Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1878-05-15
American Champagne.

How is American champagne made?
by the addition ofsugar and carbon
ic acid gas to the wine after the first fer.
mentation. That tells the whole pro-
cess. The wine, Say four months old,
comes to US from California in casks.
We put sugar in the bottom Of the emp.
ty CASKS, transfer the wine to these casks,
roll the casks so as 10 dissolve and mix
the sugar, then draw off the wine, i'm
pregnate it with carbonic acid gas, and
bottle it. Try glass of it. Not two
persons in every hundred that passed
our doors could distinguish 1t from
French champagne
How is French champagne made"
In the manufacture of French cham
payne the sugar is added to the bottled
wine instead of the wine in the cask.
The bottled wine is then stored away
for one year more, and fermentation
arises which produces the efieryescence'
If we should keep our home wine bot
tied for year it would be as eherves-
cent as foreign wine without the addi-
ton of artificial gas.'
why not.do so. then"
BECAUSE we want to save time. by
using artificial gas we get the same re-
suit at once. The expense OF storage
and of the interest on capital are avoid
ed. and at the same time our wine has
more carbonic acid than French VINE,
and is for that reason improved. It's
not liable to produce nausea. Carbonic
acid Gas. whether obtained by natural
or artificial means, is simply carbonlc
ac d gas, you know. Our wine is not
only cheaper, but more wholesome. We
sell it at retail for a dollar.a quart and
fifty cents pint.
AS understand you, then, sugar Is
always used in France, las we'll as IN th.s
co.ntr,. in the manufacture OF cham
pasne.
Certainly it is. The grapes gather
ed in September, are pressed and then
nut in yats. where the first iermenta-
ton takes place. In the following May
the wine is bottled. and laid away Tor
year or more. each bottle lying horizon
tai. At the end Of that time a second
fermentation has taken place, and the
wine is sparkling and efervescent.
| Meanwhile a little sediment has gather
ed in each bottle. To remove this the
bottle is placed for few days in an
obllque position, for another few days
in a more oblique position, and so on.
until the sediment has gradually worked
its way to the bottom Of the cork. linen
the cork is slowly removed, and the
sediment spurls out with little otthe
wine. Before recorking the bottle, a
certain amount ofhqueur, as the trench
call tive call it sirup-is poured into
it. the usual quantity being ten per cen-
INN of the contents Of the bottle. For
wine intended lor expectation to Rus
sia. twenty per centum oFHque~ is add
ed-the Russians having a sweet tooth'
Then the bottle is finally corked, and
ready for the market. The best cham
pagne always goes TO England;the next
best to Germany; the next best to Rus
sia:thc worst Of all 10 America. Amer
leans are not considered in Europe 10
be oodjudges Of wine, aud therefore
the great champagne houses in France
reserve for them the poor grades DIVINE
This wine is genuine and unadulterated'
lofcourse: but its quality is third or
fourth rate. How could it be otherwise
when the French manufacturers believe
that the taste of Americans is not suiil'
clently cultivated to enable them TO ap-
ureciate the choicest products OF the
vintage"
California produced last year i,Ooo'VVo
gallons of VINE. 1t is estimated that
the yield this year will be fully 100000
gallons.