Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1866-10-27
THE GROWTH OF CHAMPAGNE.

OF those who sip the best champagne
are aware that within q short time
there has passed away n who has done
more to raise the character Of this class of
wine than had been accomplished
in centuries. The widow Clicquot, whose
brand has been so famous among kings,
noblemen and the best judges in this coun-
Try, died recently, nearly ninety years
old, leaving q property Of between six
and eigh, millions Of dollars. This was
all made by the careful improvement Of
the wines of the district in which she
always lived. Her father was Mayor Of
Rheims, where she was born and early
married to a French officer, whose marches
had carried him through the best vine
yards in Europe, and who. sick and
wounded, became convinced that he could
greatly improve the wines Of the district.
He and his wife at once saw that the best
wine could only be made out Of the best
grapes, and they would never use any
other. He died more than sixty years
ago, and his widow has ever since carried
on the plansfor improvement he suggested,
never selling any wine out Of the cellar
until fully ripe and ready for use.
In 1915 the armies OF the Allies emptied
the widows cellar, and she thought she
was ruined but the Duke Of Wellington,
the Prince Regent, and kings and en-
perors became so assured ofthe superiority
Of her wine, that they gave large orders,
and her fortune was secured. The history
Of her success might Do that Of many in
this country, il they begin by selecting the
best grapes and most favorable situations
for vine culture, and follow it up with IN
dustry, good taste and intelligence. It il
true that for several centuries the wine OF
the Marine district has been celebrated.
but it lacked body at the time when NJ.
ClicQuot introduced his new methods in
the production OF wine. He felt that the
whole business was as yet only in its in
fancy, and labored to excel by better taste
and care, instead OF being content with
merely following out the old traditional
ma1ims. The result has been q fortune
to his family and wealth to the whole dis
trict. OF the $4,000, 900 bottles of spark
ling champagne produced in the whole
district, about one-quarter is sent to the
United States, while England takes less
than a million. The vineyards yielding
the best wine have a southern aspect, tn.
land is stony, and in great measure OF a
chalk or limestone formation. But it il
the purity and care with which all sedi-
ment and scum are removed at the end Of
eighteen months after bot,ling, and before
the wine is sold, which gives the browning
perfection. A similar precaution is one
great secret Of the excellence Of the Long
worth wines, the success Of which have
been almost equally great, commercially
in a much shorter time.
The rapid name in which the culture
Of the vine has been improved in this
country affords every inducement to be-
lieve tina, the United States will be-
come one of the greatest win~e-growinR
countries in the world. By care in culti-
vation the best native varieties Of the
grape for u purpose, and introducing to
our climate the best foreign vines, there is
perhaps hardly any kind Of wine that
we cannot secure from our WI soil. The
vine land, Of California yield ONE varis-
ties OF the very best grapes for wines Of q
favor not known elsewhere and unequal
led. We must Of course pas, through the
old traditional rules, but it is BY going
further and following out the lights spring.
ing from new experience and the highest
taste and science, that q perfection in the
flavor il, to be expected, and . uniformity
| Of tho same results from the same grapes
not We. reached in the Old World or the
New.
The life Of such an old lady as Widow
Clicquos is worth much more to this coun.
try than all the large sums she ha, OBJ.
tanned from it, If only to teach US thai
there is vast room for improvement still
After all the wine which has been manu-
featured since Bacchus was 6rst a boy. OF
Noah pressed too hard or two often the
grapes Of the new world, we may yet b
well assured that we can still improve the
quality. The great points are, that oul
suns are warm enough to produce the
finest grapes OF many different varieties,
that we have in many States the exac,
qualities Of soil adapted to the grape; and
our progress has been such as to justify
the assertion that in fifty years We can,
wishou, doubt, produce moro excellent
wines than any country in Europe, on
properly selected soils, and in such abun-
dance as to become the center Of the hes,
wine market in the world. Cheaper, ye,
nutritious, wines will then rapidly super
cede the poisonous compounds in the
shape of liquors now in common use.
Carson items.
from the Appeal Of this morning.]
UNION RALLY AT EMrIRz.-The Union
:. Pro;,a p,ocipnt will he Addressed