Daily Los Angeles herald., 1879-11-25
EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE.
The Growing Wine interests Of California
Landsbsrger's Champagne-Probably the
Only Pure, Sparkling Wine in the World
Insuficiency Of the Supply.

Insuficency Of the Supply.
DEAR HERALD: The growing at
tention which is beginning to clus-
ter around the wine interest Of
California make it important that
/ should reproduce some notes of q
visit which I made to the extensive
wine house of Landsberger q Co.
There 1 encountered Mr.. Arpad
Haraszthy, a gentleman who may
rightfully be called the pioneer OF
the champagne manufacture OF
this coast. Mr.. Haraszthy is well
known to our people, being the
brother-in-law of Major Hancock,
of the Brea ranch.
THE LANDSBERGER CELLARS
Are at No. 10 Jones Alley, and
they contain, in addition to a great
quantity of other brands, abouttwo
hundred thousand bottles of cham
pagne of various grades. The
bottling department is on the Sec
ond story. The operation of cork
ing is effected by French ma
chine, and the tying of the corks is
performed by Cinnamon in a very
expeditions manner. After the
bottle has been filed it is placed
upon o rack for from three to six
weeks, to allow the sediment to
settle. In little while the natur-
al gas is generated and in this de-
partment the firm suffer a loss of
about five per cent. from explosions
which are as sharp as the crack of
a pistol. The bottled champagne
Is next removed to a lower story, Is
again placed in rack. the latter
the invention of Mr.. Haraszthy,
and the bottles are shaken at inter-
walls. This shaking, together with
placing the necks down in the
rack, throws all the sediment on
one side of the bottle, on the cork.
After they have remained in this
position for about six months, they
are removed to room where the
cork is popped, the first explosion
sending out all the sediment. They
are then refilled, wired and packed
away to attain the age which is
thought desirable before they are
placed upon the market. Mr.. Har-
aszthy is using wine made from
foreign varieties of the grape, such
as Reisling, Gutedel, Malaga and
Zinfindel, in the manufacture of
his champagnes. These several
wines are mixed together in enor-
NOUS vats containing three thous-
and gallons, and they are thus
brought to a uniform grade before
being converted into the sparkling
liquor which has become such a
universal favorite all over the
world.
MR.. ARPAD HARASZTHY
Spent many years of his life in
learning all the methods of man.
ufacturing Champagne. He was
employed for a long while in the
cellars and warehouse of Moet &
Chandon, of Epernay, and in other
famous cellars. He has no hesita-
tion in asserting his belief that he
is to-day making as good q cham
pagne, of the same age, as is sold
in the world, and he is certain that
1t is the purest. Not a drop of
brandy or acid enters into the man.
ufacture of Landsberger's Eclipse
or Imperial, or the other brands of
the firm. The natural fermenta-
tion only is used. After the wine
has gone through its purifying pro-
cess on the racks, little pure syr-
up, made from a specially fine
quality of white sugar, imported
from New York for the purpose,
and little pure white wine, is en-
ployed to make the grade of the
champagne, the dry brands receiv-
ing a mere trifie of the saccbarine
matter. Mr.. Haraszthy informed
me that, contrary to the general i'm
preston, it is impossible to get up
a headache on the California Cham
pagne made by Landsberger d
Co. A number Of unprincipled
counterfeits of the brands made
famous by this house, and which
get their sparkle from the soda
fountain, have created this erron-
eous impression.
TALKING ABOUT CALIFORNIA
WINES,
Mr.. Harasztby told me that 1t is
an utter mistake to suppose that
there is any more headache in a
California than in a European
wine. He says the fact is that
there Is less. The contrary opln-
ion is founded merely upon ignor-
ance. When Col. Haraszthy, our
informanps father, went to Europe
as one of the Commissioners of
this State, on a tour of investiga-
tIop, the son accompanied him
over all the most celebrated wine
regions OF that continent. In their
crude condition the wines of Spain,
France, Germany and Hungary are
very "heavy," and they will give
far more intractable headaches