The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1874-07-30
How Champagne is Made.

The Champagne, from which the wine
takes its name, was an ancient province in
France, but of this only the prefectures of
Epernay and Rheims produce good wine.
The grape generally grown for producing
champagne is the black Burgundy, it being
a singular fact that this wine, which is
perhaps the whitest of all wines, is made
from black grape. Only about one
fourth of the grapes grown in the Cham
pagne districts are converted into etfer-
vescing wine. The rest are made mostly
into red wine, by process similar to that
employed in Burgundy. The grapes are
picked early in the morning, and are car
ried-in baskets to the roadside, where they
are carefully sorted, all unripe and un-
sound berries being cut out by scissors.
They are then packed in panniers, which
are placed on dOnkeys to be carried home.
Here they are emptied directly into presses
closely resembling the cider press used in
this country. The wine running from
the press when the power is first applied
is considered the best. After it has stop
ped flowing the follower is raised, the
edges of the cake are cut off and thrown
into the middle, and pressure again ap-
piled. This is repeated several times but
the whole process must be completed be-
fore the grapes commence to ferment, be-
cause the slightest fermentation during
the pressing will extract the color from
the husks. The must runs into large watts,
where it stands from six to twenty hours,
during which time it throws up frOth.
and deposits other impurities in the bot
tom of the casks. The must is carefully
drawn off from these into barrels, in
which it undergOes the first fermentation.
1t remains in these barrels until about the
fret of hon &c hnt ic
then drawn off from the lees. The first
step in the manufacture is to mix the pro-
ducts of various vineyards so as to pro-
duce wine which shall resemble some
particular brand, such as Sillery, Epernay.
or any other that may be popular at the
time. The wine is then fined by isinglass;
it takes from an eighth of an ounce to a
quarter to each barrel. This occupies
about month. If at the end of this time
it is not clear, it is drawn off from the
lees and fined again. The wine during
this process of tining is also treated with
sulphur vapOr in order to make it as pale
as possible. 1t is then drawn off, bottled
and corked. AS soon as the bottles have
been corked they are carried into the eel
lars and put into immense piles, some
houses filling every year several hundred
thousand bottles. As the temperature in
the cellar increases with the approach of
summer, the wine begins to ferment.
This is the critical time with the manu-
facture. Many bottles burst from the
pressure of the disengaged gases, but, if
the breakage does not exceed eight per
cent. by the end of August, no particular
measures are taken; if however, it much
exceeds this amount, the bottles must be
uncOrked and recOrked. This is a danger
ono Gin Off rA.,fi, s1n hNff 81
explode in the hands of the workmen
The constant breaking of bottles sounds
like succession of pistol shots, but this
entirely ceases by the end of the summer.
When the fermentation is finished, the
stacks of bottles are overhaulcd. all the
broken bottles are removed, and those in
good order are restacked. These are then
allowed to remain at rest until the yeast
has settled at the lower side of the bottle
And in this state the wine remains until it
is ready for sale. 1t has yet to be cleared.
For this purpose the bottles are placed
on long benches pierced with holes in
which the necks fit. The deposit gradual
ly settles upon the cork. This is then re-
moved by skillfully Withdrawing the cork,
and allowing the frOth which escapes to
carry the yeast with it. The wine is now
ready for finishing. As above prepared,
it is Cry and somewhat deficient in flavor;
to impart sweetness and flavor, certain
quantity of liquor must be added. This
is prepared from sugar and some very fine
favored old wine for the better qualities
of champagne, but from brandy wine, and
sugar for the mere common kinds but
every manufacturer has his own particu-
lar receipts, and the liquor also varies with
the country to which the wine is to be
sent. Thus, England requires wine
strong in alcohol and not too sweet, while
in Russia a very sweet wine is preferred.
After the liquor has been added the bottles
are again corked, the cOrks tied down, and
the bottles washed and dried, labels attach
ed, and the corks covered with tinfOil.
The bottles are then wrapped in paper,
packed in boxes and baskets, and are
ready for the market. There are four va
rieties of champagne : first, the non-effer-
vescent, which was the original wine of
the Champagne, and may be either red or
white; second, the creamy, or only slight
ly etfervescent; third, the effervescent,
which will expel the cork with a moder
ate report, and gently rise over the mouth
OF the bottle; fourth, the strongly effer
vescent. which eXpels the cork with loud
report and Immediately overfiows the bot
tie, and a small quantity of which, when
poured out, will also fill the glass with
foam. These articles are known as non
n1ouSseHr, crensant, n1ouSseur, and grand
nousseur. 1t is as useless to expect to get
good champagne at half price as it is to
buy gold or silver at half its value. The
lowest price in Champagne is about lis.
per dozen, and a good quality can be
bought there for about double this figure.
The lowest quality would cost at least SOS.
per dozen in this country, and there is no
limit TO the price for the best quality.
English Paper.
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