed in on all   

sides by venerable-looking buildings1   
while above  them rises its tapering    
steeple1 surmounted by a medival        
weathercock  in the form of an angel4   
,the interior of the church 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 ,remois   
sculptor of the days of  the ,good ,king
 ,henri1 and from an anatomical point of
 view a perfect  chef-d'oeuvre4         
,illustration3 ,,frieze ,,of ,,old      
,,house ,,in ,,the ,,rue ,,de ,,vesle1  
,,reims4    ,illustration3 ,,gateway    
,,of ,,the ,,church ,,of ,,st4          
,,jacques1 ,,reims4    ,illustration3   
,,weathercock ,,of ,,the ,,church ,,of  
,,st4 ,,jacques4    ,the ,rue de ,vesle 
merges into the ,rue des ,tapissiers1   
where in former  times the carpet       
manufacturers of ,reims had their       
warehouses4 ,in  the fourteenth and     
fifteenth centuries the carpets of      

,reims were as  famous in ,france as    
those of ,aubusson are to-day1 but      
subsequently  they began to decline4    
,half-way up this street--where1 by the 
way1 in  #afid the first numbers of the 
,gazette de ,france1 the oldest existing
  ,french newspaper1 were printed1 the  
news being duly forwarded from          
,paris--we pass the ancient gateway     
leading to the chapter-court of  the    
,cathedral4 ,within the court a weekly  
market of small wares is  now held2 but 
in the days when the archbishops1 dukes1
 and peers of  ,reims wielded sovereign 
sway in the capital of the ,champagne1  
this  open space was a champ clos1 where
 trials by battle took place4 ,the      
surrounding buildings comprised         
residences for various ecclesiastics    
connected with the ,cathedral1 together 
with a small farm whence these          
epicurean priests derived their supply  
of fresh milk and fatted capons4        
,according to ancient custom1 the       
inhabitants of the houses facing the    

chapter-gateway were required to keep   
their doors and windows open on  days of
 religious processions1 the tapers      
carried by the clergy on  these         
occasions being of such immoderate      
length that it was necessary  to incline
 them1 and run them into the doors and  
windows of the houses  opposite when the
 bearers passed under the archway4      
,illustration3 ,,gothic ,,house ,,in    
,,the ,,market-,,place1 ,,reims4    ,at 
the end of the ,rue des ,tapissiers is  
the handsome ,place ,royale1  connected 
with the ,place des ,marchs by a broad  
rectangular street  lined with lofty    
edifices in the modern ,parisian style  
of architecture4  ,a break ensues in    
this range of massive-looking buildings 
as we enter  the ancient ,place des     
,marchs1 the forum of ,roman ,reims1 and
 to-day  bordered more or less by houses
 of a medival character1 remarkably     
well preserved4 ,principal among these  
is a ,gothic timber-house of  the       
fifteenth century1 with its projecting  

upper stories supported  by             
elaborately-carved corbels1 and its     
entire faade enriched with  mouldings   
and finials1 and with columns and       
capitals overlaid with  sculptured      
ornaments4    ,illustration3 ,,statue   
,,of ,,louis ,,xiii4 ,,on ,,the ,h,,tel 
,,de ,,ville1 ,,reims4    ,some little  
distance beyond the ,place des ,marchs  
is the ,place  de l',htel de ,ville1    
which derives all its interest from the 
handsome-looking edifice in the florid  
,italian style of the early  part of the
 seventeenth century which gives it its 
name4 ,the faade  of this building is   
profusely decorated with ,ionic1 ,doric1
 and  ,corinthian columns1 and on the   
pediment above the principal entrance   
is a bas-relief equestrian statue of    
,louis ,,xiii41 whom the ,latin         
inscription beneath fulsomely           
characterises as 'the just1 the pious1  
the victorious1 the clement1 the beloved
 of his people1 the terror of  his      
enemies1 and the delight of the world1' 

and to whom 'the senate  and inhabitants
 of ,reims have raised this imperishable
 trophy4' ,some  century and a half     
later1 however1 the imperishable trophy 
got hurled  down and shattered into     
fragments by the populace1 and its      
vacant place  was only filled by the    
present statue in the year #ahah4    ,to
 the right of the ,place is the ,chambre
 des ,notaires of ,reims1 raised  on the
 site of the ancient prsidial1 or court 
of justice1 where  the city magistrates 
used to be elected during the ,middle   
,ages1 and  to which a chapel and a     
prison were attached4 ,the latter       
building  evidently gave its name to the
 adjoining ,rue de la ,prison1 the      
gloomy-looking houses of which--of a    
more massive character than the  gabled 
structures of the market-place and the  
,rue de l',etape--with  their           
formidably-barred windows1 possible     
relics of the religious  wars1 seem to  
frown1 as it were1 upon the passer-by4  
,in a narrow  tortuous street leading   

from this thoroughfare ,messrs4 ,werl   
,co41 the  successors of the famous     
,veuve ,clicquot-,ponsardin1 have their 
offices  and cellars1 on the site of a  
former ,commanderie of the ,templars2   
and  strangers passing by this quiet    
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 date2 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 there4 ,m4 ,werl  
entered  the establishment which he has 
done so much to raise to its existing   
position so far back as the year #ahba4 
,his care and skill1 exercised  for     
nearly two-thirds of 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 secured 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 
,,heads ,,of ,,ph,,oe,,bus ,,and        
,,bacchus4    ,half-way down the narrow 
,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 ,remois  ,commanderie of the   
,knights ,templars existed until the    
epoch of the  ,great ,revolution1 and   
today 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
  steps4 ,the date of the foundation of 
this ,commanderie is uncertain1  but it 
is known that a ,templar's church       
occupied a portion of the  site in      
#aagj4 ,in #acaa both the church and the

 ,commanderie passed into  possession of
 the ,order of ,st4 ,john of ,jerusalem1
 which held them until  the epoch of the
 ,revolution4 ,formerly the chevins of  
,reims used to  be elected in the       
ancient hall of the ,commanderie1 which 
at one period  was a sanctuary for      
debtors1 and also for criminals4 ,early 
in the  present century the buildings   
were sold and demolished4               
,illustration3 ,,the ,,clicquot-,,werl  
,,establishment ,,at ,,reims4           
,illustration    ,illustration3 ,arms of
 the ,dauphins of ,france4    ,arms of  
the ,knight of ,malta4    ,,devices     
,,from ,,the ,,commanderie ,,at ,,reims4
    ,after being furnished with lighted 
candles1 we set out on our tour of      
inspection of the ,clicquot-,werl       
establishment1 entering first of all    
the vast cellar of ,st4 ,paul1 where the
 thousands of bottles requiring  to be  
daily shaken are reposing necks downward
 on the large perforated  tables which  
crowd the apartment4 ,it is a           

peculiarity that each of the            
,clicquot-,werl cellars--forty-five in  
number1 and the smallest among  them 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 next1 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 cases1
 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 is commonly  
the case1 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 time1 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 workpeople 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 gas1 by its own power  

and composition1 forcing itself  back   
into the wine4    ,in the adjoining     
cellar of ,st4 ,charles are stacks of   
bottles awaiting  the manipulation of   
the dgorgeur2 while in that of ,st4     
,ferdinand  men are engaged in examining
 other bottles before lighted candles1  
to  make certain that the sediment is   
thoroughly dislodged1 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 taper1   
stuck in a cleft stick1 to direct the   
workmen1 who  with dexterous turns of   
their wrists1 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 tilted2 others1 again1 almost  
standing on their heads1 while  some1   
which through overinflation 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 
to 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 report1      
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       

,illustration3 ,,madame ,,veuve         
,,clicquot ,,at ,,eighty ,,years ,,of   
,,age    7,from the painting by ,lon    
,coignet74    ,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 cent1 but 
subsequently is considerably less4 ,in  
#ahfb one ,champagne  manufacturer lost 
as much as #de per cent 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 crane1 and discharged into   
the vat  daily as long as the operation 
lasts4 ,the tirage1 or bottling of the  
wine1 ordinarily commences in the middle
 of ,may1 and occupies fully a  month4  
,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 ,meissonier'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 centred1 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    ,illustration          
,illustration    ,the first of these    
bas-reliefs represents two soldiers of  
the ,swiss  guard1 the next a ,turk and 
,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 table and cards have
 got  canted over2 the fourth presents  
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  maistre ,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   
,we should mention that the spaces      

above the porte cochre1 and the window  
by its side1 are occupied  by four      
medallions1 which present that curious  
mingling of classic  and contemporary   
styles for which the epoch of the       
,renaissance was  remarkable4           
,illustration3 ,,medallions ,,from      
,,madame ,,clicquot',s ,,house4    ,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        
,cramant1 in vendangeoirs belonging to  
their friends4    ,since the death of   
,madame ,clicquot the legal style of the
 firm has  been ',werl  ,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     
house1 and gave enduring fame to the    
,clicquot brand4    ,illustration       
,illustration3 ,,the ,,place ,,royale   
,,at ,,reims4                           
,,vii4            _/,reims and its      
,champagne ,establishments_/            
7continued74        ,the house of ,louis
 ,roederer founded by a plodding ,german
      named ,schreider--,the central and
 other establishments of the            

firm--,ancient house in the ,rue des    
,elus--,the gloomy-looking ,rue      des
 ,deux ,anges and prison-like aspect of 
its houses--,inside      their courts   
the scene changes--,handsome            
,renaissance house and      garden1 a   
former abode of the canons of the       
,cathedral--,the      ,place            
,royale--,the ,htel des ,fermes and the 
statue of the 'wise1      virtuous1 and 
magnanimous ,louis ,,xv4'--,birthplace  
of ,colbert in      the ,rue de         
,crs--,quaint ,adam and ,eve gateway in 
the ,rue de      l',arbalte--,heidsieck 
,co4's central establishment in the ,rue
 de      ,sedan--,their famous          
',monopole' brand--,the firm founded in 
the last      century--,their extensive 
cellars inside and outside ,reims--,the 
matured wines shipped by them--,the     
,boulevard du ,temple--,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--,various      ,champagne firms  
located in this quarter of ,reims--,the 
,rue du      ,tambour and the famous    
,house of the ,musicians--,the ,counts  
de la      ,marck assumed former        
occupants of the latter--,the           
,brotherhood of      ,minstrels of      
,reims--,prinet  ,fils' establishment in
 the ,rue ,st4      ,hilaire--,their    
cellars of three stories in solid       
masonry--,their      soft1 light1 and   
delicate wines--,a rare still           
,verzenay--,the firm's      high-class  
,extra ,sec4      ,illustration    ,the 
house of ,louis ,roederer1 originally   
founded by a plodding ,german  named    
,schreider1 was content to pursue the   
sleepy tenor of its way for  some       
years--until indeed it suddenly felt    
prompted to lay siege to  the ,muscovite
 connection of ,la ,veuve               
,clicquot-,ponsardin1 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 ,elus1 or  ancient ,rue   
des ,juifs1 where the old synagogue     
formerly stood1 and the  records of     
which date as far back as #aajc4    ,at 
the corner of this street1 and abutting 
on the ,place des ,marchs1  is a curious
 old house1 the overhanging upper       
stories of which are  supported by huge 
massive carved brackets1 decorated with 
figures  more or less quaint in design4 
,m4 ,louis ,roederer's offices in the   
,rue des ,elus are at the farther end of
 a courtyard1 beyond which is  found a  
second court1 where carts laden with    
cases of ,champagne seem  to indicate   
that some portion of the shipping       
business of the house  is here carried  
on4 ,several requests made by us for    
permission to  visit ,m4 ,louis         
,roederer's establishments having been  

refused1 it is  only of their external  
appearance that we are competent to     
speak4 ,one  of them1 in the ,boulevard 
du ,temple1 is distinguished by a rather
  imposing faade1 and has a carved head 
of ,bacchus surmounting its             
porte-cochre2 while the principal       
establishment1 a picturesque range  of  
buildings of considerable extent1 is    
situated in the neighbouring  ,rue de la
 ,justice4    ,illustration3 ,,old      
,,house ,,at ,,the ,,corner ,,of ,,the  
,,rue ,,des ,,lus ,,and ,,the  ,,place  
,,des ,,march,s1 ,,reims4    ,leading   
from the ,rue des ,elus into the ,rue de
 ,vesle is a gloomy-looking  ancient    
street known as the ,rue des ,deux      
,anges1 all the houses of which  have   
their windows secured by iron gratings1 
and their massive doors  thickly studded
 with huge nails4 ,these prison-like    
faades1 which in  all probability refer 
to the epoch of the religious wars1     
succeed each  other in lugubrious       
monotony along either side of the way2  

but gain  admittance to their inner     
courts1 and quite a different scene     
presents  itself4 ,in one notable       
instance1 looking on to a pleasant      
little  flower-garden1 we found a small 
but charming ,renaissance house1 with   
its windows ornamented with elaborate   
mouldings1 and surmounted by  graceful  
sculptured heads1 while at one corner   
there rose up a tower  with a sun-dial  
displayed on its front4 ,in this and in 
an adjoining  house the canons of the   
cathedral were accustomed to reside in  
the days  when something like           
four-fifths of the city were the        
property of the  ,church4               
,illustration3 ,,renaissance ,,house    
,,in ,,the ,,rue ,,des ,,deux ,,anges1  
,,reims4    ,proceeding along the ,rue  
de ,vesle and the neighbouring ,rue des 
,tapissiers1 we find ourselves once more
 in the ,place ,royale1 the  principal  
side of which is occupied by the once   
notable ,htel des  ,fermes1 where1 in   
the days of the ancien rgime1 the       

farmers-general  of the ,champagne were 
accustomed to receive the revenues of   
the  province4 ,a bronze statue rises in
 the centre of the ,place1 which  from  
its ,roman costume and martial bearing  
might be taken for some  hero of        
antiquity1 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    
sixteenth-century house claiming to be  
the birthplace1 on the #bith  ,august   
#afai1 of ,jean ,baptiste ,colbert1 son 
of a ,reims wool-merchant1  and the     
famous minister who did so much to      
consolidate the finances of  the ,state 
which the royal voluptuary1 masquerading
 at ,reims in ,roman  garb1 afterwards  
made such dreadful havoc of4            
,illustration3 ,,heads ,,surmounting    

,,the ,,principal ,,windows ,,of ,,the  
,,renaissance ,,house ,,in ,,the ,,rue  
,,des ,,deux ,,anges4    ,illustration3 
,,jean ,,baptiste ,,colbert    7,from a 
portrait of the time74    ,we again     
cross the ,place des ,marchs1 at the    
farther end of which1 on  the left-hand 
side1 is the ,rue de l',arbalte1 notable
 for a curious  ,renaissance gateway1   
with its pediment supported by two      
life-size  figures1 which the ,rmois1   
for no very sufficient reason1 have     
popularly christened ,adam and ,eve4    
,beyond the ,place des ,marchs and  the 
,place de l',htel de ,ville1 and at no  
great distance from the  ,clicquot-,werl
 establishment1 is the narrow winding   
,rue de ,sedan1  where the              
old-established firm of ,heidsieck      
,co41 which has secured a  high-class   
reputation in both eastern and western  
hemispheres for its  famous ,monopole   
and ,dry ,monopole brands1 has its      
central offices4 ,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  ,co4 purveyors of ,champagne
 to ,frederick ,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    ,illustration3 ,,adam     
,,and ,,eve ,,gateway1 ,,rue ,,de       
,l',,arbal,,te1 ,,reims4    ,on passing 
through the large porte-cochre giving   
entrance to  ,messrs4 ,heidsieck's      
principal establishment1 one finds      
oneself in a  small courtyard1 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-room1    
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 which1 having passed  through   
the hands of the disgorger1 are awaiting
 their customary  adornment4 ,the lower 
tier of cellars is mostly stored with   
vin sur  pointe1 and bottles with their 
necks downward 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 specialty 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 crude full-bodied wine of #ahgd1    
,messrs4  ,heidsieck were continuing to 
ship wines of #ahgj and #ahgb1          
beautifully  rounded by keeping1 and of 
fine flavour and great delicacy of      
perfume4  ,of these thoroughly matured  
wines the firm had fully a year's       
consumption on hand4    ,messrs4        
,heidsieck  ,co4 have a handsome modern 
establishment in the ,rue  ,coquebert--a
 comparatively new quarter of the city1 
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 cuve4 ,here1 too1 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    ,few large manufacturing  
towns like ,reims--which is 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        
establishments2 while but a few paces   
off1 in  the neighbouring ,rue          
,coquebert1 are the large and handsome  
premises of  ,messrs4 ,krug  ,co4       
,illustration3 ,m4 ,,ernest ,,irroy',s  
,,establishment ,,at ,,reims4    ,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     
,var1 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 #cjjj 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 #gjjj   
square yards4 ,spite of  the great depth
 to which these cellars descend1 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 cent per annum4 
,m4 ,irroy holds a high position as a   

vineyard proprietor in the ,champagne1  
his vines covering an area of  nearly   
ninety acres4 ,at ,mareuil and ,avenay  
he owns some twenty-five  acres1 at     
,verzenay and ,verzy about fifteen1 and 
at ,ambonnay and ,bouzy  close upon     
fifty 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         
,ambonnay1  that the ,reims             
,agricultural ,association in #ahgc     
conferred upon him a  silver-gilt medal 
for his plantations of vines1 and in    
#ahhj presented  him with a coupe       
d'honneur4 ,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    ,several
 well-known ,champagne firms have their 
establishments in this  quarter of      
,reims4 ,in addition to those already   
mentioned1 we may  instance ,g4 ,h4     
,mumm  ,co41 who are located in the ,rue

 ,andrieux1 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 ,within a stone's
 throw of this arch there formerly stood
  the ancient chteau of the ,archbishops
 of ,reims1 demolished close  upon three
 centuries ago4 ,in the ,rue de ,mars1 a
 winding ill-paved  thoroughfare leading
 from the ,gate of ,mars to the ,place  
de l',htel  de ,ville1 ,jules ,mumm     
,co41 an offshoot from the once famous  
firm  of ,p4 ,a4 ,mumm  ,co41 are       
installed2 while in a massive and       
somewhat  pretentious-looking house1    
dating back to the time of ,louis       
,quatorze1  in a corner of the ,place de
 l',htel de ,ville1 ,ruinart ,pre et    
,fils1  who claim to rank as the oldest 
existing ,champagne establishment1 have 
their offices4 ,the late ,vicomte de    
,brimont1 the recent head of the  firm1 
was 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 street 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  ,jlich to        
,germany1 and ,dukes of ,nevers and     
,counts of ,eu to ,france2  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 ,meuse2 and subsequently  
became celebrated  as the ,wild ,boar of
 the ,ardennes1 of whom all readers of  
,quentin  ,durward will retain a lively 
recollection4    ,illustration3 ,,the   
,,house ,,of ,,the ,,musicians ,,in     
,,the ,,rue ,,du ,,tambour1 ,,reims4    
,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       
,leading from the ,rue du ,tambour is   
the ,rue de la ,belle ,image1 thus      
named from a handsome statuette of the  

,virgin1 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  
,above-ground are several large         
store-rooms1 where vintage-casks  and   
the various utensils common to a        
,champagne establishment are kept2  and 
a capacious cellier1 upwards of one     
hundred and fifty feet in  length1 with 
its roof resting on massive timber      
supports4 ,here new wine  is stored     
preparatory to being blended and        
bottled2 and in the huge  tun1 holding  
nearly three thousand gallons1 standing 
at the further  end1 the firm make their
 cuve2 while adjacent is a room where   
stocks  of corks and labels1 metal foil1
 and the like are kept4                 
,illustration3 ,,messrs4 ,p,,rinet ,,et 

,,fils' ,,establishment ,,in ,,the ,,rue
 ,,st4  ,,hilaire1 ,,reims4             
,underneath this building there are     
three stories of cellars--an            
exceedingly rare thing anywhere in the  
,champagne--all constructed  in solid   
masonry on a uniform plan1 each story   
comprising two wide  galleries1 running 
parallel with each other and connected  
by means of  transverse passages4 ,spite
 of the great depth to which these      
cellars  descend1 they are perfectly    
dry2 the ventilation1 too1 is excellent2
  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 which in its turn is 
two degrees below the uppermost  of all4
 ,the advantage of this is that1 when   
the wine develops an excess  of         
effervescence1 any undue proportion of  
breakages can be checked by  removing   

the bottles to a lower cellar1 and      
consequently into a lower  temperature4 
,the first cellars we enter are closely 
stacked with wine in bottle1  which is  
gradually clearing itself by the        
formation of a deposit2 while  in an    
adjoining cellar on the same level the  
operations of disgorging1  liqueuring1  
and corking are going on4 ,at the end of
 this gallery is a  spacious            
compartment1 where a large stock of pure
 ,champagne cognac  of grand vintages is
 stored for cask and liqueur use4 ,in   
the cellars  immediately beneath1       
bottles of wine repose in solid stacks  
ready for  the dgorgeur2 while others   
rest in racks1 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 casks2  any ullage is          
immediately replaced2 and1 as           
evaporation is continually  going on1   

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      
,from the second tier of cellars at     
,messrs4 ,prinet et ,fils' a gallery    
extends1 under the ,rue ,st4 ,hilaire1  
to some extensive vaults excavated      
beneath an adjacent building1 in which  
the ,reims ,military ,club is           
installed4 ,these vaults1 arranged in   
two separate stories1 are eight  in     
number1 and in them we found a quarter  
of a million bottles of  vin brut1      
reposing either in solid stacks or sur  
pointe1 the  latter going through their 
daily shaking in order to fit them for  
the  operation of dgorgement4 ,on the   
whole the cellars of ,prinet et  ,fils1 
including the six long galleries already

 described1 suffice for  the storage of 
a million bottles of ,champagne4        
,illustration3 ,,the ,,cellier ,,and    
,,cellars ,,of ,,messrs4 ,p,,rinet ,,et 
,,fils4    ,before leaving the          
establishment ,champagnes of different  
years were  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 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 care1 and from   
the most perfect grapes1 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
          ,illustration3 ,,grotto       
,,beneath ,,the ,,old ,,fortifications  
,,of ,,reims4                           
,,viii4            _/,reims and its     
,champagne ,establishments_/            
7continued74        ,la ,prison de      
,bonne ,semaine--,mary ,queen of ,scots 
at ,reims--,messrs4      ,pommery       
,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 tower   
and grotto--,the handsome               
castellated ,pommery establishment--,the
 spacious cellier and      huge carved  

cuve tuns--,the descent to the          
cellars--,their great                   
extent--,these lofty subterranean       
chambers originally quarries1      and  
subsequently places of refuge of the    
early ,christians and      the          
,protestants--,madame ,pommery's        
splendid cuves of #ahfh and             
#ahgd--,messrs4 de ,st4 ,marceaux       
,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
  ,co4's various wines--,the            
establishment of ,veuve      ,morelle   
,co41 successors to ,max ,sutaine--,the 
latter's ',essai sur      le ,vin de    
,champagne'--,the ,sutaine family       
formerly of some note at                
,reims--,morelle  ,co4's cellars well   
adapted to the development      of      
sparkling wines--,the various brands of 

the house--,the ,porte                  
,dieu-,lumire4    ,illustration3 ,,head 
,,overseer ,,at ,,pommery ,,and         
,,greno',s4      ,nigh the cathedral of 
,reims1 and in the rear of the          
archiepiscopal  palace1 there runs a    
short narrow street known as the ,rue   
,vauthier le  ,noir1 and frequently     
mentioned in old works relating to the  
present  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 built1 which tradition has 
erroneously  fixed upon as the residence
 of the beautiful and luckless ,mary    
,queen  of ,scots1 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  ,greno4 ,to
 the left of the  courtyard1 which is   
entered through a monumental gateway1   
are some  old buildings1 let into the   
walls of which are a couple of          
sculptured  escutcheons1 the one        
comprising the arms of ,france1 and the 
other those  of the ,cardinal de        
,lorraine4 ,on the right-hand side of   
the courtyard  are the ,pommery offices1
 together 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  ,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    ,illustration3 ,,old
 ,,coats ,,of ,,arms ,,in ,,the         
,,courtyard ,,of ,,madame ,,pommery',s  
,,residence4    ,in close proximity to  
the ,rue ,vauthier le ,noir is the ,rue 
des ,anglais1  so named from the        
,english ,catholic refugees1 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 erected late  

in the fifteenth  century1 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' an          
institution abolished by the ,national  
,convention in #agic4    ,illustration3 
,,old ,,house ,,in ,,the ,,rue ,,des    
,,anglais1 ,,reims4    ,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 formerly attracted          
attention1 notably a conical-capped     
corner tower1 the sculptured ornaments  
at the base of which had  crumbled into 
dust beneath the corroding tooth of     
,time4#dbc ,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  with its   
tall towers commanding 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    
tower1 a remnant of the ancient         
fortifications of  ,reims1#dbd while    
close at hand1 and under the old        
city-walls1 is a  grotto1 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 lodge2 and proceeding up a    
broad  drive1 we alight under a ,gothic 
portico at the entrance to the spacious 
and lofty cellier4 ,iron girders support
 the roof of this vast hall1  #ahj feet 
in length and #ij feet in width1 without
 the aid of a single  column4 ,at one   
end is the office and tasting-room1     
provided with a  telegraphic apparatus  
and telephone1 by means of which        
communication  is carried on with the   
,reims bureaux4 ,stacked up on every    

side of  the cellier1 and often in eight
 tiers when empty1 are rows upon  rows  
of casks1 #fjjj of which contain wine of
 the costly vintage of  #ahhj sufficient
 for a million and a half bottles of    
,champagne4 ,the  temperature of this   
hall is carefully regulated2 the windows
 are high  up near the roof1 and the    
sun's rays are rigidly excluded1 so that
 a  pleasant coolness pervades the      
building4 ,on the left-hand side stand  
two huge tuns1 with the monogram ,p4 and
 ,g41 surmounting the arms of  ,reims1  
carved on their heads4 ,these are       
capable of containing #eejj  gallons of 
wine1 and in them the firm make their   
cuve4 ,a platform1  access to which is  
gained by a staircase in a side aisle1  
runs round  one of these foudres2 and   
when the wine1 which has been hoisted   
up in casks and poured through a metal  
trough into the foudre1 is  being       
blended1 boys stand on this platform    
and1 by means of a handle  protruding   
above the cask1 work the paddle-wheels  

placed inside1  thereby securing the    
complete amalgamation of the wine4      
,adjoining  are the chains and lifts    
worked by steam1 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 ,,and    
,,greno ,,establishment ,,in ,,the      
,,outskirts ,,of  ,,reims4    ,at the   
farther end of the hall a ,gothic door1 
decorated with ornamental  ironwork1    
leads to the long broad flight of steps1
 #aaf in number1  and nearly twelve feet
 in width1 conducting to the suite of   
lofty  subterranean chambers1 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 #acj large       
shafts1 #ij feet in  depth and #fj feet 
square at their base1 which were        

originally quarries1  and are now       
connected by spacious galleries4 ,this  
side of ,reims abounds  with similar    
chalk quarries1 commonly 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 ,nantes2 and it is even conjectured 
that the  early ,christians--the        
followers of ,st4 ,sixtus and ,st4      
,sinicus--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 filling up the
 chambers above the water level1        
proceeded  to excavate the connecting   
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 #fj1jjjl4 was spent upon  
them and the  castellated structure     
aboveground4 ,several millions of       
bottles of  ,champagne can be stored in 
these capacious vaults1 the area of     
which is  nearly #dej1jjj square feet4  
,illustration3 ,,interior ,,of ,,messrs4
 ,,pommery ,,and ,,greno',s ,,cellier4  
,madame ,pommery made a great mark with 
her splendid cuves of #ahfh and  #ahgd1 
the result being that her brand has     
become widely popular1 and  that it     
invariably realises exceptionally high  
prices4    ,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 ,st4 ,marceaux        
,co4's new and capacious establishment  
is installed4 ,simple and without       
pretension1 the establishment1 which    
covers an area of upwards of  #ah1jjj   
feet1 is distinguished for its perfect  

appropriateness to the  industry for    
which it was designed4 ,the principal   
block of building  is flanked by two    
advanced wings enclosing a garden-court1
 set off  with flowers and shrubs1 and  
from the centre of which rises a        
circular  shaft1 covered in with glass1 
and 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 large quantities  of casks       
replete with the choice crus of         
,verzenay1 ,ay1 ,cramant1 and  ,bouzy1  
while thousands of bottles ready for    
labelling are stacked 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 headdresses1 and   
robing them in pink  paper1 while others
 are filling1 securing1 marking1 and    
addressing  the cases or baskets        
destined to ,hong-,kong1 ,san           

,francisco1 ,yokohama1  ,bombay1        
,london1 ,new ,york1 ,st4 ,petersburg1  
,berlin1 or ,paris4    ,illustration3   
,,the ,,packing-,,hall ,,of ,,messrs4   
,,de ,,st4 ,,marceaux ,,at ,,reims4     
,the wine in cask1 stored in the        
left-hand wing1 after having been  duly 
blended in an enormous vat1 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 guard against   
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 descended   
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 found no less   
than four-and-twenty galleries excavated
 in  the chalk1 devoid of masonry       
supports1 and containing upwards of a   

million bottles of ,champagne4 ,these   
galleries vary in length1 but are  of   
uniform breadth1 and allow either for a 
couple of racks with wine  sur pointe1  
or stacks of bottles1 in four row's on  
either side1 with  ample passage-room   
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
  ,co4 have the honour of supplying the 
,king of the  ,belgians1 the ,president 
of the ,french ,republic1 and several   
,german  potentates 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 wine1 the extra
 superior quality of the  firm1 which   
secured the first place at a recent     
,champagne competition  in ,england4    
,some little distance beyond the        
remnants of the ancient fortifications  
of ,reims1 skirting the ,butte de ,st4  
,nicaise1 is the establishment  of      
,veuve ,morelle  ,co41 successors to    
,veuve ,max ,sutaine  ,co4 ,this  house 
was founded in #ahbc by the late ,m4    
,maxime ,sutaine1 who1 like  several    
other notabilities in the ,reims wine   
trade1 was as familiar  with art and    
science as with the special industry to 
which he had  devoted himself4 ,an      
amateur painter of no mean skill1 he    
showed himself  thoroughly at home in   
the biographical and critical notices on
 artists  and art in his native province
 which he produced4 ,his name1 however1 
is chiefly identified in literature with
 his ,essai sur le ,vin de              
,champagne4#dbe ,this work may be       
regarded as the first attempt to        

collect the scattered materials relating
 to the history of ,champagne  wine1 and
 to deal with them in a critical spirit4
 ,though necessarily  imperfect1 its    
value is undoubtedly great1 and it has  
been frequently  quoted from in the     
present volume4 ,the family of ,sutaine 
long held  an honourable position at    
,reims1 the name of one of ,m4 ,max     
,sutaine's  immediate ancestors1 who    
filled the position of lieutenant of the
 city  in #agfe1 appearing on the bronze
 slab at the base of the statue of      
,louis ,,xv4 in the ,place ,royale1     
erected during that year4               
,illustration3 ,,the ,,cellars ,,of     
,,max ,,sutaine ,,and ,,co4 ,,in ,,the  
,,chemin ,,de ,,la  ,,procession1       
,,reims4    ,the cellars of the firm of 
,veuve ,morelle  ,co41 successors to    
,max  ,sutaine  ,co41 are very          
extensive2 and while more than usually  
picturesque in appearance1 are in every 
respect admirably adapted for  the      
rearing and development of the delicate 

wines of the ,champagne4  ,these        
cellars1 hewn out of the chalk1 are of  
great depth4 ,the firm  has been careful
 to adhere to the good traditions of its
 predecessors  in the composition of its
 cuves1 and at the same time to avoid   
those  errors which experience and the  
resources of modern science have made   
manifest4 ,its rule is only to send out 
wines of a good cru1 and never  before  
they are thoroughly matured1 thereby    
avoiding the shipment of  young wines4  
,the chief kinds bearing the brand of   
,max ,sutaine  ,co4 are  ,vin ,brut 7of 
great years71 ,extra ,dry1 ,creaming    
,sillery1 and ,bouzy for  ,england1     
,sillery ,sec for ,russia1 and ,verzenay
 and ,cabinet for ,germany  and         
,belgium4    ,it should be mentioned    
that of late years the abandoned        
quarries1  so numerous on this side of  
the city1 have been largely utilised  by
 the ,reims ,champagne manufacturers as 
cellars for the storage of  their wines4
 ,beyond the firms that have been       

already alluded to as  possessing       
cellars in this direction1 there remain 
to be enumerated  ,messrs4 ,kunkelmann  
,co41 ,ruinart ,pre et ,fils1 the       
,goulets1 ,jules  ,champion1 ,thophile  
,roederer1 c4 ,the cellars of several of
 the last  named are immediately outside
 the ,porte ,dieu-,lumire1 near which   
is a seventeenth-century house having   
let into its face a curious  bas-relief1
 of evidently much earlier date1 the    
subject of which has  been a source of  
considerable perplexity to local        
antiquaries4    ,a like cloud enshrouds 
the origin of the name of ,dieu-,lumire1
 bestowed  upon the fortified gate      
formerly standing here1 and originally  
erected  during the fourteenth century1 
when1 the circle of the ramparts having 
been carried round the ,bourg de ,st4   
,remi so as to unite it to the old      
city1 the ,porte ,st4 ,nicaise was      
walled up4#dbf ,like the other portals  
of ,reims1 it has no lack of historical 
associations4 ,its vaulted roof         

resounded with the trampling of barbed  
war-steeds when1 on the #afth  ,july    
#adbi1 ,charles the ,victorious swept   
beneath it into the city1  with ,joan of
 ,arc by his side and the steel-clad    
chivalry of ,france at  his back4#dbg   
,the year #aehc saw its keys handed to  
the ,duc de ,guise1  and the green flag 
of the ,league1 with its device         
',auspice ,christo1'  hoisted above it2 
and twenty-three years later1 as ,henri 
,quatre rode  through it amidst shouts  
of welcome1 the jesting remark1 ',i had 
no idea  ,i was so well beloved at      
,reims1' was the only attempt at revenge
 made  by the easy-going ,barnais on the
 population who had so long flouted  his
 authority4 ,rebuilt in #afbj1 it       
witnessed the triumphant return of      
,grandpr's cavalry and the ,rmois       
militia1 after their victory over       
,montal and his ,spaniards at ,la       
,pompelle in #afeg1 and the successful  
assault of the renegade ,saint ,priest1 
whose ,cossacks entered the walls  at   

this point in #ahad1 and gave way to the
 most brutal excesses4  ,nor must it be 
forgotten that ,marie ,louise passed    
through this gate  en route for ,paris1 
on which occasion its summit was crowned
 with  elaborate allegorical devices    
supported by cupids weaving garlands of 
flowers2 or that for several centuries  
the relics of ,st4 ,timotheus and  his  
companions were annually carried through
 it on ,whit-,monday by the  clergy of  
,reims1 escorted by a procession of     
pilgrims1 to the scene of  the martyrdom
 of these early ,christians at ,la      
,pompelle4    ,illustration3            
,,bas-,,relief ,,near ,,the ,,porte     
,,dieu-,,lumi,,re4                      
,illustration                           
,,ix4                                   
_/,epernay4_/        ,the connection of 
,epernay with the production of wine of 
remote date--,the town repeatedly burnt 
and plundered--,hugh the      ,great    
carries off all the wine of the         
neighbourhood--,vineyards      belonging

 to the ,abbey of ,st4 ,martin in the   
eleventh1 twelfth1      and thirteenth  
centuries--,abbot ,gilles orders the    
demolition of      a wine-press which   
infringes the abbey's feudal            
rights--,bequests      of vineyards in  
the fifteenth century--,francis ,i4     
bestows ,epernay      on ,claude ,duke  
of ,guise in #aedd--,the ,eschevins send
 a present      of wine to their new    
seigneur--,wine levied for the king's   
camp      at ,rethel and the strongholds
 of the province by the ,duc de         
,longueville--,epernay sacked and fired 
on the approach of ,charles             
,v4--,the ,charles-,fontaine vendangeoir
 at ,avenay--,destruction of      the   
immense pressoirs of the ,abbey of ,st4 
,martin--,the handsome      ,renaissance
 entrance to the church of              
,epernay--,plantation of the      'terre
 de sige' with vines in #aeej--,money   
and wine levied on      ,epernay by     
,cond and the ,duke of ,guise--,henri   
,quatre lays siege      to              

,epernay--,death of ,marchal            
,biron--,desperate battle amongst the   
vineyards--,triple talent of the 'bon   
,roy ,henri' for drinking1              
fighting1 and love-making--,verses      
addressed by him to his 'belle          
htesse' ,anne du ,puy--,the ,epernay    
,town ,council make gifts of wine       
to various functionaries to secure their
 good-will--,presents of      wine to   
,turenne at the coronation of ,louis    
,,xiv4--,petition to      ,louvois to   
withdraw the ,epernay garrison that the 
vintage may be      gathered in--,the   
,duke and ,duchess of ,orleans at       
,epernay--,louis      ,,xiv4 partakes of
 the local vintage at the maison        
abbatiale on his      way to the army of
 the ,rhine--,increased reputation of   
the wine of      ,epernay at the end of 
the seventeenth century--,numerous      
offerings      of it to the ,marquis de 
,puisieux1 ,governor of the town--,the  
,old      ,pretender presented at       
,epernay with twenty-four bottles of the

      best--,sparkling wine sent to the 
,marquis de ,puisieux at ,sillery1      
and also to his nephew--,further gifts  
to the ,prince de ,turenne--,the        
vintage destroyed by frost in           
#agdj--,the ,epernay slopes at this     
epoch said to produce the most delicious
 wine in ,europe--,vines      planted   
where houses had formerly stood--,the   
development of the      trade in        
sparkling wine--,a 'tirage' of fifty    
thousand bottles      in #aghg--;,arthur
 ,young drinks ,champagne at ,epernay at
 forty sous      the bottle--,it is     
surmised that ,louis ,,xvi41 on his     
return from      ,varennes1 is inspired 
by ,champagne at ,epernay--,napoleon and
 his      family enjoy the hospitality  
of ,jean ,remi ,mot--,king ,jerome      
of ,westphalia's true prophecy with     
regard to the ,russians and             
,champagne--,disgraceful conduct of the 
,prussians and ,russians      at        
,epernay in #ahad--,the ,mayor offers   
them the free run of his                

cellars--,charles ,x41 ,louis ,philippe1
 and ,napoleon ,,iii4 accept the        
'vin d'honneur' at ,epernay--,the town  
occupied by ,german troops      during  
the war of #ahgj-a4      ,illustration  
,if ,reims be the titular capital of the
 ,champagne wine-trade1 ,epernay  can   
boast of containing the establishments  
of some of the most eminent  firms      
engaged therein4 ,its connection with   
the production of the wines  of         
,champagne is of the remotest4 ,the     
vineyards stretching for miles  around  
the ancient ,sparnacum claim indeed an  
antiquity far exceeding  that of any    
existing portion of the town itself1    
which1 despite the  remote date of its  
foundation1 and the fact that it was a  
place of  considerable importance as    
early as #dde1 presents a thoroughly    
modern  aspect4 ,unlike ,reims--so rich 
in the remains of antiquity--it         
possesses  no mementoes of the days when
 its lord ,eulogius gave it to ,st4     
,remi1#dbh and he in turn bequeathed it 

to the ,church4    ,illustration    ,the
 reason is simple1 for the history of   
,epernay may be briefly summed  up in   
the words--fire1 pestilence1 and        
pillage4 ,from the days when  misfortune
 first overtook it1 after the division  
of the ,frankish  monarchy on the death 
of ,clovis1 it has been burnt down on   
half a dozen  occasions1 repeatedly     
depopulated by the plague1 and captured 
and  sacked times out of number4 ,the   
contending sovereigns of ,austrasia and 
,neustria alternately obtained forcible 
possession of it1 and the rival  counts 
of ,paris and ,vermandois snatched it   
repeatedly from each other's  hold1 like
 hungry dogs contending for a bone2     
whilst the ,normans1 the  ,hungarians1  
the vassals of ,charles of ,lorraine1   
and the followers of  ,otho of ,germany 
added their quota to the work of        
destruction during  the long period of  
anarchy preceding the establishment of  
the ,capetian  race upon the throne of  
,france4 ,the founder of the said race1 

,hugh the  ,great1 distinguished himself
 in #idg by plundering the town of      
,epernay1  ravaging the surrounding     
country1 and profiting by the fact that 
it was  vintage-time to carry off all   
the wine of the neighbourhood4#dbi      
,even during the epoch of comparative   
tranquillity which prevailed up  to the 
,english invasion1 ,epernay became from 
time to time the prey of  robber knights
 like ,thomas de ,marl and rebellious   
nobles like ,count  ,john of ,soissons2 
and at the commencement of the          
thirteenth century  ,count ,thibault of 
,champagne was fain to burn it1 in order
 to prevent it  from serving as a       
rallying-place for the lords who had    
risen against  ,queen ,blanche and her  
infant son ,louis ,,ix4 ,after the      
battle of ,poitiers  it was pillaged by 
the partisans of ,charles the ,bad of   
,navarre2 ,edward  the ,black ,prince   
entered it twice as a conqueror2 and    
,john of ,gaunt  exacted a heavy tribute
 from it4 ,in the struggles which       

followed the  death of ,henry ,v4 of    
,england it was again taken and         
re-taken1 partially  burnt and utterly  
ruined1 remaining for three years       
absolutely  depopulated after the       
unwelcome visit paid it by the ,duke of 
,burgundy  in #adcb4    ,yet during all 
these ravages the vineyards clothing the
 slopes  around the town were gradually 
developed1 chiefly by the fostering     
care of the good fathers of the ,abbey  
of ,st4 ,martin4 ,the charter of        
foundation of this abbey1 which was     
endowed in #ajcb1 makes mention of      
vineyards amongst its possessions1 and  
they are also spoken of in the          
confirmation of donations and privileges
 granted by ,pope ,eugenius ,,iii4  in  
#aade4 ,count ,henry of ,champagne in   
#aagi gave the canons of the abbey  the 
hospital of ,epernay1 with the fields   
and vineyards belonging to  it2 and     
twenty years later1 ,abbot ,guy         
purchased from ,abbot ,noah1 of  the    
monastery of the ,chapelle aux          

,planches1 near ,troyes1 the fields1    
vineyards1 house1 barn1 and garden      
adjoining the 'ruisseau du ,cotheau'  at
 ,epernay for #aaj livres4 ,in #abjc1   
,parchasius1 a canon of ,laon1 left  by 
will to the abbey the 'vigne du         
,clozet1' which is still celebrated  for
 the excellence of its products1 at     
,epernay2 and in #abag1 ,abbot          
,theodoric gave the 'terres de la ,croix
 ,boson' at ,mardeuil to sundry of  the 
inhabitants of that village1 on the     
condition of planting them with  vines  
and paying a yearly rent of fourteen    
hogsheads of wine obtained  therefrom as
 vinage4 ,tithes of wine at ,oger1      
,cuis1 ,cramant1 ,monthelon1  c41 and   
the vineyards of ,genselin1 ,beaumont1  
and ,montfelix also figure  amongst the 
possessions of the abbey in the         
thirteenth century4#dcj    ,a certain   
proportion of the tithes of the 'fields1
 meadows1 and  vineyards' owned by the  
abbey at ,epernay was assigned to the   
dependent  priory in the faubourg of    

,igny-le-,jard by ,abbot ,richard de    
,cuys in  #acfe4 ,the cultivation of the
 grape seems to have been carried on  in
 even the most distant of the numerous  
possessions of the abbey1  which drew   
'rentes de vin' from ,chatillon and     
,dormans2 and in #acgc we  find ,abbot  
,gilles de ,baronne compelling an       
unfortunate inhabitant of  ,romains1    
near ,fismes1 to demolish forthwith a   
wine-press he had dared  to erect to the
 prejudice of the 'droits seigneuriaux  
et bannaux' which  the abbey had over   
that village4 ,the military orders had  
their share1  too2 for the ,commandery  
of the ,temple at ,reims owned at       
,epernay at the  commencement of the    
fourteenth century a house and some     
vineyards1  still bearing the name of   
',les ,tempires4' ,in #adai1 ,philippe  
le  ,matre and his wife left to the cur 
of ,epernay a little vineyard  at       
,montebon to pay for a yearly mass2 and 
at a somewhat later date1  ,isabelle la 
,linotte bequeathed to the abbey the    

vineyard ,de la ,ronce at               
,mardeuil4#dca    ,illustration3        
,,francis ,i4    7,from a portrait of   
the time74    ,indeed1 the history of   
,epernay is most intimately connected   
with  that of its wine1 which figures   
throughout its records as a constant    
attraction to friends and foes4 ,after  
the final expulsion of the  ,english1   
the town gradually recovered its        
prosperity1 and became an  appanage of  
the ,dukes of ,orleans4 ,at the         
commencement of the sixteenth  century  
we find ,francis ,i4--to whom it had    
reverted on the death of  ,louise of    
,savoy--presenting it to ,claude1 ,duke 
of ,guise1 and the  eschevins resolving 
in #aedd that their new seigneur should 
be offered  'twenty poinons of the best 
wine that can be found in the cellars   
of the district1 and that after the     
vintage twenty more of the new  crop    
shall be sent to him4'#dcb ,a levy of   
one hundred poinons had  already been   
demanded of them for the camp formed by 

the ,king at  ,rethel two years before2 
and the various strongholds of the      
province  had been freely supplied with 
wine exacted from ,epernay by the ,duke 
de  ,longueville1 lieutenant-governor of
 the ,champagne4    ,illustration3 ,,the
 ,,emperor ,,charles ,v4    7,from a    
portrait of the time74    ,illustration 
,on the advance of ,charles ,v4 in      
#aedd1 the ,dauphin1 afterwards ,henri  
,,ii41 following the example            
successfully set by ,anne de            
,montmorency  in ,provence1 pitilessly  
sacked the entire district of the       
,marne1 in  order that the enemy might  
find nothing to live on1 and stored the 
product1 which included an enormous     
quantity of wine1 in ,epernay4 ,the     
,emperor advanced1 meeting with but     
little opposition1 and having taken  up 
his quarters in the ,abbey of ,avenay1  
amused himself with building  the       
vendangeoir known as ,charles-,fontaine 
on the adjacent slope1 as a  testimony  
of his intention to make1 if possible1 a

 permanent sojourn in  a province1 the  
vinous products of which he so highly   
esteemed4#dcc  ,but whilst the          
illustrious patron of ,titian and his   
'swarthy grave  commanders' were snugly 
tippling the choicest vintages contained
 in the  abbey cellars1 and his         
followers camped outside ,epernay were  
waiting  for the hour when they should  
revel at pleasure on the wine stored  in
 the town1 their hopes vanished         
literally in smoke4 ,for ,francis1      
fearing the town would be unable to hold
 out1 had sent word to ,captain  ,sery  
to burn it1 and destroy the accumulated 
store of provisions1  in order to       
prevent them falling into the hands of  
the enemy4 ,this  was accordingly done  
on the #c;d ,september1 and amongst the 
property  consumed were the immense     
pressoirs of the ,abbey of ,st4 ,martin4
 ,in  this conflagration the church of  
,epernay was no doubt also destroyed1   
as the handsome ,renaissance            
doorway--the sole ancient portion of the

  existing edifice--was evidently       
erected in the latter half of the       
sixteenth century4 ,the misfortunes of  
the town did not cease with this        
calamity1 for a great pestilence seems  
to have marked the return of the        
inhabitants to their ruined dwellings at
 the epoch of the following             
vintage4#dcd ,five years later1 six     
arpents of the 'terre de siege'  where  
the ,spaniards had encamped were planted
 with vines by the ,count  de           
,nanteuil-le-,haudouin1 and received the
 name of the ,vineyard de la            
,plante4#dce    ,illustration3 ,,marie  
,,stuart1 ,,queen ,,of ,,scots4         
,illustration3 ,,renaissance ,,doorway  
,,to ,,the ,,church ,,of ,,epernay4     
,illustration3 ,,attack ,,on ,,the      
,,huguenots ,,at ,,epernay4    ,as a    
matter of course1 the hapless fate of   
the town pursued it during  the         
religious wars of the sixteenth century4
 ,in #aefg the ,huguenots1  under ,cond1
 seized on ,epernay--then a portion of  

the appanage of the  unfortunate ,marie 
,stuart of ,scotland--and exacted a     
ransom of #aj1ejj  livres1 towards which
 the ,abbey of ,st4 ,martin contributed 
#cdea livres1  partly in money and      
partly in wine1 calculated at no more   
than eleven  livres the queue4 ,a higher
 price appears to have ruled on the     
recapture  of the town by the ,duke of  
,guise the same year1 when the levy made
  consisted of #ejj pices of wine1      
estimated at twenty-four livres the     
queue4#dcf ,guise was driven out by the 
inhabitants in #aehh2 but after  one    
fruitless assault1 the ,leaguers under  
,rosn succeeded in obtaining  forcible  
possession of ,epernay four years later4
    ,on ,henri ,quatre laying siege in  
turn to ,epernay in #aeib1 the vineyards
  around the town were again literally  
watered with blood4 ,one notable        
episode of this siege was the death of  
,marchal ,biron1 the most  devoted of   
,henri's adherents4 ,on the #bgth ,july 
the ,king and ,biron were  returning on 

horseback from ,damery to the camp4 ,as 
they advanced up the  road leading from 
,mardeuil to the faubourg of ,igny1 the 
wind blew off  ,henri's hat1 adorned    
with the famous white plume1 and ,biron1
 picking  it up1 jestingly placed it    
upon his own head4 ,at this moment the  
white  plume unluckily caught the eye of
 ,petit1 the master gunner of ,epernay1 
and he at once pointed a cannon at it   
from the ,tour ,saint ,antoine4 ',for   
the ,barnais6' he exclaimed1 as he      
fired2 and the ball carried away  the   
head of the ,marchal1 to whom ,henri was
 speaking1 and upon whose  shoulder the 
,king's hand was actually resting4 ',ah1
 mordieu1 the dog  has bitten the       
,barnais6' cried the exulting gunner1   
believing it was  the ,king who had     
fallen1 and alluding to the name of the 
cannon1 which  was known as the ',dog of
 ,orleans1' from its having been        
captured from  the ,english at the siege
 of that city1 and bearing on its breech
 the  figure of a dog4#dcg              

,illustration    ,illustration3 ,,henri 
,,quatre ,,before ,,epernay4    ,the    
death of ,marchal ,biron1 and the fact  
that ,henri was devoting quite  as much 
attention to his 'belle htesse' at      
,damery1 the fair ,prsidente  ,anne du  
,puy1 as he was to the siege1 encouraged
 ,st4 ,paul1 who commanded  at ,reims   
for the ,league1 to despatch a strong   
body of ,walloon pikemen  and musketeers
 to the relief of the beleaguered town4 
,they approached  by the hollow road    
leading from the ,faubourg des ,ponts   
,neufs to the  slope of the ,vignes des 
,capinets1 and passing between the      
vineyards  ,dure ,epine and ,gouttes    
d',or4 ,attacked by the ,royalists1 they
 drew up  in good order in the latter   
spot1 and prepared to defend themselves 
with all the stubborn valour of their   
race1 their dense array of pikes        
bristling amongst the bright green      
leaves--for it was the close of  summer1
 and the vines were in all the glory of 
their luxuriant foliage4  ,vainly for a 

long time the ,royalists assailed them4 
,attack after attack  was repulsed1 till
 the 'golden drops' were turned to drops
 of gore2 and  it was not until the     
white plume of ,king ,henri came dashing
 on in the  forefront of his choicest   
cavalry that the ,walloons were finally 
broken  and routed1 after inflicting    
upon their assailants a far greater loss
  than they themselves sustained4 ,the  
vineyard thus baptised in blood was     
thenceforward known as the ,vigne des   
,siges4#dch    ,illustration            
,illustration    ,though data may be    
lacking to connect the 'bon ,roi ,henri'
 directly with  the wine of ,epernay1   
there can be no doubt that the sovereign
 whose  triple talent for drinking1     
fighting1 and love-making has been      
handed  down to us in song#dci found a  
fair opportunity of exercising all      
three of these attributes during the    
siege4 ,of fighting1 as we have  seen1  
he had plenty1 and1 ,anacreon-like1 he  
seems to have blended love  and wine    

together4#ddj ,he who1 when a new-born  
babe1 had his lips  wetted in the old   
castle of ,pau by stout ,antoine de     
,bourbon with a cup  of the generous    
wine of the ,south1 and who gloried in  
the title of the  ,sieur d',ay1 was not 
likely to neglect the nectar vintaged on
 the slopes  around ,epernay4 ,and      
probably the recollection of the        
raven-haired1  black-eyed1              
bronze-skinned ,bernais peasant-girls1  
whom tradition vows  he used to woo when
 in the first flush of youthful manhood 
beneath the  trellised vines of ,juranon
 and ,gan1 served by contrast to        
heighten the  fairer charms of the      
blonde ,anne du ,puy1 in whose honour he
 is reported  to have sung3             
',morning bright1          ,thy pure    
light      ,i rejoice when ,i see2      
,the fair dove          ,whom ,i love   
,so1 is rosy like thee4            ,she 
is fair1          ,none so rare1        
,with a waist matched by none2          
,by my hand          ,it is spanned1    

,and eyes bright as the sun4            
,wet with new          ,fallen dew1     
,the rose sparkles less bright2         
,freer from spot          ,ermine's not1
      ,nor is lily more white4          
,fair ,dupuis1          ,all agree1     
,on ambrosia is fed2          ,from her 
lip          ,when ,i sip      ,nectar's
 perfume is shed4'#dda    ,at the outset
 of the seventeenth century ,epernay had
 its full share in  the troubles that   
marked the early part of the reign of   
,louis ,,xiii41  being taken in turn by 
,cond1 by the ,count de ,soissons1      
acting for  the malcontent nobles       
leagued against ,richelieu in #afcd1 and
 by the  ,king's forces the year        
following4 ,the peaceful records are1   
however1  plentiful and interesting4 ,in
 #afca we find the town council deciding
  to present 'six caques of white wine1 
the best that can be found1' to  ,m4 de 
,vignolles1 and the same to ,m4         
d',elbenne2 and two years later         
protesting to the 'treasurers of        

,france' their inability to pay #gj1jjj 
livres1 demanded towards the maintenance
 of the army1 owing to the all  but     
total failure of the wine crop4 ,the    
council were fully aware of  the merits 
of their vintage1 and of the advantages 
of appealing to the  heart by way of the
 stomach4 ,six 'feuillettes' of the best
 wine were  ordered to be sent in       
,september #afcf to ,m4 de ,vaubecourt1 
and one to  his secretary1 'to retain   
their good-will towards the town1' and  
induce  the former to use his influence 
with a committee appointed by the ,king 
for repaying loans and advances1 and    
also towards getting rid of the         
garrison4 ,a little later the ,marquis  
de ,senneterre received a queue of  wine
 to withdraw his troops from the town4  
,the ,marchal de ,chatillon1  ,m4 de    
,vaubecourt1 ,m4 de ,belfonds1 and the  
,count d',estaing were in  frequent     
receipt of such gifts2 and it is        
noteworthy that amongst them  figure    
'two caques of wine in bottles1' sent to

 each of the two first  at ,sainte      
,mnhoulde in #afci4ddb    ,illustration 
,the successful efforts of ,turenne     
against his great rival ,cond during    
the wars of the ,fronde were encouraged 
by frequent presents of the wine  of    
,epernay4 ,as the brother of the ,duc de
 ,bouillon1 to whom the town  of        
,epernay had been given in #afdc in     
exchange for ,sedan1 and as the         
protector of the district against the   
,spaniards1 he received numerous  tokens
 of the citizens' good-will4 ,in        
,september #afeb twelve caques of  wine 
were sent to him1 with the result that  
he at once ordered his  soldiers to     
repair the broken bridge across the     
,marne4 ,in the following  ,january a   
chevreuil and two caques1 and in ,june  
wine1 fowls1 and game1  were presented  
to him4 ,in ,june #afed it was resolved 
that a deputation  should be sent to the
 coronation of ,louis ,,xiv4 at ,reims1 
'to render the  homage due to the       
,king1' and to present 'a caque of wine 

in bottles' to  ,m4 de ,turenne1 which  
helped no doubt to spread the fame of   
the ,epernay  wine amongst the nobility 
present on that occasion4    ,the same  
social lever was applied in #affj to the
 'traitant gnral'  of the so-called 'don
 gratuit' exacted on the occasion of the
 ,king's  marriage1 two feuillettes     
being proffered in order to get him to  
reduce the assessment4 ,representations 
made to an eschevin of ,paris1          
despatched to ,epernay in #affb to see  
if there was any store of grain  in the 
town that could be sold to benefit the  
starving poor of the  capital1 to the   
effect that the district was a          
wine-growing and not  a corn country2   
and the despatch of a deputation in     
,august #afff to  ,louvois1 to request  
that the garrison might be withdrawn to 
allow of  the vintage being gathered    
in--the inhabitants of the surrounding  
country having fled to avoid sheltering 
soldiers1--serve to show the  importance
 of the ,epernay wine-trade4 ,in #afga1 

on the passage of the  ,duke and        
,duchess of ,orleans from ,chlons1 fruit
 and sweetmeats were  presented to them1
 and wine to the lords of their suite1  
at a cost of  #baa livres #g sols2 and  
two years later1 ,louis ,,xiv4 partook  
of the local  vintage during his sojourn
 at the 'maison abbatiale1' when on his 
way  to the army of the ,rhine4         
,towards the close of this century the  
wine grew in repute1 and was  eagerly   
sought after4 ,in ,november #afgg two   
caques were sent to 'a  person who      
enjoys some credit1' and who was willing
 to accord his  protection to the town  
in the matter of quartering troops upon 
it2  and the following ,january twelve  
more caques were despatched to this     
'unknown1' who may have been ,louvois   
himself4 ,as to ,roger ,brulart1        
,marquis de ,puisieux et de ,sillery and
 ,governor of ,epernay1 a joyous        
companion1 if we may credit ,st4 ,simon1
 his appreciation of the local  vintage 
is borne ample testimony to4 ,in #afgg  

six caques of 'the best'  were sent to  
him by the town council2 but by #afia he
 must have become  used to larger       
offerings1 as in ,september a letter was
 addressed to him  begging him to be    
satisfied with the like amount1 as 'the 
inhabitants  could not manage more1' and
 could only promise1 with regard to     
three  caques still due1 that they would
 'make an effort' to supply them the    
following year4 ,wise in their          
generation1 they sent at the same time  
'twelve bottles of the best wine' to his
 intendant1 and a similar gift  to his  
secretary2 but the following year they  
were forced to write  again that it     
would be impossible to supply the wine  
promised unless he  obtained a          
permission to levy it4#ddc    ,the ,old 
,pretender1 or1 as he is styled in the  
local records1 ',jacques  ,stuart       
,,iii41 roy d',angleterre1' arrived at  
,epernay in ,september #agab1  and was  
presented with 'twenty-four bottles of  
the best2' whilst the  ,marquis de      

,puisieux1 who accompanied him1 was     
satisfied with nothing  less than a     
'carteau1' or quarter-cask4 ,and when   
the latter announced  his intention of  
paying a visit in the autumn of #agai to
 ,matre  ,adam ,bertin du ,rocheret1    
conseiller du roy and ex-president of   
the  ,grenier--sel at ,epernay1 a       
resolution was passed to offer him wine 
on his arrival1 and to send 'a hundred  
flasks of the best' to his  chteau of   
,sillery4 ,the use of the word 'flaons' 
clearly implies that  the discoveries of
 ,dom ,perignon were being acted upon at
 ,epernay1 and  that the gift in        
question was one of sparkling wine4     
,illustration3 ,,james ,,edward         
,,francis ,,stuart1 ,,the ,,old         
,,pretender4    ,in ,june #agbb the     
,sieurs ,quatresous and ,chertemps1     
despatched to  congratulate the         
marquis's nephew and successor1 ,louis  
,philogne  ,brulart1 on his appointment 
to the governorship of the town and his 
marriage with ,mademoiselle de ,souvr1  

granddaughter of ,louvois1  took with   
them a similar offering4 ,at the        
coronation of ,louis ,,xv41  in         
,october1 deputies were sent to         
compliment the ,prince de ,turenne1     
representative of his father the ,duc de
 ,bouillon1 seigneur d',epernay1  and to
 present him with 'game1 trout1 and     
other fish1' and 'a basket  of a hundred
 flasks of the best4' ,in ,august #agbe 
the bourgeois were  drawn up under arms1
 and four dozen bottles were got ready1 
on the  passage through the town of the 
,duke of ,orleans1 son of the late      
,regent1 on his way to espouse1 as the  
,king's proxy1 ,marie ,leczinska4  ,this
 was1 however1 a sad year for the       
wine-growers1 for ten months  of        
incessant rain1 beginning in ,april1 not
 only ruined the at first  promising    
crop entirely1 but caused floods which  
wrought some havoc4  ,the terrible      
hail-storm of #agcj1 which devastated   
the vineyards of  ,reims1 fortunately   
spared those of ,epernay2 but a frost in

 ,october  #agdj destroyed the vintage1 
and led to a dearness of provisions     
which  pressed even on the most         
well-to-do4#ddd    ,for the next        
three-quarters of a century ,epernay    
continued quietly  to profit by the     
yield of 'the slopes laden with vines   
producing the  most delicious wines in  
,europe1' to quote the expression of    
,stapart1  who in #agdi notes the       
importance of the trade in wine carried 
on1  not only with ,paris1 but with     
foreign countries2 though at the same   
time complaining of the decreasing size 
of the town1 and the fact of  vineyards 
being planted where houses had formerly 
stood4#dde ,the  only events of         
importance were from time to time an    
unusually good  or an uncommonly bad    
crop1 or--as the manufacture of vin     
mousseux  gradually swallowed up that of
 still wine--a disastrous casse1 like   
the memorable one of #aggf1 varied by an
 occasional royal visit or so4  ,by     
#aghj1 ,max ,sutaine notes that a single

 manufacturer would turn out  from five 
to six thousand bottles of sparkling    
,champagne1 and exults  over the fact   
that seven years later an enterprising  
firm risked a  tirage of fifty thousand1
 though people at the time regarded this
 as  something prodigious1 and wondered 
where an outlet would be found4#ddf     
,very likely a bottle of this identical 
tirage was 'the excellent  vin mousseux'
 with which ,arthur ,young regaled      
himself1 at a cost  of forty sous1 on   
the #gth ,july of the same year1 at that
 'very good  inn' the ,htel de ,rohan1  
at ,epernay4#ddg ,at this same inn the  
hapless  ,louis ,,xvi4 stopped to dine  
on his return from the intercepted      
flight to  ,varennes2 and when we recall
 his timid nature1 we may fairly surmise
  that it was ,champagne which inspired 
him1 amidst the insults of the  mob1 to 
remind the authorities that his         
ancestor1 ,henri ,quatre1 had  entered  
the town in a very different fashion1   
and by implication to  assert that he   

might yet do the same4#ddh    ,the      
,emperor ,napoleon1 the ,empress        
,josephine1 the ,king of ,westphalia1   
and the other members of the ,bonaparte 
dynasty1 who from time to time  visited 
,epernay and partook of the hospitality 
of ,jean ,remi ,mot1  showed a healthy  
appreciation of its vintage4 ,indeed    
,king ,jerome1 in  giving an order for  
six thousand bottles premier cru1       
remarked with  a strange foresight that 
he would have taken more1 only he was   
afraid  that it would be the ,russians  
after all who would come and drink it4  
,sure enough the eventful year #ahad    
witnessed the arrival at ,epernay of  a 
host of self-invited guests1 all equally
 appreciative of the merits  of         
,champagne1 and gifted with an almost   
unlimited power of consumption1  but    
entertaining insuperable objections to  
pay for what they consumed4  ,the       
,prussians and ,russians who came hither
 in ,february and ,march  misconducted  
themselves in a very sad manner1 burning

 and pillaging  houses1 insulting and   
maltreating the inhabitants1            
requisitioning all  the wine they could 
lay hands on1 and drinking in a manner  
recalling  the ,bacchic exploits of     
,gargantua and ,pantagruel4 ,the mayor1 
,jean ,remi  ,mot1 moved by the state of
 affairs1 offered the invaders the free 
run  of his cellars rather than that    
they should pillage those of others1    
doubtless under the idea that the       
reputation his house would thus  acquire
 abroad would soon enable him to        
retrieve the temporary loss--a  proviso 
happily and amply realised4 ,beyond the 
facts that ,epernay has  profited1 and  
continues to profit1 by the             
ever-increasing development  of the     
taste for sparkling wine2 that ,charles 
,x41 ,louis ,philippe1 and  ,napoleon   
,,iii4 have successively favoured it    
with their presence1 and  accepted the  
vin d'honneur offered on such occasions2
 and that during  the war of #ahgj-a the
 town1 in common with the rest of the   

province of  ,champagne1 was occupied by
 the ,german invading army1 there is    
nothing  more to be said respecting its 
history4    ,illustration3 ,,the ,,rue  
,,du ,,commerce 7,,faubourg ,,de ,,la   
,,folie71 ,,epernay4                    
,illustration3 ,,the ,,packing-,,hall   
,,at ,,messrs4 ,,mo,t ,,and             
,,chandon',s1 ,,epernay4                
,x4             _/,the ,champagne       
,establishments of ,epernay and         
,pierry4_/        ,early records of the 
,mot family at ,reims and               
,epernay--,jean ,remi      ,mot1 the    
founder of the commerce in ,champagne   
wines--,extracts from      old          
account-books of the ,mots--,jean ,remi 
,mot receives the ,emperor              
,napoleon1 the ,empress ,josephine1 and 
the ,king of ,westphalia--,the      firm
 of ,mot  ,chandon constituted--,their  
establishment in the      ,rue du       
,commerce--,the delivery and washing of 
new bottles--,the      numerous         
vineyards and vendangeoirs of the       

firm--,their cuve made      in vats of  
#ab1jjj gallons--,the bottling of the   
wine--,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--,the        
original vaults      known as           
,siberia--,scene in the                 
packing-hall--,messrs4 ,mot             
,chandon's large and complete           
staff--,the famous ',star' brand of the 
firm--,perrier-,jout's chteau1 offices1 
and cellars--,classification      of the
 wine of the house--,the establishment  
of ,messrs4 ,pol      ,roger            
,co4--,their large stock of the fine    
#ahgd vintage--,the      preparations   
for the tirage--,their vast fireproof   
cellier and      its temperature--,their
 lofty and capacious cellars--,pierry   
becomes a wine-growing district         
consequent upon ,dom ,perignon's        
discovery--,esteem in which the growths 

of the ,clos ,st4 ,pierre were          
held--,cazotte1 author of ,le ,diable   
,amoureux1 and guillotined      for     
planning the escape of ,louis ,,xvi4    
from ,france1 a resident at             
,pierry--,his contest with the ,abbot of
 ,hautvillers with reference      to the
 abbey tithes of wine--,the ,chteau of  
,pierry--,its owner      demands to have
 it searched to prove that he is not a  
forestaller      of corn--,the vineyards
 and ,champagne establishment of        
,g-,dufaut       ,co4--,the reserves of 
old wines in the cellars of this        
firm--,honours      secured by them at  
,vienna and ,paris4      ,illustration  
,those magnates of the ,champagne trade1
 ,messrs4 ,mot  ,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 fourteenth century  
,jehan ,mot de ,mennemont1 escuier1     
held a fief at ,attigny from the        
,archbishop ,richard ,pique1 and that   
in the following 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 hand2 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 #aeed2 and  
nine years later we find ,nicol ,mot    
claiming exemption at ,epernay for  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   
,illustration3 ,,jean ,,remi ,,mo,t4    
,at ,messrs4 ,mot  ,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 #bc;d1 #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 '#fj 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  ,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  ,walker           

7predecessors of the  well-known        
existing firm of ,carbonnell  ,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  sparkling4' ,the ,chevalier    
,colebrook1 writing from ,bath1 also    
requests  that #gb bottles of ,champagne
 may be sent to his friend the ,hon4    
,john  ,butler1 ,molesworth-street1     
,dublin1 'who1 if contented with the    
wine1  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 ,london2 and in #agij the
 customers of the house include  ,power 
,michel1 of #dd ,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 #cf    
,pall ,mall1 is debited  with #cfj      
bottles1 vintage #aghh1 at three        
shillings4    ,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 ,may #agij 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 ,may   
#agib ,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 which 
since #ahjg had been known as ,mot      
,co41 was  remodelled under the style of
 ,mot  ,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 7#ahhj7 at the head of the       
business1 the partners being1 on  the   
one hand1 ,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  ,chandon's offices at    

,epernay is a range of  comparatively   
new buildings1 with its white faade     
ornamented with  the well-known monogram
 ,m4  ,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 
gateway1 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 #ajjj 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 drain  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 wine1 which
 have been stowed  away during the      
winter months in the extensive range of 
cellars hewn  out of the chalk          
underlying ,epernay1 where they have    
slowly fermented1  are mixed together in
 due proportion in huge vats1 each      
holding upwards  of #ab1jjj gallons4    
,some of this wine is the growth of     

,messrs4 ,mot   ,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       
,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 #edej pices  of fine white    
wine1 sufficient for #a1cfj1jjj bottles 
of ,champagne1 are  annually made--that 
is1 #abjj pices at ,ay1 #aajj 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         
,,washing ,,bottles ,,at ,,messrs4      
,,mo,t ,,and ,,chandon',s1 ,,epernay4   
,extensive as are the vineyards owned by
 ,messrs4 ,mot  ,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 insure         
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 quality1 the firm have scores of huge
 tuns filled  with the yield of more    
favoured seasons to fall back upon to   
insure any  deficiencies of character   
and flavour being supplied4             
,illustration3 ,,messrs4 ,,mo,t ,,and   
,,chandon',s ,,vendangeoir ,,at ,,bouzy4
    ,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 time2 is next    
duly racked and again blended2 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   
,upwards of #bjj workpeople are employed
 in the salle de tirage at  ,messrs4    
,mot  ,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-taps1 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 agrafes1 the   
bottles are placed in large  flat       

baskets called manettes1 and wheeled    
away on trucks1 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  
,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
 cellars1 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 and1 with  their   
uppermost side daubed with white chalk1 
are stacked in layers  from two to half 
a dozen bottles deep1 with narrow oak   
laths between4  ,the stacks are usually 
about #f or #g feet high1 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           
,chandon's annual loss from bottles     
bursting rarely exceeds  three per cent1
 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    ,illustration3      
,,bottling ,,champagne ,,at ,,messrs4   
,,mo,t ,,and ,,chandon',s1  ,,epernay4  
,the usual entrance to ,messrs4 ,mot    
,chandon's ,epernay cellars--which1     
burrowed out in all directions1 are of  
the aggregate length of nearly  seven   
miles1 and have usually between         
#aj1jjj1jjj and #ab1jjj1jjj bottles  and
 #bj1jjj 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 city1 with
 its miles of streets1 cross-roads1 open
 spaces1  tramways1 and stations devoted

 solely to ,champagne4 ,a gilt          
inscription  on a black-marble tablet   
testifies that 'on the #bfth ,july      
#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 ,remi ,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   
#fj1jjj lb4 of which are annually       
consumed4 ,here group after group of the
 small army of #cej workmen  employed in
 these subterranean galleries are       
encountered1 engaged in  the process of 
transforming the vin brut into          

,champagne4 ,at ,messrs4  ,mot          
,chandon's1 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   
gas by women1 who can  turn out #cjjj   
per day apiece1 the quantity of string  
used to secure  them amounting to nearly
 ten tons in the course of the year4    
,illustration3 ,,tablet ,,commemorative 
,,of ,,the ,,visit ,,of ,,napoleon ,i4  
,there is another and a lower depth of  
cellars to be explored1 to  which access
 is gained by trap-holes 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     
devoid  of the picturesque festoons of  
fungi which decorate the ,london ,dock  
vaults1 yet exhibiting 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 side1 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 in racks  at      
various angles of inclination4 ,these   
cellars contain nearly #aa1jjj  racks1  
and as many as #fjj1jjj bottles are     
commonly twisted here daily4            

,illustration    ,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 him1 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 #djjj 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 air1 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 wagons are
 drawn up ready to receive their loads4 
,the #gj 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 foil1 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 #aj1jjj  
lb4 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    ,some 
idea of the complex character of so vast
 an establishment as that  of ,messrs4  
,mot  ,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 #aejj 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    ,it is needless to    
particularise ,messrs4 ,mot  ,chandon's 
wines1 which  are familiar to all       
drinkers of ,champagne4 ,still it may be
 mentioned  that the great ,epernay     
firm1 with the view of meeting the      
requirements  of the time1 have lately  
commenced shipping a high-class vin     
brut1 or  natural ,champagne1 possessing
 great vinosity1 combined with          
remarkable  delicacy of flavour4 ,to    
this fine dry wine the name of ',brut   
,imprial'  has been given by the house4 
,mot  ,chandon's 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 a  thousand visitors    
from all parts of the world come        
annually to ,epernay  and make the tour 
of ,messrs4 ,mot  ,chandon's spacious   
cellars4    ,a little beyond ,messrs4   
,mot  ,chandon's1 in the broad ,rue du  
,commerce1  we encounter a heavy1       
ornate1 pretentious-looking chteau1 the 
residence of the late ,m4               
,perrier-,jout1 presenting a striking   
contrast  to the almost mean-looking    
premises opposite1 where the business of
 the  firm is carried on4 ,on the       
left-hand side of a courtyard surrounded
 by  low buildings1 which serve as      
celliers1 store-houses1 packing-rooms1  
and the like1 are the offices2 and from 
an inner courtyard1 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 #bbjj        
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 irregular2 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-a_/b per
 cent4    ,the firm have no less than   
five qualities of wine1 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   
neighbours1 ,messrs4 ,pol ,roger  ,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 ,champagne4
    ,champagne establishments1 combined 
with the handsome residences of the     
manufacturers1 line both sides of the   
long 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  
,bouzy2 while on the other side of the  
famous ,epernay  thoroughfare we        
encounter beyond the establishments of  
,messrs4 ,mot   ,chandon and            
,perrier-,jout the ornate monumental    
faade which the  firm of ,piper         

,co4--of whom ,messrs4 ,kunkelmann  ,co4
 are to-day the  successors--raised some
 years since above their extensive      
cellars4 ,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   
,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     
crus1 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     
,co41 have successfully introduced  the 
new brand4    ,passing through a large  
open gateway1 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 stone1 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  lower  
one of which is reached by a flight of  
no less than #agj steps4                
,illustration3 ,,courtyard ,,of         
,,messrs4 ,,pol ,,roger ,,and ,,co4',s  
,,establishment  ,,at ,,epernay4        
,less than a couple of miles southward  
of ,epernay1 on the high-road to        
,troyes1 is the village of ,pierry1     
which1 unlike most of the ,champagne    
villages1 is one of those happy spots   

with little or no history4  ,up to the  
close of the seventeenth century it was 
an insignificant  hamlet2 but at that   
epoch--when ,dom ,perignon's discovery  
gave such  an impetus to the            
viticultural industry of the ,marne--the
 waste land  lying around it was broken 
up and planted with vines1 and a number 
of rich strangers1 chiefly from         
,epernay1 built themselves houses and   
vendangeoirs here1 and contributed to   
the erection of the church4 ,the        
,benedictines of ,st4-,pierre-aux-,monts
 at ,chlons1 who continued to be  the   
titular seigneurs of ,pierry up to the  
period of the ,revolution1  were not    
behindhand in attention to their vines1 
and during the early  part of the       
eighteenth century the wine vintaged in 
their ,clos ,st4  ,pierre1 under the    
fostering care of ,brother ,jean        
,oudart--whose renown  almost equalled  
that of ,perignon himself--was very     
highly esteemed4#ddi    ,during the     
eighteenth century ,pierry continued to 

be a favourite  residence of well-to-do 
landowners1#dej and was further         
embellished by  the construction of     
numerous handsome chteaux1 the most     
interesting1  from a historic point of  
view1 being that formerly belonging to  
,cazotte4#dea ,it was here that the     
ex-,commissary ,general of the navy     
composed the greater part of his works1 
and elaborated that futile  scheme for  
the escape of ,louis ,,xvi4 after       
,varennes1 which was to  conduct its    
author to the scaffold4#deb    ,the     
visionary dreamer1 to whom we owe the   
,diable ,amoureux1 appears at  ,pierry  
in the triple character of a practical  
viticulturist1 a village  ,hampden      
withstanding with dauntless breast that 
little tyrant of the  surrounding       
vineyards--the ,abbot of                
,hautvillers1#dec and a local           
legislator put forward in the           
proprietarial interest at the outbreak  
of  that ,revolution#ded which he       
appears to have foreseen1 if not to have

  directly prophesied1 as he has been   
credited with doing4#dee    ,amongst the
 most imposing of the remaining ,pierry 
chteaux is the one  situate in that part
 of the village known as ,corrigot1 and 
now in the  occupation of ,messrs4      
,g-,dufaut  ,co4 ,its grandiose aspect1 
various  courts1 charming garden1 fine  
trees1 and clear lake justify this firm 
in adopting1 in combination with an     
anchor1 the title ,chteau de  ,pierry as
 the brand of their wine4 ,prior to the 
,revolution the chteau  belonged to ,m4 
de ,papillon de ,sannois1 a             
fermier-gnral of that  period4 ,the     
municipal records of ,pierry contain a  
petition addressed  by him to the       
authorities in #agia1 at a time when a  
panic prevailed  respecting the         
forestallers of corn1 begging them to   
institute a formal  search throughout   
his residence1 in order to give the lie 
to the  rumours accusing him of having  
bought up and stored away a considerable
  quantity of wheat4 ,the municipality  

accepted his invitation1 and the  result
 was a certificate to the effect that   
the total amount of wheat  and oats     
stored there only represented three     
months' consumption for  the household4 
,messrs4 ,g-,dufaut  ,co4 are the owners
 of vineyards both in ,pierry  and the  
neighbouring parts1 and for upwards of  
thirty years the  firm have been engaged
 in preparing and shipping ,champagnes4 
,their  cellars1 excavated in the       
mingled stone1 chalk1 and earth which   
form  the prevailing soil of the        
district1 extend beneath the vineyards  
belonging to the firm1 and are walled   
and vaulted throughout4 ,the            
circumstance of their being on one      
level1 slightly below the celliers  of  
the establishment1 is a great           
convenience as regards the various      
manipulations which the wine has to     
undergo4 ,considerable reserves of  old 
wines of the best years are stored in   
these vaults4 ,the cultivation  of the  
vineyards owned by the firm1 and the    

pressing1 maturing1 and  general cellar 
management of their wines are under the 
personal  superintendence of the various
 partners1 with a highly satisfactory   
result1 as is proved by the first-class 
medal secured by the firm at  the       
,vienna ,exhibition of #ahgc1 and the   
gold medal awarded to them at  the      
,paris ,exhibition of #ahgh4 ,messrs4   
,g-,dufaut  ,co4 ship their wines  to   
,europe1 ,america1 and ,india1 and more 
especially to ,england1 where  their    
dry1 natural1 and unalcoholised         
,champagne has acquired a deserved      
reputation4 ,the firm1 moreover1 are the
 officially appointed furnishers  of    
,champagne to the ,courts of ,italy and 
,spain4    ,illustration3 ,,ch,,teau    
,,of ,,pierry1 ,,the ,,property ,,of    
,,messrs4 ,g-,,dufaut ,,and  ,,co4      
,illustration          ,illustration3   
,,view ,,of ,,ay ,,from ,,the ,,banks   
,,of ,,the ,,marne ,,canal4             
,,xi4              _/,some ,champagne   
,establishments at ,ay and ,mareuil4_/  

,the bourgade of ,ay and its            
eighteenth-century chteau--,gambling    
propensities of a former owner1         
,balthazar ,constance                   
,dang-,doray--,appreciation of the ,ay  
vintage by ,sigismund of      ,bohemia1 
,leo ,x41 ,charles ,v41 ,francis ,i41   
and ,henry ,,viii4--,bertin      du     
,rocheret celebrates this partiality in 
triolets--,estimation      of the ,ay   
wine in the reigns of ,charles ,,ix4 and
 ,henri ,,iii4--,is      a favoured     
drink with the leaders of the ,league1  
and with ,henri      ,,iv41 ,catherine  
de ,medicis1 and the courtiers of that  
epoch--,the      ',vendangeoir d',henri 
,quatre' at ,ay--,the ,king's pride in  
his title      of ,seigneur d',ay and   
,gonesse--,dominicus ,baudius punningly 
suggests      that the ',vin d',ay'     
should be called ',vinum ,dei'--,the    
merits of      the wine sung by poets   
and extolled by wits--,the ,ay wine in  
its      palmy days evidently not       
sparkling--,arthur ,young's visit to ,ay

 in      #aghg--,the establishment of   
,deutz  ,geldermann--,drawing off the   
cuve there--,mode of excavating cellars 
in the ,champagne--,the      firm's new 
cellars1 vineyards1 and vendangeoir--,m4
 ,duminy's      cellars and wines--,the 
house founded in #ahad--,the new model  
,duminy      establishment--,picturesque
 old house at ,ay--,messrs4 ,pfungst    
,frres  ,co4's cellars--,their          
finely-matured dry ,champagnes--,the    
old church of ,ay and its numerous      
decorations of grapes and               
vine-leaves--,the sculptured figure     
above the ,renaissance                  
doorway--,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  ,co4--,the handsome    
carved gigantic cuve-tun--,the cellars  
and their lofty shafts--,the      wines 
of the firm4      ,illustration3        
,,figure ,,above ,,the ,,doorway ,,of   
,,ay ,,church4    ,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 steeple of the antique     
church1 relieved by a background of     
vine-covered slopes1 and of an          
eighteenth-century chteau rising above  
a mass of foliage4 ,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 miles2  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 which1 at the   
commencement of the present century1    
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 ,madame ,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 son is  to-day a partner in the   
,champagne house of ,ayala  ,co4    ,the
 wine of ,ay1 from an early date1 has   
found equal favour in the  eyes of poets
 and princes4 ,eustache ,deschamps sang 
its praises in  the fourteenth century1 
and was echoed a hundred years later by 
the  anonymous author of the ,eglogue   
sur le ,retour de ,bacchus4#def         
,sigismund of ,bohemia1 the betrayer of 
,john ,huss1 on visiting ,france  in    
#adaj1 desired to pass through ,ay in   
order to taste the wine at the  place of
 its production4#deg ,leo ,x41 ,charles 
,v41 ,francis ,,iii41 and our  own      
,henry ,,viii41 each had a house in or  
near ,ay2 'for amongst all the  great   

affairs of state which these princes had
 to unravel1 supplying  themselves with 
this vintage was not the least of their 
cares4'#deh  ,malicious tongues have    
asserted that they were somewhat        
suspicious  of the honesty of the       
wine-growers of the district1 and1 in   
order to  secure a genuine article1     
deemed it needful to have a commissioner
  or agent resident on the spot1 to     
superintend the making of the wine  set 
apart for their own consumption4#dei    
,tradition still points out1  on the    
right of the road from ,dizy to ,ay1 a  
vineyard called ,le ,lon1  as the one   
whence the ,pope derived his wine1      
though no traces remain  of the         
vendangeoir built by the ,emperor in a  
coppice above ,ay during  the siege of  
,epernay in #aedd1 and still standing in
 #agbg4dfj ,the  president ,bertin du   
,rocheret has celebrated the partiality 
of a couple  of these potentates for the
 wine of ,ay in some triolets addressed 
to ,m4  de ,senc1 and published in the  

,mercure in #agbh3        ',ay produces 
the best wine--          ,i call the    
world to witness this2      ,though you 
may for ,reims opine1      ,ay produces 
the best wine4      ,it ranks the first1
 and the most fine          ,st4        
,evremond has said it is4      ,ay      
produces the best wine--          ,i    
call the world to witness this4         
,charles the ,fifth was well aware      
,of this--far better than his friend    
,adrian in the papal chair2             
,charles the ,fifth was well aware      
,of this1 and so1 to get his share1     
,sought in ,france his days to end4     
,charles the ,fifth was well aware      
,of this--far better than his friend4   
,lest some fraud the juice should mix1  
,and his table thus disgrace1      ,he  
would his own vintage fix1      ,lest   
some fraud the juice should mix4        
,leo1 fearing the like tricks1          
,bought in ,ay a pressing-place1        
,lest some fraud the juice should mix1  
,and his table thus disgrace4'#dfa      

,the wine of ,ay ranked at the court of 
,charles ,,ix4 as 'a very pleasant  and 
noble wine2'#dfb and even that bigoted  
uprooter of vines and  heresy had a     
vendangeoir in this stronghold of       
,protestantism1#dfc  which the          
,catholics of the ,champagne marched    
against1 singing--        ',parpaillot  
d',ay1          ,t'es bien misrable1    
,t'as quitt ton ,di          ,pour      
servir le diable2      ,tu n'auras ni   
chien1 ni chat1      ,pour te chanter   
,libera1      ,et tu mourras            
mau-chrtien1      ,toi qu'a maudit      
,saint ,trzain4'#dfd    ,illustration3  
,,henri ,,iii4    7,from a painting of  
the period74    ,in the reign of ,henri 
,,iii4 the wines of ,ay--'claret and    
yellowish1  subtile1 fine1 and in taste 
very pleasing to the palate1 444 yet    
therewithal such wines as the ,greeks   
call ,oligophora1 and as will not  admit
 the mixture of much water'#dfe--were   
'eagerly sought after  for the use of   
kings1 princes1 and great lords4'#dff   

,at a time when  the bulk of the vintage
 of ,burgundy was denounced as rough1   
sour1  and harsh2 and that of ,bordeaux 
stigmatised as thick and black2 and     
when good and bad years were allowed to 
have a considerable influence  upon the 
growths of the ,isle of ,france1 the    
,orleannais1 and ,anjou1 it  was        
admitted that 'the wines of ,ay do1 for 
the most part1 hold the  first and      
principal place1 444 and are1 in all    
good and evil years1  found better than 
any others4'#dfg ,the kings and princes 
of the day  made the wines of ,ay their 
ordinary drink4#dfh ,they flowed freely 
in the scandalous orgies with which the 
,french ,heliogabalus and his  mignons  
alternated their pious flagellations and
 solemn processions1  and mantled in the
 beakers over which the chiefs of the   
,league sat in  dark and solemn         
conclave2 they were quaffed by the      
,barnais to the  bright eyes of the fair
 ,de ,saulve1 and cheered the nightly   
vigils of  ,catherine de ,medicis and   

,ruggieri2 they sharpened the biting wit
 of  ,chicot1 and spurred the plotting  
spirit of ,francis of ,anjou4 ,guise    
and ,crillon1 ,joyeuse and ,d',epernon1 
,mayenne and ,d',aubign made common     
cause in recognising their merits2      
,quelus and ,maugiron may have quaffed  
a goblet before setting forth on their  
fatal journey to the ,barrire  ,saint   
,antoine2 and a cup1 filled by the fair 
hands of the ,duchess  de ,montpensier1 
may have fired the brain and nerved the 
arm of the  regicide ,jacques ,clment4  
,illustration3 ,,old ,,house ,,at ,,ay1 
,,known ,,as ,,the ,,vendangeoir ,,of   
,,henri  ,,quatre4    ,henri ,quatre    
boasted the merits of his vineyard at   
,prepaton1 near  ,vendme1 when he was   
only ,king of ,navarre1#dfi and         
delighted in the  wine of ,arbois4#dgj  
,at ,ay1 within a few yards of the      
church1 there  is a quaint old timber   
house traditionally known as the        
'vendangeoir  d',henri ,quatre1' with   
obliterated carved escutcheons on the   

pillars  of its doorway4 ,in this       
dilapidated yet interesting structure we
  have a mute but certain testimony to  
the ,king's appreciation of the  wine of
 ,ay1 if not a confirmation of the truth
 of the assertion that  ,henri was as   
proud of his title of ,seigneur d',ay as
 of that of ,king  of ,france4#dga      
,giving an audience to the ,spanish     
ambassador1 and  irritated at the long  
list of titles appended by the          
punctilious  hidalgo to his royal       
master's name1 he exclaimed3 ',you will 
say to his  ,highness ,philip1 ,king of 
,spain and the ,indies1 ,castille1      
,leon1 ,arragon1  ,murcia1 and the      
,balearic ,isles1 that ,henri1 ,sieur of
 ,ay and of ,gonesse  4441' being the   
places producing the best wine and the  
whitest bread in  ,france4#dgb ,when    
encamped at ,damery1 during the siege of
 ,epernay1 this  favourite beverage1 and
 the smiles of the fair ,anne ,dudey1   
,prsidente  du ,puy1 helped to relieve  
the tedium of campaigning2 for1 as      

,bertin du  ,rocheret has sung1         
',our great ,henry1 king benign1        
,with it cheered his belle htesse4      
,when at ,damery he'd dine1      ,our   
great ,henry1 king benign1      ,chose  
it for his favourite wine2          ,and
 for bread1 that of ,gonesse      ,our  
great ,henry1 king benign1              
,with it cheered his belle htesse4'#dgc 
,with the vintage of ,ay in such        
universal esteem1 it is scarcely to  be 
wondered at that ,dominicus ,baudius1   
professor of eloquence at  the          
,university of ,leyden and              
historiographer to the ,states of the   
,netherlands1 should1 in the fulness of 
his admiration1 have declared to  his   
friend the ,prsident du ,thou that      
instead of vin d',ay it ought to  be    
called vinum ,dei4#dgd    ,olivier de   
,serres1 the ,french ,tusser1 praises   
this divine liquor4#dge  ,the anonymous 
author of the ,hercule ,guepin1 a poem  
penned at the  commencement of the      
seventeenth century in honour of the    

wine of  ,orleans1 is forced to         
acknowledge the merits of that of       
,ay2#dgf and  that indefatigable        
commentator1 the ,abb de ,marolles1 in a
 note to his  edition of ,martial1      
classes the growths of ,ay1 ,avenay1 and
 ,epernay  amongst the best that ,france
 produced4 ',vive le bon vin d',ay6'    
exclaims  ,guy ,patin enthusiastically2 
and that strange compound of the wit and
  the philosopher1 ,st4 ,evremond1 has  
extolled its qualities in prose  and    
verse4#dgg ',if you ask me which wine of
 all others ,i prefer1' he  writes from 
,london to the ,count d',olonne1 about  
#afga1 'without yielding  to tastes     
introduced by people of sham daintiness1
 ,i will answer that  good wine of ,ay  
is the most natural of all wines1 the   
most healthy1 the  best purified from   
all earth smack2 of a most exquisite    
charm1 through  the peach flavour which 
is peculiar to it2 and is1 in my        
opinion1 the  finest of all             
flavours4'#dgh    ,it is improbable that

 the wine of ,ay of ,francis ,i41 or of 
,henri ,quatre1  was mousseux1 for had  
it been so history would have mentioned 
it4 ,in  good years the still wine of   
,ay has a bouquet and perfume sufficient
 to  account for its ancient reputation4
 ,neither was the wine ,st4 ,evremond   
preferred sparkling1 though his         
reference to the taste introduced by    
sham gourmets points probably to the    
custom of drinking the wine  before its 
fermentation was completed1 or else to  
the practice of icing  it4 ,when once1  
however1 the introduction of vin        
mousseux added a new  charm to the      
pleasures of the table1 the poets who   
sang the praises  of the foaming nectar 
seem one and all to have celebrated it  
as the  'ptillant ,ay1' and to have     
chosen1 perhaps for euphonistic reasons1
  that spot as its birthplace4#dgi ,the 
material results were equally           
satisfactory2 for ,arthur ,young        
mentions that when1 on ,july #h1 #aghg1 
he  visited ',ay1 a village not far out 

on the road to ,reims very famous  for  
its wines1' he was provided with a      
letter for ,m4 ,lasnier1 who  had       
#fj1jjj bottles in his cellar1 whilst   
,m4 ,dors had from #cj1jjj to           
#dj1jjj4dhj    ,a century ago the       
foregoing were no doubt considered large
 stocks1 but  to-day the very smallest  
of the ,ay firms would think itself     
poorly  provided if its cellars         
contained under quadruple this quantity4
 ,the  largest ,champagne establishment 
at ,ay is that of ,messrs4 ,deutz       
,geldermann1 whose extra dry ',gold     
,lack' and ',cabinet' ,champagnes have  
long been favourably known in ,england1 
through the energetic exertions  of     
their agents1 ,messrs4 ,j4 ,r4          
,parkington  ,co41 of ,crutched ,friars4
  ,the ,ay firm have their offices in a 
massive-looking corner-house at  the    
further extremity of the town1 in the   
direction of the steep hills  sheltering
 it on the north4 ,this forms their     
central establishment1  and 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    ,on 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    ,illustration3   
,,drawing ,,off ,,the ,,cuv,e ,,at      
,,deutz ,,and ,,geldermann',s1 ,,ay4    
,adjoining ,m4 ,deutz's chteau is the   
principal entrance to the extensive     
cellars of the firm1 to which1 at our   
visit in #ahgg1 considerable  additions 
were being made4 ,in excavating these   
cellars in the chalk a  uniform system  
is pursued4 ,the workmen commence by    
rounding off the  roof of the gallery1  
and then proceed to work gradually      
downwards1  extracting the chalk1       
whenever practicable1 in blocks suitable
 for  building purposes1 which1 being   
worth from three to four shillings  the 
square yard1 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        

splendid range of cellars now comprises 
eight long and lofty  galleries no less 
than seventeen feet wide1 and the same  
number of feet  in height1 and of the   
aggregate length of #bbjj 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  
,champagne1 in addition to a large      
quantity of wine in cask4    ,messrs4   
,deutz  ,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 c41 and invariably    
have these  pressed under their own     
superintendence4 ,beyond large shipments
 to  ,england1 where their wine is      

deservedly held in high estimation1     
,messrs4 ,deutz  ,geldermann transact a 
considerable business with other        
countries1 and more especially with     
,germany1 in which country their  brand 
has been for years one of the most      
popular1 while to-day it is  the        
favourite at numerous regimental messes 
and the principal hotels4    ,within a  
hundred yards of the open space1        
surrounded by houses of  different      
epochs and considerable diversity of    
design1 where the  ,ay market-hall      
stands1 and in one of those narrow      
winding streets  common to the town1 an 
escutcheon1 with a bunch of grapes for  
device1  surmounting a lofty gateway1   
attracts attention4 ,beyond1 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-room2  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      
,illustration3 ,,the ,,excavation ,,of  
,,deutz ,,and ,,geldermann',s ,,new     
,,cellars ,,at  ,,ay4    ,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 
#ahgd and '#gh1 ,m4 ,duminy has a new   
and  extensive establishment on the     
outskirts of ,ay1 as well as various    
subterranean adjuncts in the town       
itself4 ,this new establishment1 which  
stands under the vineclad slope1 and    
merely a stone's throw from the  railway
 line to ,reims1 consists of a large    
ornamental building looking  on to a    

spacious courtyard ordinarily alive with
 busy workpeople4 ,in  addition to the  
pavilion already erected1 it is intended
 to construct  one of similar design1   
and to connect the two with a monumental
 tower4  ,the requisite land has already
 been purchased1 the architectural plans
  are prepared1 and the work is now in  
active progress4    ,illustration       
,entering the courtyard of which we have
 spoken1 we notice the new  offices of  
the firm on the left hand1 and extending
 along the wall  beyond is a long       
zinc-roofed shed1 crowded with baskets  
filled with  newly-purchased ,champagne 
bottles4 ,on the opposite side of the   
courtyard is a building in which the    
operation of bottle-washing is  carried 
on4 ,the pavilion in the rear of the    
courtyard is of somewhat  monumental    
proportions1 and is ornamented with     
dressings of white  stone and red brick4
 ,entering through the principal        
doorway1 we find  ourselves in a vast   
cellier1 where the packing operations   

are carried  on1 and where are a couple 
of huge tuns in which the cuves of the  
house are made4 ,a stone staircase      
conducts to an upper cellier1 where     
several hundred casks of vin brut are   
stored1 and for the raising  or lowering
 of which lifts are provided at stated  
distances4 ,in an  apartment above this 
second cellier straw envelopes for      
bottles and  other accessories employed 
in the trade are kept4    ,illustration3
 ,m4 ,,duminy',s ,,new ,,establishment  
,,at ,,ay4    ,the cellars extend1 not  
merely beneath this large building and  
the  courtyard in front1 but run under  
the adjacent mountain-slope4 ,they      
comprise four galleries on the same     
level1 vaulted and faced with brick  or 
stone1 each gallery being about #ejj    
feet in length and upwards of  twelve   
feet in width and height4 ,eight        
transverse passages connect  these      
galleries with each other1 and numerous 
lifts communicate with  the cellier and 
the courtyard above4 ,the galleries that

 run under  the vineyard slope are      
ventilated by shafts no less than #abj  
feet in  height4 ,m4 ,duminy has already
 provided room here for a million       
bottles  of sparkling wine2 and it is   
estimated that1 when the establishment  
is completed1 two and a half millions of
 bottles can be stored here  in addition
 to the stock contained in the old      
cellars possessed by ,m4  ,duminy in the
 town4 ,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    ,illustration    ,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      
burden4 ,judging from the quaint  carved
 devices on the timbers at the lower    
portions of this building1  one may     
imagine it to have been 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 ,the  house evidently  
dates back to this or to an earlier     
epoch4    ,illustration3 ,,ancient      
,,timber ,,house ,,at ,,ay4    ,the     
cellars of ,messrs4 ,pfungst ,frres et  
,cie4 are situated some little  distance
 from the vineyard owned by them at ,ay4
 ,the firm lay themselves  out          
exclusively for the shipment of         
high-class ,champagne1 and the          
excellent growths of this district      
necessarily form an important  element  
in their carefully-composed cuves4 ,a   
considerable portion  of their stock    
consists of reserves of old wine of     
grand years2 and  a variety of samples  

of finely-matured ,champagnes were      
submitted to  our judgment4 ,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 where the brand 
of the firm is rapidly increasing in    
popularity among connoisseurs of        
matured wines1 ,messrs4 ,pfungst ,frres 
ship largely to ,india and the  ,united 
,states4    ,illustration3 ,,capitals   
,,and ,,mouldings ,,in ,,ay ,,church4   
,on the northern side of the town stands
 the handsome ,gothic church  of ,ay1   
dating from about the middle of the     
fifteenth century4 ,the  existing       
building replaced the edifice erected   
some two hundred years  previously1 and 
traces of which are still to be seen in 
the present  transept4 ,the stone tower1
 which is in striking contrast with the 
other  portions of the structure1 bears 
the date #aeda on its western face4     
,this tower and the interior of the     

church were greatly damaged by  the     
fire--traditionally ascribed to         
lightning--which occurred at the  close 
of the sixteenth century1 and the former
 had to be strengthened  by filling up  
the arched windows and by the addition  
of buttresses4  ,the bell1 whose        
terrible tocsin used to warn good       
citizens that  the patrie was in danger 
in the days of the ,revolution1 when the
  church was converted into a ,temple of
 ,reason1 had previously swung  in the  
abbey of ,hautvillers1 and may have     
summoned the vintagers to  labour as    
well as the faithful to prayer4 ,from   
#ahfg to #ahgg extensive  interior      
repairs and restorations1 costing       
upwards of #fjjjl41 greatly  transformed
 the interior of the church4 ,care was1 
however1 taken to  preserve the numerous
 bits of medival and ,renaissance       
sculpture with  which both the interior 
and exterior of the edifice were        
studded4  ,in many of the ornamental    
mouldings1 as well as the capitals of   

the  columns1 grape-laden vine-branches 
had been freely introduced1 as if  to   
indicate the honour in which the vine1  
the material source of all  the         
prosperity enjoyed by the little town1  
was held both by medival  and later     
architects2 and these appear all to have
 been scrupulously  restored4 ,one of   
the most characteristic decorations of  
this character  is the sculptured figure
 of a boy bearing a basket of grapes    
upon his  head1 which surmounts the     
handsome ,renaissance doorway4          
,illustration3 ,,mouldings ,,from ,,ay  
,,church4    ,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-plots1 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  courtyard1 to   
the left of which stands a grand chteau2
 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 buildings1     
enclosing the court on three sides1     
comprise press-houses1 celliers1 and    
packing-rooms1 an antiquated  sun-dial  
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 victory2  
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    ,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 over the backs of mules1  
muzzled1 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 fifty  pices of wine1
 with a crane beside it for hauling up  
the casks when  the cuve is made4 ,here 
the tirage likewise takes place2 and in 
the  range of buildings 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  tower2 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    ,illustration3 ,,ch,,teau    
,,of ,,mareuil1 ,,belonging ,,to ,,the  
,,duke ,,of ,,montebello4    ,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',orleans4          ,illustration3     
,,general ,,view ,,of ,,avize4          
,,xii4                _/,champagne      
,establishments at ,avize and ,rilly4_/ 
,avize the centre of the white grape    
district--,its situation and            
aspect--,the establishment of ,giesler  
,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 of the  
,avize and ,cramant      vineyards 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               
,illustration3 ,,doorway ,,of ,,avize   
,,church4    ,avize1 situated in the    
heart of the ,champagne white grape     
district1  may be reached from ,epernay 
by road through ,pierry and ,cramant1 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 fifteenth 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             
,proceeding along the straight level    
road leading from the station to  the   
village1 we encounter on our right hand 
the premises of ,messrs4  ,giesler      
,co41 the reputation of whose brand is  
universal4 ,when ,m4  ,giesler quitted  
the firm of ,p4 ,a4 ,mumm1 ,giesler1    
,co41 at ,reims1  in #ahch1 he removed  
to ,avize1 and founded the present      
extensive  establishment4 ,entering     
through a large open gateway1 we find   
ourselves within a spacious courtyard1  
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 staircase1 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 above-ground for about a fortnight1  
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 tun1 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 tables1 as at the         
,clicquot-,werl establishment4 ,this    
latter  system requires ample space1 for
 as the workman who shakes the bottles  

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    ,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 suchlike 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
  removed1 the bottles are raised in    
baskets to the cellier above1 where  the
 liqueuring1 recorking1 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 are1 they  
are still insufficient for the          
requirements of the firm2 and across the
 road is a spacious building  where new 
bottles are stored1 and the washing of  
the bottles in  preparation for the     
tirage takes place4 ,by the aid of the  
machinery  provided 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 which1 at the epoch of the 
vintage1 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  c42 it being a rule of    
theirs always to press the grapes within
 a few  hours after they are gathered1  
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 hens2 
while a trio  of boar-hounds1 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 residents2  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    ,the
 house of ,m4 ,charles de ,cazanove was 
established in #ahdc1 by its  present   
proprietor1 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               
establishments1 the premises present  a 

simple and modest aspect2 nevertheless1 
they are capacious and  commodious1     
besides which1 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 stocked2 and1 
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 crus of the ,marne  owe    
their great renown4 ,he possesses an    
excellent vineyard at ,grauves1  near   
,avize2 and his mother-in-law1 ,madame  
,poultier 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          
considerable2 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  
anticipated4    ,illustration3          
,,vineyards ,,of ,,avize ,,and          
,,cramant1 ,,from ,,the ,,garden ,,of   
,m4 ,c4  ,,de ,,cazanove4    ,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 ,saran1 with ,m4 ,mot's       
chteau perched half-way up its          
north-eastern slope2 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   
crus 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 
have their establishment4  ,starting    
from the latter place1 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 surprising1 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 #ahgd1 from  
black grapes1  fetched1 we are informed1
 as much as #fjj to #gjj francs the     
pice2 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 the  roof of the upper story1
 and hang pendent overhead like         
innumerable  stalactites4 ,here1 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 specialty 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 #ahgc1 and the  ,london  
,exhibition of #ahgd1 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 the ,perriers1 ,freminet et    
,fils1 ,dagonet et ,fils1  and ,jacquard
 ,frres4 ,as1 however1 any description  
of these would be  little else than a   
recapitulation of something we have     
already said1 we  content ourselves with
 merely notifying their existence1 and  
close the  present chapter with a poem  
on ,champagne1 from the pen of ,m4      
,amaury de  ,cazanove of ,avize3        
,,ode ,,au ,,champagne4        ,pour ta 
beaut1 pour ta gloire1  ,patrie1        
,nous t'adorons 444 surtout pour tes    
malheurs6      ,oublions-les4444 ,avec  
idoltrie1          ,chantons ton ciel1  
tes femmes et tes fleurs4      ,france1 

nous chanterons tes femmes et tes roses2
          ,france1 nous chanterons tes  
vins1 autre trsor2      ,qu'on voie1    
ouvrant tes lvres longtemps closes1     
,un fier sourire tinceler encor6        
,nectar qu'aux dieux jadis versait ,hb  
la blonde6          ,o noir ,falerne6   
,massique vermeil6      ,pauvres vins du
 vieux temps oublis  la ronde 444       
,car le ,champagne a fait le tour du    
monde          ,en conqurant1  nos      
drapeaux pareil2          ,il rit1 lger1
 sous la mousse qui tremble1            
,et semble          ,dans le cristal un 
rayon de soleil4        ',je suis le    
sang des coteaux de ,bourgogne6'        
,dit celui-l baron  parchemin1          
,grand assommeur qui vous met sans      
vergogne          ,son casque au front1 
si lourd le lendemain4444      ',c'est  
moi l'exquis ,bordeaux1 je sens la      
violette2          ,mes rubis1 le       
gourmet goutte  goutte les boit1        
,et mon parfum dlicat se complte        
,par ta saveur1 aile d'un perdreau      

froid4'        ,messeigneurs les ,grand 
,vins1 s'il faut qu'on vous rponde2     
,bordeaux1 ,bourgogne1 coutez un        
conseil3      ,vantez un peu moins fort 
vos vertus  la ronde4444          ,car  
le ,champagne a fait le tour du monde   
,en conqurant1  nos drapeaux pareil2    
,il rit1 lger1 sous la mousse qui       
tremble1                      ,et semble
      ,dans le cristal un rayon de      
soleil4        ,car le ,champagne est le
 vrai vin de ,france2          ,c'est   
notre coeur ptillant dans nos yeux1     
,se relevant plus haut sous la          
souffrance2          ,c'est dans sa     
fleur l'esprit de nos aeux2      ,le    
souffle de bravoure aimable1 qui        
tressaille          ,sous le vent de    
l'pe aux plumes des cimiers2      ,c'est
 le galant dfi de la bataille3          
',a vous1 ,messieurs les ,anglais1 les  
premiers6'        ,certain buveur de    
bire en vain ricane et gronde2          
,aux cauchemars de ses nuits sans       
sommeil      ,dieu livre ses remords6   

444 ,nous chantons  la ronde      ,que  
le ,champagne a fait le tour du monde   
,en conqurant1  nos drapeaux pareil2    
,il rit1 lger1 sous la mousse qui       
tremble1                      ,et semble
          ,dans le cristal un rayon de  
soleil4#dha    ,avize1 #h ,juillet      
#ahgg4    ,illustration                 
,illustration3 ,,the ,,boar ,,takes     
,,soil4                                 
,,xiii4                                 
_/,sport in the ,champagne4_/           
,the ,champagne forests the resort of   
the wild-boar--,departure of      a     
hunting-party in the early morning to a 
boar-hunt--,rousing      the boar from  
his lair--,commencement of the          
attack--,chasing the      boar--,his    
course is checked by a bullet--,the dogs
 rush on in full      pursuit--,the boar
 turns and stands at bay--,a skilful    
marksman      advances and gives him the
 coup de grce--,hunting the wild-boar   
on horseback in the ,champagne--,an     
exciting day's sport with ,m4           

d',honnincton's boar-hounds--,the       
'sonnerie du sanglier' and the          
'vue'--,the horns sound in chorus ',the 
boar has taken soil'--,the      boar    
leaves the stream1 and a spirited chase 
ensues--,brought to      bay1 he seeks  
the water again--,deathly struggle      
between the boar      and a full pack of
 hounds--,the fatal shot is at length   
fired1      and the 'hallali' is        
sounded--,as many as fifteen wild-boars 
sometimes killed at a single meet--,the 
vagaries of some tame      young        
boars--,hounds of all kinds used for    
hunting the wild-boar      in the       
,champagne--,damage done by boars to the
 vineyards and the                      
crops--,varieties of game common to the 
,champagne4      ,the ,champagne does   
not merely comprise vineyards producing 
some of the  finest wine in the world4  
,in parts it is covered by vast and     
luxuriant  forests1 where the pleasures 
of the chase are not lacking to the     
,champenois1 who as a rule are eager in 

the pursuit of sport4 ,in winter  these 
forests are the resort of wild-boar1 who
 haunt by preference the  woods around  
,reims1 journeying thither1 it is said1 
by night from the  famous forest of the 
,ardennes--the scene of ,rosalind's     
wanderings and  ,touchstone's           
eccentricities1 as set forth in ,as ,you
 ,like ,it2 and  whose gloomy depths and
 tangled glens shelter not merely boars1
 but  wolves as well4    ,illustration  
,in the villages of the ,champagne on a 
cold winter's morning1 with  it snowing 
or blowing1 you are frequently awake    
before daylight by  the noise of barking
 dogs1 of horns sounding the departure1 
and of  some vehicle rolling heavily    
over the stones4 ,a party of sportsmen  
is proceeding to the meet4 ,jokes and   
laughter enliven the journey1  but every
 one becomes silent and serious upon    
reaching the place of  rendezvous1 for  
the object of the gathering is the      
excitable and  perilous boar-hunt4      
,in the ,champagne it is no longer the  

fashion1 as in ,burgundy1        ',with 
javelin's point a churlish swine to     
gore4'    ,the more certain rifle is the
 weapon usually employed1 and these arms
  are now examined and carefully loaded4
 ,meanwhile the reports of the  keepers 
are attentively listened to4 ,they have 
beaten the wood1 each  on his own side1 
accompanied by a bloodhound1 and they   
inform the  hunters what they have seen 
or found4 ,great experience is necessary
 to  accomplish the rembuchement1 as    
this tour of inspection is termed1  in a
 satisfactory manner2 and with some it  
is a veritable science4  ,eventually1   
after a discussion among the more       
experienced ones1 it is  decided to     
follow the scent which appears to be    
freshest2 whereupon  the dogs are       
brought up coupled1 and let loose upon  
the trail4 ,the  attack now begins4     
,there are always two or three piqueurs 
who follow  the dogs1 exciting them with
 their voices1 and making all the noise 
possible1 as long as the game has not   

been roused from its lair4  ,meanwhile  
the marksmen place themselves at the    
posts indicated by the  president of the
 hunt1 the most experienced being       
assigned the best  spots1 whilst those  
whose habit it is never to harm the boar
 go of  their own accord 'up wind'--that
 is1 to bad places--thus causing the    
animal to 'refuse1' and to pass within  
range of guns that rarely let  him      
escape unhurt4    ,at first the dogs    
raise a somewhat distant cry--perhaps   
one has  followed a wrong scent--and    
some of the huntsmen remark in a low    
tone  to themselves that after all they 
would have done better to have  stopped 
at home1 and turned out of their beds at
 a less unseasonable  hour2 then1 at    
least1 they would not be standing with  
frozen feet in  the snow1 and with colds
 in the head in perspective4 ,but       
suddenly there  comes a cry of          
',vl6'--the ,champenois expression for  
designating the  boar--',attention6'    
',look out6' ,then the report of a      

couple of shots1  and finally the       
howling of the pack of dogs4 ,snow and  
cold are at once  forgotten4 ,each man  
grasps his rifle and waits for the boar 
to pass by4  ,the branches of the       
underwood creak and break2 there is a   
noise as of a  squadron of cavalry      
dashing into a wood2 then1 all of a     
sudden1 a black  mass is caught sight of
 approaching4 ,but the boar is a cunning
 fellow2  he has seen the sportsman who 
is in wait for him1 or has scented his  
presence1 and will pass out of range4   
,now that luck has betrayed the  latter1
 he has to content himself with the rle 
of a spectator4    ,so far as one can   
judge by the barking of the dogs1 the   
boar is  directing his course to where  
an experienced marksman is posted--one  
who is not about to fire his first      
difficult shot4 ,observe him3 he  is    
perfectly motionless1 for the least     
movement might betray his  presence2 his
 eyes alone dart right and left in quest
 of the foe4 ,here  comes the boar1     

passing like a cannon-ball along the    
line1 and there  is scarcely time to    
catch a glimpse of him between the      
reports of two  shots1 which succeed    
each other with the rapidity of         
lightning4 ,the  boar is by no means an 
animal easy to knock over4 ,the forest  
roads are  never more than ten to       
fifteen paces broad2 and as there are   
marksmen  both on the right and left1 it
 is necessary to reserve your fire until
  the animal has crossed the road and is
 plunging again into cover4 ,in         
addition to this1 there are only two    
spots where a mortal wound can be       
inflicted upon the boar--either behind  
the shoulder or in the neck4  ,hit      
elsewhere1 he will lose but little      
blood1 and the only effect of  the wound
 will be to render him more savage4 ,he 
will rip up a dog or  two1 perhaps1 and 
then rush off far away1 without showing 
any further  sign of injury4 ,boars     
carrying several bullets in their       
bodies1 but  rejoicing in capital       

health1 as well as others covered with  
cicatrices1  are frequently killed4     
,firing too high is a common fault with 
many  marksmen1 arising from the fact   
that in winter the boar's bristles are  
very long and thick1 and that each one  
stands on end at the sight of  an enemy1
 thus making the animal look much higher
 on his legs than he  really is4    ,but
 to return to our description of the    
hunt4 ,the boar has just been  hit by   
one of those rare marksmen1 every bullet
 of whose rifle goes  straight to its   
intended billet4 ,although struck1 the  
animal continues  his onward course1 a  
couple of drops of blood which have     
tinged the  snow with red showing       
unmistakably that he has not been       
missed4 ,the  dogs who follow him       
closely hesitate for a minute as they   
reach the  roadway1 but the leader has  
espied the spot where the boar was      
wounded2  he sniffs the blood1 and darts
 off again1 followed by the pack1 who   
have full confidence in his discernment4

 ,the dogs are torn and wounded  by the 
thorns and briers which continually     
obstruct their path1 for  the boar      
rushes through the thickest and most    
inaccessible cover1 in  hopes of        
retarding the progress of his pursuers2 
but the hounds divine  that their prey  
is near1 and the most tired among them  
recover all  their energy4 ,suddenly a  
great silence succeeds the furious      
yelping  and baying of a short time ago4
 ,the boar is about to turn at bay4 ,his
  strength is becoming exhausted1 and   
feeling that he is doomed to die1  he   
has faced round1 with his back towards  
some inaccessible thicket1 so  as not to
 be taken in the rear1 and confronts his
 pursuers1 determined  to die bravely   
and to sell his life dearly4 ,it is no  
longer the baying  of a pack in full cry
 that now rends the air1 but isolated   
yelpings and  plaintive howlings1 such  
as watch-dogs give vent to when         
strangers are  wandering round the house
 they protect4    ,then comes the       

crowning feat of the hunt1 and the most 
difficult to  accomplish4 ,the most     
intrepid marksman advances towards the  
dogs1  his hunting-knife and rifle alike
 ready1 the former to be made use  of   
should the latter not suffice4 ,he has  
need of great prudence and  great       
coolness to accomplish his task1 for    
directly the boar hears  his approach he
 will unhesitatingly dash upon him4 ,he 
must await the  animal's onslaught with 
a firm heart and steady hand1 and only  
fire  when sure of his aim4 ,often1     
however1 the hunter is bothered by the  
dogs1 which surround the boar on all    
sides1 hang on to him from behind1  and 
excite his fury4 ,the position may      
become critical1 and many a  sportsman  
who has counted too much upon his nerve 
has found himself  compelled to climb a 
tree1 whence he has been able to 'bowl  
over' the  enemy1 without incurring any 
danger4 ,it is needless to add that when
  discovered in this position he has    
felt very much ashamed at having        

resorted to such an expedient4    ,in   
the ,champagne the wild boar is almost  
invariably pursued on foot1  the minute 
subdivision of the land into different  
holdings and  consequent limitation of  
the right of sport rendering it very    
difficult  to follow the animal on      
horseback4 ,m4 ,roederer1 it is true1   
started  a pack of hounds in the ,forest
 of ,reims2 but at his death there were 
not sufficient lovers of the chase to   
keep up this style of sport1 and  every 
one fell into the habit of knocking over
 a wild-boar in the same  prosaic       
fashion as a simple rabbit4 ,however1   
some few years back1 a  rich landowner  
from ,brittany1 the ,vicomte            
d',honnincton1 having had an            
opportunity of sport in the ,champagne1 
and having seen that large game         
abounded1 installed himself near the    
fine ,fort de la ,traconne1 in the      
neighbourhood of ,szanne1 and resumed   
the chase of the wild-boar on           
horseback4 ,the great success he met    

with induced him to take up his         
quarters in this district1 and his pack1
 composed of a cross between  the       
,english staghound and the ,artois      
hound1 has become justly famous4    ,in 
the month of ,december #ahgh1 an        
exciting day's sport was had with ,m4   
d',honnincton's boar-hounds4 ,the       
presence of herds of wild-boar having   
been noted in the neighbouring woods    
between ,epernay and ,montmort1 ,m4     
d',honnincton was soon to the fore with 
his pack1 and all the sportsmen  for    
miles around were summoned4 ,the meet   
was at the ,chteau de la  ,charmoye1 a  
regular hunters' rendezvous1 belonging  
to the ,vicomte  de ,bouthylliers1 and  
situate in the heart of the woodland4   
,during  breakfast one of the huntsmen  
came to announce that a huge solitaire  
had passed the night at a short distance
 from the chteau4 ,everything1          
therefore1 promised well for sport4 ,the
 guests mounted in haste1 each  one     
equipped in true ,french style1 with an 

immense hunting-horn round  his body and
 a light gun or a pistol attached to the
 saddle4 ,the lively  strains of the    
horn had begun to sound on every side1  
and the hounds  were being uncoupled1   
when the boar1 disturbed by all this    
noise1  majestically traversed the main 
avenue of the chteau1 and pushed on     
towards a group of ladies assembled to  
witness the departure of the  sportsmen4
 ,a finer start would have been         
impossible4 ,the hounds dashed  towards 
their prey as soon as they caught sight 
of him at full cry1  and the sonnerie du
 sanglier and the vue were blazed forth 
by  the horns on every side4 ,the hunt  
commenced4 ,the greatest difficulty  and
 the object of all was to hinder the    
boar from plunging into the  thick of   
the forest1 where1 in the dense cover1  
he would have gained  a considerable    
advance upon the dogs4 ,thanks to the   
activity of the  huntsmen1 who cut off  
his retreat on this side1 it was        
possible to  drive him towards the plain

 of ,montmort2 and from this moment the 
sport  was as fine as can be imagined1  
it being easy to note the minor details 
of the hunt even from a distance4 ,the  
boar made his way with difficulty  over 
the ground saturated by rain1 and the   
eagerness of the hounds  increased in   
proportion as they gained upon him4     
,a broadish rivulet with very steep     
banks was reached4 ,the boar tried to   
clear it at a bound1 but fell into      
mid-stream4 ,the sportsmen all came  up 
at this moment1 and with their horns    
began to sound in chorus ',the  boar has
 taken soil2' the hounds plunged in and 
began to swim after  the boar1 and the  
scene became a truly exciting one4 ,at  
length the  boar succeeded in quitting  
the stream2 but frightened by the       
horsemen  whom he saw on the opposite   
shore1 he recrossed it a second and then
 a  third time1 amidst the hounds1 who  
were assailing him on every side1  and  
each time met with the same difficulty  
in ascending the bank4 ,it  may be      

readily understood that he was getting  
exhausted by his efforts1  and began to 
appear done up4 ,he recovered his       
vigour1 however1 and  soon gained ground
 on the hounds4 ,he had still two or    
three miles  to cover in order to regain
 the forest1 and it was necessary at all
  costs to prevent him from             
accomplishing this4 ,then ensued a wild 
hunt1  a mad steeplechase over fields1  
hedges1 brooks1 ditches2 the horses  in 
several places sank over their hocks1   
and were covered with foam1  but whip   
and spur restored energy to the least   
ardent4 ,the boar was  gasping1 but     
still kept on1 and the steam from his   
body1 which quite  surrounded him and   
caused him to resemble a four-legged    
demon1 could be  plainly perceived from 
a distance4 ,in this style the hunt     
swept through  the little village of    
,lucy1 with all the dogs of the place   
howling1  the women and children        
shrieking1 and the men arming themselves
 with  spades and pitchforks4 ,but the  

boar not losing courage on this account1
  and despising these primitive weapons1
 did not stop1 and drew nearer  and     
nearer to the wood4 ,the hounds were    
getting tired1 and the most  experienced
 sportsmen began to despair somewhat of 
a successful day1  when suddenly the    
beast plunged into a pond situate close 
to the  forest1 halted1 rolled several  
times in the mud1 and rose completely   
covered in steam and mire4 ,it is all   
over3 the animal is at bay1 and  cannot 
go any further4    ,this is the         
interesting moment4 ,the boar pulls     
himself together1  feeling that he is to
 die1 and1 up to his belly in water1 he 
bravely  awaits the pack4 ,with his eye 
glowing with rage1 his bristles erect1  
he utters grunts of defiance4 ,the fifty
 dogs throw themselves on to  him       
without a moment's hesitation2 but four 
or five are sent rolling  into the      
middle of the water1 never more to rise4
 ,the struggle which  follows is        
terrible2 the boar's tusks tell at every

 blow1 and the water  becomes literally 
red with blood4 ,at length the foremost 
sportsmen  come up1 and it is high time 
they do4 ,seven dogs are already lying  
on  their backs1 with their legs in the 
air1 and almost all bear marks of  the  
boar's terrible tusks4 ,the first who is
 ready alights from his  steed1 and     
boldly advances into the water2 for it  
would be imprudent  to fire at the boar 
from the edge of the pond1 and thereby  
run the  risk of wounding him1 and      
rendering him still more furious1 or    
even  of killing one of the dogs1 by    
whom he is surrounded4 ,an interval of  
solemn silence ensues2 the horns only   
wait for the shot to be fired to  sound 
the hallali4 ,the dogs make way in order
 to let the sportsman  advance2 the boar
 draws back a little1 and then making a 
bound recovers  all his strength for a  
rush upon his enemy4 ,woe to the man who
 misses  him6 the boar will give him no 
quarter4 ,but the sportsman waits for   
him  very quietly1 and when he is only  

two paces from him plants a bullet      
between his eyes1 which lays him dead4  
,the notes of the hallali awake  the    
echoes3 never had a hunt been crowned by
 finer results4 ,the setting  sun       
lighted up the scene1 which transpired  
just below the ,chteau  de ,montmort1   
scarcely half a mile off1 and the ladies
 assembled on  the terrace of the old   
chteau of ,sully waved their            
handkerchiefs in  congratulation to the 
fortunate sportsmen4    ,the foregoing  
narrative furnishes a good idea of the  
ordinary method of  hunting the         
wild-boar on horseback in the           
,champagne1 a method which1  though     
offering at times varying details1      
arising from the size of the  animal    
pursued and the number and strength of  
the hounds engaged in the  chase1       
presents1 on the whole1 a general       
resemblance to the description  just    
given4    ,some years back boars were   
far from numerous in the ,champagne1    
hiding  themselves1 moreover1 in        

inaccessible positions far away in the  
woods1  so that it was necessary to     
cover a larger extent of ground in order
 to  sight a recent trail4 ,latterly1   
however1 these animals have multiplied  
considerably1 each sow having seven or  
eight young ones at a litter1  and      
littering three times a year4 ,in the   
forests around ,reims and  ,epernay     
twelve1 and even fifteen1 boars have    
been killed during a  single hunt4 ,it  
not unfrequently happens that a herd of 
fifty1 and even  a hundred1 boars are   
encountered together1 when a veritable  
massacre  often ensues1 if the          
hunting-party only comprises a          
sufficient number  of guns4    ,the     
victims include at times some sows with 
young grice1 which the  hunters         
frequently try to bring up4 ,one of     
these little animals1 who  had been     
named ',snow' from having been captured 
one day when the snow  was on the       
ground1 followed his owner about        
everywhere like the most  faithful      

poodle4 ,his master would often take him
 into the wood and  simulate a hunt with
 his dogs4 ,snow1 however1 possessed    
vices as well  as virtues1 and one of   
his habits was an extremely disagreeable
 one4  ,like the rest of his species1 he
 was very fond of rolling himself  in   
the mire1 and1 on returning home1 would 
proceed to clean himself  by rubbing    
unconcernedly against the dresses of the
 ladies of the  house4 ,one ,sunday his 
master had taken him out for a walk1 and
 as  they returned home they passed the 
church1 which the ladies of the         
locality1 arrayed in their richest      
attire1 were just leaving4 ,during  his 
walk ,snow had taken two or three       
mud-baths1 and1 on meeting the  fair    
devotees of ,avize1 he thought the      
occasion a propitious one for  cleansing
 himself4 ,he at once put the idea into 
practice1 employing  the silk dresses of
 the ladies for the purpose4 ,the       
children who  accompanied them were     
greatly terrified1 and rushed shrieking 

into the  adjoining houses1 pursued by  
the gambolling boar1 who seemed to      
greatly  enjoy the panic he had caused4 
,as ,la ,fontaine has remarked1         
',rien que la mort n'tait capable       
,d'expier son forfait4'    ,so1 after   
such an offence1 poor ,snow was         
sentenced to undergo capital            
punishment1 and expiated by death his   
want of regard for the silk  attire of  
the fair sex4    ,another boar named    
',scotsman1' and belonging to the same  
sportsman1 was  also an amusing fellow4 
,he would stretch himself out in the sun
 of an  afternoon as majestically as the
 ,sultan on his divan1 whilst a hen with
  whom he had contracted a tender       
friendship kindly relieved him of his   
parasites4    ,a gentleman of the same  
district owns two enormous sows1 which  
follow  him like greyhounds whenever he 
rides out4 ,when a friend asks him to   
step indoors and to refresh or rest     
himself1 he replies3 ',i must beg  you  
to excuse me2 ,i have with me ,catherine

 and ,rigolette1 who might              
inconvenience you4' ,the friend looks   
round to see who these interesting      
young people may be1 and his surprise   
may be imagined when two big  swine     
familiarly place their forepaws upon his
 shoulders4    ,several sportsmen of the
 ,champagne possess packs of hounds1 and
 the  true boar-hound1 the 'dog of black
 ,st4 ,hubert breed1' is really a       
magnificent animal1 with his long       
pendant ears1 his open chest1 and       
broad-backed body4 ,hounds of the ,la   
,vende and ,poitou breeds are  also used
 at boar-hunts4 ,dogs1 though they may  
be of excellent race1  require1 however1
 skilful training before they will hunt 
the boar4 ,it  is necessary they should 
see several boars killed ere they will  
venture  to tackle this formidable      
enemy1 of which the dog is instinctively
  afraid4 ,house-dogs1 curs1 and        
terriers will at times pursue the boar  
admirably1 and prolong his standing for 
hours without approaching  within range 

of the beast's tusks1 whilst animals of 
a higher spirit  will allow themselves  
to be ripped up alive1 or1 if they      
escape1 will  not dare to again approach
 their foe after a first repulse4       
,since boars became so numerous in the  
,champagne they have done  considerable 
damage to the crops1 a corn or potato   
field being soon  devastated by them4   
,at harvest-time a watch has often to be
 set for  them by night4 ,a few years   
ago1 at the moment of the vintage1      
people  were even compelled to light    
large fires near the vineyards to scare 
away these dangerous neighbours4    ,the
 shooting season in the ,champagne      
extends from the commencement of        
,september till the end of ,february2   
but boar-hunting is often prolonged     
until the first of ,may1 and            
occasionally battues are organised      
during  the summer4    ,other           
four-footed game tenanting the forests  
of the ,champagne are  the roe-deer1 in 
tolerable quantity2 a few fallow-deer   

and stags and  wolves1 which latter are 
still numerous1 spite of the warfare    
carried  on against them4 ,the roe-deer 
is hunted1 like the boar1 with hounds2  
but this easy sport1 which does not     
possess the attraction of danger1  is   
quite neglected when boars are numerous4
 ,the forests also give  shelter to     
hares in abundance1 martins1 wild-cats1 
and foxes1 the  latter being rigorously 
destroyed on account of their           
depredations4  ,they are stifled by     
smoke in their holes1 or else poisoned  
or taken in  traps4    ,sportsmen are so
 numerous in every little village of the
 ,marne1 the  shooting license only     
costing five-and-twenty francs1 that    
feathered  game has become very rare4   
,the most remarkable specimen is the    
caimpetire1 or small bustard1 which     
exists only in the ,champagne and       
,algeria1 and the flesh of which is     
highly esteemed4    ,partridges and     
hares would have entirely disappeared   
from the plains  were it not for the    

shelter which the vineyards afford them1
 for woe  to him who ventures to shoot  
among the vines6 ,the vine is as sacred 
to  the ,champenois as the mistletoe was
 to their ,gallic forefathers4 ,great   
severity is shown in respect to         
trespassers at the epoch when the vines 
are sprouting1 for each broken bud      
represents a bunch of grapes1 which  its
 owner hoped might realise its weight in
 gold4    ,illustration                 
,illustration3 ,,the ,,vineyards ,,of   
,,the ,,coteau ,,de ,,saumur4           
,,part ,,iii4                           
,i4                  _/,sparkling       
,saumur and ,sparkling ,sauternes4_/    
,the sparkling wines of the ,loire often
 palmed off as      ,champagne--,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--,touraine the favourite residence 
of the      earlier ,french             
monarchs--,after a night's carouse at   
the epoch      of the ,renaissance--,the
 ,vouvray vineyards--,balzac's picture  
of ,la ,valle ,coquette--,the village of
 ,vouvray and the ,chteau      of       
,moncontour--,vernou1 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 ,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--,recognition accorded to   
the wine at the ,concours      ,rgional 
d',angoulme4      ,illustration         
,after the ,champagne1 ,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 like2    
while their corks are branded  with the 
names of phantom firms1 supposed to be  
located at ,reims and  ,epernay4 ,as a  
rule1 these wines come from around      
,saumur2 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    ,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 ,champagne2      
still1 it has only to be kept for a few 
years1 instead of being drunk  shortly  
after its arrival from the              
wine-merchant1 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    ,illustration3        
,,statue ,,of ,,richard ,c,,oe,,ur ,,de 
,,lion ,,at ,,fontevrault4    ,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 beneath   
their elaborate  coloured and gilt      
effigies1 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 ,bussy      
d',amboise to an  assignation in order  
that he might the more surely poignard  
him4 ,saumur  is picturesquely placed at
 the foot of this bold range of heights1
 near  where the little river ,thouet   
runs into the broad and rapid ,loire4   
,a massive-looking old chteau1 perched  
on the summit of an isolated  crag1     
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 doors1 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
 entrances1 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 headdresses  being 
counterparts of coiffures in vogue so   
far back as three and  four centuries   
ago4    ,illustration3 ,,peasant ,,women
 ,,of ,,the ,,environs ,,of ,,saumur4   
,quitting the banks of the river1 we    
ascend a steep tortuous road1 shut  in  
on either side by high stone walls--for 
hereabouts all the best  vineyards are  
scrupulously enclosed--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        
,saumur1 the grapes are conveyed in     
these baskets to the  underground       
pressoirs in the neighbouring villages  
before their skins  get at all broken1  
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 cru 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 cellar1  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   
enclosed yard at its side1 and over the 
high blank walls vines were frequently  
trained1 pleasantly varying  their dull 
gray 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 casks1 in order  
that it may not ferment on the          

grape-skins  and imbibe any portion of  
their colouring matter4 ,active         
fermentation  speedily sets in1 and     
lasts for a fortnight or three weeks1   
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      
immediately1 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 wine1 required to 
impart lightness  and effervescence to  
their vin prpar1 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  ,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 ,tours1 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
 cru 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'infamie1' as we see them now4         
,touraine1 from its central position1   
its pleasant air1 and its fertile  soil1
 was ever a favourite residence of the  
earlier ,french monarchs1  and down to  
the days of the ,bourbons the seat of   
government continually  vacillated      
between the banks of the ,seine and     
those of the ,loire4 ,the  vintages that
 ripen along the river have had their   
day of court favour  too2 for if ,henri 
of ,andelys sneeringly describes the    
wine of ,tours  as turning sour1 in his 
famous poem of the ,bataille des ,vins1 
the  sweet white wines of ,anjou were   
greatly esteemed throughout the ,middle 
,ages1 and1 with those of ,orleans1 were
 highly appreciated in ,paris down  to  
the seventeenth century4 ,the cult of   
the 'dive ,bouteille' and the  fashion  
of ,pantagruelic repasts have always    
found favour in the fat and  fertile    

'garden of ,france2' and the spectacle  
of citizens1 courtiers1  and monks      
staggering fraternally along1 'waggling 
their heads1' as  ,rabelais describes   
them1 after a night of it at the tavern1
 was no  uncommon one in the streets of 
its old historic towns during the period
  of the ,renaissance4    ,illustration3
 ,,tavern ,,roysterers ,,at ,,early     
,,morning ,,in ,,the ,,touraine4    ,on 
proceeding to ,vouvray from ,tours1 we  
skirt a succession of  poplar-fringed   
meadows1 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 heights1 extending   
some distance beyond the village of     
,vouvray4 ,our route lies past  the     
picturesque ruins of the abbey of       
,marmotier1 immortalised in  the piquant
 pages of the ,contes ,drlatiques1 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 ,vall ,coquette1     
hemmed in on all sides with  vine-clad  
slopes4 ,here a picturesque old house1  
half chteau1 half  homestead1 was       
pointed out to us as a favourite place  
of sojourn of  ,balzac1 who held the    
wine of ,vouvray in high esteem1 and 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    
straggling roots of ivy spreading       
itself over the disjointed stones1      
leisurely turns her spinning-wheel1     
regardless of her dangerous position4'  
,the foregoing picture1 sketched  by the
 author of ,la ,comdie ,humaine 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 with  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--immortalised 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 plateau1  
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  which offers 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 failed2 and he   
was on the  point of abandoning his     
enterprise1 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    ,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    ,illustration3 ,,the        
,,cellars ,,of ,m4 ,,ackerman-,,laurance
 ,,at ,,saint-,,florent4  ,,labelling   
,,and ,,packing ,,sparkling ,,saumur4   
,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 #afjj 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 highest1  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 
dovecot1 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 galleries1 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 raised 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  reports1 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
 labour1 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    ,illustration    ,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    ,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   ,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-towers2 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    ,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  ,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     
preserved1 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   ,co4 the only gold
 medal given in the ,group of           
,alimentary ,products4    ,encouraged1  
no doubt1 by the success obtained by    

,messrs4 ,normandin   ,co4 with their   
sparkling ,sauternes1 the house of      
,lermat-,robert  ,co41  of ,bordeaux1   
introduced a few years ago a sparkling  
,barsac1 samples of  which were         
submitted to the jury at the ,paris     
,exhibition of #ahgh4    ,illustration  
,illustration3 ,,vintager ,,of ,,the    
,c,,te ,d',,or4    ,illustration3       
,,vintager ,,of ,,the ,,jura4           
,,ii4         _/,the ,sparkling ,wines  
of ,burgundy1 the ,jura1 and the ,south 
of                                      
,france4_/        ,sparkling wines of   
the ,cte d',or at the ,paris ,exhibition
 of      #ahgh--;,chambertin1 ,romane1  
and ,vougeot--,burgundy wines and       
vines formerly presents from            
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                    
drawbacks--,sparkling wines of          
,auvergne1 ,guienne1 ,dauphin1      and 
,languedoc--,sparkling ,saint-,pray the 
,champagne of the      ,south--,valence1
 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-,prix1      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        
,limoux1 and how      it is             
made--,characteristics of this overrated

 wine4      ,illustration    ,sparkling 
wines are made to a considerable extent 
in ,burgundy1  notably at ,beaune1      
,nuits1 and ,dijon2 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 ,vougeot1  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 wine1 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 nowadays4 ,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 baskets1 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 pressure1  and known as the mre   
goutte1 or mother drop1 is employed4    
,for the  ordinary wines1 that expressed
 at the second squeezing of the fruit is
  mingled with the other4 ,the must is  
at once run off into casks1 which  have 
been previously sulphured1 to check1 in 
a measure1 the ardour  of the first     
fermentation1 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 racked1 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    ,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 cent1 
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 are accomplished precisely as in  
the ,champagne4    ,among the principal 
manufacturers of sparkling ,burgundies  
are ,messrs4  ,andr  ,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  ,liger-,belair1 of     
,nuits and ,vosne2 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 casks1  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        
beneath1  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 crus4     
,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     
nails1 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       
,league2 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 cru3        ',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      
department1 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     
vines 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    ,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 aside1 
and the sound ones only submitted to    
the action of a screw-press4 ,after the 

must has flowed for about half  an hour1
 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 bottling1 which invariably takes    
place in ,april1 the ,jura wines  rarely
 require any addition of sugar to insure
 an ample effervescence4  ,subsequently 
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 wine1 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 a decided        
drawback1 which it most undoubtedly is4 
,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 of #ahgh1 ,i
 cannot call to mind one that a real    
connoisseur of sparkling wines would    
care to admit to his table4             
,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          
,religion1 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         
,largentire--so named after some        
abandoned silver mines--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  
vine-dressers1  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 ,rhone 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     
,rhone 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 occasion1  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    ,illustration3          
,,conveying ,,grapes ,,to ,,the ,,press 
,,at ,,saint-,p,,ray4    ,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 stream1 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 brand-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       
winepresses 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 wine  known
 as ,saint-,pray 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         
produced2 and the  vineyards where they 
are cultivated occupy all the more      
favourable  slopes immediately outside  
the village1 the most noted being the   
,coteau-,gaillard1 ,solignacs1          
,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 effervescing  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 ,rhone is fruitful in 
minor sparkling wines1  chief among     

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  
being 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           
,reformation4 ,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 when1 the fermentation having

 subsided1 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 effervescing
 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 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 up1  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  and is then  
spread out upon a floor to admit of     
whatever sugar it  contains becoming    
perfect4 ,the bad grapes having been    
carefully picked  out1 and the seeds    
extracted from the remaining fruit1 the 
latter is  now trodden1 and 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         
clarified1 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    
four1 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 is           
consequently 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 an average     
,champagne4          ,illustration3     

,,preparing ,,the ,,champagne ,,liqueur4
                                        
,,iii4                 _/,facts and     
,notes respecting ,sparkling ,wines4_/  
,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      crus 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 in which to lay   
down      ,champagne--,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-party4      ,illustration    ,in 
selecting a sparkling wine1 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           
effervescence2 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 glass1 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  exhausted1 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 promoting1 as they do1 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 ,germany--the   
sweet-toothed ,muscovite regarding ,m4  
,louis ,roederer's syrupy product  as   
the beau-idal of ,champagne1 and the    
,germans demanding wines with  twenty or
 more per cent 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 suchlike trifles are from 
time to time 'prospected4' ,not merely  
the driest1 but the very best1 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
 pinkish1 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 eighteen 
degrees of  proof spirit upwards1 or    
slightly above the ordinary ,bordeaux1  
and  under all the better-class ,rhine  
wines4 ,champagnes1 when loaded with  a 
highly alcoholised liqueur1 will1       
however1 at times mark as many as       
thirty degrees of proof spirit4 ,the    
lighter and drier the sparkling  wine1  
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   
,champagnes1 consumed in  moderation1   
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            
alike--rapid1 volatile1 transitory1 and 
harmless4  ,amongst the maladies that   
are benefited by it1' remarks he1 'is   
the  true neuralgia--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 ailment
 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  wine--doubly 
so in the sparkling wine1 which1 the    
moment it touches  the lips1 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 are2 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     
fifty degrees ,fahr42 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  sorts  
of sparkling wine4    ,in the           
,champagne1 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 crus 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 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 them  
#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 francs2  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--the latter eventually proved
 to be of execrable quality--realised   
from #ejj to #ajjj 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            
considerably2 while in #aheg1 when the  
crop  was plentiful1 it fell to #ejj    
francs1 or from #e to #bj per cent below
  that of the two previous years1 when  
the yield was both inferior and  less   
abundant4 ,in #ahfe the price rose #cc  
per cent 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 #ajcj  francs the pice4        
,subsequently the price of the wine fell
 to #cej and  #dej francs the pice1 to  
rise again1 however1 in #ahgh to #ijj   
francs1  which was followed by a fall   
the following year to #bej francs4 ,in  
#ahhj1  when the yield was no more than 
the quarter of an average one1 and the  
quality was as yet undetermined1 the ,ay
 and ,verzenay wines commanded  the high
 price of #aejj francs and upwards the  
pice4 ,exceptionally high  prices were  
also realised for the wines of the      
neighbouring localities4    ,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 ,the ,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 roundness1 but the      
refinement1 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 sides1 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 wine1 an iron     
wine-bin is by far  the best2 and the   
patent 'slider' bins made by ,messrs4   
,w4  ,j4 ,burrow1  of ,malvern1 are     
better adapted to the purpose than any  

other4 ,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 ,they 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    ,from the     
subjoined table it will be seen that the
 consumption of  ,champagne has more    
than quadrupled since the year #ahdd-e1 
a period  of six-and-thirty years4 ,a   
curious fact to note is the immense     
increase in the exports of the wine     
during the three years following  the   
,franco-,german war1 during which       
contest both the exports and  home      
consumption of ,champagne naturally 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    ,,official ,,return ,,by   
,,the ,,chamber ,,of ,,commerce ,,at    
,,reims ,,of ,,the ,,trade ,,in         
,,champagne ,,wines ,,from ,,april #ahdd
 ,,to ,,april #ahha4                    
----------------------------------------
-----------------------    ,years--from 
,number of    ,number of      ,total    
,april    ,manufacturers'  ,bottles     
,bottles sold   ,number of       to     
,april4    ,stocks4     exported4   in  
,france4  ,bottles 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    #e1hie1ggc   #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       #ahgh-gi              
#fe1hac1aid   #ad1hdd1aha   #b1eif1cef  
#ag1ddj1ecg       #ahgi-hj              
#fh1edj1ffh   #af1ebd1eic   #b1ffe1efa  
#ai1aij1aed       #ahhj-ha              
#ed1eje1ifd   #ah1bbj1ihj   #b1ccj1ibd  
#bj1eea1ijd                             
----------------------------------------
-----------------------                 
,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 rightly1  nothing 
can well go wrong4' ,these precepts are 
sound enough2 still  all dinner-parties 
are not necessarily glacial1 and the    
guests are  not invariably mutes4       
,before ,champagne can be properly      
introduced at  a formal dinner1 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  served   
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-satin shoes1 and eau-de-,cologne1 
for ,champagne is simply one of the     
elegant extras of life4' ,this  is all  
very well2 still the advantageous effect
 of sparkling wine  at an ordinary      
,british dinner-party1 composed as it   
frequently is  of people brought        
indiscriminately together in accordance 
with the  exigencies of the hostess's   
visiting-list1 cannot be gainsaid4      
,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 adding an extra penny to  the
 income-tax4 ,placed between a young    
lady just out and a dowager of  grimly  
,gorgonesque aspect1 you hesitate how to
 open a conversation4  ,your first      
attempts 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 the  theatres1 operatic    
dbutantes1 the people in the ,row1      
stheticism1  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 then 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 church decoration   
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    
,gradually1 as people drift off from    
generalities to their own  particular   

line--gastronomy1 politics1 art1 sport1 
fashion1 literature1  church matters1   
theatricals1 speculation1 scandal1      
dress1 and the  like--the scraps of     
sentences that the ear catches flying   
about the  table present a mosaic       
somewhat resembling the following3      
',forster  should have sent him to      
,kilmainham--to see that dear delightful
 ,mr4  ,irving in--ten-inch             
armour-plating1 but could not steer in a
 sea-way1  so--sat down in the saddle   
and rammed his spurs into--,petsy       
,prettitoes  and half a dozen girls from
 the ,cruralia1 who were--ordained last 
week  by the ,bishop of ,london1 when   
his lordship--said there was no doubt   
who best deserved the vacant ,garter1   
and declared--a dividend of seven  per  
cent for the--comet year with a         
bouquet--of sunflowers and lilies  on   
satin1 which you should--cover with a   
light crust--of stiff clay1  with a     
rasper on the further side as--the third
 story of the hotel  overlooking--the   

,euphrates ,valley ,railway1 which would
 lead to--the  loveliest bit of         
landscape in the ,academy--with the     
finest hair in the  world1 and eyes     
like--a boiled cod's head and           
shoulders--cut low at the  neck1 with a 
gold shoulder-strap1 and--nothing else  
to speak of before  the ,house except   
the ,bill for--her photographs1 which   
are in all the  shop-windows1 beside    
,mrs4 ,langtry's--who never ought to    
have allowed  ,bismarck to--assist at   
the consecration of--the ,henley        
course--so the  ,duke started at once   
for ,aldershot1 and reviewed--the two   
best novels  of the season--cut up with 
tomatoes and a dash of garlic--and was  
positive he saw them dining together at 
,richmond on--fourteen brace of  birds  
and five hares in--the loveliest set of 
embroidered vestments  and an           
altar-cloth worked for--a ,conservative 
majority1 which will  drive the         
,government to--take a couple of stalls 
at ,her ,majesty's to  hear ,carmen--who

 gave him the last galop1 but           
he--blundered at his  first fence and   
fell--to seventy-two and a half1 whilst 
the preference  shares were--all ordered
 on foreign service and--heard nothing  
from  the ,irish members but--,oscar    
,wilde's poems bound in red             
morocco--with  a white-satin train      
and--plenty of body and a good          
colour--all through  riding every       
morning in--a private box on the upper  
tier--and that is  why ,gladstone at    
once gave orders--for them to be        
actually shut up  together--in the      
strong room of the ,bank of ,england1   
with a reserve  fund of bullion--from   
the music in the first act of           
,patience--equal  to that of ,job when  
he said--well1 only half a glass1 then1 
since  you are so pressing4' ,and all   
this is due to ,champagne1 that great   
unloosener not merely of tongues1 but1  
better still1 of purse-strings1  as is  
well known to the secretaries of those  
charitable institutions  which set the  

exhilarating wine flowing earliest at   
their anniversary  dinners4             
,illustration    ,illustration          
,,appendix4          ,,the ,,principal  
,,champagne ,,and ,,other ,,french      
,,sparkling ,,wine ,,brands4    asterism
 ,in this list1 whenever a manufacturer 
has various qualities1  the higher      
qualities are always placed first4      
,the lowest qualities are omitted       
altogether4                             
,,champagnes4      ,firms and ,wholesale
   ,brands4        ,qualities4      ,on 
side of ,corks4       ,agents4          
,,ayala  ,co41          ,illustration   
,extra 7,dry7     ,extra4     _/,ay_/   
,first 7,dry7     ,premire4    ,ayala   
,co41 #ei      ,illustration ,second4   
#fj ,great     ,tower-street1           
,london    ,runk  ,unger1 #ej           
,park-place1     ,new ,york      ,,binet
 ,,fils  ,co41     ,illustration ,dry   
,elite       ,dry ,elite4     _/,reims_/
                             ,first     
,first quality4    ,rutherford  ,browne1

     #e ,water-lane1     ,london        
,,bollinger1 ,j41        ,illustration  
,very ,dry ,extra  ,very ,dry ,extra    
_/,ay_/                                 
quality4    ,l4 ,mentzendorf1 #f        
,dry ,extra       ,dry ,extra           
,idol-lane1                             
quality4     ,london    ,e4  ,j4 ,burke1
     #dj ,beaver-street1     ,new ,york 
,,bruch-,,foucher  ,co41  ,illustration 
,carte d',or4     _/,mareuil_/          
,first4    ,l4 ,ehrmann1 #cd ,great     
,second4     ,tower-street1     ,london 
,,clicquot-,,ponsardin1   ,illustration 
,dry             ,england4     _/,vve41 
,reims_/                       ,rich    
7,,werle  ,co47    ,fenwick1 ,parrot1   
,co41 #abd     ,fenchurch-street1       
,london    ,schmidt ,bros41 ,new        
,york      ,,de ,,cazanove1 ,c41        
,illustration ,vin ,monarque    ,extra4 
_/,avise_/                              
,first4    ,j4 ,r4 ,hunter  ,co41       
,second4     #df ,fenchurch-street1     
,london      ,,deutz  ,,geldermann1     

,illustration ,gold ,lack       ,gold   
,lack4     _/,ay_/                      
7,extra ,dry    ,j4 ,r4 ,parkington     
and ,dry7     ,co41 ,crutched           
,cabinet 7,extra  ,cabinet4     ,friars1
 ,london                       ,dry and 
,dry7      ,,duchatel-,,ohaus1          
,illustration ,carte ,blanche           
_/,reims_/                              
7,dry and    ,woellworth  ,co41         
,rich74     #gj ,mark-lane1             
,verzenay 7do474     ,london            
,sillery 7do474      ,,duminy  ,co41    
,illustration ,extra           ,maison  
fonde en     _/,ay_/                    
#ahad4    ,fickus1 ,courtenay1          
,illustration ,first                    
,co41 ,st4     ,dunstan's-buildings1    
,st4 ,dunstan's-hill1     ,london       
,anthony ,oechs1 #ea     ,warren-street1
 ,new     ,york      ,,ernest ,,irroy1  
,illustration ,carte d',or1     ,carte  
d',or1 ,sec4     _/,reims_/             
,dry     ,cuddeford  ,smith1            
,carte d',or      ,carte d',or4     #ff 

,mark-lane1     ,london    ,f4 ,o4 de   
,luze  ,co41     #ah ,south             
,william-street1     ,new ,york         
,,farre1 ,,charles1       ,illustration 
,cabinet 7,grand  ,cabinet 7,grand      
_/,reims_/4                             
,vin7            ,vin74    ,hornblower  
,co41     ,illustration ,carte ,blanche 
,carte ,blanche4     #ej ,mark-lane1    
,carte ,noire     ,carte ,noire4        
,london    ,gilmor  ,gibson1            
,baltimore    ,mel  ,sons1 ,san         
,francisco    ,hogg1 ,robinson1         
,co41 ,melbourne      ,,fisse1          
,,thirion1      ,illustration ,cachet   
d',or     ,cachet d',or4     ,co41      
_/,reims_/                              
7,extra ,dry    ,stallard  ,smith1      
and ,medium     #be ,philpot-lane1      
,dry7     ,london                       
,carte ,blanche   ,carte ,blanche4      
7,dry1                                  
,medium ,dry1                           
and ,rich7                              
,carte ,noire     ,carte ,noire4        

7,dry and                               
,medium ,dry7      ,g-,,dufaut  ,co41   
,illustration ,vin de ,rserve4          
_/,pierry_/                             
,vin de ,cabinet4    ,l4 ,rosenheim     
,sons1                 ,bouzy1 #a;er    
#g ,union-court1                        
,cru4     ,old ,broad-street1           
,fleur de     ,london                   
,sillery4      ,,gibert1 ,,gustave1     
,illustration  ,vin du ,roi             
_/,reims_/                              
7,extra ,dry1    ,cock1 ,russell1  ,co41
                  ,dry1 or       #bc    
,rood-lane1                             
,rich74       ,london    ,hays  ,co41   
#dj       ,illustration  ,extra 7,extra 
,day-street1                            
,dry1 ,dry1       ,new ,york            
or ,rich74      ,,giesler  ,co41        
,illustration  ,extra       ,extra4     
_/,avize_/                              
,superior    ,f4 ,giesler  ,co41        
,india       ,india4       #cb          
,fenchurch-street1              ,first4 

,london    ,purdy  ,nicholas1           
,illustration      #dc ,beaver-street   
,second4      ,new ,york                
,,heidsieck  ,co41     ,illustration    
,dry ,monopole4       _/,reims_/4       
,monopole 7,rich74    ,theodor ,satow   
,co41                 ,dry ,vin         
#ada ,fenchurch-street1                 
,royal4       ,london                   
,grand ,vin    ,schmidt  ,peters1       
,royal 7,rich74       #bj               
,beaver-street1       ,new ,york        
,,krug  ,co41          ,illustration    
,carte       ,carte ,blanche1           
_/,reims_/                              
,blanche     ,england4       ,inglis    
,cunningham1              ,private      
,private ,cuve1       #fj ,mark-lane1   
,cuve       ,england4       ,london     
,a4 ,rocherau  ,co41       ,new ,york   
,,max4 ,,sutaine  ,co41  ,illustration  
,creaming    ,sillery       _/,reims_/  
7,extra ,dry74       7,,veuve ,,morelle 
,co47    ,h4 ,schultz1 #ga ,great       
,creaming     ,sillery4                 

,tower-st41 ,london    ,knoepfel  ,co41 
#fj                   ,bouzy 7,dry74    
,liberty-street1                        
,sparkling  ,sillery4       ,new ,york  
,,mo,t  ,,chandon1      ,illustration   
,brut        ,imperial1 ,england4       
_/,epernay_/                            
,imprial    ,simon  ,dale1              
,creaming    ,creaming1           ,old  
,trinity ,house1       #e ,water-lane1  
,extra       ,extra       ,london1      
,agents for                  ,superior  
,superior1         ,gt4 ,britain and    
,extra ,dry   ,white ,dry1          the 
,colonies                               
,sillery    ,renauld1 ,franois1         
,white ,dry          1           ,co41  
#bc                           ,sillery  
,beaver-street1                         
,first       ,england4       ,new ,york 
,j4 ,hope  ,co41       ,illustration    
,second4       ,montreal                
,,montebello1 ,,duc ,,de1  ,illustration
  ,cuve ,extra ,cuve ,extra4            
_/,mareuil_/                            

,carte       ,reserve4    ,john ,hopkins
  ,co41                    ,blanche     
#bf ,crutched       ,friars1 ,london    
,coyle  ,turner1       #ca ,lower       
,ormond       ,quay1 ,dublin      ,,mumm
 7,g4 ,h47  ,co41  ,illustration   ,vin 
,brut       _/,reims_/                  
,extra4    ,w4 ,j4  ,t4 ,welch1         
,carte             ,carte ,blanche4     
#aj ,corn ,exchange                     
,blanche       ,chambers1               
,extra ,dry         ,extra ,dry4        
,seething-lane1                         
,extra             ,extra ,quality4     
,london    ,f4 de ,bary  ,co41       #da
 ,warren-street1       ,new ,york       
,,mumm1 ,,jules1  ,co41  ,illustration  
,extra ,dry4       _/,reims_/           
,dry4    ,j4 ,mumm  ,co41 #c            
,mark-lane1 ,london      ,p,,rinet      
,,fils1      ,illustration   ,cuve      
,rserve    ,cuve       _/,reims_/       
7,extra ,dry7       ,rserve4    ,j4     
,barnett  ,son1                         
,white ,dry         ,white ,dry         

#cf ,mark-lane1                         
,sillery           ,sillery4            
,london    ,wood1 ,pollard1        ,co41
 ,boston1       ,u4,s4    ,hooper       
,donaldson1       ,san ,francisco       
,,perrier-,,jou,t  ,co41 ,illustration  
,cuve de ,rserve  ,extra4               
_/,epernay_/4                           
,pale ,dry    ,a4 ,boursot  ,co41       
,creaming4       #i ,hart-st41          
,first4       ,crutched ,friars1        
,london      ,,pfungst ,,fr,,res        
,illustration   ,carte d',or            
,carte d',or4       ,cie41 _/,ay_/1     
7,dry1 ,extra       _/,epernay_/        
,dry1  ,brut74    ,j4 ,l4 ,pfungst      
,co41                  ,sillery ,crmant 
,sillery       #bc ,crutched            
7,extra ,dry and  ,crmant       ,friars1
 ,london                       ,brut7   
,carte ,noire       ,carte ,noire4      
7,dry1                                  
,extra ,dry1                            
and ,brut7                              
,cordon ,blanc      ,cordon ,blanc4     

7,full1 ,dry1                           
,extra ,dry7      ,,piper 7,h47  ,co41  
,illustration   ,trs-,sec               
,kunkelmann       _/,reims_/            
7,extra ,dry7               ,co4        
7,,kunkelmann  ,co47                    
,sec 7,very                             
,newton  ,rivire1                       
,dry7       #cc ,great                  
,carte ,blanche                         
,tower-street1                          
7,rich7       ,london    ,john ,osborn1 
,son1        ,co41       ,new ,york     
,,pol ,,roger  ,co41     ,illustration  
,vin ,rserv4       _/,epernay_/         
,reuss1 ,lauteren        ,co41       #ci
 ,crutched       ,friars1 ,london       
,,pommery1 ,,veuve1      ,illustration  
,extra ,sec         ,veuve ,pommery4    
_/,reims_/                              
7,vin ,brut7       7,,pommery  ,,greno7 
,a4 ,hubinet1       #bd ,mark-lane1     
,london    ,charles ,graef1             
,illustration   ,sec4       #fe         
,broad-street1       ,new ,york         

,,roederer1 ,,louis1     ,illustration  
,carte ,blanche     ,reims1 ,carte      
_/,reims_/                              
,blanche1 ,gt4    ,grainger  ,son1 #ajh 
,britain4       ,fenchurch-street1      
,london      ,,roederer1 ,,th,,ophile1  
,illustration   ,crystal                
,special        ,co4 7,maison           
,champagne1        ,cuve4       fonde en
 #ahfd71                     ,special   
,cuve       _/,reims_/                  
,extra ,reserve     ,reserve ,cuve4     
,j4 ,ashburner1                         
,cuve       ,biart1  ,co41 #aej         
,carte ,blanche1    ,carte ,blanche4    
,fenchurch-street1                      
,ex4       ,london                      
,carte ,noire1      ,carte ,noire4      
,first ,verzenay  ,verzenay4            
,,roper ,,fr,,res  ,co41  ,illustration 
,vin ,brut1         ,vin ,brut4         
_/,rilly-la-,montagne_/                 
or ,natural       #bd ,crutched         
,champagne       ,friars1 ,london       
,first 7,extra ,dry7   ,extra ,dry4     

,do4 7,medium ,dry7    ,medium ,dry4    
,second4                                
,crme de ,bouzy4      ,,ruinart1 ,p,,re 
,illustration   ,carte ,anglaise4       
,,et ,,fils1                            
,dry ,pale ,crmant4       _/,reims_/    
,ex4 ,dry    ,ruinart1 ,pre             
,sparkling4       et ,fils1 #bb ,st4    
,carte ,blanche1       ,swithin's-lane1 
,first4       ,london      ,,de         
,,saint-,,marceaux    ,illustration     
,vin ,brut            ,vin ,brut4       
,co41 _/,reims_/                        
,carte d',or          ,very ,dry4       
7,c4 ,,arnould                          
7,extra ,dry7        ,,heidelberger7    
,bouzy ,nonpareil     ,vin ,sec4        
,groves  ,co41                          
7,dry7       #e ,mark-lane1             
,carte ,blanche       ,london           
7,medium74    ,hermann ,btjer           
,for ,america       ,bro41              
only4       ,new ,york                  
,illustration   ,dry ,royal             
,dry4                                   

,extra ,dry           ,extra ,dry4      
,second 7,medium7                       
,,saumur ,,and ,,sauternes4      ,firms 
and ,wholesale    ,brands4              
,qualities4 ,on side of ,corks4         
,agents4      ,,ackerman-,,laurance1    
,illustration   ,carte d',or            
,carte d',or4       _/,st4 ,florent1    
,carte ,rose          ,carte ,rose4     
,saumur_/                               
,carte ,bleue         ,carte ,bleue4    
,j4 ,n4 ,bishop1                        
,carte ,noire         ,carte ,noire4    
#da ,crutched       ,friars1            
,london    ,d4 ,mc,dougall       jun4   
,co41       ,st4 ,george's-place1       
,glasgow      ,,duvau1 ,,louis1         
,illustration   ,carte d',or1           
_/,an1 ,chteau                          
,ex4 ,sup4      de ,varrains1_/         
,carte d',argent1      near _/,saumur_/ 
,ex4    ,jolivet  ,canney1              
,carte ,blanche1       #c ,idol-lane1   
,sup4       ,london                     
,carte ,rose1 ,ord4      ,,lorrain1     

,,jules1      ,illustration    ,carte   
d',or4       _/,chteau                  
,carte ,blanche4       de la ,cte1      
,carte ,rose4       ,varrains_/1        
,carte ,bleue4       near _/,saumur_/   
,j4 ,lorrain1       #gc ,great          
,tower-st41       ,london               
,,rousteaux1 ,a41       ,illustration   
,extra4       _/,st4 ,florent1          
,saumur_/    ,cock1 ,russell1           
,co41 #fc ,great       ,tower-street1   
,london    ,i4 ,h4 ,smith's ,sons1      
,illustration    ,first4       ,peck    
,slip1       ,new ,york      ,,normandin
 7,e47       ,illustration    ,sparkling
 ,sauternes        ,co41                
7,extra ,dry and ,dry74                 
_/,chteauneuf-sur-,charente_/    ,p4 ,a4
 ,maignen1 #bb ,great ,tower-street1    
,london                                 
,,burgundies4      ,firms and ,wholesale
    ,brands4     ,qualities4 ,on side of
 ,corks4       ,agents4      ,,andr     
,,voillot1     ,illustration    ,romane 
7,white74       _/,beaune_/             

,nuits 7do474    ,cock1 ,russell1       
,volnay 7do474        ,co41             
,saint-,pray4       #fc ,great          
,pink and       ,tower-street1          
,red ,wines4       ,london    ,p4 ,w4   
,engs        ,sons1 #aca                
,front-street1       ,new ,york         
,,latour1 ,,louis1       ,illustration  
,romane 7,white74       _/,beaune_/     
,nuits 7,white    ,reuss1 ,lauteren1    
and ,red74        ,co41                 
,volnay 7do474       #ci ,crutched      
,saint-,pray       ,friars1 ,london     
7,white74                               
,chambertin                             
7,red74      ,,liger-,,belair1          
,illustration    ,carte d',or           
,,comte1                                
7,white74       _/,nuits                
,carte       ,vsne_/                    
,verte 7do474    ,fenwick1 ,parrot1     
,carte ,noire        ,co41 #abd         
7,red and       ,fenchurch-street1      
,white74       ,london                  
,carte ,blanche                         

7,red74                                 
,,mo,t ,,and ,,chandon',s               
,,brut ,,imp,,rial                      
,,dry ,,champagne4                      
,,facsimile ,,of ,,label4               
,illustration                           
,,brand ,,on ,,cork4                    
,illustration                           
,,also ,,extra ,,superior               
,,white ,,dry ,,sillery                 
,,and                           ,,first 
,,quality ,,champagnes4                 
,,champagne4                            
,p,,rinet  ,,fils1                      
,,reims4        ,illustration3          
,sectional ,view of a portion of the    
,caves in the ,rue      ,st4 ,hilaire4  
,,deutz  ,,geldermann',s                
',,gold ,,lack4'                        
,,morning ,,post4        ',a ,wine for  
,princes and ,senators4 ,the district of
 ,ay has become      probably the most  
celebrated in the ancient province of   
,champagne      for its grapes1 and     
among the noted brands of that famed    

region not      one has gained a greater
 popularity in this country than that of
      ,deutz  ,geldermann4 ,the ,wine of
 this well-known firm is invariably     
met with on every important occasion2   
and it is noticed that ,deutz           
,geldermann's ,gold ,lack was specially 
selected for the banquet      given by  
the ,royal ,naval ,club at ,portsmouth  
to ,h4,r4,h4 the ,prince of      ,wales2
 and some proof of its excellence may be
 gathered from the      fact that this  
brand was drunk on a former visit of the
 ,prince to      the club two years     
since4 ,deutz  ,geldermann's ,gold ,lack
 was one      of the ,champagnes        
supplied at the late ,ministerial       
,whitebait ,dinner      at the          
,trafalgar4'         ,,world4           
',deutz  ,geldermann's ,gold ,lack is   
now being preferred by many             
connoisseurs1 and we can bear testimony 
to its excellence of      quality4'     
---------------       ,deutz            
,geldermann's ',gold ,lack' ,champagne  

is shipped ,brut1 ,extra      ,dry1 and 
,medium ,dry2 and may be obtained of all
 ,wine ,merchants4                      
---------------                         
_/,wholesale ,agents_/3                 
,j4 ,r4 ,,parkington  ,co4              
#bd ,,crutched ,,friars1 ,,london1      
,e4,c4                                  
,,champagne4                            
,,deux ,m,,dailles ,d',,or4             
,illustration3 ,,pro ,,fide ,,fides     
,,ch,,es4 ,,de ,,cazanove1              
,,avize 7_/,champagne_/74               
,,vin ,,monarque4                       
,facsimiles of ,medallion               
,illustration3 ,,ch ,,de ,,cazanove     
,,avize marne ,,vin ,,monarque          
,and ,label of ,extra ,quality4         
,illustration3 ,,pro ,,fide ,,fides     
,,ch,,es4 ,,de ,,cazanove ,,avize1      
7,champagne47        ,wholesale ,agents 
for the ,united ,kingdom1 ,j4 ,r4       
,,hunter  ,co41 #df      ,fenchurch     
,street1 ,london4                       
,,roper ,,fr,,res  ,,co4',s ,,champagne4

                                        
---------------                         
,first ,quality1 ,extra ,dry at #dh_/-  
,first ,quality1 ,medium ,dry at #dh_/- 
---------------       ,for ,luncheons   
and ,wedding ,breakfasts1 ,regimental   
,messes and ,ball                       
,suppers4                               
---------------        ,,morning ,,post4
        ',the great feature of all      
entertainments1 public banquets1 c41    
is ,champagne2 but the high prices of   
really good wine naturally      deter   
many a householder of moderate means    
from indulging in      this luxury4     
_/,roper ,frres  ,co_/4 are shipping a  
first quality      ,champagne at #dhs4  
per dozen4 ,at this price1 it cannot be 
denied      that the acme of cheapness  
is arrived at4'                         
---------------                         
,,special ,,notice4        ,all ,wine   
,merchants can1 if requested1 supply    
,,roper ,,fr,,res       ,co4's          
,,champagne at the above ,prices2 and   

the ,public are therefore      cautioned
 not to allow other ,brands at similar  
prices to be      substituted4          
,in #b vols4 square #hvo1 price #cbs4 in
 handsome binding1                      
,,america ,,revisited4        ,from the 
,bay of ,new ,york to the ,gulf of      
,mexico1 and from ,lake      ,michigan  
to the ,pacific4                        
,by ,,george ,,augustus ,,sala1         
,,author ,,of ',,twice ,,round ,,the    
,,clock1' ',,paris ,,herself ,,again1'  
c4        ,illustrated with nearly #djj 
,engravings1 many of them from ,sketches
      by the ,author4                   
---------------        ,in crown #hvo1  
cloth gilt1                             
,,side-,,lights ,,on ,,english          
,,society2                              
,,or                   ,,sketches ,,from
 ,,life1 ,,social  ,,satirical4         
,by the late ,e4 ,c4 ,,grenville        
,,murray4                               
,illustrated with #cjj ,engravings4     
---------------        ,in crown #hvo1  

price #fs4 elegantly bound1 the ,third  
,edition1 revised      and enlarged1 of 
,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,diamond      
,,necklace1                      ,,told 
,,in ,,detail ,,for ,,the ,,first       
,,time4                              ,by
 ,,henry ,,vizetelly4                   
,illustrated with ,two ,engravings on   
,steel4                                 
---------------        ,in large crown  
#hvo1 #edj pages1 price #fs4 handsomely 
bound1 the      ,sixth ,edition of      
,,paris ,,herself ,,again4              
,by ,,george ,,augustus ,,sala4         
,with #cej ,characteristic              
,illustrations4                         
---------------        ,in crown #hvo1  
handsomely printed and bound1 price #fs4
                ,,the ,,amusing         
,,adventures ,,of ,,guzman ,,of         
,,alfaraque3                            
,a ,,spanish ,,novel4                   
,translated by ,,edward ,,lowdell4      
,illustrated with highly-finished       
,engravings on ,steel1 from ,designs    

by _/,stahl_/4                          
---------------        #as4 each1 in    
stiffened covers2 or #as4 #f;d4         
tastefully bound in      cloth2 two     
volumes bound in one1 #bs4              
,,popular ,,french ,,novels4            
---------------        ',novel-readers  
owe the publishers a deep debt of       
gratitude      for providing an entirely
 new and harmless source of literary    
enjoyment--a fountain flowing with the  
milk and honey of culture1              
sparkling with wit and humour1 having   
the flavour of real life and      the   
colour of romance4'--,illustrated       
,london ,news4                          
---------------        _/,fromont the   
,younger and ,risler the ,elder4_/ ,by  
,a4 ,daudet4        _/,samuel ,brohl and
 ,partner4_/ ,by ,v4 ,cherbuliez4       
_/,drama of the ,rue de la ,paix4_/ ,by 
,a4 ,belot4        _/,maugars ,junior4_/
 ,by ,a4 ,theuriet4        _/,wayward   
,dosia1 and ,the ,generous              
,diplomatist4_/ ,by ,h4 ,grville4       

_/,a ,new ,lease of ,life1 and ,saving a
 ,daughter's ,dowry4_/ ,by ,e4 ,about4  
_/,colomba1 and ,carmen4_/ ,by ,p4      
,mrime4        _/,a ,woman's ,diary1 and
 ,the ,little ,countess4_/ ,by ,o4      
,feuillet4        _/,the ,tower of      
,percemont4_/ ,by ,george ,sand4        
_/,blue-eyed ,meta ,holdenis4_/ ,by ,v4 
,cherbuliez4        _/,the ,godson of a 
,marquis4_/ ,by ,a4 ,theuriet4          
_/,the ,low-born ,lover's ,revenge4_/   
,by ,v4 ,cherbuliez4        _/,the      
,notary's ,nose1 and other ,stories4_/  
,by ,e4 ,about4        _/,,dr4          
,,claude_/2 or ,love rendered           
,desperate4 ,by ,hector ,malot4 #b vols4
        _/,the ,three ,red ,knights4_/  
,by ,paul ,fval4 c4 c4 c4               
---------------                   ,,the 
,,sensational ,,novels ,,of ,,emile     
,,gaboriau1                  ,,the      
,,favourite ,,reading ,,of ,,prince     
,,bismarck4        ,price #as4 each1 in 
ornamental covers4                      
,,in ,,peril ,,of ,,his ,,life4         

,,the ,,lerouge ,,case4                 
,,lecoq ,,the ,,detective4 #b vols4     
,,other ,,people',s ,,money4            
,,dossier ,no4 #aac4                    
,,the ,,mystery ,,of ,,orcival4         
,other ,volumes are in progress4        
---------------            ,london3     
,,vizetelly  ,co41 #db ,catherine       
,street1 ,strand4                       
,,mr4 ,,henry ,,vizetelly',s ,,popular  
,,books ,,on ,,wine4                    
',mr4 ,vizetelly discourses brightly and
 discriminatingly on crus and           
bouquets and the different ,european    
vineyards1 most of which he has         
evidently visited4'--,times4            
',mr4 ,henry ,vizetelly's books about   
different wines have an      importance 
and a value far greater than will be    
assigned      them by those who look    
merely at the price at which they are   
published4'--,sunday ,times4            
---------------        ,price #as4 #f;d4
 ornamental cover2 or #bs4 #f;d4 in     
elegant cloth binding1                  

,,facts ,,about ,,port ,,and ,,madeira1 
,with ,notes on the ,wines ,vintaged    
around ,lisbon1 and the ,wines of       
,teneriffe1                 ,,gleaned   
,,during ,a ,,tour ,,in ,,the ,,autumn  
,,of #ahgg4                             
,by ,,henry ,,vizetelly1        _/,wine 
,juror for ,great ,britain at the       
,vienna and ,paris ,exhibitions      of 
#ahgc and #ahgh_/4        ,with ,one    
,hundred ,illustrations from ,original  
,sketches and      ,photographs4        
---------------                         
,,also ,,by ,,the ,,same ,,author1      
,price #as4 #f;d4 ornamental cover2 or  
#bs4 #f;d4 in elegant cloth binding1    
,,facts ,,about ,,champagne1            
,,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        ,with ,one ,hundred and

 ,twelve ,engravings from ,original     
,sketches and      ,photographs4        
---------------        ,price #as4      
ornamental cover2 or #as4 #f;d4 cloth   
gilt1                                   
,,facts ,,about ,,sherry1               
,,gleaned ,,in ,,the ,,vineyards ,,and  
,,bodegas ,,of ,,the ,,jerez1 ,,seville1
 ,,moguer1                              
,,and ,,montilla ,,districts4           
,illustrated with numerous ,engravings  
from ,original ,sketches4               
---------------        ,price #as4      
ornamental cover2 or #as4 #f;d4 cloth   
gilt1                            ,,the  
,,wines ,,of ,,the ,,world1             
,,characterised ,,and ,,classed2        
_/,with some ,particulars respecting the
 ,beers of ,europe_/4                   
---------------            ,london3     
,,vizetelly  ,co41 #db ,catherine       
,street1 ,strand4          ,,footnotes3 
,footnote #a3 ,diodorus4    ,footnote   
#b3 ,idem4    ,footnote #c3 ,max        
,sutaine's ,essai sur le ,vin de        

,champagne4    ,footnote #d3 ,this arch 
is said to have been called after the   
,god of  ,war from the circumstance of a
 temple dedicated to ,mars being in the 
immediate neighbourhood4 ,the sculptures
 still remaining under the  arcades have
 reference to the months of the year1 to
 ,romulus and ,remus1  and to ,jupiter  
and ,leda4 ,reims formerly abounded with
 monuments of the  ,roman domination4   
,according to ,m4 ,brunette1 an         
architect of the city1  who made its    
,roman remains his especial study1 a    
vast and magnificent  palace formerly   
stood nigh the spot now known as the    
,trois ,piliers2  while on the right of 
the road leading to the town were the   
arenas1  together with a temple1 among  
the ruins of which various sculptures1  
vases1 and medals were found1 and almost
 immediately opposite1 on  the site of  
the present cemetery1 an immense        
theatre1 circus1 and  xystos for        
athletic exercises4 ,then came a vast   
circular space1 in  the centre of which 

arose a grand triumphal arch giving     
entrance into  the city4 ,the road led  
straight to the ,forum1--the ,place des 
,marchs  of to-day1--and along it were a
 basilica1 a market1 and an exedra1  now
 replaced by the ,htel de ,ville4 ,the  
,forum1 bordered by monumental          
buildings1 was of gigantic proportions1 
extending on the one side  from half way
 down the ,rue ,colbert to the ,place   
,royale1 and on the  other from near the
 ,march  la ,laine1 parallel with the   
,rue de ,vesle1  up to the middle of the
 ,rue des ,elus1 where it terminated in 
a vast  amphitheatre used for public    
competitions4    ,other buildings of    
less importance were situated here and  
there3 the  therm along the ,rue du     
,clotre2 a palace or a temple on the    
site of  the archiepiscopal palace2     
another temple at the extremity of the  
,rue  ,vauthier le ,noir1 in the ruins  
of which a bas-relief and some small    
antique statues were discovered2 a third
 temple in the ,rue du ,couchant1  in   

which a votive altar was found4 ,four   
triumphal arches were erected  at the   
four gates of the town3 one dedicated to
 ,mars2 another to ,ceres1  on the same 
site as the gate of to-day2 a third to  
,bacchus1 in the  present ,rue de       
l',universit1 in front of the ,lyce2 and
 the fourth to  ,venus1 in the ,rue de  
,vesle4 ,outside the walls1 following   
the ,rue du  ,barbtre1 the road was     
dotted with numerous graves according to
 the  ,roman custom2 while on the site  
of the church of ,st4 ,remi there arose 
a  temple and a palace1 and on that of  
,st4 ,nicaise a vast edifice which ,m4  
,brunette supposed to be the palace of  
the ,consul ,jovinus4    ,footnote #e3  
,henderson's ,history of ,ancient and   
,modern ,wines4    ,footnote #f3        
,gibbon's ,decline and ,fall of the     
,roman ,empire4    ,footnote #g3        
,gibbon's ,decline and ,fall of the     
,roman ,empire4    ,footnote #h3        
,according to this document1 published  
in ,marlot's  ,histoire de ,reims1 he   

leaves to ,bishop ,lupus the vineyard   
cultivated  by the vine-dresser ,enias2 
to his nephew ,agricola1 the vineyard   
planted  by ,mellaricus at ,laon1 and   
also the one cultivated by ,bebrimodus2 
to  his nephew ,agathimerus1 a vineyard 
he had himself planted at ,vindonis1    
and kept up by the labour of his own    
episcopal hands2 to ,hilaire the        
deaconess1 the vines adjoining her own  
vineyard1 cultivated by ,catusio1  and  
also those at ,talpusciaco2 and to the  
priests and deacons of ,reims1  his     
vineyard in the suburbs of that city1   
and the vine-dresser ,melanius  who     
cultivated it4 ,the will is also        
noteworthy for its mention of a         
locality destined to attain a high      
celebrity in connection with the  wine  
of ,champagne1 namely1 the town of      
,sparnacus or ,epernay1 which a  lord   
named ,eulogius1 condemned to death for 
high treason in #dii and  saved at the  
bishop's intercession1 had bestowed upon
 his benefactor1  and which the latter  

left in turn to the church of ,reims4   
,to this  church he also left estates in
 the ,vosges and beyond the ,rhine1 on  
condition of furnishing pitch every year
 to the religious houses  founded by    
himself or his predecessors to mend     
their wine-vessels1 a  trace of the old 
,roman custom of pitching vessels used  
for storing  wine4    ,footnote #i3     
,marlot's ,histoire de ,reims4          
,footnote #aj3 ,henderson's ,history of 
,ancient and ,modern ,wines4            
,footnote #aa3 ,victor ,fievet's        
,histoire d',epernay4    ,footnote #ab3 
,bertin du ,rocheret's ,mlanges4        
,footnote #ac3 ,varin's ,archives       
,administratives de ,reims4    ,footnote
 #ad3 ',bien met l'argent qui en bon vin
 l'emploie4' ,poems of  ,colin ,musset1 
#aaij to #abbj4    ,footnote #ae3       
,varin's ,archives ,administratives de  
,reims4    ,footnote #af3 ,ibid4        
,footnote #ag3 ,ibid4    ,footnote #ah3 
,j4 ,gondry du ,jardinet's ,agrable     
,visite aux ,grands ,crs  de ,france4   

,footnote #ai3 ',chanter me fait bon vin
 et rejouir4'    ,footnote #bj3    ',le 
vin en tonel1 ,froit et fort et         
finandel1 ,pour boivre  la grant        
chaleur4'    ,footnote #ba3 ,legrand    
d',aussy's ,vie ,prive des ,franais4    
,footnote #bb3        ',espernai dist et
 ,auviler1      ,argenteuil1 trop veus  
aviler      ,trs-tos les vins de ceste  
table4      ,par ,dieu1 trop t'es fait  
conestable4        ,nous passons        
,chaalons et ,reims1      ,nous ostons  
la gote des reins1      ,nous estaignons
 totes les rois4'      ,footnote #bc3   
',espernai1 trop es desloiaus2      ,tu 
n'as droit de parler en cour4'          
,footnote #bd3 ,the 'vin d',ausois1' or 
'vin d',aussai' 7for it is spelt  both  
ways in the poem71 is not1 as might be  
supposed1 the wine  of ,auxois1 an      
ancient district of ,burgundy now       
comprised in the  arrondissements of    
,smur 7,cte d',or7 and ,avallon         
7,yonne71 and still  enjoying a         
reputation for its viticultural         

products4 ,,mm4 ,j4 ,b4 ,b4  de         
,roquefort and ,gigault de la           
,bedollire1 in their notes on ,henri    
d',andelys' poem1 have clearly          
identified it with the wine of ,alsace1 
that province having been known under   
the names in question during the        
,middle ,ages4 ,this explains its       
connection in the present instance with 
the ,moselle4    ,footnote #be3 ,an     
incidental proof that the ,english taste
 for strong  wine was an early one4 ,as 
late as the close of the sixteenth      
century  the ,bordeaux wines are        
described in the ,maison ,rustique as   
'thick1  black1 and strong4'            
,footnote #bf3 ,probably either ,aquila 
in the ,abruzzi1 or ,aquiliea near      
,friuli4    ,footnote #bg3 ,the 'rouage'
 was a duty of #b sous on each cart and 
#d sous  on each wagon laden with wine  
purchased by foreign merchants and taken
  out of the town4 ,it was only one of  
many dues4    ,footnote #bh3 ,the old   
livre was about equal to the present    

franc2 the  sol was the twentieth part  
of a livre2 and the denier the twelfth  
part  of a sol1 or about #a_/bd;d4      
,english4    ,footnote #bi3 ,varin's    
,archives ,administratives de ,reims4   
,footnote #cj3 ,the ,beaune cost #bh    
livres the tun of two queues2 the ,st4  
,pourain1 a wine of the ,bourbonnais1   
very highly esteemed in the ,middle     
,ages1 #ab livres the queue2 and the    
wine of the district1 white and red1  #f
 to #aj livres the queue of two poinons4
 ,a poinon1 or demi-queue1  of ,reims   
was about #dh old ,english1 or #dj      
imperial1 gallons2 while the  demi-queue
 of ,burgundy was over #de imperial     
gallons4    ,footnote #ca3 ,varin's     
,archives ,administratives de ,reims4   
,footnote #cb3 ,a few examples of the   
retail price of wine throughout the     
century at ,reims may here be noted4    
,for instance1 a judgment of #acjc      
provided that all tavern-keepers selling
 wine at a higher rate than  six        
deniers1 or about a farthing per lot1   

the rate fixed by ancient  custom1 were 
to pay a fine of twenty-two sous4 ,the  
lot or pot1 for  the two terms are      
indifferently used1 was about the third 
of an old  ,english gallon1 four pots   
making a septier1 and thirty-six        
septiers a  poinon or demi-queue1 equal 
to about forty-eight gallons4 ,the queue
  was therefore about ninety-six gallons
 at ,reims1 but at ,epernay not  more   
than eighty-five gallons4 ,not only had 
every district its separate             
measures1--those of ,paris1 for         
instance1 differing widely from those of
  ,reims1--but there were actually      
different measures used in the various  
lay and ecclesiastical jurisdictions    
into which ,reims was divided4    ,in   
the accounts of the ,echevinage1 wine1  
chiefly for presents to  persons of     
distinction1 makes a continual          
appearance4 ,in #acce it is  noted that 
'the presents of this year were made in 
wine at #af deniers  and #bj deniers the
 pot1' or about #b-a_/d;d4 ,english per 

gallon4 ,in  #accg-h prices ranged from 
#c_/d;d4 to #d-a_/b;d4 ,english per     
gallon1  showing a variety in quality2  
and in #acde large quantities were      
purchased at the first-mentioned rate1  
five quarts of white wine  fetching     
#b;d4 ,english4 ,in #aceb from a #a;d4  
to #b-a_/d;d4 was paid  per gallon1 and 
five crowns for two queues4 ,in #acfc   
the citizens1  a hot-headed turbulent   
lot1 who were always squabbling with    
their  spiritual and temporal superior  
and assailing his officers1 when  not   
assaulting each other or pulling their  
neighbours' houses down1  successfully  
resisted the pretensions of the         
archbishop to regulate  the price of    
wine when the cheapest was worth #ab    
deniers per pot1  or #a-a_/b;d4 per     
gallon4 ,the dispute continued1 and in  
#acfg a royal  commission was issued to 
the bailli of ,vermandois1 the king's   
representative1 to inquire into the     
right of the burghers to sell wine  by  
retail at #af deniers1 as they desired4 

,the report of the bailli was  that a   
queue of old ,french wine being worth   
about #bj livres1 or #afs4  #h;d41 and  
wine of ,beaune and other better and    
stronger wines being  sold in the town  
at higher rates1 ,french wine might be  
sold as high as  #c-a_/b;d4 ,english per
 gallon1 and ,beaune at #d-a_/b;d4 ,the 
great increase  in production1 and      
consequent fall in price1 is shown by   
the wine  found in ,archbishop ,richard 
,pique's cellar in #achi being valued1  
on an  average1 at only #as4 #f;d4 per  
queue4    ,footnote #cc3 ,froissart's   
,chronicles4    ,footnote #cd3 ,idem4   
,footnote #ce3 ,idem4    ,footnote #cf3 
,what with one kind of assessment being 
adopted for wine  sold wholesale and    
another for that disposed of by retail1 
with one  class of dues being levied on 
wine for export and another on that for 
home consumption1 and with the fact of  
certain duties being in some  cases     
payable by the buyer and in others by   
the seller1 any attempt  to summarise   

this section of the story of the wines  
of ,reims would be  impossible4 ,the    
difficulty is increased when it is      
remembered that in  the ,middle ,ages   
,reims was divided into districts1 under
 the separate  jurisdictions of the     
eschevins1 the archbishop1 the chapter  
of the  cathedral1 the ,abbeys of ,st4  
,remi and ,st4 ,nicaise1 and the ,priory
 of  ,st4 ,maurice1 in several of which 
widely varying measures were employed   
down to the sixteenth century1 and      
between which there were continual      
squabbles as to the rights of vinage1   
rouage1 tonnieu1 c4    ,footnote #cg3   
,varin's ,archives ,administratives de  
,reims4    ,footnote #ch3 ,froissart's  
,chronicles4    ,footnote #ci3 ,baron   
,taylor's ,reims2 la ,ville de ,sacres4 
,footnote #dj3 ,amongst the better known
 are ,chamery1 where the  archbishop had
 a house1 vineyard1 and garden1 let for 
#cs4 per annum1  about five jours of    
vineyard and two jours of very good     
vineland2  ,mareuil1 whence he drew ten 

hogsheads of wine annually2 ,rilly1     
,verzenay1 ,sillery1 ,attigny1 c4 ,the  
jour cost from #e to #h livres per      
annum for cultivation1 and the stakes   
for the vines #d sols1 or #b;d41 a      
hundred4    ,footnote #da3 ,the chapter 
of the ,cathedral1 the church of ,notre 
,dame1  the abbeys of ,st4 ,remi and    
,st4 ,nicaise1 had vineyards or 'droits 
de  vin' at ,hermonville1 ,rounay les   
,reims1 ,montigny1 ,serzy1 ,villers     
,aleran1  ,maineux devant ,reims1       
,mersy1 ,sapiecourt1 ,sacy en la        
,montagne1 ,flory  en la ,montagne1     
,prouilly1 ,germigny1 ,saulx1 ,bremont1 
,merfaud1 ,trois  ,pins1 ,joucheri sur  
,vesle1 ,villers aux ,neux1 c42 the last
 named also  possessing a piece of      
'vingne gonesse' at 'a place called     
,mont ,valoys  in the territory of      
,reims4'    ,footnote #db3 ,at his      
chteau at the ,porte ,mars were         
forty-four queues  of red and white     
wine1 nineteen of new red and white     
wine1 and four of  old wine1 valued1 on 

an average1 at #cf sols or #as4 #f;d4   
the queue2  at ,courville there were    
fifty queues of new wine 7valued at #cj 
sols  the queue71 twenty of old wine    
7worth nothing71 and four 'cuves' for   
wine-making2 and at ,viellarcy1 eighteen
 tuns of new wine1 valued at  #fj sols  
or #bs4 #f;d4 per tun4 ,to take charge  
of all these1 ,jehan le  ,breton1 the   
defunct prelate's assistant butler1 was 
retained by the  executors for half a   
year1 at the wages of #gd sols or #cs4  
#b;d4 ,at  the funeral feast there were 
consumed three queues of the best wine  
in  the cellars1 valued at #bs4         
#g-a_/b;d4 per queue1 three others at   
#as4  #c;d41 and five pots of ,beaune at
 #a-b_/c;d4 ,english per pot1 showing it
  to have been four times as valuable as
 native growths4    ,footnote #dc3      
',en ,picardie sont li bourdeur1        
,et en ,champagne li buveur4444         
,telz n'a vaillant un ,angevin      ,qui
 chascun jor viant boire vin4'          
,footnote #dd3        ',champagne est la

 forme de tout bien      ,de bl1 de vin1
 de foin1 et de litire4'      ,footnote 
#de3 ,mss4 de ,rogier1 ,max ,sutaine's  
,essai sur le ,vin de  ,champagne1 c4   
,footnote #df3 ,this wine1 no doubt1    
came from a considerable distance       
round1 for we find ,p4 de la ,place1 a  
mercer of ,reims1 seeking in #adji  to  
recover the value of five queues and two
 poinons 'of wine from the  cru of the  
town of ,espernay1 on the river of      
,esparnay1' delivered at  ,reims to ,j4 
,crohin of ,hainault1 the origin of the 
same being certified  by ,s4 de ,laval1 
a sworn wine-broker1 'who knows and     
understands the  wines of the country   
around ,reims4'    ,footnote #dg3       
,varin's ,archives ,administratives de  
,reims4    ,footnote #dh3 ,max          
,sutaine's ,essai sur le ,vin de        
,champagne4    ,footnote #di3 ,varin's  
,archives ,administratives de ,reims4   
,the ,htel de  la ,maison ,rouge        
occupies to-day the site of the old     
hostelry at which  the parents of       

,jeanne ,darc were housed4    ,footnote 
#ej3 ,varin's ,archives ,administratives
 de ,reims4    ,footnote #ea3 ,the cost 
of the wine thus presented seems to have
  averaged from #b-a_/d;d4 to #c;d4 per 
gallon4 ,in #adgg a queue of old  wine  
was valued at no less than #cjs4        
,footnote #eb3 ,the twelve peers of     
,france first appear at the coronation  
of ,philip ,augustus4 ,there were six   
lay peers and six ecclesiastical  peers3
        ,duke of    ,burgundy4          
,normandy4                ,guienne or   
,aquitaine4      ,count of   ,toulouse4 
,flanders4                ,champagne4   
,archbishop ,duke of  ,reims4           
,bishop     ,duke of  ,laon4            
,langres4      ,bishop     ,count of    
,beauvais4                              
,chalons4                        ,noyon4
    ,as the titles of the lay peers grew
 extinct1 and their fiefs lapsed to  the
 crown1 it became customary for them to 
be represented by some great  nobles at 
the coronations of the kings of ,france4

    ,footnote #ec3 ,the following is the
 full text of this singular sentence4   
,the injunction at the end1 respecting  
the payment of tithes without  fraud1   
shows that even in a matter like this   
the ,church did not lose  sight of its  
own interests4    ',in the name of the  
,lord1 amen4 ,having seen the prayer or 
petition on  behalf of the inhabitants  
of ,villenauxe1 of the diocese of       
,troyes1  made before us1 official of   
,troyes1 sitting in judgment upon the   
bruhecs or ruches1 or other similar     
animals1 which1 according to  the       
evidence of persons worthy of belief and
 as confirmed by public  rumour1 have   
ravaged for a certain number of years1  
and this year also1  the fruit of the   
vines of this locality1 to the great    
loss of those  who inhabit it and of the
 persons of the neighbourhood1--petition
  that we warn the above-named animals1 
and that1 using the means at  the       
,church's disposition1 we force them to 
retire from the territory  of the said  

place4 ,having seen and attentively     
examined the motives  of the prayer or  
petition above mentioned1 and also the  
answers and  allegations furnished in   
favour of the said ruches or other      
animals  by the councillors chosen by us
 for that purpose2 having heard also on 
the whole our promoter1 and seeing the  
particular report1 furnished  at our    
command by a notary of the said ,court  
of ,troyes1 on the damage  caused by the
 said animals amongst the vines of the  
locality of  ,villenauxe already named2 
though it would seem that to such damage
 one  can bring no remedy except through
 the aid of ,god2 however1 taking  into 
consideration the humble1 frequent1 and 
pressing complaint of the               
above-mentioned inhabitants2 having     
regard1 especially1 to the ardour  with 
which1 to efface their past great       
faults1 they lately gave1 at  our       
invitation1 the edifying spectacle of   
solemn prayers2 considering  that1 as   
the mercy of ,god does not drive away   

the sinners who return  to ,him with    
humility1 neither should ,his ,church   
refuse1 to those who  run to her1       
succour or consolation1--,we1 the       
official above named1 no  matter how    
novel the case may be1 yielding to the  
earnestness of these  prayers1 following
 in the footsteps of our predecessors   
presiding at  our tribunal1 having ,god 
before our eyes and full of belief in   
,his  mercy and love1 after having taken
 counsel in the proper quarter1 we      
deliver sentence in the following terms3
    ',in the name and in virtue of the  
omnipotence of ,god1 of the ,father1    
the ,son1 and the ,holy ,ghost2 of the  
blessed ,mary1 mother of our ,lord      
,jesus ,christ2 of the authority of the 
holy apostles ,peter and ,paul2  and of 
that with which we ourselves are        
invested in this affair1 we  charge by  
this act the above-named                
animals--bruches1 ruches1  or of any    
other name by which they may be         
called--to retire 7under  penalty of    

malediction and anathema1 within the six
 days which follow  this warning and in 
accordance with our sentence7 from the  
vines and  from the said locality of    
,villenauxe1 and never more to cause1 in
  time to come1 any damage1 either in   
this spot or in any other part of  the  
diocese of ,troyes2 that if1 the six    
days passed1 the said animals  have not 
fully obeyed our command1 the seventh   
day1 in virtue of the  power and        
authority above mentioned1 we pronounce 
against them by this  writing anathema  
and malediction6 ,ordering1 however1 and
 formally  directing the said           
inhabitants of ,villenauxe1 no matter of
 what rank1  class1 or condition they   
may be1 so as to merit the better from  
,god1  all-powerful dispensator of all  
good and deliverer from all evil1 to  be
 released from such a great plague2     
ordering and directing them to  deliver 
themselves up in concert to good works  
and pious prayers2 to  pay1 moreover1   
the tithe without fraud and according to

 the custom  recognised in the locality2
 and to abstain with care from          
blaspheming  and all other sins1        
especially from public                  
scandals4--,signed1 _/,n4  ,hupperoye_/1
 ,secretary4'    ,footnote #ed3 ,it has 
been asserted that the ,champagne1 and  
notably  the town of ,troyes1 enjoyed   
the dubious honour of furnishing fools  
to  the court of ,france4 ,there is     
certainly a letter of ,charles ,v4 to   
the  notables of ,troyes1 asking them1  
'according to custom1' for a fool to    
replace one named ,grand ,jehan de      
,troyes1 whom he had had buried in the  
church of ,st4 ,germain l',auxerrois1   
and who has been immortalised by        
,rabelais4 ,but ,brusquet was a         
,provenal2 ,triboulet1 his predecessor1 
immortalised by ,victor ,hugo in the    
',roi s'amuse1' a native of ,blois2     
,chicot the ,jester1 the fool of ,henry 
,,iii41 and the favourite hero of       
,dumas1 a ,gascon2 and ,guillaume1 his  
successor1 a ,norman4    ,footnote #ee3 

,the wine of ,reims provided at the     
coronation of ,francis  ,,ii41 in #aeei1
 cost from #aas4 #h;d4 to #aes4 #aj;d4  
per queue of  ninety-six gallons1 and   
the ,burgundy #afs4 #h;d4 per queue1    
which1  allowing for the cost of        
transport1 would put them about on an   
equality4 ,at the coronation of ,charles
 ,,ix41 in #aefa1 ,reims wine cost  from
 #bcs4 #d;d4 to #bhs4 #d;d42 and at that
 of ,henry ,,iii41 in #aege1  from #des4
 to #fbs4 #f;d4 per queue1--a sufficient
 proof of the  rapidly-increasing       
estimation in which the wine was held4  
,footnote #ef3 ,paulmier's treatise ,de 
,vino et ,pomaceo 7,paris1 #aehh74      
,footnote #eg3 ,jehan ,pussot's ,mmorial
 du ,temps4    ,footnote #eh3 ,ibid4    
,many details respecting the yield of   
the vines  and vineyards of the         
,mountain and the ,river are preserved  
in this  ,mmorial1 which extends from   
#aefi to #afbe1 and the author of which 
was a celebrated builder of ,reims4     
,during the last thirty years of the    

century the vines seem to have suffered 
greatly from frost and wet4  ,sometimes 
the wine was so bad that it was sold1 as
 towards the end of  #aegi1 at #es4     
#f;d4 the queue2 at others it was so    
scarce that it  rose1 as at the vintage 
of #aehg1 to #abfs4 #h;d4 the queue4 ,at
 the  vintage of #aegi the grapes froze 
on the vines1 and were carried to the   
press in sacks4 ,at the commencement of 
the vintage the new wine fetched  from  
#abs4 to #afs4 the queue1 but it turned 
out so bad that by  ,christmas it was   
sold at #es4 #f;d4    ,footnote #ei3    
,maison ,rustique 7#aegd74    ,footnote 
#fj3 ,jehan ,pussot's ,mmorial du       
,temps4    ,footnote #fa3 ,during the   
first twenty-five years of the century  
,pussot  shows the new wine to have     
averaged from about #bcs4 to #dfs4 the  
queue1 according to quality4 ,in #afjj  
and #afaa it was as low as #afs41  and  
in #afjd fetched from merely #abs4 to   
#cbs4 ,on the other hand1  in #afjg1 it 
fetched from #egs4 to #ies41 and in     

#afji from #gis4 to  #ies4    ,footnote 
#fb3 ,feillet's ,la ,misre aux temps de 
la ,fronde4    ,footnote #fc3 ,dom      
,guillaume ,marlot's ,histoire de       
,reims4    ,footnote #fd3 ,pluche's     
,spectacle de la ,nature4    ,footnote  
#fe3 ,st4 ,simon's ,mmoires4            
,footnote #ff3 ,mmoire sur la manire de 
cultiver la vigne et de faire  le vin en
 ,champagne4    ,footnote #fg3          
,lavardin1 ,bishop of ,le ,mans1 and    
himself a great  gourmet1 was one day at
 dinner with ,st4 ,evremond1 and began  
to rally  the latter on the delicacy of 
himself and his friends the ,marquis  de
 ,bois ,dauphin and the ,comte          
d',olonne4 ',these gentlemen1' said the 
prelate1 'in seeking refinement in      
everything carry it to extremes4  ,they 
can only eat ,normandy veal2 their      
partridges must come from  ,auvergne1   
and their rabbits from ,la ,roche       
,guyon1 or from ,versin2 they  are not  
less particular as to fruit2 and as to  
wine1 they can only  drink that of the  

good coteaux of ,ay1 ,hautvillers1 and  
,avenay4' ,st4  ,evremond having        
repeated the story1 he1 the marquis1 and
 the count were  nicknamed 'the three   
coteaux4' ,hence ,boileau1 in one of his
 satires1  describes an epicurean guest 
as 'profs dans l'ordre des coteaux4'    
,footnote #fh3 ,st4 ,evremond's ,works  
7,london1 #agad74    ,footnote #fi3     
,l',art de bien traiter 444 mis en      
lumire1 par ,l4 ,s4 ,r4  7,paris1       
#afgd74    ,footnote #gj3 ,brossette's  
notes to ,boileau's ,works 7#agaf74     
,bertin du  ,rocheret1 in correcting    
this error in the ,mercure of ,january  
#agbh1  points out that neither the     
family of ,colbert nor that of ,le      
,tellier  ever owned a single vinestock 
of the ,river1 and that their holdings  
on  the ,mountain were very             
insignificant4    ,footnote #ga3        
',il n'est cit que je prfre  ,reims1    
,c'est l'ornement et l'honneur de la    
,france2      ,car sans conter l'ampoule
 et les bons vins1          ,charmants  

objets y sont en abondance4' ,les       
,rmois4      ,footnote #gb3        ',sur
 quelle vigne  ,reims nous avons        
hypothque2      ,vingt muids1 rangs chez
 moi1 font ma bibliothque4'    ,le      
,lutrin1 chant iv4 #afgd4    ,footnote  
#gc3 ,st4 ,simon's ,mmoires4            
,footnote #gd3 ,ibid4    ,footnote #ge3 
,ibid4    ,footnote #gf3 ,max ,sutaine's
 ,essai sur le ,vin de ,champagne1      
#ahde4    ,footnote #gg3 ,henderson's   
,history of ,ancient and ,modern ,wines4
    ,footnote #gh3 neid1 i4 #gch4       
,footnote #gi3 ,henderson's ,history of 
,ancient and ,modern ,wines4            
,footnote #hj3 ,max ,sutaine's ,essai   
sur le ,vin de ,champagne4    ,footnote 
#ha3              --------',petars de   
,chaalons1      ,qui le ventre enfle et 
les talons4'      ,footnote #hb3 ,louis 
,perrier's ,mmoire sur le ,vin de       
,champagne1 #ahfe4    ,footnote #hc3 ,de
 ,naturali ,vinorum ,histori4 ,rome1    
#aeif4    ,footnote #hd3 ,l',art de bien
 traiter1 c4    ,footnote #he3 ,maison  

,rustique1 #aegd4    ,footnote #hf3 ,max
 ,sutaine's ,essai sur le ,vin de       
,champagne4    ,footnote #hg3 ,pluche's 
,spectacle de la ,nature4    ,footnote  
#hh3 ,idem and ,maison ,rustique1 #aehb4
 ,m4 ,louis ,perrier1 in  his ,mmoire   
sur le ,vin de ,champagne1 says that the
 ,ay wines yield but  little mousse4    
,footnote #hi3 ,max ,sutaine's ,essai   
sur le ,vin de ,champagne4    ,footnote 
#ij3 ,st4 ,evremond's letter to the     
,comte d',olonne1 already  noticed4 ,in 
another epistle to ,lord ,galloway1     
dated #bith ,august #agja1  he observes3
 ',as to ,m4 de ,puisieux 7,roger       
,brulart1 ,marquis de ,puisieux  et de  
,sillery and ,governor of ,epernay71 in 
my opinion he acts very  wisely in      
falling in with the bad taste now in    
fashion as regards  ,champagne wine1 in 
order the better to sell his own4 ,i    
could never have  thought that the wines
 of ,reims could have been changed into 
wines  of ,anjou1 from their colour and 
their harshness 7verdeur74 ,there  ought

 to be a harshness 7vert7 in the wine of
 ,reims1 but a harshness  with a colour1
 which turns into a sprightly tartness  
7sve7 when it  is ripe2 444 and it is   
not to be drunk till the end of         
,july4444 ,the  wines of ,sillery and   
,roncires used to be kept two years1 and
 they  were admirable1 but for the first
 four months they were nothing but      
verjuice4 ,let ,m4 de ,puisieux make a  
little barrel 7cuve7 after the  fashion 
in which it was made forty years ago1   
before this depravity of  taste1 and    
send it to you4' ,st4 ,evremond's       
,works1 ,english edition of  #agbh4     
,footnote #ia3 ,max ,sutaine's ,essai   
sur le ,vin de ,champagne4    ,footnote 
#ib3 ,dom ,guillaume ,harlot's ,histoire
 de ,reims4    ,footnote #ic3 ,ibid4    
,footnote #id3 ,henderson's ,history of 
,ancient and ,modern ,wines4            
,footnote #ie3 ,letter of ,dom ,grossart
 to ,m4 ,dherbs of ,ay4 ,the            
measurement of the arpent varied from an
 acre to an acre and a half4            

,footnote #if3 ,varin's ,archives       
,administratives de ,reims4    ,footnote
 #ig3 ,pluche's ,spectacle de la        
,nature4    ,footnote #ih3 ,letter of   
,dom ,grossart to ,m4 ,dherbs of ,ay4   
,footnote #ii3 ,ibid4    ,footnote #ajj3
 ,ibid4    ,footnote #aja3 ,bertall's   
,la ,vigne4 ,paris1 #ahgh4    ,footnote 
#ajb3 ,mmoire sur la ,manire de cultiver
 la ,vigne et de  faire le ,vin en      
,champagne4 ,this work is believed to   
have been written  by ,jean ,godinot1 a 
canon of ,reims1 born in #affb4 ,godinot
 was at the  same time a conscientious  
,churchman1 a skilled viticulturist1 and
 a  clever merchant1 who enriched       
himself by disposing of the wine from   
his vineyards at ,bouzy1 ,taissy1 and   
,verzenay1 and distributed his  gains   
amongst the poor4 ,he died in #agdg1    
after publishing an enlarged  edition of
 the ,mmoire in #agbb1 in which the     
phrase 'for the last  three years'      
becomes 'the last seven or eight years4'
 ,godinot's friend  ,pluche used the    

,mmoire as the basis for the section    
',wine' in his  ,spectacle de la        
,nature4    ,footnote #ajc3 ,letter of  
,dom ,grossart to ,m4 ,dherbs of ,ay4   
,footnote #ajd3 ,ibid4    ,footnote     
#aje3 ,louis ,perrier's ,mmoire sur le  
,vin de ,champagne4    ,footnote #ajf3  
,letter of ,m4 le ,pescheur1 #agjf4     
,footnote #ajg3 ,pluche's ,spectacle de 
la ,nature4    ,footnote #ajh3 ,in      
,brossette's notes to his edition of    
,boileau's ,works  of #agaf4            
,footnote #aji3 ,the inscription above  
given is an exact transcript from  the  
black-marble slab1 and any errors in    
orthography are due either to  the      
original author or to the mason who     
incised it4    ,footnote #aaj3 ,the     
following account of ,dom ,perignon and 
his  discoveries is contained in a      
letter dated #beth ,october #ahba1 and  
addressed from ,montier-en-,der1 ,haute 
,marne1 to ,m4 ,dherbs of ,ay1 by ,dom  
,grossart1 the last procureur of the    
,abbey of ,hautvillers4 ,dom ,grossart1 

who had fled from ,france during the    
troublous times of the ,revolution1  was
 at the date of the letter in his       
seventy-fourth year4    ',you know1 sir1
 that it was the famous ,dom ,perignon1 
who was procureur  of ,hautvillers for  
forty-seven years1 and who died in      
#agae1 who  discovered the secret of    
making sparkling and non-sparkling white
  wine1 and the means of clearing it    
without being obliged to dpoter  the    
bottles1 as is done by our great        
wine-merchants rather twice than  once1 
and by us never4 ,before his time one   
only knew how to make  straw-coloured or
 gray wine4 ,in bottling wine1 instead  
of corks of  cork-wood1 only tow was    
made use of1 and this species of stopper
 was  saturated with oil4 ,it was in the
 marriage of our wines that their       
goodness consisted2 and this ,dom       
,perignon towards the end of his days   
became blind4 ,he had instructed in his 
secret of fining the wines 7de  coller  
les vins7 a certain ,brother ,philip1   

who was for fifty years  at the head of 
the wines of ,hautvillers1 and who was  
held in such  consideration by ,m4 ,le  
,tellier1 ,archbishop of ,reims1 that   
when this  brother went to ,reims he    
made him come and sit at table with him4
 ,when  the vintage drew near1 he 7,dom 
,perignon7 said to this brother1 ,go and
  bring me some grapes from the ,prires1
 the ,ctes--bras1 the ,barillets1  the  
,quartiers1 the ,clos ,sainte ,hlne1 c4 
,without being told from  which vineyard
 these grapes came1 he mentioned it1 and
 added1 the wine  of such a vineyard    
must be married with that of such       
another1 and  never made a mistake4 ,to 
this ,brother ,philip succeeded a       
,brother ,andr  ,lemaire1 who was for   
nearly forty years at the head of the   
cellars of  ,hautvillers1 that is to    
say1 until the ,revolution4444 ,this    
brother  being very ill1 and believing  
himself on the point of death1 confided 
to me the secret of clarifying the      
wines1 for neither prior nor  procureur 

nor monk ever knew it4 ,i declare to    
you1 sir1 that we never  did put sugar  
in our wines2 you can attest this when  
you find yourself  in company where it  
is spoken of4    ,monsieur ,mot1 who has
 become one of the gros bonnets of      
,champagne  since #agid1 when ,i used to
 sell him plenty of little baskets1 will
 not  tell you that ,i put sugar in our 
wines4 ,i make use of it at present     
upon some white wines which are vintaged
 in certain crs of our wine  district4  
,this may have led to the error4    ',as
 it costs much to dpoter1 ,i am greatly 
surprised that no  wine-merchant has as 
yet taken steps to learn the secret of  
clearing  the wine without having to    
dpoter the bottles when once the wine   
has  been put into them4'    ,footnote  
#aaa3 ,louis ,perrier's ,mmoire sur le  
,vin de ,champagne4    ,footnote #aab3  
,mmoire of #agah4    ,footnote #aac3    
,ibid4 ,pluche1 in his ,spectacle de la 
,nature1 #agcb1  also says3 ',if the    
wine be drawn off towards the end of    

,march1 when  the sap begins to rise in 
the vine1 it will froth to such a degree
 as  to whiten like milk1 to the very   
bottom of the glass1 the moment it is   
poured out4 ,wine will sometimes acquire
 this quality if it be drawn off  during
 the ascent of the sap in ,august1 which
 makes it evident that  the froth is    
occasioned by the operation of the air  
and sap1 which  then act with vigour in 
the wood of the vine1 and likewise in   
the  liquor it produced4 ,this violent  
ebulition1 which is so agreeable to     
some persons1 is thought by connoisseurs
 to be inconsistent with the  goodness  
of the wine1 since the greenest may be  
made to whiten into a  froth1 and the   
most perfect wines seldom discover this 
quality4' ,in  an article in the        
,journal de ,verdun of ,november #agbf1 
the following  passage occurs3 ',a wine 
merchant of ,anjou having written some  
time back  to a celebrated magistrate in
 ,champagne1 ,bertin du ,rocheret1      
begging  him to forward the secret of   

making vin mousseux during the vintage1 
the magistrate answered1 ,that vin      
mousseux was not made during the        
vintage2 that there was no special soil 
for it2 that the ,anjou wines  were     
suitable1 since poor wine froths as well
 as the most excellent1  frothing being 
a property of thin poor wine4 ,that to  
make wine froth1  it was necessary to   
draw it off as clear as could be done   
from the  lees1 if it had not been      
already racked2 to bottle it on a fine  
clear  day in ,january or ,february1 or 
in ,march at the latest2 three or four  
months afterwards the wine will be found
 effervescent1 especially if  it has    
some tartness and a little strength4    
,when the wine works 7like  the vine7   
your wine will effervesce more than     
usual2 a taste of vintage  and of       
fermentation will be found in it4 ,the  
excellent wines of ,ay and  our good    
,champagne wines do not froth1 or very  
slightly2 they content  themselves with 
sparkling in the glass4'    ,footnote   

#aad3 ,st4 ,simon's ,mmoires4           
,footnote #aae3 ,ibid4    ,footnote     
#aaf3 ,mmoire of #agah4    ,footnote    
#aag3 ,ibid4    ,footnote #aah3 ,antony 
,ral's ,ce qu'il y a dans une ,bouteille
 de ,vin4    ,footnote #aai3 ,legrand   
d',aussy's ,vie ,prive des ,franais4    
,footnote #abj3        ',l le nombre et 
l'clat de cent verres bien nets         
,rpare par les yeux la disette des mets2
          ,et la mousse petillante      
,d'un vin dlicat et frais               
,d'une fortune brillante      ,cache    
mon souvenir les fragiles attraits4'    
,footnote #aba3        ',quant  la muse 
de ,st4 ,maur      ,que moins de douceur
 accompagne4      ,il lui faut du vin de
 ,champagne      ,pour lui faire prendre
 l'essor4'      ,footnote #abb3         
',alors1 grand' merveille1 sera         
,de voir flter vin de ,champagne4'      
,footnote #abc3        ',sur ce rivage  
emaill1          ,o ,neuill borde la    
,seine1      ,reviens au vin d',hautvill
          ,mler les eaux d',hypocrne4'  

,footnote #abd3        ',phbus adonc va 
se dsabuser          ,de son amour pour 
la docte fontaine1      ,et connotra que
 pour bon vers puiser          ,vin     
champenois vaut mieux qu'eau            
d',hippocrne4'      ,footnote #abe3 ,the
 father1 ,adam ,bertin du ,rocheret1 was
 born in #affb1  and died in #agcf2 his 
son1 ,philippe ,valentin1 the lieutenant
 criminel  at ,epernay1 was born in     
#afic1 and died in #agfb4 ,both owned   
vineyards  at ,epernay1 ,ay1 and        
,pierry1 and were engaged in the        
wine-trade1 and  both left a voluminous 
mass of correspondence1 c41 extracts    
from which  have been given by ,m4      
,louis ,perrier in his ,mmoire sur le   
,vin de  ,champagne4 ,the ,marshal was  
an old customer4 ,at the foot of a      
letter  of his of the #bjth ,december   
#agje1 asking for 'two quartaux of the  
most  excellent vin de ,champagne1 and a
 pice of good for ordinary drinking1'   
,bertin has written1 ',i will send you1 
as soon as the river1 which is  strongly

 flooded1 becomes navigable1 the wine   
you ask for1 and you  will be pleased   
with it2 but as the best new wine is not
 of a quality  to be drunk in all its   
goodness by the spring1 ,i should think 
that  fifty flasks of old wine1 the most
 exquisite in the kingdom that ,i can   
furnish you with1 together with fifty   
other good ones1 will suit you  instead 
of one of the two caques4'    ,footnote 
#abf3 ,tocane was a light wine obtained1
 like the best ,tokay1  from the juice  
allowed to drain from grapes slightly   
trodden1 but not  pressed4 ,it had a    
flavour of verdeur1 which was regarded  
as one of  its chief merits1 and would  
not keep more than six months4 ,though  
at  one time very popular1 and largely  
produced in ,champagne1 it is now no    
longer made4 ,the wine of ,ay enjoyed a 
high reputation as tocane4    ,footnote 
#abg3 ,louis ,perrier's ,mmoire sur le  
,vin de ,champagne4    ,footnote #abh3  
,letter of ,dom ,grossart4    ,footnote 
#abi3 ,louis ,perrier's ,mmoire sur le  

,vin de ,champagne4    ,footnote #acj3  
,ample details of the systems of        
viticulture and  wine-making pursued in 
the ,champagne at the commencement of   
the  eighteenth century are to be found 
in the anonymous ,mmoire published  in  
#agah4 ,these are reproduced to a great 
extent in the ,spectacle de  la ,nature 
of ,noel ,antoine ,pluche1 a native of  
,reims1 who composed  this work         
7published in #agcb7 for the benefit of 
the son of ,lord  ,stafford1 to whom he 
was tutor4 ,the ,abb ,pluche1 after     
being professor  of humanity and        
rhetoric at the ,university of ,reims1  
was about to  enter into holy orders1   
but being denounced as an opponent of   
the ,bull  ,unigenitus1 abandoned all   
ideas of preferment1 and devoted himself
 to  private tuition and the composition
 of his great work1 the ,spectacle  de  
la ,nature4 ,this last is a perfect     
encyclopdia1 in the form of a  series of
 dialogues1 recalling those in ,mrs4    
,barbauld's ,evenings at  ,home1 the    

interlocutors being the ,count1 the     
,countess1 the ,chevalier1  and the     
,prior2 and the style may be best judged
 from the following  extracts from the  
contemporary translation of ,mr4 ,samuel
 ,humphries4    ,in ,dialogue ,,xiii4 on
 ',vines1' the ,count remarks that1     
after studying  the methods of          
viticulture followed in different       
provinces1 he 'could  not discover any  
to be ranked in ,competition with those 
,precautions  that have been taken by   
the ,inhabitants of ,champaign' in the  
production  of their wine4 ,by 'a long  
,course of ,experience' they had        
'acquired the  proper ,method of tinging
 it with the ,complexion of a ,cherry1  
or the ,eye  of a ,partridge4 ,they     
could likewise brighten it into the     
whitest ,hue1  or deepen it into a      
perfect ,red4'    ,in the succeeding    
,dialogue on ',wines1' the ,count states
 that ',vines  vary in their ,qualities4
 ,some are planted in a very light and  
strong  ,soil1 and they yield a bright  

and fragrant ,wine2 others are placed in
  a more nourishing ,tract of ,land1 and
 they produce a ,wine of a greater      
,body4 ,the reasonable ,combination of  
these different ,fruits will produce  an
 exquisite ,liquor1 that will have all  
the ,advantages of a sufficient  ,body1 
a ,delicacy of ,flavour1 a ,fragrancy of
 ,scent1 and a ,liveliness  of ,colour1 
and which may be ,kept for several      
,years without the least  ,alteration4  
,it was the ,knowledge of those ,effects
 that result from  intermixing the      
,grapes of three or four ,vines of      
different ,qualities1  which improved   
the celebrated ,wines of ,sillery1 ,ai1 
and ,hautvillers to  the ,perfection    
they have now acquired4 ,father         
,parignon1 a ,benedictine  of           
,hautvillers on the ,marne1 was the     
first who made any successful  ,attempt 
to intermix the ,grapes of the different
 ,vines in this manner1  and the ,wine  
of ,perignon d',hautvillers bore the    
greatest ,estimation  amongst us till   

the ,practise of this ,method became    
more extensive4'    ,the ,count notes   
that white wines from white grapes being
 deficient  in strength1 and apt to grow
 yellow and degenerate before the next  
return of summer1 had gone out of       
repute1 except for some medicinal       
prescriptions1 whilst 'the grey ,wine1  
which has so bright an ,eye and         
resembles the ,complexion of ,crystal1  
is produced by the blackest  ,grapes4'  
',the ,wine of a black ,grape may be    
tinged with any ,colour we  think       
proper2 those who desire to have it     
perfectly ,white have recourse  to the  
following ,method4 ,the ,people employed
 in the ,vintage begin their  ,labours  
at an early ,hour in the ,morning2 and  
when they have selected  the finest     
,grapes1 they lay them gently in their  
,baskets1 in order to  be carried out of
 the ,vineyard2 or they place them in   
large ,panniers1  without pressing them 
in the least or wiping off the dewy     
,moisture  or the azure ,dye that covers

 them4 ,dews and exhaling ,mists greatly
  contribute to the ,whiteness of the   
,wine4 ',tis customary to cover the     
,baskets with wet ,cloths in a hot      
,sunshine1 because the ,liquor will be  
apt to assume a red ,tincture if the    
,grapes should happen to be heated4     
,these ,baskets are then placed on the  
,backs of such ,animals as are of  a    
gentle ,nature1 and carry their ,burdens
 with an easy ,motion to the  ,cellar1  
where the ,grapes continue covered in a 
cool ,air4 ,when the  ,warmth of the    
,sun proves moderate1 the ,labours of   
the ,vintage are not  discontinued till 
,eleven in the ,morning2 but a glowing  
,heat makes it  necessary for them to   
cease at ,nine4'    ,yet even these     
precautions were liable to fail1 since  
'the ,heat of  the ,sun and the ,shocks 
of the ,carriages are sometimes so      
violent1 and  produce such strong       
,effects upon the exterior ,coat of the 
,grapes1  that the ,fluids contained in 
that ,coat1 and which are then in       

,motion1  mix themselves with the ,juice
 of the ,pulp at the first ,pressing2 in
  consequence of which1 the ,extraction 
of a ,wine perfectly white is  rendered 
impracticable1 and its ,colour will     
resemble the ,eye of a  ,partridge1 or  
perhaps some deeper ,hue4 ,the ,quality 
of the ,wine is still  the same2 but it 
must be either entirely ,white or ,red1 
in order to  prove agreeable to the     
,taste and ,mode which now prevail4'    
,the ,count describes the two pressings 
and five cuttings1 the latter  term     
derived from the squaring of the mass of
 grapes with the cutting  peel1 and the 
system of 'glewing' this wine1 'the     
weight of an  ecu d'or' of ',fish ,glew1
 which the ,dutch import amongst us from
  ,archangel1' being added to each pice1
 with the addition sometimes  of a pint 
of spirits of wine or brandy4 ,he then  
explains the method  practised of       
drawing off the wine without disturbing 
the barrels1 by  the aid of a tube and a
 gigantic pair of bellows4 ,the vessels 

were  connected by the former1 and the  
wine then driven from one to the  other 
by the pressure of air pumped in by     
means of the latter4 ,a  sulphur-match  
was burnt in the empty vessels1 so that 
it might 'receive  a ,steam of ,spirits 
capable of promoting the natural ,fire  
and bright  ,complexion of the ,liquor4'
    ,noting that the wines should be    
again 'glewed' eight days before they   
are bottled1 ,pluche says3 ',the ,month 
of ,march is the usual ,season  for     
glewing the most tender ,wines1 such as 
those of ,ai1 ,epernai1  ,hautvilliers1 
and ,pieri1 whose chief ,consumption is 
in ,france2 but  this ,operation should 
not be performed on such strong ,wines  
as those  of ,sillery1 ,verzenai1 and   
other ,mountain ,wines of ,reims1 till  
they  are twelve ,months old1 at which  
,time they are capable of supporting    
themselves for several ,years4 ,when    
these ,wines are bottled off before     
they have exhaled their impetuous       
,particles1 they burst a ,number of     

,bottles1 and are less perfect in their 
,qualities4 ,the proper ,method  of     
bottling ,wine consists in leaving the  
,space of a ,finger's ,breadth  between 
the ,cork and the ,liquor1 and in       
binding the ,cork down with             
,packthread2 it will also be proper to  
seal the ,mouths of the ,bottles  with  
,wax1 to prevent ,mistakes and          
,impositions4 ,the ,bottles should      
likewise be reclined on one ,side1      
because if they are placed in an        
upright ,position1 the ,corks will grow 
dry in a few ,months for want of        
,moisture1 and shrink from their first  
,dimensions4 ,in ,consequence of  which 
a ,passage will be opened to the        
external ,air1 which will then  impart  
an ,acidity to the ,wine1 and form a    
white ,flower on the ,surface1  which   
will be an ,evidence of its             
,corruption4'    ,the ,mmoire of #agah  
also points out the necessity of leaving
 a space  between the cork and the wine1
 saying that without this1 when the wine

  began to work at the different seasons
 of the year1 it would break a  large   
number of bottles2 and that even despite
 this precaution large  numbers are     
broken1 especially when the wine is a   
little green4 ,the  ordinary bottles for
 ,champagne1 styled flacons1 or flasks1 
held 'a  pinte de ,paris1 less half a   
glass1' and cost from #ab to #ae francs 
the  hundred2 and as wood abounded in   
the province1 several glass-works were  
established there for their manufacture4
 ,as the bottling of the wine1          
especially in the early years1 was      
mostly to order1 many customers had     
their flasks stamped with their arms1 at
 a cost of about #cj per cent  more4    
,the corks--'solid1 even1 and not       
worm-eaten'--cost from #ej to #fj  sols 
per hundred4 ,wire was as yet quite     
unknown4 ,the cost of bottling a  poinon
 of wine in #agab was3 for #bjj bottles1
 #cj livres2 #bjj corks1 #c  livres2 #b 
baskets and packing1 #h livres2         
bottling1 string1 and sealing1  #c      

livres2 total1 #dd livres1 or say #cf   
shillings4    ,it would appear from the 
,mmoire that the pernicious practice of 
icing still ,champagne1 already noticed1
 continued in vogue as regards          
sparkling wine4 ,the wine was           
recommended to be taken out of the      
cellar  half an hour before it was      
intended it should be drunk1 and put    
into  a bucket of water with two or     
three pounds of ice4 ,the bottle had to 
be previously uncorked1 and the cork    
lightly replaced1 otherwise it  was     
believed there was danger of the bottle 
breaking4 ,a short half an  hour in the 
ice was said to bring out the goodness  
of the wine4 ,bertin  du ,rocheret      
counselled the use of ice to develop the
 real merits of a  vinous wine of ,ay4  
,footnote #aca3 ,max ,sutaine's ,essai  
sur le ,vin de ,champagne4    ,footnote 
#acb3 ,mmoires of #agah and #agbb4      
,footnote #acc3 ,ibid4    ,footnote     
#acd3 ,max ,sutaine's ,essai sur le ,vin
 de ,champagne4    ,footnote #ace3      

,mmoire of #agah4 ,the perils to which  
it was exposed  during this transit are 
pointed at in a letter to the elder     
,bertin  from a customer in ,paris in   
#afhi3 ',i thought it better to wait    
before  giving you any news of the wine 
you sent me until it was fit to drink4  
,i tapped it yesterday1 and found it    
poor4 ,i can hardly believe but that    
the boatmen did not fall-to upon it     
whenever they had need1 and took  great 
care to fill it up again1 for it could  
not have been fuller than  they         
delivered it4'    ,footnote #acf3       
,pluche's ,spectacle de la ,nature1     
#agcb4    ,footnote #acg3 ,mmoire of    
#agah4    ,footnote #ach3 ,louis        
,perrier's ,mmoire sur le ,vin de       
,champagne4 ,in  the ,mmoire of #agah1  
,ay1 ,epernay1 ,hautvillers1 and        
,cumires are alone  classed as ,vins de 
,rivire2 ,pierry1 ,fleury1 ,damery1 and 
,venteuil  being reckoned only as       
,petite ,rivire2 and there being no     
mention of  ,avize and the neighbouring 

vineyards4    ,footnote #aci3 ,as at    
,vertus1 where the red wine1 so highly  
esteemed by  ,william ,,iii4 of         
,england1 was replaced by sparkling     
wine4    ,footnote #adj3 ,max ,sutaine's
 ,essai sur le ,vin de ,champagne4      
,footnote #ada3 ,ergo vinum ,belnense   
potuum est suavissimus1 ita et          
saluberrimus4    ,footnote #adb3 ,an    
vinum ,remense sit omnium saluberrimum4 
,footnote #adc3 ,of ,ay1 ,avenay1 and   
,hautvillers 7note of ,tallemant's      
editor74    ,footnote #add3 ,tallemant  
des ,raux's ,historiettes4    ,footnote 
#ade3 ,champagne has been accused of    
producing not only gout1  but stone1    
gravel1 and rheumatism4 ,as to the      
first-named complaint1  ,bertin du      
,rocheret disposes of it by noting1 in a
 list compiled by him  of all the deaths
 of any moment at ,epernay1 from #afdd  
downwards1 the  decease1 at the age of  
seventy-five1 on ,january #a1 #agcc1 of 
,jeanne  ,maillard1 'the only person in 
the district ever attacked by the gout4'

  ,his brother-in-law1 ,dr4 ,jacques de 
,reims1 in a letter to ,helvetius  in   
#agcj1 asserts that this complaint is   
only known by name in the  ,champagne2  
and that1 as regards the stone1 not more
 than ten people  were affected         
therewith within a radius of ten        
leagues4 ,he maintained  that the       
non-mousseux white wine of the          
,champagne1 drunk at maturity  and      
tempered with water1 was the best of all
 beverages for preserving  general      
health2 and the eminent ,dr4 ,camille   
,falconnet held the same  opinion4      
,arthur ,young1 moreover1 furnishes     
spontaneous testimony with  regard to   
rheumatism4 ,extolling the sparkling    
wine of ,reims in #aghg1  he says1 ',i  
suppose fixed air is good for the       
rheumatism2 ,i had some  writhes of it  
before ,i entered ,champagne1 but the   
vin mousseux has  absolutely banished   
it2' and on reaching ,ove1 he regrets   
that 'the vin  de ,champagne1 which is  
forty sous at ,reims1 is three livres   

here1 and  execrably bad2 so there is an
 end of my physic for the rheumatism'   
7,travels in ,france in #aghg-i74       
,footnote #adf3 ,an vinum ,remense      
,burgundico suavius et salubrius4       
,footnote #adg3 ,in his ode entitled    
,vinum ,burgundum1 the passage          
aspersing the wines of ,reims runs as   
follows3          ',nam suum ,rhemi     
licet usque ,bacchum      ,jactitent3   
stu petulans jocoso      ,hic quidam    
fervet cyathis1 et aura        ,limpidus
 acri4            ,vellicat nares       
avidas2 venenum      ,at latet3 multos  
facies fefellit1      ,hic tamen spargat
 modico secundam          ,munere       
mensam4'    ,the ,french version1 by ,m4
 de ,bellechaume1 entitled an ',ode au  
,vin  de ,bourgogne1' and published in  
his ,recueil des ,posies latines et     
franaises sur les ,vins de ,champagne et
 de ,bourgogne1 ,paris #agab1 is  as    
follows3        ',vante1 ,champagne     
ambitieuse1          ,l'odeur et l'clat 
de ton vin1      ,dont la sve           

pernicieuse          ,dans ce brillant  
cache un venin1      ,tu dois toute ta  
gloire en ,france1      ,a cette agrable
 apparence1      ,qui nous attire et    
nous sduit2          ,qu' ,beaune ta    
liqueur soumise          ,dans les repas
 ne soit admise1      ,que sagement avec
 le fruit4'    ,m4 de la ,monnoye1      
himself a ,burgundian1 has rendered this
 passage  somewhat differently in an    
edition published the same year at      
,dijon3        ',jusqu'aux cieux le     
,champagne lve          ,de son vin     
ptillant la riante liqueur1          ,on
 sait qu'il brille aux yeux1 qu'il      
chatouille le coeur1      ,qu'il pique  
l'odorat d'une agrable sve4        ,mais
 craignons un poison couvert1           
,l'aspic est sous les fleurs1 que       
seulement par grce2          ,quand     
,beaune aura prim1 ,reims occupant la   
place1      ,vienne lgrement amuser le  
dessert4'      ,footnote #adh3 ,campania
 vindicata2 sive laus vini ,remensis a  
poeta  ,burgundo eleganter quidam1 sed  

immerito culpati4 ,offerebat civitati   
,remensi ,carolus ,coffin4 ,anno ,domini
 _/,,mdccxii_/4    ,footnote #adi3      
',quantum superbas vitis1 humi licet    
,prorepat1 anteit fructibus arbores     
,tantum1 orbe qu toto premuntur         
,vina super generosiora        ,remense 
surgit4 ,cedite1 ,massica      ,cantata 
,flacco ,silleriis2 neque          ,chio
 remixtum certet audax                  
,collibus ,aacis ,falernum4             
,cernis micanti concolor ut vitro       
,latex in auras1 gemmeus aspici1        
,scintellet exultim2 utque dulces       
,naribus illecebras propinet4           
,succi latentis proditor halitus        
,ut spuma motu lactea turbido           
,crystallinum ltis referre          ,mox
 oculis properet nitorem4'    ,la       
,monnoye renders this as follows3       
',autant que1 sans porter sa tte dans   
les cieux1          ,la vigne par son   
fruit est au-dessus du chne2            
,autant1 sans affecter une gloire trop  
vaine1      ,reims surpasse les vins les

 plus dlicieux4        ,qu',horace du   
,falerne entonne les louanges           
,que de son vieux ,massique il vante les
 attraits2          ,tous ces vins      
fameux n'galeront jamais      ,du       
charmant ,silleri les heureux vendanges4
        ,aussi pur que la verre ou la   
main l'a vers1          ,les yeux les   
plus perants l'en distinguent  peine2   
,qu'il est doux de sentir l'ambre de son
 haleine      ,et de prvoir le got par  
l'odeur annonc1        ,d'abord  petits 
bonds une mousse argentine              
,etincelle1 petille et bout de toutes   
parts1          ,un clat plus tranquille
 offre ensuite aux regards      ,d'un   
liquide miroir la glace cristalline4'   
,footnote #aej3        ',non hc malignus
 quidlibet obstrepat      ,livor2       
nocentes dissimulant dolos              
,leni veneno4 ,vina certant             
,inguenuos retinere ,gentis             
,campana mores4 ,non stomacho movent    
gro tumultum2 non gravidum caput        
,fulagine infestant opac4'              

,bellechaume renders these lines in the 
,recueil as follows3        ',il n'a    
point1 quoiqu'on insinue          ,de   
poison parmi ses douceurs1      ,et de  
sa province ingnue          ,la         
,champagne a gard les moeurs4      ,il  
n'excite point de tempte          ,dans 
les estomacs languissants2      ,son feu
 lger monte  la tte1          ,eveille  
et rjouit les sens4'    ,la ,monnoye    
gives them thus3        ',taisez-vous   
envieux dont la langue cruelle          
,veut qu'ici sous les fleurs se cache le
 venin2          ,connaissez la         
,champagne1 et respectez un vin         
,qui des moeurs du climat est l'image   
fidle4        ,non1 ce jus qu' grand    
tort vous osez outrager          ,de    
images fcheux ne trouble point la tte1  
,jamais dans l'estomac n'excite de      
tempte2      ,il est tendre1 il est net1
 dlicat et lger4'        ,footnote #aea3
        ',ergo ut secundis 7parcere nam 
decet      ,karo liquori7 se comitem    
addidit          ,mensis renidens       

,testa2 frontem1          ,arbitra      
ltiti1 resolvit        ,austeriorum4    
,tune cyathos juvat      ,siccare       
molles3 tunc hilaris jocos              
,conviva fundit liberales2              
,tunc procul alterius valere4'          
,bellechaume has rendered this3         
',sitt que sur de riches tables         
,de ce nectar avec le fruit      ,on    
sert les coupes dlectables1          ,de
 joie il s'lve un doux bruit2      ,on  
voit1 mme sur le visage      ,du plus   
svre et du plus sage1          ,un air  
joyeux et plus serein3      ,le ris1    
l'entretien se reveille2      ,il n'est 
plus de liqueur pareille          ,a cet
 lixir souverain4'    ,la ,monnoye's    
version is as follows3        ',vers la 
fin du repas1  l'approche du fruit1     
7,car on doit mnager une liqueur si     
fine71          ,aussitt que parait la  
bouteille divine1      ,des ,grces      
l'instant l'aimable choeur la suit      
,parmi les convis1 s'lve un doux        
murmure2          ,le plus stoque alors 

se deride le front4'      ,footnote     
#aeb3 ,that of ,utrecht1 concluded the  
following year1 #agac4    ,footnote     
#aec3 ,ad clarissimum virum             
,guidonem-,crescentium ,fagon regi  a   
secretoribus consiliis1 archiatrorum    
comitem2 ut suam ,burgundo vino         
prestantiam adversus ,campanum vinum    
asserat4    ,footnote #aed3 ,the        
original lines and the translation1     
published by  ,bellechaume the same year
 in his ,recueil1 prove1 as do the      
extracts  already quoted from ,coffin1  
that a sparkling wine was meant4 ,the   
former  run thus--        ',hinc inversa
 scyphis tumet1 fremitque2              
,spumasque agglomerat furore mixtas     
stuans1 levis1 inquies proterva2'       
,bellechaume's translation is as above--
        ',enfls du mme orgueil tous ses 
vins bondissants      ,n'lvent que des  
flots cumeux frmissants      ,leur      
liqueur furieuse1 inconstante et lgre   
,etincelle1 petille1 et bout dans la    
fougre4'      ,footnote #aee3 ,these    

epigrams and their translation are given
  anonymously1 as follows1 in           
,bellechaume's ,recueil3        ',quid  
medicos testa implores ,burgunda8       
,laboras          ,nemo velit medicam   
poscere sanus opem4      ,cur fugis ad  
doctum1 ,burgundica testa1 ,fagonem8    
,arte valet multa1 sed nimis gra jaces4'
        ',a ce que je me persuade       
,sur la qualit des bons vins1           
,grenan1 ta cause est bien malade1      
,tu consultes les mdecins4      ,quand  
on s'adresse au mdecin          ,c'est  
qu'on prouve une souffrance2            
,bourgogne1 vous n'tes pas sain         
,puisqu'il vous faut une ordonnance4'   
,footnote #aef3 ,decretum medica apud   
insulam ,coon facultatis super  poetica 
lite ,campanum inter et ,burgundum vinum
 ort post editum a  poeta ,burgundo     
libellum supplicem4 ,by several writers 
this poem has  been ascribed to ,grenan2
 but ,m4 ,philibert ,milsaud1 in his    
,procs  potique touchant les ,vins de   
,bourgogne et de ,champagne 7,paris1    

#ahff71  clearly shows that1 although in
 favour of ,burgundy1 the judgment is an
  ironical one1 and that the signature  
,c4 ,c4 ,r4 stands for ,carolus ,coffin 
,remensis4    ,footnote #aeg3 ,ode      
,messieurs ,coffin et ,grenan1          
,professeurs de ,belles  ,lettres1 sur  
leurs ,combats potiques au sujet des    
,vins de ,bourgogne et  de ,champagne1  
in ,bellechaume's ,recueil4    ,footnote
 #aeh3        ',pour connatre la        
diffrence          ,du nectar de ,beaune
 et de ,reims1      ,il faut mettre     
votre science          ,a bien goter de 
ces deux vins4'      ,footnote #aei3 ,in
 an anonymous letter addressed to       
,grenan on ,february  #agab1 and        
published in the ,recueil4    ,footnote 
#afj3        ',un franc ,bourguignon se 
fait gloire      ,d'tre avec un ,remois 
boire2      ,ils sont tous deux bons    
connaisseurs1      ,et ne sont pas moins
 bons buveurs4'      ,footnote #afa3    
,les ,clbrits du ,vin de ,champagne4    
,epernay1 #ahhj4  ,maucroix died in his 

ninetieth year in #agjh4    ,footnote   
#afb3 ,henderson's ,history of ,ancient 
and ,modern ,wines4    ,footnote #afc3  
,in the ,journal des ,savants4          
,footnote #afd3        ',vieux          
,bourguignon1 jeune ,champagne          
,font l'agrment de nos festins4'        
,from ,la ,critique1 an opera of        
,panard's1 produced in #agdb4           
,footnote #afe3 ',with what vivacity1'  
he exclaims1 with a strange  blending of
 poetry and science1 'does this divine  
liquid burst forth  in sparkling        
foam-bells6 ,and what an agreeable      
impression it produces  upon the        
olfactory organs6 ,what a delicious     
sensation it creates upon  the delicate 
fibres of the palate6 444 ,it is fixed  
air which1 by its  impetuous motion1    
forms and raises up that foam1 the      
whiteness of  which1 rivalling that of  
milk1 soon offers to our astonished eye 
the  lustre of the most transparent     
crystal4 ,it is this same air that1  by 
its expansion and the effervescence it  

produces1 develops the  action of the   
vinous spirit of which it is the        
vehicle1 in order that  the papill of   
the nerves may more promptly receive the
 delicious  impression4444 ,vainly      
calumny spreads the report on all sides 
that the  sparkle of our wines is       
injurious2 vainly it asserts that they  
have  only a hurtful fire and a         
worthless flavour4 ,incapable of hiding 
under  an insidious appearance a        
perfidious venom1 they will always      
present a  faithful image of the        
ingenuousness of their native province4'
    ,footnote #aff3 ,max ,sutaine's     
,essai sur le ,vin de ,champagne4       
,footnote #afg3 ,henderson's ,history of
 ,ancient and ,modern ,wines4  ,pluche1 
in his ,spectacle de la ,nature1 notices
 the controversy  regarding the         
respective merits of the wines of the   
,marne and the ,cte  d',or in the       
following terms3    ',count3 ,if we will
 be determined by the finest palates1   
the ,champaign  wine is much preferable 

to ,burgundy4    ,prior3 ,it is a       
sufficient honour for ,champaign to be  
admitted to the  same degree of         
estimation with ,burgundy2 and it may   
very well dispense  with the priority4  
,i always thought ,burgundy had some    
similitude with  a solid understanding1 
which affects us with lasting           
impressions1 and  that ,champaign       
resembles a lively wit1 which glitters  
more upon the  imagination1 but which is
 not always serviceable to its          
possessor4    ,count3 ,if you had made  
the froth of some ,champaign wines and  
the  sallies of a sprightly wit your    
parallel1 ,i should have thought it     
unexceptionable2 and several pleasant   
remarks might be made on this           
sprightliness without solidity4 ,but    
such a ,champaign wine as that of       
,sillery unites all the vigour of       
,burgundy1 with an agreeable flavour    
peculiar to itself4    ,prior3 ,i prefer
 useful qualities to those that are     
merely agreeable4  ,burgundy seems to be

 a more salutary wine than ,champaign1  
and will  always be triumphant for that 
reason4 ,its colour alone declares it to
  be a wine of a good body1 and ,i must 
confess ,i am apt to be diffident  of   
all dazzling appearances4    ,count3    
,people believe that this deep colour1  
so esteemed in ,burgundy  wines1 is an  
indication of their wholesomeness2 but  
it is observable  in the grossest wines1
 and results from an intermixture of the
 husky  parts of the grape4 ,wine1 in   
proportion to the quantity of these     
particles blended with it1 will be less 
qualified for digestion4  ,the gout1    
therefore1 and the stone1 with which the
 inhabitants of  wine-countries are so  
frequently afflicted1 are distempers    
hardly  known either at ,reims or on the
 banks of the ,marne1 where the wines   
are very moderately coloured4444 ,wines 
may be made almost as white in          
,burgundy as they are in ,champaign1    
though not so good2 and1 on the  other  
hand1 the ,champenois press a wine as   

red as the ,burgundy growth1  and the   
merchants sell it either as the best    
species of ,burgundy to  the            
wine-conners1 who are the first people  
that are deceived in it1 or  as red     
,champaign to the connoisseurs1 who     
prefer it to any other wine4  ,if we may
 judge of the merit of wines by the     
price1 we shall certainly  assign the   
preference to ,champaign1 since the     
finest species of this  wine is sold in 
the vaults of ,sillery and ,epernai for 
six1 seven1 or  eight hundred livres1   
when the same quality of the best       
,burgundy may be  purchased for three   
hundred4    ,countess3 ,let me entreat  
you1 gentlemen1 to leave this           
controversy  undecided4 ,the equal      
pretensions that are formed by these two
 great  provinces promote an emulation  
which is advantageous to us4 ,the       
partisans for ,burgundy and ,champaign  
form two factions in the ,state2  but   
their contests are very entertaining1   
and their encounters not  at all        

dangerous4 ,it is very usual to see the 
zealots of one party  maintaining a     
correspondence with those of the other2 
they frequently  associate together     
without any reserve1 and those who were 
advocates  for ,burgundy at the         
beginning of the entertainment are      
generally  reconciled to ,champaign     
before the appearance of the dessert4'  
,footnote #afh3 ,letters1 c4 ,hamburg   
and ,paris1 #aghh4 ,the translator      
adds1 as a note1 ',people do not any    
longer get drunk on ,champagne4'        
,footnote #afi3 ,mmoires du ,duc de ,st4
 ,simon4    ,footnote #agj3 ,journal de 
,barbier4    ,footnote #aga3 ,a curious 
proof of the popularity of sparkling    
,champagne1 and of the singular system  
of provincial government into  which    
,france was broken up during the reign  
of ,louis ,,xv41 is found  in a decree  
of the ,council of ,state1 dated ,may   
#be1 #agbh4 ,the decree  in question    
begins by setting forth that1 by the    
,ordonnance des  aides de ,normandie1   

wine was forbidden to be brought into   
,rouen or  its suburbs in bottles1 jugs1
 or any less vessels than hogsheads and 
barrels--with the exception of vin de   
liqueur packed in boxes--under  pain of 
confiscation and one hundred livres'    
fine1 and that carriers  were prohibited
 from conveying wine in bottles in the  
province without  leave from the fermier
 des aides4 ,nevertheless1 petitions had
 been  presented by the maire and       
chevins of ,reims1 stating 'that the    
trade in the gray wines of ,champagne   
had considerably increased  for some    
years past1 through the precautions     
taken at the place of  production to    
bottle them during the first moon of the
 month of ,march  following the vintage1
 in order to render them mousseux2 that 
those  who make use of the gray wine of 
,champagne prefer that which is         
mousseux to that which is not2 and that 
this gray wine cannot be  transported in
 casks into the interior of the kingdom 
or to foreign  countries without totally

 losing its qualities1'--a statement    
probably  intentionally overdrawn1 since
 ,bertin du ,rocheret used to export it 
in  casks to ,england4 ,yet the fermiers
 des aides de ,normandie claimed  to    
prohibit the transport of wines in      
bottle2 and if their pretension  held   
good1 the trade in the gray wine of     
,champagne would be destroyed4          
',shifting the cause1 as a lawyer knows 
how1' the decree recapitulates  the plea
 of the fermiers that the transport of  
wine in bottles  offered facilities for 
defrauding the revenue1 since a carrier 
with  a load could easily leave some of 
it en route with innkeepers1 and  these 
in turn could hide bottles holding a    
pinte de ,paris from the  officers in   
chests1 cupboards1 c41 and sell them    
subsequently1 to the  detriment of the  
droits de dtail4    ,the foregoing duly 
rehearsed1 there follows the decree     
permitting 'to  be sent in bottles into 
the province of ,normandy1 for the      
consumption  of the said province1 gray 

wine of ,champagne in baskets1 which    
must not  hold less than one hundred    
bottles1' but prohibiting the           
introduction  in bottles of any other   
growth or quality1 under the penalty of 
confiscation and one hundred livres'    
fine4 ,permission is also given  to pass
 gray and red wine of ,champagne1 or of 
any other cru or  quality1 in baskets of
 fifty or one hundred bottles for       
conveyance  into other provinces1 or for
 shipment to foreign parts by the ports 
of  ,rouen1 ,caen1 ,dieppe1 and ,havre4 
,the wagoners1 however1 in all cases    
are to have certificates signed and     
countersigned by all manner of          
authorities1 and are only to enter the  
province by certain specified  routes4  
,all wine1 too1 is to pay the droit de  
dtail1 except in the  case of people not
 continuously residing in the province1 
who may  be going to their estates1 or  
those bound for the eaux de ,forges1 a  
celebrated watering-place1 both of whom 
may take a certain quantity in  bottle  

with them for their own consumption free
 of duty4    ,footnote #agb3 ',to be    
drunk as nouveau or bottled1' says ,m4  
,louis  ,perrier in his ,mmoire sur le  
,vin de ,champagne4    ,footnote #agc3  
,d',argenson's ,mmoires4    ,footnote   
#agd3 ,bois-,jourdain's ,mlanges        
,historiques4 ,the editor of  the       
,journal de ,barbier observes in a note 
to a passage referring to  the ,king's  
suppers at ,la ,muette with ,madame de  
,mailly1 under the date  of ,november   
#agcg3 ',these suppers were drinking    
bouts4 ,it was there that  the ,king    
acquired a taste for ,champagne4'       
,footnote #age3 ,clauteau's ,relation de
 ce qui s'est pass au ,passage du  ,roi4
 ,reims1 #agdd4    ,footnote #agf3      
,ibid4    ,footnote #agg3 ,varin's      
,archives ,administratives de ,reims4   
,footnote #agh3 ,louis ,paris' ,histoire
 de l',abbaye d',avenay4    ,footnote   
#agi3 ,amongst these may be cited the   
,abb ,bignon1 who1 in a  letter to      
,bertin du ,rocheret dated ,january     

#agcd1 says3 ',the less the  wine is    
mousseux and glittering1 and the more1  
on the contrary1 it  shows at the outset
 of what you style liqueur1 and ,i1 in  
chemical  terms1 should rather call     
balsamic parts1 the better ,i shall     
think of  it4'    ,footnote #ahj3 ,louis
 ,perrier's ,mmoire sur le ,vin de      
,champagne4    ,footnote #aha3          
',chloris1 ,egl me versent de leur main 
,d'un vin d',ay dont la mousse presse1  
,de la bouteille avec force lance1      
,comme un clair fait voler son bouchon4 
,il part1 on rit2 il frappe le plafond3 
,de ce vin frais l'cume ptillante       
,de nos ,franais est l'image brillante4'
      ,footnote #ahb3        ',de ce vin
 blanc dlicieux          ,qui mousse et 
brille dans le verre1          ,dont les
 mortels ne boivent gures2      ,et     
qu'on ne sert jamais qu' la table des   
dieux      ,ou des grands1 pour en      
parler mieux1          ,qui sont les    
seuls dieux de la terre4'      ,footnote
 #ahc3 ,desaulx1 a canon of ,reims      

,cathedral1 rendered  ,lebatteux's ode  
as follows3        ',ce n'est point sur 
les monts de ,rhodope et de ,thrace     
,que j'irai t'invoquer2 ces monts       
couverts de glace1          ,sont-ils   
propres  tes faveurs8      ,non1 ,reims 
te voit rgner bien plus sur ses         
collines2      ,l je t'offre mes voeux2 
de nos ctes voisines          ,embrases 
moi de tes ardeurs4        ,soit que    
d'un lait mousseux l'cume ptillante1    
,soit qu'un rouge vermeil1 par sa       
couleur brillante1          ,t'annonce  
mes regards surpris1      ,viens1 anime 
mes vers2 ma muse impatiente      ,veut 
devoir en ce jour les accords qu'elle   
enfante          ,a la force de tes     
esprits4'      ,footnote #ahd3          
',non1 telles gens ne boivent pas       
,de cette sve dlectable1      ,l'me et  
l'amour de nos repas1          ,aussi   
bienfaisante qu'aimable4          ,leur 
palais corrompu1 gt1          ,ne veut  
que du vin frelat1          ,de ce      
poison vert1 apprt1      ,pour des      

cervelles frntiques4      ,si1          
tenons-nous pour hrtiques          ,ceux
 qui rejettent la bont      ,de ces     
corpusculs balsamiques          ,que    
jadis ,horace a chants4        ,non1    
telles gens ne boivent pas          ,de 
cette sve dlectable1      ,l'me et      
l'honneur de nos repas1          ,aussi 
bienfaisante qu'aimable4      ,de ce vin
 blanc dlicieux1          ,qui dsarme la
 plus svre2      ,qui ptille dans vos   
beaux yeux          ,mieux qu'il ne     
brille dans mon verre4      ,buvons1    
buvons  qui mieux mieux1          ,je   
vous livre une douce guerre2            
,buvons1 buvons de ce vin vieux1        
,de ce nectar dlicieux1      ,qui ptille
 dans vos beaux yeux          ,mieux    
qu'il ne brille dans mon verre4'    ,the
 above was set to music by ,m4 ,dormel1 
organist of ,st4 ,genevive4    ,footnote
 #ahe3 ,marmontel's ,mmoires d'un ,pre  
pour l'instruction de  ses ,enfants4 ,m4
 ,louis ,paris1 in his ,histoire de     
l',abbaye d',avenay1  identifies this   

spot as one known indifferently as ,le  
,fay or ,feuilly4  ,he furnishes some   
interesting details respecting          
,mademoiselle de  ,navarre1 who1 after  
being the mistress of ,marshal ,saxe1   
married the  ,chevalier de ,mirabeau1   
brother to the ,ami des ,hommes and     
uncle of  the celebrated orator1 and    
then goes on to say3 ',in the           
seventeenth  and eighteenth centuries   
the wines of ,avenay shared with those  
of  ,hautvillers the glory of rivalling 
the best of ,ay4 ,avenay1 les  bons     
raisins1 was the popular saying         
inscribed on the banner of  its         
chevaliers de l',arquebuse 7a corps of  
local sharpshooters74  ,la ,bruyre1 ,st4
 ,evremond1 ,boileau himself1           
,coulanges1 ,l',atteignant1  and many   
others had celebrated the tender and    
delicate wines of our  vineyards2 and   
that of ,madame l',abbesse especially   
had acquired such  a reputation1 that   
several great families1 strangers to the
 locality1  thought it the right thing  

to have a vendangeoir at ,avenay1 and to
  pass part of the autumn in the        
renowned ,val d',or4'    ,footnote #ahf3
        ',vois ce nectar charmant       
,sauter sous ces beaux doigts2      ,et 
partir  l'instant2      ,je crois bien  
que l'amour en ferait tout autant4      
,et quoi sous ces beaux doigts          
,bouchon a donc saut pour la premire    
fois8      ,croyez-vous que l'amour     
,leur fit un pareil tour8'              
,footnote #ahg3        ',le jus que     
verse ,ganimde          ,a ,jupiter dans
 ses repas      ,a ce vin de ,champagne 
cde1          ,et nous sommes mieux ici 
bas4'        ,from the edition of his   
,poesies published in #ageg4            
,footnote #ahh3        ',et quand je    
dcoiffe un flacon          ,le lige qui 
pette      ,me fait entendre un plus    
beau son          ,que tambour et       
trompette4'        ,panard's ,,oeuvres1 
,paris1 #agfc4      ,footnote #ahi3     
',diaphorus au marchand de vin          
,vend bien cher un extrait de rivire2   

,le marchand vend au mdecin          ,du
 ,champagne arriv de ,nanterre1      ,ce
 qui prouve encor ce refrain-ci      ,a 
trompeur1 trompeur et demi4'            
,footnote #aij3        ',pour jouir d'un
 destin plus tranquille et plus doux    
,de ce bruyant sjour1 amis1 loignons    
nous1      ,allons1 dans mon cellier1 du
 ,champagne et du ,beaune               
,goter les doux appas4          ,les    
plaisirs n'y sont pas troubls par       
l'embarras1      ,et le funeste ennui   
qui monte jusqu'au trne          ,dans  
les caveaux ne descend pas4'            
,footnote #aia3        ',c'est alors    
qu'un joyeux convive1                   
,saississant un flacon scell1      ,qui 
de ,reims ou d',ai tient la liqueur     
captive1      ,fait sauter jusqu' la    
solive              ,le lige deficell2  
,tout le cercle attentif porte un regard
 avide              ,sur cet objet qui  
les ravit2      ,ils prsentent leur     
verre vide1      ,le nectar ptillant    
aussitt les remplit4      ,on boit1 on  

gote1 on applaudit1      ,on redouble et
 par l'assemble      ,la mousse         
,champenoise  plein verre est sable4    
,de l naissent les ris1 les transports  
clatans1              ,la sve et tout   
son feu1 jusqu'au cerveau montants1     
,font natre des dbats1 des querelles    
polies              ,qui rveillent      
l'esprit de tous les assistants4'       
,footnote #aib3 ,an allusion to the vin 
gris of the ,champagne4    ,footnote    
#aic3        ',grce  la liqueur         
,qui lave mon coeur1          ,nul souci
 ne me consume4      ,de ce vin gris    
,que je chris          ,l'cume1         
,lorsque j'en boi      ,quel feu chez   
moi          ,s'allume6      ,nectar    
enchanteur1      ,tu fais mon bonheur2  
,viens1 mon cher ami6 ,que j't'hume6    
,champagne divin1      ,du plus noir    
chagrin          ,tu dissipes           
l'amertume4      ,tu sais mrir1      ,tu
 sais gurir          ,le rhume4         
,quel got flatteur      ,ta douce odeur 
,parfume6      ,pour tant de bienfaits  

,et pour tant d'attraits2               
,viens1 mon cher ami6 ,que j't'hume6'   
,footnote #aid3 ,max ,sutaine's ,essai  
sur le ,vin de ,champagne4    ,footnote 
#aie3 ,m4 ,sutaine observes that in     
#aghj a merchant of ,epernay  bottled   
#fjjj bottles1 and that the importance  
of this tirage was  noted as something  
remarkable2 and this statement has been 
repeated  by every other writer on      
,champagne4 ,yet here is a tirage of    
#fjjj  bottles taking place thirty-four 
years previously4 ,the extent of the    
bottled-wine trade is confirmed by      
,arthur ,young1 who in #aghg visited    
,ay1 where ,m4 ,lasnier had #fj1jjj     
bottles in his cellar1 and ,m4 ,dors    
from #cj1jjj to #dj1jjj4 ,marmontel in  
#agaf mentions ,henin de ,navarre's     
cellars at ,avenay as containing #ej1jjj
 bottles of ,champagne4    ,footnote    
#aif3 ,e4 ,j4 ,maumen's ,trait du       
,travail des ,vins1 #ahgd4    ,footnote 
#aig3 ,ibid4 ,the casse of #aggf has    
never been forgotten at  ,epernay2 and  

,m4 ,perrier1 in a letter of ,august    
#ahja1 mentions a recent  one at ,avize 
amounting to #he per cent4 ,that of     
#ahdb flooded the cellars  throughout   
the ,champagne4 ,even in #ahej ,m4      
,maumen mentions a casse  in a ,reims   
cellar which had reached #ih per cent at
 his visit1 and was  still continuing4  
,footnote #aih3 ,max ,sutaine's ,essai  
sur le ,vin de ,champagne4 ,the ,abb    
,bignon confirms this in a letter of    
,december #bj1 #agcf1 to ,bertin du     
,rocheret1 respecting wine received from
 him4 ',the wine sealed with  a cipher  
in red wax1' he observes1 'seemed to me 
very delicate1 but  having as yet some  
liqueur which time may get rid of1      
though after  that ,i am afraid there   
will not remain much strength4 ,another1
 also  sealed with red wax1 but with a  
coat-of-arms1 seems to have more        
quality and vinosity1 though also very  
delicate and very light1 both  sablant  
perfectly1 though they cannot be called 
mousseux4 ,as to  that which is sealed  

with black1 the people who esteem foam  
would  bestow the most magnificent      
eulogies upon it4 ,it would be difficult
  to find any that carries this         
beautiful perfection further4 ,three    
spoonfuls at the bottom of the glass is 
surmounted with the strongest  foam to  
the very brim2 on the other hand1 ,i    
found in it a furious  vert1 and not    
much vinosity4'    ,footnote #aii3 ,in  
#agcd he speaks of his mousseux sablant1
 and  forwards to the ,marquis de       
,polignac both mousseux and petillant4  
,in  #agcf he offers ,m4 ,vron de ,bussy
 his choice of demi-mousseux1 bon       
mousseux1 and saute bouchon2 and the    
following year distinguishes  his ,ay   
mousseux from his saute bouchon4        
,footnote #bjj3 ,respecting the price of
 sparkling ,champagne during  the first 
half of the eighteenth century1 a few   
instances from the  correspondence of   
,bertin du ,rocheret may here he quoted4
 ,in #agaf he  offers ,marshal          
d',artagnan #aejj bottles at #ce sols1  

cash down1 and taken  at ,epernay4 ,in  
#agbe he offers flacons blancs mousseux 
liqueur at from  #cj to #ej sols1 and   
ambrs non mousseux1 sablant1 at #be     
sols4 ,ten  years later saute bouchon is
 quoted by him at #dj and #de sols1 and 
in #agcf at #c livres1 demi-mousseux    
ranging from #cf to #dj sols1 and  bon  
mousseux from #de to #ej sols4 ,the     
following year saute bouchon  fetched #c
 livres #f sols1 and mousseux #db sols4 
,in #agcf he insisted  upon his flacons 
holding a pinte2 and a royal decree of  
,march  #h1 #agee1 which regulated the  
weight and capacity of sparkling-wine   
bottles1 required these to weigh #be    
ounces1 and to hold a pinte de  ,paris1 
or about #a4fd imperial pint4 ,they     
were1 moreover1 to be tied  crosswise on
 the top of the cork1 with a string of  
three strands well  twisted4 ,their cost
 was #ae livres per hundred in #agcd and
 #agch1 and  from #ag to #ai livres in  
#aged4    ,footnote #bja3 ,louis        
,perrier's ,mmoire sur le ,vin de       

,champagne4    ,footnote #bjb3 ,it would
 appear from ,bidet that the wines of   
the  ,mountain had not been transformed 
into vin mousseux as late as #ageb1  as1
 in his book on wine published during   
that year1 he only includes in  the list
 of places producing sparkling wine ,ay1
 ,avenay1 ,mareuil1 ,dizy1              
,hautvillers1 ,epernay1 ,pierry1        
,cramant1 ,avize1 and ,le ,mesnil4      
,footnote #bjc3        ',votre palais1  
us1 perclus          ,par liqueur       
inflammable1      ,prfre de mousseux    
verjus          ,au nectar vritable4'   
,footnote #bjd3 ,louis ,perrier's       
,mmoire sur le ,vin de ,champagne4 ,in  
the thesis in favour of ,champagne1     
written by ,dr4 ,xavier of ,reims  in   
#aggg1 the acidulous character of the   
wine is confirmed by the  author1 who   
navely remarks that it is as efficacious
 in preventing  putrefaction as are     
other acids4 ,he also compares it to    
acidulated  waters4    ,footnote #bje3  
,legrand d',aussy's ,vie prive des      

,franais1 #aghb4    ,footnote #bjf3     
,louis ,perrier's ,mmoire sur le ,vin de
 ,champagne4 ,the  pretended secret of  
,dom ,perignon1 quoted from the ,mmoire 
of #agah1  and mentioning the addition  
of sugar to the wine of ,hautvillers1 is
  flatly contradicted by ,dom           
,grossart's letter to ,m4 ,dherbs 7see  
page #da  ante74 ,but it is probable    
that the suggestion thus made public was
  acted upon1 though at first only      
timidly4    ,footnote #bjg3 ,chaptal's  
,art de faire du ,vin4 ,as ,minister of 
the  ,interior1 he forwarded the results
 of his experiments to the prfets1  with
 the recommendation to spread them      
throughout their departments4           
,footnote #bjh3 ,louis ,perrier's       
,mmoire sur le ,vin de ,champagne4      
,footnote #bji3 ,letter of ,m4 ,nicolas 
,perrier to ,m4 ,cadet-,devaux1 dated   
,august #ahja4    ,footnote #baj3 ,as   
bourru1 tocane1 and en nouveau4         
,footnote #baa3 ,louis ,perrier's       
,mmoire sur le ,vin de ,champagne4      

,footnote #bab3 ,the letter in which he 
mentions this is extant1 but the  secret
 which was enclosed in it is missing4   
,footnote #bac3 ,dom ,grossart1 who had 
retired to ,montier-en-,der in #agij1   
was unacquainted with this plan when he 
wrote to ,m4 ,dherbs in #ahba1  although
 it had been practised for twenty years 
past4    ,footnote #bad3 ,in a _/,,ms4_/
 quoted in ,varin's ,archives           
,administratives  de ,reims4            
,footnote #bae3 ,the gifts presented by 
the municipality on this occasion       
included flowers1 pears1 and            
gingerbread1 ,reims being as famed for  
the  latter as for its wines4 ,the guild
 of gingerbread-makers at ,reims was    
established in the sixteenth century1   
and from that time forward was  engaged 
in continual squabbles with the bakers  
and pastrycooks of the  city1 who could 
not be brought to understand that they  
had not the  right to make gingerbread4 
,countless reams of paper were scribbled
  over by the lawyers of the two        

contending interests2 but though the    
,bailli of ,reims on several occasions  
pronounced a formal verdict1 to  the    
effect that no one but a sworn and      
accepted gingerbread-maker  should have 
act or part in the making of the        
indigestible delicacy1 the  contumacious
 bakers continued to treat his edicts as
 naught4 ,eventually  a royal edict of  
#aggf1 which suppressed the privileges  
of the majority  of the guilds in       
,france1 deprived the ,reims            
gingerbread-makers for ever  of the     
right of figuring with swords by their  
sides and three-cornered  hats on their 
heads at all local ceremonies1 civil or 
religious1 and  threw their trade open  
to all4    ,it was at the close of      
,louis ,,xiv4's reign that the pain     
d'pice  of ,reims reached the summit of 
its renown4 ,at the coronation of his   
successor1 the chevins of ,reims        
presented the monarch with several      
baskets of it2 and when ,maria          
,leczinska passed through ,reims in     

,january #agbe1 the notables offered her
 twelve wicker baskets1 covered  with   
damask and ornamented with ribbons1     
containing fresh and dried  pears1      
conserves1 preserved lemons1            
almond-cakes1 and a new kind of         
gingerbread1 which received the name of 
nonnette  la ,reine4    ,footnote #baf3 
,this escutcheon shows the arms of      
,reims1 which at  first consisted of    
rineaux or branches2 subsequently a     
cross and a  crozier1 placed            
saltire-wise1 and a sainte ,ampoule1    
were added4 ,when  the government of the
 city passed from the archbishop1 the   
entwined  olive-branches and chief      
strewn with fleurs de lis were adopted1 
the  old motto1 ',dieu en soit garde1'  
being retained4 ,the iron gates of the  
,porte de ,paris were removed to their  
present position in #ahdc1 to allow  of 
the passage of the canal4    ,footnote  
#bag3 ,from the days of ,charles ,,viii4
 to those of ,louis ,,xiv41  it was     
customary on these occasions for the    

keys to be presented by a  young girl   
styled the ,pucelle de ,reims2 and ,j4  
,m4 ,c4 ,leber1 in his work  ,des       
,crmonies du ,sacre1 is of opinion that 
this custom arose in some  way from the 
visit of ,joan of ,arc4 ,louis ,,xv4 was
 the first who received  them from the  
lieutenant4    ,footnote #bah3 ,baron   
,taylor's ,reims1 la ,ville de ,sacres4 
,footnote #bai3 ,n4 ,menin's ,trait du  
,sacre et ,couronnement des ,rois4      
,footnote #bbj3 ,p4 ,tarb's ,reims1 ses 
,rues et ses ,monuments4    ,footnote   
#bba3 ,h4 ,taine's ,l',ancien ,rgime4   
,footnote #bbb3 ,ibid4    ,footnote     
#bbc3 ,arthur ,young's ,travels in      
,france in #aghg-i4    ,footnote #bbd3  
,ibid4 ,another grievance alleged       
against the monasteries  was the        
presence of the innumerable fishponds   
belonging to them  scattered throughout 
the country4 ,the ,cahier des ,plaintes1
 ,dolances1  et ,remontrances du ,tiers 
,etat du ,baillage de ,reims1 on the    
,assembly of  the ,states ,general under

 ,louis ,,xvi41 ask that 'all fishponds 
situate  outside woods and1 above all1  
those which lie close to vineyards1 may 
be suppressed1 as hurtful to            
agriculture4'    ,footnote #bbe3 ,h4    
,taine's ,l',ancien ,rgime4    ,footnote
 #bbf3 ,instructions of local directeurs
 des aides1 quoted  from the ,archives  
,nationales by ,taine4    ,footnote     
#bbg3 ,h4 ,taine's ,l',ancien ,rgime4   
,footnote #bbh3 ,les ,clbrits du ,vin de
 ,champagne1 ,epernay1 #ahhj4           
,footnote #bbi3 ,h4 ,taine's ,l',ancien 
,rgime4 ,at ,rethel a poinon of the     
jauge de ,reims paid #ej to #fj francs  
for the droit de dtail alone4           
,footnote #bcj3 ,arthur ,young's        
,travels in ,france in #aghg-i4         
,footnote #bca3 ,h4 ,taine's ,l',ancien 
,rgime4    ,footnote #bcb3 ,crebillon   
the younger's ,les ,bijoux ,indiscrets4 
,footnote #bcc3 ,a _/,,ms4_/ account of 
the wine culture of ,poligny in the     
,jura states that in #aggd attempts were
 made to imitate the gray and  pink     

wines of the ,champagne1 then selling at
 #c livres #aj sous the  bottle4        
,footnote #bcd3 ,erckmann-,chatrian's   
,histoire d'un ,paysan4    ,footnote    
#bce3 ',suppose ,champagne flowing1'    
says ,carlyle1 when  describing this    
banquet in his ,french ,revolution4     
,footnote #bcf3 ,carlyle's ,french      
,revolution4    ,footnote #bcg3 ,the    
date ',an #a;er de la libert' may       
possibly refer  to the ',year ,one' of  
the ,republican calendar 7#agib71 in    
which ,mirabeau  fell in a duel at      
,fribourg4 ,but an earlier edition of   
the same  caricature seems to have been 
published1 according to ,de ,goncourt in
  the ,journal de la ,mode et du ,got1  
in ,may #agij4    ,footnote #bch3       
',malgr les calembours1 les brocards1   
les dictons1      ,je veux  mes repas   
vuider mes deux flacons1'    are the    
lines assigned to him in ,le ,vicomte de
 ,barjoleau1 ou le ,souper  des ,noirs1 
a two-act comedy of the epoch4          
,footnote #bci3    ,illustration3 ,,le  

,,gourmand3 ,,an ,,incident ,,of ,,louis
 ,,xvi4',s ,,flight ,,from  ,,paris     
7,from a caricature of the period74     
,this caricature1 which is neither      
signed nor dated1 is simply entitled    
',le ,gourmand2' though ,jaime1 in his  
,histoire de la ,caricature1 states     
that it represents ,louis ,,xvi4 at     
,varennes4 ,according to ,carlyle1      
however1 the king reached ,varennes at  
eleven o'clock at night1 was at  once   
arrested in his carriage1 and taken to  
,procureur ,sausse's house4  ,here he   
'demands refreshments1 as is written2   
gets bread-and-cheese1  with a bottle of
 ,burgundy1 and remarks that it is the  
best ,burgundy he  ever drunk4' ,at six 
o'clock the following morning he left   
,varennes1  escorted by ten thousand    
,national ,guards4 ,very likely there   
may have  been a story current at the   
time to the effect that the arrest was  
due  to the king's halting to gratify   
his appetite4 ,or the caricature may    
represent some incident that occurred1  

during his return to ,paris1 as  he     
passed through the ,champagne district1 
and halted at the ,htel de  ,rohan at   
,epernay4    ,footnote #bdj3 ,de        
,goncourt's ,socit ,franaise pendant la 
,rvolution4    ,footnote #bda3 ,ibid4   
,footnote #bdb3 ,st4 ,aubin's ,expdition
 de ,don ,quichotte4    ,footnote #bdc3 
,aux voleurs6 aux voleurs6 quoted by ,de
 ,goncourt4    ,footnote #bdd3 ,lettres 
du ,pre ,duchne1 quoted by ,de          
,goncourt4    ,footnote #bde3 ,les      
,clbrits du ,vin de ,champagne1         
,epernay1 #ahhj4    ,footnote #bdf3     
,journal de ce qui s'est pass           
d'intressant  ,reims en  #ahad4         
,footnote #bdg3 ,ibid4    ,footnote     
#bdh3 ,g4 ,a4 ,sala's ,paris ,herself   
,again4    ,footnote #bdi3 ,gronow's    
,celebrities of ,london and ,paris1     
#ahfe4    ,footnote #bej3 ,gronow's     
,reminiscences1 #ahfb4    ,footnote     
#bea3        ',j'aime mieux les ,turcs  
en campagne      ,que de voir nos vins  
de ,champagne      ,profans par des     

,allemands4'        ,branger's          
,chansons4      ,footnote #beb3         
',rtis sur la haute montagne      ,tout 
flamme et miel1 le ,mdah1      ,le      
,mascara1 le ,milianah      ,feront plir
 le gai ,champagne4'        ,posies de  
,j4 ,boese1 de ,blidah4      ,footnote  
#bec3        ',il a conduit ,pomponnette
          ,chez ,vachette1      ,dans le
 cabinet vingt-deux2      ,et l1 mme    
avant la bisque1          ,il se risque 
,a lui dclarer ses feux4        ,elle   
demeure accoude1          ,obsde1       
,rsolue  rsister1      ,inexorable et   
charmante          ,dans sa mante1      
,qu'elle ne veut pas quitter4        ,un
 troisime personnage1          ,a la    
nage      ,dans un seau d'argent orn1   
,se soulve sur la hanche1          ,tte 
blanche1      ,cou de glace environn4   
,c'est le ,champagne2 il susurre3       
,chose sre6      ,quand mon bouchon     
partira1      ,tout  l'heure1 cette     
belle          ,si rebelle              
,mollement s'apaisera4        ,bientt tu

 verras1 te dis-je1          ,ce prodige
      ,cesse d'invoquer l'enfer2        
,ton courroux est trop facile2          
,imbcile1      ,arrache mon fil de fer6 
,car je suis matre ,champagne1          
,qu'accompagne      ,le dlire aux cent  
couplets2      ,je dompte les plus      
svres4          ,a moi1 verres1         
,coupes1 fltes et cornets6        ,aussi
 dit le vin superbe1          ,moins    
acerbe1      ,la femme se sent capter4  
,c'est une cause que gagne          ,le 
,champagne2      ,son bouchon vient de  
sauter4'    ,le ,parfait ,vigneron1     
,paris1 #ahgj4    ,footnote #bed3 ,titi 
,livii ,foro-,juliensis ,vita ,henrici  
,quinti4 ,the  author was a protg of    
,duke ,humphrey of ,gloucester4         
,footnote #bee3 ,francisque ,michel's   
,histoire du ,commerce et de la         
,navigation  ,bordeaux4 ,it was not till
 the marriage of ,henry ,,iii4  with    
,eleanor of ,aquitaine that we began to 
import ,guienne wine from  ,bordeaux4   
,footnote #bef3 ,varin's ,archives      

,administratives de ,reims4    ,footnote
 #beg3 ,ibid4    ,footnote #beh3 ,victor
 ,fivet's ,histoire d',epernay4         
,footnote #bei3 ,francisque ,michel's   
,histoire du ,commerce et de la         
,navigation  ,bordeaux4    ,footnote    
#bfj3 ,published in #afae4    ,footnote 
#bfa3 ,that of #aegd4 ,surflet's        
translation appeared in #afjj4          
,footnote #bfb3 ,venner's ,via recta ad 
longam ,vitam1 #afbh4    ,footnote #bfc3
 ,writing to ,sir ,walter ,mildmay in   
#aefi1 the ,earl of  ,shrewsbury1 who   
had charge of the royal prisoner1       
complains that his  regular allowance of
 wine duty free is not enough4 ',the    
expenses ,i  have to bear this year on  
account of the ,queen of the ,scots are 
so  considerable as to compel me to beg 
you will kindly consider them4 ,in      
fact1 two butts of wine a month hardly  
serve for our ordinary use2 and  besides
 this1 ,i have to supply what is        
required by the ,princess for her  baths
 and similar uses4'    ,footnote #bfd3  

,clarendon's ,memoirs4    ,footnote     
#bfe3 ,letter of ,guy ,patin1 #affj4    
,footnote #bff3 ,otway's ,soldier's     
,fortune1 act iv4 sc4 #a1 #afha4        
,footnote #bfg3 ,ibid4    ,footnote     
#bfh3 ,redding's ,history and           
,description of ,modern ,wines4         
,footnote #bfi3 ,otway's ,friendship in 
,fashion1 #afgh4    ,footnote #bgj3     
',nous parler toujours des vins         
,d',ay1 d',avenet1 et de ,reims4'       
,,oeuvres de ,saint-,evremond4          
,footnote #bga3        ',perdre le got  
de l'huitre et du vin de ,champagne     
,pour revoir la leur d'un dbile soleil  
,et l'humide beaut d'une verte campagne1
        ,n'est pas  mon avis un bonheur 
sans pareil1      ,la faveur de la      
,marne1 hlas1 est termine1        ,et   
notre montagne de ,reims1        ,qui   
fournit tant d'excellens vins1      ,a  
peu favoris nostre got cette anne4      
,o triste et pitoyable sort6            
,faut-il avoir recours aux rives de la  
,loire1      ,ou pour le mieux au fameux

 port1        ,dont ,chapelle nous fait 
l'histoire6        ,faut-il se contenter
 de boire        ,comme tous les peuples
 du ,nord8      ,non1 non1 quelle       
heureuse nouvelle6        ,monsieur de  
,bonrepaus arrive1 il est icy1      ,le 
,champagne pour lui tousjours se        
renouvelle1        ,fuyez1 ,loire1      
,bordeaux6 fuyez1 ,cahors1 aussy6'      
,,oeuvres de ,saint-,evremond3  ,sur la 
,verdure qu'on met aux chemines en      
,angleterre4    ,in these verses we     
trace the custom1 elsewhere spoken of1  
of drinking  the ,marne wines when new4 
,st4 ,evremond himself1 in a passage of 
his  prose works1 says that the wines of
 ,ay should not be kept too long1 or    
those of ,reims drunk too soon4         
,footnote #bgb3 ,sparkling is not used  
here in the modern sense of             
effervescing3 see page #ij4    ,footnote
 #bgc3 ,sir ,george ,etherege's ,man of 
the ,mode1 or ,sir ,fopling  ,flutter1  
act iv4 sc4 #a1 #afgf4    ,footnote     
#bgd3 ,otway's ,friendship in ,fashion1 

act ii4 sc4 #a1 #afgh4    ,footnote     
#bge3 ,etherege's ,she wou'd if she     
cou'd1 act iv4 sc4 #b1  #affh4          
,footnote #bgf3 ,sir ,charles ,sedley's 
,mulberry ,garden1 act ii4 sc4 #b1      
#affh4    ,footnote #bgg3 ,otway's      
,friendship in ,fashion1 act i4 sc4 #a1 
#afgh4    ,footnote #bgh3 ,shadwell's   
,virtuoso1 act ii4 sc4 #b1 #afgf4       
,footnote #bgi3 ,by ,dr4 ,charleton1 and
 published as late as #afib4            
,footnote #bhj3 ,oldham's ,paraphrases  
from ,horace1 book i4 ode xxxi41  #afhd4
    ,footnote #bha3 ,oldham's ,works1   
c41 #afhd4    ,footnote #bhb3 ,butler's 
,hudibras1 part ii4 canto i41 #affd4    
,stum is  unfermented wine2 and the term
 brisk applied to ,champagne is here    
employed not to denote effervescence1   
but to indicate the contrast  between   
the thick immature fluid and the clear  
carefully-made wines of  the ,champagne4
    ,footnote #bhc3 ,butler's ,hudibras1
 part iii4 canto iii41 #afgh4           
,footnote #bhd3 ,sedley's ,the ,doctor  

and his ,patients4 ,no date1 but        
,sedley died in #agja4    ,footnote     
#bhe3 ,thomson's ,poems4    ,footnote   
#bhf3 ,cyrus ,redding's evidence before 
the ,parliamentary  ,committee on the   
,wine-,duties1 #ahea4    ,footnote #bhg3
 ,redding's ,french ,wines4    ,footnote
 #bhh3 ,varin's ,archives               
,administratives de ,reims4    ,footnote
 #bhi3 ,louis ,perrier's ,mmoire sur le 
,vin de ,champagne4    ,footnote #bij3  
,st4 ,simon's ,mmoires4    ,footnote    
#bia3 ,redding's ,french ,wines4        
,footnote #bib3 ,farquhar's ,love and a 
,bottle1 act ii4 sc4 #b1 #afih4         
,footnote #bic3 ,an evident allusion to 
its effervescence2 whilst the  words    
'straw doublet' most likely refer to the
 covering of the flask4    ,footnote    
#bid3 ,cibber's ,love makes a ,man1 act 
i4 sc4 #a1 #agjj4    ,footnote #bie3    
,farquhar's ,the ,inconstant1 or the    
,way to win ,him1 act  i4 scene #b1     
#agjc4    ,footnote #bif3 ,epilogue to  
the ,constant ,couple1 or a ,trip to the

  ,jubilee of ,farquhar1 spoken by      
,wilks in #agjj4 ,locket's tavern1 which
  stood on the site now occupied by     
,drummond's bank at ,charing ,cross1 was
  especially famous for its ,champagne4 
,in the ,quack ,vintners1 a satire      
against ,brooke and ,hilliers1 published
 in #agab1 we read3        ',may ,locket
 still his ancient fame maintain        
,for ,ortland dainties and for rich     
,champaign1      ,where new-made lords  
their native clay refine1      ,and into
 noble blood turn noble wine4'          
,footnote #big3 ,farquhar's ,twin       
,rivals1 act v4 sc4 #a1 #agje4          
,footnote #bih3 ,several other writers1 
who speak of 'bottles' of other  wines1 
use the word 'flask' when referring to  
,champagne4    ,footnote #bii3          
,farquhar's ,beaux' ,stratagem1 act iii4
 sc4 #c1 #agjf4    ,footnote #cjj3      
,memoir1 prefixed to ,leigh ,hunt's     
edition of ,congreve's  works4          
,footnote #cja3 ,cunninghame's ,history 
of ,britain from the ,revolution to  the

 ,hanover ,succession4    ,footnote     
#cjb3 ,farquhar's ,the ,constant        
,couple1 or a ,trip to the  ,jubilee1   
act v4 sc4 #a1 #agjj4 ,m4 ,francisque   
,michel1 in his ,histoire  du ,commerce 
et de la ,navigation  ,bordeaux1 clearly
 establishes that  from the beginning to
 the middle of the eighteenth century   
all the best  growths of the ,mdoc were 
bought and shipped for ,england4 ,it was
 not  until after #agee that any went to
 ,paris4    ,footnote #cjc3             
',vos1  ,britanni 7foedera nam sinunt   
,incoepta pacis7 dissociabilem          
,tranate pontum4 ,quid cruento          
,perdere opes juvat usque ,marte4       
,ltis ,remensam quam satius fuit        
,stipare ,bacchum navibus2 et domum     
,anferre funestis trophis               
,exuvias pretiosiores6'    ,coffin's    
,campania vindicata1 #agab4 ,the force  
of the reference to  ,england is better 
understood when it is mentioned that no 
other nation  is alluded to as          
purchasing the wines of the ,champagne4 

,footnote #cjd3 ,a practice not lost    
sight of at a later date1 to judge  from
 ,borachio's observation1 ',i turn      
,alicant into ,burgundy and sour  cider 
into ,champagne of the first growth of  
,france4' ,jephson's ,two  ,strings to  
your ,bow1 act i4 sc4 #b4    ,footnote  
#cje3 ,the ,tatler1 ,no4 #aca1 ,feb4 #i1
 #agji4    ,footnote #cjf3 ,mrs4        
,centlivre's ,a ,bold ,stroke for a     
,wife1 act v4 sc4  #a1 #agah4           
,footnote #cjg3 ,gay's poem ,on ,wine1  
published in #agjh4    ,footnote #cjh3  
,gay's ,welcome from ,greece4           
,footnote #cji3 ,prior's ,alma1 or the  
,progress of the ,mind4    ,footnote    
#caj3 ,prior's ,alma1 or the ,progress  
of the ,mind4    ,footnote #caa3        
,prior's ,bibo and ,charon4    ,footnote
 #cab3 ,shenstone's ,verses written at a
 ,tavern at ,henley4    ,footnote #cac3 
,vanbrugh's ,journey to ,london1 act i4 
sc4 #b4 ,left  unfinished at his death  
in #agbf4    ,footnote #cad3 ,swift's   
,journal to ,stella1 ,march #ab1        

#agab-ac4    ,footnote #cae3 ,ibid4     
,feb4 #bj1 #agab-ac4    ,footnote #caf3 
,ibid4 ,april #i1 #agaa4    ,footnote   
#cag3 ,ibid4 ,march #ah1 #agaj4         
,footnote #cah3 ,ibid4 ,march #bi1      
#agaa-ab4    ,footnote #cai3 ,ibid4     
,dec4 #ba1 #agaa4    ,footnote #cbj3    
,ibid4 ,april #g1 #agaa4    ,footnote   
#cba3 ,letter to ,mr4 ,congreve1 ,april 
#g1 #agae4    ,footnote #cbb3 ,mrs4     
,centlivre's ,a ,bold ,stroke for a     
,wife1 act i4 sc4  #a1 #agah4           
,footnote #cbc3 ,fielding's ,the ,miser1
 #agcb4    ,footnote #cbd3 ,the ,rake's 
,progress1 or the ,humours of ,drury    
,lane3  a poem published in #agce1 to   
accompany a set of prints pirated from  
,hogarth's4    ,footnote #cbe3 ,blunt's 
,geneva3 a poem dedicated to ,sir ,r4   
,walpole1  #agbi4    ,footnote #cbf3    
,hoadley's ,suspicious ,husband1 act iv4
 sc4 #a1 #agdg4    ,footnote #cbg3 ,this
 wine1 though sometimes sent by way of  
,dunkirk1  was usually forwarded vi     
,calais1 by the intermediary of a ,sieur

  ,labertauche1 a commission-agent at   
that port1 the cost of transport  from  
,epernay to ,calais being from #gj to   
#ge livres per queue4 ,a  bobillon of   
wine was sent with each lot of casks for
 filling up4  ,moreover1 from #agca     
,bertin annually despatches a certain   
quantity of  cream of tartar1 destined  
to cure the ropiness to which all white 
wines  were especially subject before   
the discovery that tannin destroys the  
principle engendering this disease4     
,footnote #cbh3 ,chabane appears to have
 been fully cognisant of the  method of 
collage and soutirage 7fining and       
racking7 practised  in the ,champagne2  
and ,bertin1 in one of his letters dated
 ,july #ageb1  mentions the enclosure of
 a receipt for a kind of collage1 by    
following which all necessity to dpoter 
the bottles is obviated4  ,this         
enclosure is unfortunately lost4        
,footnote #cbi3 ,ms4 correspondence of  
,bertin du ,rocheret1 quoted by ,m4     
,louis ,perrier in his ,mmoire sur le   

,vin de ,champagne4 ,m4 ,perrier  states
 that the prohibition was removed by an 
act of the #ast ,nov4  #agde2 and a     
letter of ,bertin to ,chabane1 the      
following year1 bears  this out4 ,it is 
therefore singular to find the following
 entry in  ,bubb ,doddington's ,diary1  
under the date of ,feb4 #a1 #agec3      
',went to  the ,house to vote for       
liberty to import ,champaign in bottles4
 ,lord  ,hillsborough moved it2 ,mr4    
,fox seconded it4 ,we lost the ,motion4 
,ayes1  #gd2 ,noes1 #ada4'    ,footnote 
#ccj3 ,letter to ,sir ,horace ,mann1    
,june #ah1 #agea4    ,footnote #cca3    
,jesse's ,selwyn and his                
,contemporaries4 ,it is very  probable  
that the name printed as ,prissieux is  
really ,puissieux1 a  title of the      
,sillery family4    ,footnote #ccb3     
,lady ,mary ,wortley ,montague's ,letter
 from ,arthur ,grey1  the ,footman1 to  
,mrs4 ,murray4 ,written in the autumn of
 #agba4    ,footnote #ccc3 ,lady ,m4 ,w4
 ,montague's ,the ,lover4 ,this is      

generally  designated 'a ballad to ,mr4 
,congreve1' but is headed in ,lady      
,mary's  note-book1 ',to ,molly1' and1  
as ,mr4 ,moy ,thomas has suggested1 was 
probably addressed to ,lord ,hervey1    
,pope's ',lord ,fanny4'    ,footnote    
#ccd3 ,note to his ,letter on ,bowles4  
,footnote #cce3 ,westminster ,magazine1 
#aggd4    ,footnote #ccf3 ,grainger's   
,the ,sugar ,cane1 #agfd4    ,footnote  
#ccg3 ,coleman and ,garrick's           
,clandestine ,marriage1 act i4 sc4  #b1 
#agff4    ,footnote #cch3 ,garrick's    
,bon ,ton1 or ,high ,life above ,stairs1
 act i4  sc4 #b1 #agge4    ,footnote    
#cci3 ,ibid4    ,footnote #cdj3 ,ibid4  
act ii4 sc4 #a4    ,footnote #cda3      
,townley's ,high ,life below ,stairs1   
act ii4 sc4 #a1 #agei4    ,footnote     
#cdb3 ,so in ,mrs4 ,cowley's ,which is  
the ,man8 ,burgundy  is extolled and    
'vile ,port' denounced2 and in          
,cumberland's ,the  ,fashionable ,lover 
7#aggb7 a sneer is levelled at a 'paltry
  ,port-drinking club4' ,burgundy1 too1 

is in favour in ,holcroft's ,the  ,road 
to ,ruin1 #agib4    ,footnote #cdc3     
,foote's ,the ,lame ,lover1 act iii4 sc4
 #a1 #aggj4    ,footnote #cdd3          
,garrick's ,the ,country ,girl1 act v4  
sc4 #a4    ,footnote #cde3 ,foote's ,the
 ,fair ,maid of ,bath1 act i4 sc4 #a1   
#agga4    ,footnote #cdf3 ,holcroft's   
,the ,road to ,ruin1 act iv4 sc4 #b1    
#agib4    ,footnote #cdg3 ,sir ,edward  
,barry's ,observations1 ,historical1    
,critical1  and ,medical1 on the ,wines 
of the ,ancients1 and the analogy       
between them  and ,modern ,wines1 #agge4
    ,footnote #cdh3 ,tickell's ,poems4  
,footnote #cdi3 ,timbs' ,clubs and ,club
 ,life4    ,footnote #cej3 ,in the      
,encyclopdie ,mthodique4    ,footnote   
#cea3 ,arthur ,young's ,travels in      
,france in the ,years #aghg-i4          
,footnote #ceb3 ,sheen's ,wine and other
 fermented ,liquors4    ,footnote #cec3 
,amongst other ,english customers of the
 firm in #aghh1  #aghi1 and #agij were  
',milords' ,farnham and ,findlater1 the 

latter of  whom was supplied with #abj  
bottles of the vintage of #aghh2        
,manning1  of the ,st4 ,alban's ,tavern1
 ,london1 who ordered #acj bottles of   
vin de  ,champagne1 at #c livres or #bs4
 the bottle1 to be delivered in the     
autumn by ,m4 ,caurette2 ,messrs4 ,felix
 ,calvert  ,sylvin1 who took two  sample
 bottles at #es42 and ,mr4 ,lockhart1   
banker1 of #cf ,pall ,mall1 who  in     
#agij paid #cs4 per bottle for #cfj     
bottles of the vintage of #aghh4  ,the  
high rate of exchange in our favour is  
shown by the #edl4 covering  this       
transaction being taken as #adie livres 
#g sols #i deniers1 or about  #bh livres
 per pound sterling4    ,footnote #ced3 
,walker's ,the ,original4    ,footnote  
#cee3 ',the ,fair of ,britain's ,isle'  
7,convivial ,songster1  #ahjg74         
,footnote #cef3 ,diary of ,mrs4 ,colonel
 ,st4 ,george1 written during her       
,sojourn amongst the ,german ,courts in 
#agii and #ahjj4    ,footnote #ceg3     
,moore's ,the ,twopenny ,post-bag1      

#ahac4    ,footnote #ceh3 ,moore's      
,parody of a ,celebrated ,letter4       
,footnote #cei3 ,the compound known as  
'the ,regent's ,punch' was made  out of 
#c bottles of ,champagne1 #b of         
,madeira1 #a of hock1 #a of curaoa1  #a 
quart of brandy1 #a pint of rum1 and #b 
bottles of seltzer-water1  flavoured    
with #d lbs4 bloom raisins1 ,seville    
oranges1 lemons1 white  sugar-candy1 and
 diluted with iced green tea instead of 
water 7,tovey's  ,british and ,foreign  
,spirits74    ,footnote #cfj3 ,captain  
,gronow's ,reminiscences4    ,footnote  
#cfa3 ,ibid4    ,footnote #cfb3 ,prince 
,puckler ,muskau's ,letters4            
,footnote #cfc3 ,miss ,burney's         
,memoirs4    ,footnote #cfd3            
,henderson's ,history of ,ancient and   
,modern ,wines1 #ahbd4  ,henderson1 who 
appears to have visited the ,champagne  
in #ahbb1 remarks  of the remaining crs 
of the province3 ',the wines of the     
neighbouring  territories of ,mareuil   
and ,dizy are of similar quality to     

those of ,ay1  and are often sold as    
such4 ,those of ,hautvillers1 on the    
other hand1  which formerly equalled1 if
 not surpassed1 the growths just named1 
have  been declining in repute since the
 suppression of the monastery1 to  which
 the principal vineyard belonged4'      
,footnote #cfe3 ,moore's ,the ,fudge    
,family ,abroad1 #ahah4    ,footnote    
#cff3 ,moore's ,the ,sceptic4           
,footnote #cfg3 ,moore's ,illustration  
of a ,bore4    ,footnote #cfh3 ,moore's 
,the ,summer ,fte1 #ahca4    ,footnote  
#cfi3 ,ibid4    ,footnote #cgj3 ,ibid4  
,footnote #cga3 ,moore's ,diary1 ,june  
#ahai4    ,footnote #cgb3 ,lockhart's   
,life of ,sir ,walter ,scott4           
,footnote #cgc3 ,scott's ,diary1        
,november #ae1 #ahbf4    ,footnote #cgd3
 ,byron's ,english ,bards and ,scotch   
,reviewers1 #ahjh4    ,footnote #cge3   
,byron's ,don ,juan1 canto xv4 stanza   
lxv41 #ahba4    ,footnote #cgf3 ,ibid4  
canto xvi4 stanza ix4    ,footnote #cgg3
 ,ibid4 canto xiii4 stanzas xxxvii41    

xxxviii4    ,footnote #cgh3 ,according  
to recent statistics issued by the      
,chamber of  ,commerce of ,reims1 the   
department of the ,marne contains       
#af1ejj hectares  of vineyards 7#dj1gee 
acres71 of which #bdfe hectares are     
situated in the  district of            
,vitry-le-,franois2 #eee hectares in    
that of ,chlons2 #gjj  in that of       
,sainte ,menehould2 #gfbd in that of    
,reims2 and #eehg in the  ,epernay      
district1 where the finest qualities of 
,champagne are grown4  ,the value of the
 wine produced annually in these        
districts exceeds  #fj1jjj1jjj francs   
7nearly #b-a_/b millions sterling74     
,during the last  thirty years1 the     
value of these vineyards has increased  
fourfold4 ,the  'population vigneronne' 
of the department is #af1jic            
inhabitants4    ,footnote #cgi3 ,in the 
year #ahga4    ,footnote #chj3 ,the     
blending of black and white grapes      
together1  although its advantages had  
been recognised in the ,maison ,rustique

  of #aegd1 appears not to have been    
successfully carried out at ,ay  till   
the days of ,dom ,perignon4 ',formerly1'
 remarks ,pluche1 'it was  very         
difficult to preserve the wine of ,ay   
longer than one year4 ,when  the juice  
of the white grapes1 whose quantity was 
very great in that  vineyard1 began to  
assume a yellowish hue1 it became       
predominant1 and  created a change in   
all the wine2 but ever since the white  
grapes have  been disused1 the ,marne   
wines may be easily kept for the space  
of four  or five years' 7,spectacle de  
la ,nature1 #agcb74    ,footnote #cha3  
,from time immemorial the vineyards of  
,ay and ,dizy paid  tithes to the ,abbey
 of ,hautvillers1 the former a sixtieth 
and the  latter an eleventh of their    
produce4 ,these dues were1 by a decree  
of  #afgj1 levied at the gate of ,ay4   
,in #aggb1 ,tirant de ,flavigny1 a large
  wine-grower1 who farmed1 amongst other
 vineyards1 ',les ,quartiers' at        
,hautvillers1 insisted on leaving the   

tithe of grapes at the foot of the  vine
 for collection by the abbey            
tithe-collectors4 ,the ,abbot ,alexandre
  ,ange de ,talleyrand ,prigord refused 
to accept them1 and insisted in  turn   
that the whole of the grapes should     
either be brought to the gate  of       
,hautvillers or converted into wine in  
the vineyard1 and the eleventh  part of 
this wine handed to his representative4 
,from a procs verbal  drawn up by the   
,mayor of ,ay1 it seems that the        
inhabitants were willing  to pay a      
monetary commutation1 as was the        
prevailing custom1 or to  leave the     
abbot's share of grapes in the          
vineyards2 but objected to the  tithe   
being taken1 usually with considerable  
delay1 on each basket1  whereby the     
remaining grapes were bruised1 and the  
possibility of  bright white wine being 
made from them rendered exceedingly     
doubtful4  ,it was not till #aghg that  
it was finally settled that the tithes  
should  be paid in money at the rate of 

so much per arpent1 and it is plain     
that the abbot's chief object was to    
throw as much difficulty as he  could in
 the way of rival makers of fine wines4 
,footnote #chb3 ,this curse is alluded  
to in the following verse from a        
sixteenth-century ballad written against
 the men of ,ay3        ',tu n'auras ni 
chien ni chat      ,pour te chanter     
,libera1      ,et tu mourras            
mau-chrtien1      ,toi qu'a maudit      
,saint ,trzain4'    ,the fountain of    
,st4 ,tresain1 which enjoys the         
reputation of curing  diseases1 and in  
the water of which it is pretended      
stolen food cannot  be cooked1 still    
exists at ,mareuil4    ,footnote #chc3  
,the yield from the ,ay vineyards       
averages five pices1  or #bbj gallons   
per acre4 ,arthur ,young1 writing in    
#aghg1 estimated  that the arpent       
7rather more than the acre7 produced    
from two to six  pices of wine1 or an   
average of four pices1 two of which sold
 for  #bjj livres1 one for #aej livres1 

and one for #ej livres4 ,he valued the  
arpent of vines at from #cjjj to #fjjj  
livres4 ,henderson1 in his ,history  of 
,ancient and ,modern ,wines1 says that  
in #ahbb there were a thousand  arpents 
on the hill immediately behind the      
village of ,ay valued at  from #aj1jjj  
to #ab1jjj francs the arpent1 and that  
one plot had shortly  before fetched    
#ae1jjj francs per arpent4    ,footnote 
#chd3 ,in #ahgc1 two years later1 the   
price mounted as high  as #ajjj francs2 
while in #ahhj1 owing to the yield being
 far below an  average one and the      
quality promising to be exceedingly     
good1 the wine  was bought up before the
 grapes were pressed at prices ranging  
from  #aajj to #adjj francs the pice4   
,footnote #che3 ,in one of these1 dated 
#abdc1 mention is made of the  'vinea   
parva' belonging to the ,abbey of       
,avenay1 and of the 'vineam  ,warneri in
 loco qui dicetur ,monswarins1' perhaps 
the existing clos  ,warigny4 ,in another
 of ,philip the ,fair1 dated #acjj1 and 

confirming  the abbey in the possession 
of property purchased from ,jeanne de   
,sapigneul1 we read of 'unam vineam     
dictam la grant vigne domine  ,aelidis  
sitam en ,perrelles' and 'unam vineam   
dictam a la ,perriere4' ,in  charters of
 the fourteenth century vineyards are   
mentioned at ,avenay  and ,mutigny1     
under the titles of ,les ,perches1      
,haut-,bonnet1 ,pralles1  ,les          
,foissets1 ,fond de ,bonnet1 ,berard1   
,chassant1 c4 ,one sold to the  abbey in
 #accd by ,guillaume de ,valenciennes   
was at a spot then1 as now1  styled     
,plantelles4 ,in #accf the justices at  
,chteau-,thierry confirmed  the ,abbess1
 ,madame ,clmence1 in the 'droit de ban 
vin'--that is1 the  right of selling her
 wine before any one else in the        
territory of  ,avenay4 ,this was again  
confirmed in #acdd by the ,bailly of    
,szanne1 who  held that she alone had   
the right of selling during the month   
after  ,christmas1 the month after      
,easter1 and the month after ,pentecost4

  ,amongst other records is one noting  
the condemnation of ,perresson  ,legris1
 clerk1 of ,avenay1 who was sentenced in
 #adfj by the ,bailly of  ,epernay to a 
fine of #fj sols1 for selling his wine  
during the month  after ,christmas      
without permission of the ,dames        
d',avenay4 ,the charters  of the        
fifteenth century also abound in        
references to vineyards1 or  'droits de 
vinage1' appertaining to the abbey at   
,les ,coutures1 ,champ  ,bernard1       
,auches1 ,bois de ,brousse1 ,thonnay1   
c41 in the territory of  ,avenay1 and   
,les ,charmires1 ,torchamp1 ,saussaye1  
c41 at ,mutigny4    ,footnote #chf3 ,in 
#affh1 an epoch at which the wines of   
,avenay had  acquired a high reputation1
 the abbey owned #dc arpents of vineland
 at  ,avenay1 ,mutigny1 and ,mareuil1   
yielding the preceding year #bjj poinons
  of wine1 the sale of which produced   
#fjjj livres4 ,it also had #ac          
pressoirs banaux1 which were farmed for 
#ej poinons of wine1 and tithes  of wine

 at ,mareuil amounting to #ad poinons   
and #dfj livres in money1  and at       
,ambonnay amounting to #c poinons1 the  
total of #fg poinons  fetching #abjf    
livres4 ,the valet who looked after the 
vines had #ej  livres per annum1 and the
 cooper who looked after the wines1 #dj 
livres4  ,the total cost of stakes1     
manure1 culture1 pruning1 wine-making1  
and  casks was #bgjj livres per annum4  
,ten pices of wine 'of the best of the  
abbey1 and worth #cjj livres1' were     
annually given away in caques and       
bottles to 'persons of quality and      
friends of the house1 and travellers  of
 condition who pass2' whilst #abj       
poinons1 valued at #cjjj livres1  were  
consumed at the abbey itself4 ,the abbey
 was partially destroyed by  fire in    
#aged2 and its destruction was completed
 during the ,revolution1  at which epoch
 its vineyards yielded a net revenue of 
#bejj livres4    ,footnote #chg3 ,in    
addition to ,madame de la ,marck1 who   
was connected1  by the marriage of one  

of her brothers to a princess of the    
house of  ,bourbon1 with ,henri ,quatre1
 and to whose influence with that       
monarch  the execution of the ',trait   
des ,vendanges' was mainly due1 the roll
  of the ,abbesses of ,avenay comprises 
several illustrious personages1  amongst
 them ,st4 ,bertha2 ,bertha ,,ii41      
daughter of the ,emperor ,lothaire2  the
 ex-,empress ,teutberga2 ,bndicte de    
,gonzague1 daughter of the ,duke  de    
,nevers1 and sister of the ,princess    
,palatine1 who took such an active  part
 during the troubles of the ,fronde2 and
 ladies of the illustrious  families of 
,saulx ,tavannes1 ,craon1 ,levis1       
,beauvillers1 ,brulart de  ,sillery1    
,boufflers1 c4 ,m4 ,louis ,paris1 in his
 ,histoire de l',abbaye  d',avenay1     
gives some curious instances of the     
exercise of the 'haut  et basse justice'
 possessed by these ladies4 ,in #aehg1  
under the rule  of ,madame de la ,marck1
 we find the ,bailly of ,avenay1 acting 
as 'first  magistrate of ,madame        

l',abbesse1' sentencing one man and four
 women  'to be hung1 strangled1 and     
burnt1 and the goods belonging to them  
confiscated to the profit of the ,lady  
,justiciary1' for the crime of  sorcery4
 ,in #afde we find a 'sentence of the   
,bailly of ,avenay against  ,simeon     
,delacoste1 accused and convicted of the
 crime of homicide  committed upon the  
person of ,jean ,bernier1 and for this  
condemned to  be hung and strangled by  
the executioner on a gallows erected in 
the  public market-place1 with          
confiscation of #cjj livres1 to be      
levied on  his goods1 to the profit of  
the ,lady ,justiciary4' ,when the       
criminal  could not be caught1 as was   
the case with ,nicholas ,thimot1        
vine-grower  at ,avenay in #aeee1 the   
sentence ran that he should 'be hung in 
effigy1  and his goods confiscated to   
the profit of ,madame4'    ,footnote    
#chh3 ,the following lines1 quoted by   
,m4 ,philibert ,milsand in  his ,procs  
potique touchant les ,vins de ,bourgogne

 et de ,champagne1  may be taken as     
referring either to the wine or the     
scenery3        ',si quis in hoc mundo  
vult vivere corde jocoso1      ,vadat   
,cumerias sumere delicias4'             
,footnote #chi3 ,in ,arthur ,young's    
time 7#aghg-i7 an arpent of vineyard at 
,hautvillers1 valued at #djjj livres1   
yielded from two to four pices1 or      
hogsheads1 of wine1 which sold from #gjj
 to #ijj livres the queue 7two  pices74 
,this is more than the wine would       
ordinarily realise to-day1  although in 
years of scarcity it has fetched #gjj   
francs the pice1 and  in #ahhj as much  
as #ajjj francs4    ,footnote #cij3     
,cazotte1 ex-,commissary-,general of the
 ,navy and author of  the ,diable       
,amoureux1 who was guillotined as a     
,royalist in #agib1 had  a magnificently
 fitted mansion at ,pierry4 ,he         
distinguished himself by  his opposition
 to the pretensions of the ,abbey of    
,hautvillers1 which  in #agge claimed   
the right of taking tithes at ,pierry   

not only in the  vineyards1 but on the  
wine in the cellars4 ,cazotte argued    
that unless  the monks chose to take    
their due proportion of grapes left for 
them  at the foot of each vine1 all they
 were entitled to was a monetary        
commutation of the tithe2 for the wine  
being usually made of grapes  from a    
dozen different sources1 many of them   
beyond their domain1 it  would be       
impossible to ascertain the proportion  
that was their due4  ,the ,parliament of
 ,paris decided1 however1 that the abbey
 might take  the fortieth of the wine a 
month after it was barrelled1 unless the
  vine-growers preferred to give them   
the fortieth part of all the grapes     
brought to the press4 ,the fact was that
 the monks really wished to  check the  
practice of mixing grapes from different
 districts at the  press1 for fear wine 
equal to their own should result from   
this plan1  first satisfactorily put in 
practice by ,dom ,perignon4 ,arthur     
,young  mentions that an arpent of vines

 at ,pierry was valued at #bjjj livres1 
half the price the same extent commanded
 at ,hautvillers4    ,footnote #cia3 ,m4
 ,armand ,bourgeois1 in his work on ,le 
,sourdon et sa  ,valle1 mentions a local
 tradition to the effect that ,saint    
,remi1 who  from his will is shown to   
have owned vinelands of some extent in a
 part  of this district still known as  
the ,evch1 installed a hermit in this   
said grotto of the ,pierre de ,saint    
,mamert to supervise his vineyards4     
,footnote #cib3 ,bertin du ,rocheret    
writes thus in #agdd1 and adds that  the
 aspect of ,avize had at that epoch     
become entirely changed by the  numerous
 fine 'maisons de vendange' erected     
there4    ,footnote #cic3 ,in #abje     
,gilbert ,belon conferred an annual gift
 on the  ,abbey of ,st4 ,martin of seven
 hogsheads of vinage derived from the   
vineyards of ,oger4    ,footnote #cid3  
',je fus jadis de terre vertueuse       
,nez de ,virtuz1 pais renomm1      ,o il
 avait ville trs gracieuse1      ,dont  

li bon vin sont en maints lieux nomms4' 
,eustache ,deschamps' poem on the       
,burning of ,vertus4      ,footnote     
#cie3        ',quant vient de si noble  
racine      ,come du droit plan de      
,beaune1      ,qui ne porte pas couleur 
jaune      ,mais vermeille1 franche1    
plaisant1      ,qui fait tout autre     
odeur taisant1      ,quand elle est     
aporte en place4'    ,deschamps' ,la    
,charte des ,bons ,enfans de ,vertus4   
,footnote #cif3        ',si vous alez au
 benefice      ,mieulx vous vauldra que 
ung clistre4'--,ibid4      ,footnote    
#cig3 ,in #ahhj the ,vertus wine        
realised the remarkably high  price of  
from #abjj to #adjj francs the pice4    
,footnote #cih3 ,st4 ,evremond's        
,letters 7,london1 #agbh74    ,footnote 
#cii3 ,st4 ,simon's ,mmoires4           
,footnote #djj3 ,bertin du ,rocheret's  
_/,,ms4_/ extracts from the ,registre   
des ,assembles du peuple de la ville    
d',epernay4    ,footnote #dja3          
,henderson's ,history of ,ancient and   

,modern ,wines4    ,footnote #djb3      
,arthur ,young's ,travels in ,france in 
#aghg-h-i4    ,footnote #djc3 ,anonymous
 ,journal de ce qui s'est pass          
d'intressant   ,reims en #ahad4         
,footnote #djd3 ,dom ,chatelain1 in his 
_/,,ms4_/ notes on the ,history of      
,reims1 relates that ,henri ,quatre1    
being one day at ,sully's1 asked  the   
,minister for some breakfast1 and after 
drinking a glass or two of  wine1       
exclaimed1 ',ventre ,saint ,gris1 this  
is a grand wine2 it beats  mine of ,ay  
and all others4 ,i should like to know  
where it comes from4'  '',tis my friend 
,taissy1' answered ,sully1 'who sends it
 to me4' ',then  ,i must be introduced  
to him1' said the ,king2 which was      
accordingly  done4 ,the wines of ,taissy
 had a high reputation as late as the   
eighteenth century4 ,they were classed  
by ,st4 ,evremond and ,brossette1  the  
commentator of ,boileau1 amongst the    
best vintages of the ,champagne1  and   
their reputation was maintained by the  

care bestowed by the ,abb  ,godinot on  
the vineyards which he owned here4      
,footnote #dje3        ',qu',horace du  
,falerne entonne les louanges1          
,que de son vieux ,massique il vante les
 attraits2          ,tous ces vins si   
fameux n'galeront jamais      ,du       
charmant ,sillery les heureuses         
vendanges6'    ,translation by ,le      
,monnoye in the ,recueil des ,posies    
,latines et  ,franaises1 c41 ,paris1    
#agab4    ,footnote #djf3 ,the wine of  
,verzenay1 like that of ,bouzy1 owes    
much of  its reputation to the example  
set in the eighteenth century by the    
,abb ,godinot1 author of the ,mmoire on 
the cultivation of the grape  and the   
manufacture of wine in the ,champagne1  
published in #agaa4 ,he  owned extensive
 vineyards at ,verzenay and ,bouzy1 and 
his prolonged  investigations as to the 
species of vines and composts best      
suited to  the district led to a        
complete revolution in the system of    
culture and  mode of pressing the fruit4

 ,bertin du ,rocheret praises 'the      
excellent  wine of ,verzenay' served at 
the banquets celebrating the conclusion 
of  the assembly of the ,etats de       
,vitry1 held at ,chlons in #agdd4       
,footnote #djg3 ,the value in #ahhj of a
 hectare of vines1 equivalent to  nearly
 two and a half acres1 was as follows3  
,at ,verzy1 ,verzenay1 and ,sillery1 #ce
 to #ch1jjj francs4        ,bouzy and   
,ambonnay1           #ch   #dj1jjj      
,ay and ,dizy1                  #dj     
#de1jjj           ,hautvillers1         
#bj   #bb1jjj           ,pierry1        
#ah1jjj           ,cramant and ,avize1  
#ch   #dj1jjj           ,le ,mesnil1    
#bb   #be1jjj         ,footnote #djh3   
,this was far from being the first      
appearance of the pest  in this         
district4 ,from #aggi to #aghe similar  
ravages drove the vignerons  to despair2
 but the weather during the last-named  
year suddenly turning  wet and cold1    
just at the epoch of the butterflies    
emerging from their  chrysalids1 the    

evil disappeared as though by           
enchantment1 an event  duly acknowledged
 by parochial rejoicings and religious  
processions4 ,in  #ahaf similar ravages 
took place2 and from #ahbj to #ahcj the 
pyrale also  caused great devastation4  
,in the year #afac1 ,jehan ,pussot1 the 
local chronicler of ,reims1 notes  that 
a large proportion of the vines were    
destroyed by 'a great  concourse of     
worms1' which attacked those plants     
which the frost had  spared4 ,this would
 establish that either the pyrale or the
 cochylis  was known to the ,champenois 
viticulturists at the commencement of   
the  seventeenth century4    ,footnote  
#dji3 ,in #ahgc1 in all the higher-class
 vineyards1 as much as  two francs and a
 quarter per kilogramme 7#aa;d4 per lb47
 were paid1  being more than treble the 
average price4 ,and yet the vintage was 
a  most unsatisfactory one1 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    ,in
 #ahgd the grapes of the ,mountain sold 
from at #ee to #afj francs the  caque1  
according to the crus2 and those of the 
,cte d',avize at from #a  f4 #be c4 to  
#b f4 per kilogramme4 ,in #ahge1 on the 
other hand1 grapes  could be obtained at
 ,verzenay1 ,verzy1 ,ambonnay1 and      
,bouzy at from #de to  #ee francs the   
caque2 and at ,vertus1 ,le ,mesnil1     
,oger1 ,grauves1 ,cramant1  and ,avize1 
at from #dj to #gj centimes the         
kilogramme4 ,by far the highest  price  
secured by the growers for their grapes 
was in #ahhj1 when the  produce of the  
grand crus of the ,mountain fetched as  
much as #bbj f4 the  caque1 equal to    
nearly #c f4 #fj c4 the kilogramme1 or  
about #as4 #e;d4  per lb4 ,it was1 as   
usual1 scarcity rather than quality that
 caused this  unprecedented rise in     
price4    ,footnote #daj3 ,m4 ,maumn    

relates in his ,trait du ,travail des   
,vins  that on one occasion1 when1 as an
 experiment1 #cjjj first-class bottles1 
which had already been used1 were       
employed anew1 only fifteen or  sixteen 
of the whole number resisted the        
pressure4 ,moreover1 if much  broken    
glass is remelted down and used in the  
manufacture1 the bottles  do not turn   
out well1 the second fusion of silicates
 never having the  same cohesion as the 
first4 ,the glass-works of ,svres and   
,bercy1 which  melt down most of the    
broken glass collected in ,paris1 have  
never been  able to supply bottles      
strong enough for sparkling wines4      
,footnote #daa3 ,loivre is about seven  
miles from ,reims on the road to  ,laon4
    ,footnote #dab3 ,it is calculated   
that wine1 the grape sugar in which     
yields ten per cent of alcohol1         
according to the average in ,champagne1 
would1 if bottled immediately after     
pressing1 produce enough carbonic  acid 
gas to develop a pressure of thirty-two 

atmospheres4 ,but such  a pressure is   
never developed1 as the wine is not     
bottled directly  it leaves the press2  
besides which no bottle could stand it4 
,from  four to six atmospheres insure a 
lively explosion and a brisk creamy     
foam4 ,it is necessary1 therefore1 that 
fermentation should have been  carried  
on till at least three-fourths of the   
sugar have been converted  into alcohol 
and carbonic acid gas before the wine is
 drawn off for  bottling1 for even the  
very best bottles burst under a pressure
 of  eight atmospheres4    ,a few words 
on the origin and development of the    
effervescent  properties of ,champagne  
will not be out of place here4 ,these   
are due1  as already explained1 to the  
presence of a large quantity of carbonic
  acid gas1 the evolution of which has  
been prevented by the bottling of  the  
wine prior to the end of the alcoholic  
fermentation4 ,the source of  carbonic  
acid gas exists in all wines1 and they  
may be all rendered  sparkling by the   

same method of treatment4 ,still1 no    
effervescent wine  can compare with the 
finest growths of the ,champagne1 for   
these possess  the especial property of 
retaining a large portion of their sugar
  during1 and even after1 fermentation2 
besides which1 the soil imparts a       
native bouquet that no other wine can   
match4    ,carbonic acid gas is one of  
the two products of the fermentation of 
grape sugar1 the other being alcohol4   
,in wine fermented in casks it  rises to
 the surface1 and escapes through the   
bunghole left open for  the purpose4    
,the case is different with wine        
fermenting in bottles  tightly secured  
by corks4 ,part of the gas developed    
rises into the  chamber or vacant space 
left in the bottle1 where1 mingling with
 the  atmospheric air1 it exercises a   
constantly increasing pressure on the   
surface of the wine4 ,this pressure at  
length becomes so strong as to  keep all
 the gas subsequently formed dissolved  
in the wine itself1  which it saturates1

 as it were1 and thereby converts into  
sparkling  wine4 ,upon the bottle being 
opened1 the gas accumulated in the      
chamber  rushes into the air1 producing 
a slight explosion1 or pop1 and freeing 
from pressure the gas which had remained
 dissolved in the wine1 and  which in   
turn escapes in the shape of numberless 
tiny bubbles1 forming  the foam so      
pleasing to the eye on rising to the    
surface4    ,sometimes on opening a     
bottle of ,champagne the pop is loud1   
but the  effervescence feeble and       
transitory2 and1 on the other hand1     
there  is merely a slight explosion1 and
 yet the wine froths and sparkles       
vigorously and continuously4 ,the two   
bottles may contain the same  quantity  
of gas1 but in the one there is more in 
the chamber and  less dissolved in the  
wine1 and hence the loud pop and slight 
sparkle2 while in the other the pressure
 is low1 and the explosion  consequently
 slighter1 but there is more gas in the 
wine itself1 and  the effervescence is  

proportionately greater and more        
lasting4 ,in the  former case the wine  
has received the addition of1 or has    
contained  from the outset1 some matter 
calculated to diminish its power of     
dissolving carbonic acid gas1 and is    
unsuitable for making good  sparkling   
wine4 ,the nature of the effervescence  
is one of the best  tests of the quality
 of the wine4 ,gas naturally dissolved  
does not all  escape at once on the     
removal of the pressure1 but1 on the    
contrary1  about two-thirds of it are   
retained by the viscidity of the wine4  
,the  better and more natural the wine1 
the more intimately the carbonic acid   
gas remains dissolved in it1 and the    
finer its bubbles4    ,the form of the  
glass out of which ,champagne is drunk  
has an influence  on its effervescence4 
,the wine sparkles far better in a glass
  terminating in a point1 like the      
old-fashioned flte1 or the modern       
goblet or patera1 with a hollow stem1   
than in one with a rounded  bottom4 ,the

 reason is that any point formed around 
the liquid1 as  instanced in the pointed
 bottoms of these glasses1 or in the    
liquid1  as may be proved by putting the
 end of a pointed glass rod into  the   
wine1 favours the disengagement of the  
gas4 ,powder of any kind  presents a    
number of tiny points1 and hence the    
dropping of a little  powdered sugar    
into ,champagne excites effervescence4  
,porous bodies  like bread-crumbs       
produce the same effect4 ,even dust has 
a similar  action2 and the wine will    
froth better in a badly-wiped glass than
 in  one perfectly clean1 though it     
would hardly do to put forward such an  
excuse as this for using dirty goblets4 
,the lively pop of the cork is less     
esteemed in ,england than in certain    
circles in ,france1 where many hosts    
would be sadly disappointed if the  wine
 they put before their guests did not go
 off with a loud bang1  causing the     
ladies to scream and the gentlemen to   
laugh4 ,a brisk foam1  too1 is          

absolutely necessary for the prestige of
 the wine1 and 'grand  mousseux' is a   
quality much sought after by the general
 public on the  other side of the       
,channel4 ,it is not rare to meet with  
wines of a high  class in which the     
removal of the cork produces a loud     
explosion2 but  unfortunately the brisk 
report and sharp but transitory rush of 
foam  are features easily imparted by   
artificial means4 ,the ordinary white   
wines of ,lorraine and other provinces  
receive a certain addition of  spirit   
and liqueur1 and are then artificially  
charged with carbonic  acid gas obtained
 from carbonate of lime1 chalk1 and     
similar materials1  after the fashion in
 which soda-water is made4 ,these wines1
 sold as  ,champagne1 eject their corks 
with a loud pop1 but three-fourths of   
the  carbonic acid gas escape at the    
same time1 and the wine soon becomes    
flat and dead2 whereas a naturally      
sparkling wine of good quality  left    
open for three hours and then recorked  

will be found fresh and  drinkable the  
next day4    ,both the explosion and the
 subsequent effervescence are aided by a
 high  temperature1 which assists the   
development of the gas4 ,cold has the   
opposite effect1 and iced wine neither  
pops nor sparkles4 ,it1 however1        
retains1 if genuine1 the whole of the   
carbonic acid gas held dissolved1  which
 is not the case with the imitations    
spoken of4    ,were it not that the     
question has been seriously started on  
more than  one occasion1 and only solved
 to the satisfaction of the questioner  
by a chemico-anatomical explanation1 it 
would hardly be worth while  touching   
upon the supposed hurtfulness of the    
carbonic acid gas  contained in         
sparkling wines4 ,the fact of accidents 
frequently  occurring in breweries1     
distilleries1 wine-presses1 c41 from the
  accumulation of this gas1 to breathe  
which for a few seconds is mortal1  has 
led some people to wonder how           
,champagne1 whilst containing so  large 

a proportion of it1 can be swallowed    
with impunity4 ,the gas1  however1 which
 produces fatal results when inhaled    
into the lungs1  by depriving the blood 
of the oxygen which it should find      
there1 has  in the stomach a beneficial 
effect1 serving to promote digestion4   
,in  drinking ,champagne it is conveyed 
direct to this latter region1 so that   
no danger whatever exists1 any more than
 in the mineral waters4--,mainly        
condensed from ,e4 ,j4 ,maumn's ,trait  
du ,travail des ,vins4    ,footnote     
#dac3 ,for a long time the most         
erroneous ideas as to the cause  of such
 breakage and the means of preventing it
 prevailed4 ,tasting1  which was most   
relied on for ascertaining how far      
fermentation had  gone1 could not be    
depended upon with accuracy1 though the 
rule of  thumb laid down by some makers 
was that the time to bottle with the    
least risk of breakage was when the     
sweet taste had disappeared1 and  vinous
 flavour developed itself4 ,the         

aerometers subsequently introduced      
failed to answer the purpose1 because   
the saccharine matter was not  the only 
thing capable of influencing them4 ,the 
result usually was  either the bottling 
of a must so full of effervescence as to
 break  the bottles1 or of wine already 
completely fermented and incapable of   
effervescing at all4    ,footnote #dad3 
,in some establishments tables made     
after the same  fashion replace the     
racks1 whilst another plan of coaxing   
the sediment  down towards the cork is  
to stack the bottles at the outset in   
double  rows1 with their necks inclining
 downwards1 laths placed between each   
layer maintaining them in their         
position4 ,this method effects a great  
economy of time and space1 the bottles  
requiring on an average only  a few days
 on the racks prior to shipment to      
thoroughly complete the  operation4     
,footnote #dae3 ,as the real origin of  
this system is a matter which has       
excited no small amount of controversy1 

and as several claimants to the  honour 
of its discovery have had their names   
put forward by different  writers1 the  
following extracts from a letter from   
,m4 ,alfred ,werl1 of  the house founded
 by ,madame ,clicquot1 may serve to     
render honour where  it is really due3  
',already1 in #ahjf 7,i am unable to    
speak of an earlier  period with        
absolute certainty71 the bottles were   
placed on tables1  like to-day1 with    
their heads downwards2 each bottle being
 taken out  of its hole1 raised in the  
air1 and shaken with the hand1 so as to 
cause the cream of tartar and the       
deposit it contained to fall upon the   
cork1 the holes being round1 and the    
bottles placed straight downwards4      
,this lasted till #ahah1 when a man     
named ,mller1 an employ of ,madame      
,clicquot1 suggested to her that the    
bottles should be left in the table     
whilst being shaken1 and that the holes 
should be cut obliquely1 so  that the   
bottles might remain inclined4 ,he      

maintained that one would  thus obtain a
 wine of far greater limpidity4 ,the    
trial was made1 and  every day1 with a  
view of keeping this new process a      
secret1 ,mller and  ,madame ,clicquot   
shut themselves up alone in the cellars1
 and shook the  bottles unperceived4 ,in
 #ahba ,mller was assisted by a workman 
named  ,mathieu ,binder2 and in #ahbc or
 #ahbd1 ,madame ,clicquot having        
purchased  from ,m4 ,morizet a cuve of  
wine which was shaken and prepared in   
this merchant's cellars1 one of his     
employs named ,thomassin became         
acquainted with the new method1 and     
resolved to practise it2 since  when it 
gradually spread1 and eventually was    
generally adopted4 ,m4  ,werl senior    
recollects perfectly well that when he  
arrived at ,madame  ,clicquot's in #ahba
 it was only at her establishment that  
the bottles  were shaken in this manner4
 ,the practice of shaking the bottles   
was a  very old one1 and no more        
invented by ,mller than by ,thomassin2  

but the  former certainly effected great
 improvements by employing the system   
of oblique holes1 and shaking the       
bottles in the table and not in the     
air4'    ,footnote #daf3 ,m4 ,maumn has 
pointed out that if a solution of       
tannin or alum has been added to the    
cuve at the time of fining1  the deposit
 is certain to be granular and          
non-adherent4 ,but he justly  remarks   
that these solutions1 especially the    
latter1 though doing good  to the wine1 
have a precisely opposite effect upon   
the human stomach  that consumes it4    
,footnote #dag3 ,the ,regiment de       
,champagne was one of the most famous of
  the vieux corps1 and claimed to be the
 second oldest regiment in the  ,french 
army4    ,footnote #dah3 ,the system of 
dosing the wine does not appear to have 
been practised prior to the present     
century4    ,footnote #dai3 ,the high   
favour in which sugar-candy is held for 
mixing with this ,champagne liqueur     
dates from the latter part of the  last 

century1 when there was a perfect mania 
for everything in a  crystallised form1 
as being the height of condensation and 
purity4 ,the  competition between the   
first houses of ,reims and ,epernay to  
secure  the largest and finest crystals 
was very keen1 and it was considered    
disgraceful for any firm of standing to 
make use of sugar-candy of a  yellow    
tinge or in small crystals4 ,latterly it
 has been demonstrated  that these      
expensive crystals contain more water   
and less saccharine  matter than an     
equal weight of loaf-sugar1 and that    
they sometimes  contain a glutinous     
element capable of imparting an insipid 
flavour to  the wine4--,maumn's ,trait  
du ,travail des ,vins4    ,footnote     
#dbj3 ,instances have been known of     
additions of #be and even #cj  per cent 
of liqueur1 though the average may be   
taken to be for ,germany  and ,france1  
#ae to #ah per cent2 ,america1 #aj to   
#ae per cent2 ,england1 #b  to #f per   
cent4    ,footnote #dba3 ,the corrosive 

action of rust upon the wire has led to 
several attempts to replace it1 and some
 ,champagne houses have adopted  more or
 less ingenious appliances of metal1 c4 
,tinned iron wire has  been found to    
resist rust1 but is too expensive2      
whilst an experiment  with galvanised   
wire resulted in serious illness amongst
 the workmen  handling it1 owing to the 
poisonous fumes evolved by the zinc when
  acted upon by the acids of the wine4  
,footnote #dbb3 ,m4 ,viollet-le-,duc1   
,dictionnaire raisonn de                
l',architecture du ,vme au ,x,v,ime     
,sicle4    ,footnote #dbc3 ,an engraving
 of this tower1 removed while the       
present  work was passing through the   
press1 will be found on p4 #ej4         
,footnote #dbd3 ,see the engraving on p4
 #af4    ,footnote #dbe3 ,read before   
the ,academy of ,reims in ,february     
#ahde1  printed by them in their        
,transactions1 and subsequently         
republished in  volume form4            
,footnote #dbf3 ,it is generally        

supposed that the gate took its name    
from a hospital standing a short        
distance without the walls1 and         
destined for the reception either of    
lepers or of pilgrims arriving  after   
nightfall4 ,the prevalent opinion is    
that it bore the inscription  ,dei      
merito1 translated as ,dieu le mrite1   
which became corrupted into             
,dieu-,lumire4 ,under ,louis ,,xi4 it   
certainly figures as ,di ,merito4       
,footnote #dbg3 ,a curious old engraving
 copied from an ancient tapestry        
represents the entry of the royal       
procession into ,reims through the      
,porte ,dieu-,lumire4 ,joan of ,arc1    
beside the king and in company with  the
 ,dukes of ,bourbon and ,alenon1 bears  
the banner of ,france2 whilst  her      
father and mother are seen arriving with
 the king's baggage by  another road4   
,footnote #dbh3 _/,a4,d4_/ #dii4        
,footnote #dbi3 ,victor ,fievet's       
,histoire d',epernay4    ,footnote #dcj3
 ,m4 ,a4 ,nicaise's ,epernay et         

l',abbaye de ,st4 ,martin4    ,footnote 
#dca3 ,ibid4    ,footnote #dcb3 ,victor 
,fievet's ,histoire d',epernay4 ,in     
,december #aedj1  when the eschevins    
fixed the 'vinage1' the queue of wine   
was valued at  eight to nine livres4    
,footnote #dcc3 ,the partiality of      
,charles ,v4 for the wine of ,ay has    
been  elsewhere spoken of4 ,the         
vendangeoir mentioned was in existence  
in  #agbf4    ,footnote #dcd3 ,victor   
,fievet's ,histoire d',epernay4         
,footnote #dce3 ,m4 ,a4 ,nicaise's      
,epernay et l',abbaye de ,st4 ,martin4  
,footnote #dcf3 ,ibid4    ,footnote     
#dcg3 ,the thoroughfare at ,epernay     
known as the ,rempart de la  ,tour      
,biron commemorates the above event4    
,footnote #dch3 ,victor ,fievet's       
,histoire d',epernay4    ,footnote #dci3
        ',ce diable  quatre      ,a le  
triple talent      ,de boire et de      
battre1      ,et d'tre vert-galant4'    
,footnote #ddj3        ',on lui verse le
 vin de la cte voisine1      ,ptillant1 

savoureux qui soudain l'illumine        
,d'tincelants rayons de joie et de gat2 
,redevenant pote1 il chante la beaut    
,qui l'aide  conqurir doucement la      
,champagne4'        ,m4 ,camille        
,blondiot's ,henri ,,iv4 au ,sige       
d',epernay4      ,footnote #dda3        
',viens aurore1          ,je t'implore1 
,je suis gai quand je te voi2           
,la bergre          ,qui m'est chre     
,est vermeille comme toi4               
,elle est blonde1          ,sans        
seconde1      ,elle a la taille  la     
main2          ,sa prunelle             
,etincelle      ,comme l'astre du matin4
            ,de rose1          ,arrose1 
,la rose a moins de fracheur2           
,une hermine          ,est moins fine1  
,le lis a moins de blancheur4           
,d'ambroisie1          ,bien choisie1   
,dupuis se nourrit  part2          ,et  
sa bouche          ,quand j'y touche    
,me parfume de nectar4'      ,footnote  
#ddb3 ,from the ,extrait du ,registre et
 ,papiers des ,assembls  du ,peuple de  

la ,ville d',epernay1 preserved in the  
_/,,mss4_/ of ,bertin du  ,rocheret4    
,footnote #ddc3 ,bertin du ,rocheret's  
_/,,mss4_/    ,footnote #ddd3 ,ibid4    
,footnote #dde3 ,mmoire concernant la   
,ville d',epernay1 by ,matre  ,franois  
,stapart1 notaire au bailliage1         
published in #agdi4    ,footnote #ddf3  
,max ,sutaine's ,essai sur le ,vin de   
,champagne4    ,footnote #ddg3 ,arthur  
,young's ,travels in ,france in the     
,years  #aghg-h-i4    ,footnote #ddh3   
,victor ,fievet's ,histoire d',epernay4 
,in the list of  expenses incurred on   
the passage of ,louis ,,xvi4 and his    
family1 four  hundred livres are set    
down to 'the ,sieur ,memmie ,cousin1    
innkeeper and  merchant at ,epernay1 for
 the dinner of the king1 the queen1 and 
the  royal family1 as well as for an    
indemnity for the furniture broken at   
the said ,cousin's4'    ,as regards the 
price of the wines of the ,river during 
the ,revolutionary  epoch1 an old       
account-book of ,messrs4 ,mot  ,chandon 

shows that in #agig  the firm paid for  
the white wine of ,epernay and ,avize   
#bjj francs1 for  that of ,chouilly #ahj
 francs1 and for that of ,pierry and    
,cramant #aej  francs per pice2 whilst  
that of ,ay cost from #efe to #fjj      
francs the  queue4 ,bottles in #agij    
only cost #af livres #aj sols the       
hundred4    ,footnote #ddi3 ,the ,clos  
,st4 ,pierre is now the property of ,m4 
,charles  ,porquet1 and the ancient     
seignorial residence of the monks of    
,st4  ,pierre1 at ,pierry1 is occupied  
by ,m4 ,papelart4 ,both these gentlemen 
are  wine-merchants4    ,footnote #dej3 
,cazotte1 writing in ,october #agia1    
speaks of the village  as peopled with  
'gros propritaires2' and in ,november1  
that it had  'thirty-two households of  
well-to-do people4' ,amongst its        
inhabitants  were the ,marquis ,tirant  
de ,flavigny1 ,dubois de ,livry1        
,quatresols de la  ,motte1 ,de ,lastre  
d',aubigny1 ,de ,lantage1 c41 most of   
whose residences  are still extant4 ,in 

,october #agib several accusations were 
made against  soldiers for picking and  
eating grapes in the vineyards of       
,pierry and  ,moussy1 belonging to      
,cazotte1 ,de la ,motte1 ,de ,lantage1  
,d',aubigny1 c4    ,footnote #dea3 ,part
 of it now serves as the 'maison        
communale' and  school-house of the     
village4    ,footnote #deb3 ,arrested at
 ,pierry in ,august #agib1 in           
consequence of the  discovery1 on the   
sacking of the ,tuileries1 of a new plan
 of escape  for the royal family1 sent  
by him to his friend ,ponteau1 secretary
 of  the ,civil ,list1 ,cazotte was     
brought to ,paris and immured1 in       
company  with his daughter ,elizabeth1  
in the prison of the ,abbaye4 ,arraigned
  before the self-constituted tribunal  
presided over by the butcher  ,maillard1
 on the night of the #c;d ,september1   
the fatal words ',to ,la  ,force1'      
equivalent to a sentence of death1 were 
pronounced2 and ,cazotte  was about to  
fall beneath the sabres already raised  

against him1 when  ,elizabeth covered   
his body with her own1 and by her heroic
 appeals  induced the assassins to      
forego their prey4 ,she even had the    
courage to  drink with them to the      
,republic1 and with her father was      
escorted home  in triumph4 ,a few days  
later1 however1 he was rearrested1      
condemned to  death by the              
,revolutionary ,tribunal1 and on the    
#beth ,september ascended  the scaffold1
 from whence he cried with a firm voice 
to the multitude1  ',i die as ,i have   
lived1 faithful to ,god and my king4'   
,under date of the #aj ,prairial ,an    
,,ii4 7#agic71 the citizen ,bourbon was 
appointed by the municipality of ,pierry
 to cultivate the vineyards 'du         
gillotin 7sic7 ,cazotte4'    ,footnote  
#dec3 ,in #agge the ,abbot of           
,hautvillers1 as dcimateur of  ,pierry1 
claimed to take tithe of a fortieth of  
all wines in the cellars  of the        
village4 ,this claim being rejected by  
the baillage of ,epernay  in #aggg1 he  

appealed to the ,parliament of ,paris4  
,cazotte undertook  the case of his     
fellow-proprietors1 pleading that the   
abbey1 which1  according to strict law1 
was bound to take the tithe in the shape
 of  grapes left at the foot of each    
vine1 had long since replaced this  by a
 monetary commutation2 and that the     
inhabitants of ,pierry1 like  the other 
wine-growers of the ,champagne1 being   
'obliged1 in order to  obtain perfection
 in their wines1 to mix the grapes of   
several crus and  different tithings1 it
 would be impossible to tithe the wine  
itself4'  ,he also argued that the      
question had been settled by a decision 
on the  same point in favour of the     
inhabitants of ,ay and ,dizy4 ,however1 
the  monks obtained a decree from       
parliament authorising them to take the 
fortieth of the vintage a month after   
the wines had been barrelled1  unless   
the wine-growers preferred 'to pay the  
tithe at the wine-press1  in form of the
 fortieth load of grapes free from all  

mixture4' ,the  inhabitants appealed in 
#aghj1 pleading the impossibility of    
this  plan of tithing at the press1 on  
account of the expense and of the       
difficulty of sorting out the grapes    
from those brought from ,moussy1        
,vinay1 ,monthelon1 ,cuis1 ,epernay1 and
 other districts in which they had  also
 vineyards4 ,the ,revolution cut the    
,gordian knot of this affair1  which    
really arose from the wish of the monks 
to hinder as much as  possible that plan
 of mixing grapes from different        
sources1 to which  the perfection of    
their own wine was due4    ,footnote    
#ded3 ,in ,january #agij the inhabitants
 of ,pierry unanimously  elected        
,cazotte their first mayor under the new
 rgime4 ,a decree  signed by him in this
 capacity1 and dated ,april #aa1 #agij1 
fixes the  price for a day's work in the
 vineyards at #ab sols4 ,in #agic the   
municipality of the adjoining district  
of ,moussy fixed the day's  hire of the 
vintager at #be sous1 of horses employed

 in the vintage  at #g livres #aj sous1 
and of asses at #e livres4 ,as regards  
the price  of the local cru1 amongst the
 items of the accounts of the syndic of 
,moussy for the years #aghg-h is the    
following3 ',for thirteen bottles  of   
stringed wine 7vin fissel7 sent to      
,paris to the procureur of the          
community 7,failly lawsuit71 #ac        
livres4' ,the community were then       
engaged  in a lawsuit with the ,count de
 ,failly respecting a wood4 ,during the 
,revolutionary epoch it was decreed by  
the municipality of ,pierry that a      
vineyard known as les ,rennes should1 on
 account of the resemblance to  les     
,reines1 be in future styled les        
,sans-culottes4 ,it has since resumed   
its old name4    ,footnote #dee3 ,the   
story of ,cazotte prophesying not only  
his own  fate1 but that of the king and 
queen1 ,condorcet1 ,bailly1             
,malesherbes1  ,nicolai1 the ,duchess de
 ,grammont1 and others who perished     
during the  ,terror1 at a dinner given  

at an ,academician's in #aghh1 has been 
proved  to be a mere invention on the   
part of ,la ,harpe4 ,nevertheless there 
seems but little doubt that he          
distinctly foresaw many coming evils2   
and a native of ,pierry1 ,m4 ,armand    
,bourgeois1 asserts that his maternal   
grandfather was one day at ,cazotte's   
house in the village1 when the  entire  
company were completely upset by their  
host's prophecies of a  coming          
revolution4    ,footnote #def3 ,p4      
,jannet's ,recueil des ,posies franaises
 des #aeme et  #afme ,sicles4           
,footnote #deg3 ,louis ,perrier's       
,mmoire sur le ,vin de ,champagne4      
,footnote #deh3 ,st4 ,evremond's        
,letters1 c4 7,london1 #agad74          
,footnote #dei3 ,max ,sutaine's ,essai  
sur le ,vin de ,champagne4    ,footnote 
#dfj3 ,bertin du ,rocheret's _/,,mss4_/ 
,histoire d',epernay4    ,footnote #dfa3
        ',ay produit les meilleurs      
vins--          ,j'en prends  tmoin tout
 le monde2      ,mais vous prfrez ceux  

de ,reims1      ,ay produit les         
meilleurs vins4      ,ce sont les       
premiers1 les plus fins1          ,et   
,saint ,evremont me seconde4      ,ay   
produit les meilleurs vins--            
,j'en prends  tmoin tout le monde4      
,charles ,quint s'y connoissoit bien    
,il en faisoit la diffrence2      ,et   
mieux que son matre ,adrien1            
,charles ,quint s'y connoissoit bien1   
,pour en boire1 il ne tint a rien       
,qu'il ne vnt demeurer en ,france4      
,charles ,quint s'y connoissoit bien    
,il en faisoit la diffrence4            
,pour qu'on ne pt le mlanger1           
,et que sa table ft complte1      ,lui  
mme faisoit vendanger1      ,pour qu'on 
ne pt le mlanger4      ,lon craignant   
mme danger1          ,d'un pressoir     
d',ay fit emplte1      ,pour qu'on ne pt
 le mlanger1          ,et que sa table  
ft complte4'    ,the ,adrien mentioned  
in the second verse was ,pope ,adrian   
,,vi41 who had  been the ,emperor's     
preceptor1 and who by his influence     

obtained the  tiara on the death of ,leo
 ,x4 ,unlike his predecessor1 he was    
very simple  in his habits4    ,footnote
 #dfb3 ,maison ,rustique1 edition of    
#aegd4    ,footnote #dfc3 ,louis        
,perrier's ,mmoire sur le ,vin de       
,champagne4    ,footnote #dfd3 ,an      
allusion to the curse pronounced by ,st4
 ,tresain  against the men of ,ay4      
,footnote #dfe3 ,maison ,rustique       
7#aehb71 translated by ,richard ,surflet
  7,london1 #afjj74    ,footnote #dff3  
,ibid4    ,footnote #dfg3 ,ibid4        
,footnote #dfh3 ,paulmier's treatise1   
,de ,vino et ,pomaceo 7#aehh74          
,footnote #dfi3 ,maison ,rustique       
7#aehb74    ,footnote #dgj3 ,legrand    
d',aussy's ,vie prive des ,franais4     
,footnote #dga3 ,louis ,perrier's       
,mmoire sur le ,vin de ,champagne4      
,footnote #dgb3 ,recueil des ,posies    
latines et franaises sur le ,vin  de    
,champagne 7,paris1 #agab74 ,gonesse1 a 
village of the department  of           
,seine-et-,oise1 about ten miles to the 

north of ,paris1 had a high  reputation 
for its bread for several centuries4    
,footnote #dgc3        ',notre bon roi1 
le grand ,henry1          ,en rgaloit sa
 belle htesse1      ,quand il couchoit  
,damery1      ,notre bon roi1 le grand  
,henry1      ,c'toit-l son jus favori2  
,et son pain1 celui de ,gonesse1        
,notre bon roi1 le grand ,henry1        
,en rgaloit sa belle htesse4'           
,published in the ,mercure of ,january  
#agbh4 ,henry was accustomed to  speak  
of the ,prsidente as his 'belle htesse4'
    ,footnote #dgd3 ,circa #aeij4       
,footnote #dge3 ,thtre de l',agriculture
 et ,mesnage des ,champs 7#afjj74       
,footnote #dgf3 ,published at ,orleans1 
#afje4 ,as regards the price of the     
newly-made wine of ,ay at this epoch1   
,jehan ,pussot says that1 in #afjd1  it 
fetched from #be to #de livres2 in      
#afje1 from #fj livres upwards2 and  in 
#afji1 from #ajj to #abj livres1 at the 
epoch of the vintage4    ,footnote #dgg3
 ,chaulieu says that ,st4 ,evremond     

',ne chante dans ses vers heureux       
,que l'inconstance et la ,tocane'--     
,tocane being usually made of the wine  
of ,ay4    ,footnote #dgh3 ,st4         
,evremond's ,works 7,london1 #agad74    
,footnote #dgi3 ,chaulieu extols the    
,tocane of ,ay1 and some verses of      
,voltaire have been quoted on p4 #fa4   
,footnote #dhj3 ,arthur ,young's        
,travels in ,france in the ,years       
#aghg-h-i4    ,footnote #dha3           
,,champagne4        ,less for thy grace 
and glory1 land of ours1          ,than 
for thy dolour1 dear1          ,let the 
grief go2 and here--      ,here's to thy
 skies1 thy women1 and thy flowers6     
,france1 take the toast1 thy women and  
thy roses2          ,france1 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 ,champagne--the sparkling soul
 of mirth1          ,that1 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 knight1          ,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 prize2   
,my subtile savour gets          ,in    
partridge wings its daintiest allies4'  
,ah1 potent chiefs1 ,bordeaux and       
,burgundy1          ,if we must answer  
make1          ,this sober counsel take3
      ,messeigneurs1 sing your worth    
less haughtily1      ,for 'tis          
,champagne1 the sparkling soul of mirth1
          ,that1 bubbling o'er with     
laughing gas1          ,flashes gay     
sunbeams in the glass1      ,and like   

our flag goes proudly round the earth4  
,ay1 'tis the true1 the typic wine of   
,france2          ,ay1 'tis our heart   
that sparkles in our eyes1      ,and    
higher beats for every dire mischance4  
,it was the wit that made our fathers   
wise1          ,that made their valour  
gallant1 gay1      ,when plumes were    
stirred by winds of waving swords1      
,and chivalry's defiance spoke the      
words3          ',a vous1 ,messieurs les
 ,anglais1 les premiers6'        ,let   
the dull beer-apostle till he's hoarse  
,vent his small spleen and spite--      
,fate fill his sleepless night          
,with nightmares of invincible remorse6 
,we sing ,champagne1 the sparkling soul 
of mirth1          ,that1 bubbling o'er 
with laughing gas1          ,flashes gay
 sunbeams in the glass1      ,and like  
our flag goes proudly round the earth4