, 1876-10-02
CHAMPAGNE.
How It In nHntlo nnd Whcro the HcSt Cnn Isg
Found.

F0uHu.
Lqnaon Saturday Etrftsc.
It is not Of course to be expected that the
finest champagne should be given I'll ordinary
occasions; tits would lie Il throwing nf peArls to
people who lad no tinsr or opportunity to judge
tIc{r lnAtre properly. Indeed, whcn une COIL
stttrs tic lnbur A,ld skill employed ia the MAX
ihg Of the finest cliampayges, nne is apt TO think
tint, according to French fnshin, they a!loulh
ho arunk only after dinner, wl'cu it Is possible
to gtyu comparatively uninterrupted consi,lerl-
tiofi to their merits. The g:;trcs fEuM which
champagne Ia made arc allnust entirely tho
hlatk and white Burgundy ,-two-thtrds Of tho
black, roughly speaking. bclug uaed T. one-thir!l
Very fine champagne cnn be made only from tho
black grapes that nre growing In certnih favored
districts, such as Ay; but thg vine i % ,naee froMa
flayos eljcicnt iii body, aul! would be- too light
aud acid If used alone, In tic. champagne
country the process OF cutting and partHE TIL.
Eoot, subatanec, do not require t'lc very delicate
handling found necessary in other districts.
The branches are carefully inspected, and, when
all unrIve or rotten 'errlcs hnve been removed,
chile worked by hand, aud made, With the ex-
ccpt!on Of at irot, screw entirely Of wood. 1t
NAV be pleasant news to some cilnlnpagnc
drinkers that the trealing ont of tile grapes by
practiecl In soIno districts, Is 1lut hero employ
cd. Aftrr this pressing the wine n put Into
iargc wits, where It Is allowed ~ fcrn,ent for
fr0nl II to ID lloilrs, utter which 1t Is drawn OH
into casks, where i second fermentation takca
up to this time the wlne Is lurc fertncntcd
tufru Of tho grapes; but, II bottled In this contil-
t!o, tic wlnt would be still. ntid to give 1t the
sayy, The necessary amount of this element 10
determined by lncans Ut all Instrument WHICH
discovers the IuaHtitv of saechartne originally
contain cd III tic wine the Quantity lost III the
far ufn nf Inp Il IN ftiR nJnn1luf
which has 10 be aided. 1t will b.: scc, that the
nsc Ut tAis instrumeltt requires great e1pet!-
cnrc care, aud skill. lle tucc!arlnc uscl for tho
| ii,lvst Wines Is composed of the purcst white
zane candy dissolved In tinu otd wine received
fur tho purpose, Willie for THE comtnohcr wines
coarse sugar mud spirits arc used: After tho
preplratiaL Of tho wine III casks, hr!li!ancy Is
IsnEass, al,a after that II Is ready for bottsins
! about tllr ,runth 0{ May after tho vintage. II
Ia slowed nway In deep cellars In stacks ut from
| 10 to 30,030 bnttest froL, any part of which
attacks single bottle call he removed Mt my tluc
| In which tt Is lntl.
Although the wtne is perfectly bright when
bottled. It soun throws down sediment which,
most ba removed before the wine goes into tic
market. In order to effect this tho bottles
have to remain In horizontal position for II
war Or norr: when II has been aseertainca by Il
careful examination 0! the hotties that this l,s
tnkcn place: they arr put In wooden racks win
the neck slightly depressed, go that the sct!i-
lngnt slides toward tic corlts, anl each bottle
Is gently asitated at stated intervals by practice
rd hands, Vho 1t is said, Gull, after some ,cx-
pvrlcIlcc, shake several thousand bott u day,
With every 6llakr tho mouths Of the bottles be-
CONS rnuFu depressed, Until they stand nearly
nn end, when tic sediment Is settled In t'lc ncc
! Ut thr bottle clusu 10 The base vi tue cork.
III th!s position the bottles rcnsatn until tIlo
VIM tus to br prepared for consumption by the
,.roccss Ut getting rid Of the sediment, Or, u,
,lse the technical lcr1a, "dlsgor.ing.' This f.
.lonu by skilled Workman, WIN takes each
hott's, ind viii, special Instrument strips ott
thu Iron Flip which hollis dowu the cork, whu.l
the pressure NJ tho frrnlenttng Wine torcc: Out
tie cork nntf with It tile sediment. The wlne u
allowed for Il sceoud or tive Z, 1rotn "ysF II, y,
impurities; the bottle Is then PLACED u. fsam1
,ll,ler MI air-tt2ht stnppcr, which cheeks ~
further waste of gus or wine. Wins Il! taia
sugurless to thu lasts; therv arc suinc peoplc
who have, autl eorlc who Affect, a tnsse tnr
champagne in this condition, hut 1t ts a cnndF-
ton which on,y tho wlues Of The finest ytntagea
general purposes ~ udl to thu wlsIn in bsttlea
ut this I0Int ctrtaiH further aHlulnt OF saechar-
jne, thu quantity of which IL Determined hy
various tircnnlsta!ces, cihLcf unlong which arc
tic quality OF thu vino ltaclf and the quality OF
t!u .s,arket to which, 1t Is destined.
II Is gratifying to know tllut the least 4uant1ty
OF sacclarino u used Tor tt'1 Engsh lnafkst,
md that therefore finer champagne 10, "a rug,
nor coutunl OF sacct,atluu Es used for tho first
md from : to IL ft,r thn secnna quality Ut
champagne sent to England, eighteen 70 twenty
prr ccutlM IL neeled 10 eatri, the taste OF tier
il.an, American, anil cyen French champagne
drinkers, 1t is obvious that tinu wine disguised
viii, tilis a.naunt Of sirup has no cllamce. ol
asserting lts true merit; aild II is natural that
thu purey0rs 0f champagne should pay come
attention tn this fact. And It ts therefore fair
tn conclude that he who wishes to posscss the
finest champagne had better look for It in the
English rather than IN any other market.
At the sasns tias, Is often happens, whero
tho hest there also ls thc worst to hc found.
Tho fashion Of drinking good champagne Us Il
fcstal witu has lei to the custom of supplying
and what ltiay 10 . harmless preparation Of
cider or some other Indigenous cVrEycss1nttss
liquid, Or u harmful compound imported from
abroad A year Or two ago tl'ere WIS kind o.
auggestcd that petroleum was largely employed
topOison unsuspectips people under tho suiac ot