Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1880-10-20
SWIMMING IN CHAMPAGNE
Something Tor Wine Drinkers 20
Nead-.tsow Men Appear in inc
Watts.


The sight near at hand Of" stern
round tower OF other days. admon'
ished me was entering the domain
of Chateau Ia Tour, one OF tho reign
Ing houses of IIaut Medoc by decree
Of tho Bordeaux Chamber Of Com
merce and the sullragcs OF princely
drinkers, tho world overanking mum
Der one in q classification Of a select
sixty, chosen from yignobles OF n dis
trict where all is choice and fine.
Surrounded by field Of little low
vines, as insignificant TO look at as
any OF tho other, stood n handsome
new chateau, with house, store houses,
stables, etc., close by, while apart
from the hopo'. my thumb trellis,
was n stately antique tower, giving
dignity, character, interest and Lame
to the place. A gentleman of dislin-
euishcd ook, with two ladies, was
walking toward tho house as l drew
near saluted him and asked per-
mission to walk about the property
ut Monsieur will be good enough to
wait q moment the regisseur will be
here and will conduct him." The
reoisseur or conductor coming up,
was presented and turned over to
him. He showed me the press house.
A pile OF grapes already stemmed was
heaped in conical form OH the pressolr
and five or six men with trousers roll
cd above the knees, were trottlng
about in n circle, ,ramping the pile
under loot, beginning at the outer cir
conference and gradually contracting
their circuit until they met in th'
middle and on tob Of the cone
This they call "fouler peid" (crush
ing with feet.) There might be {
cleaner way Of doing the thing
don't tbiuk there could be a fouler
The regiseur made no apology for the
sight, nor did the trottors seem IN tn
least ashamed. Wherever wen
that day, except at the Averous farm
and Chateau LATTE. this mode o
crushing was in practice. 1t is sal'
no other SO efeclually brushes TIT
pulp without breaking the seed. II
fact, that tits important for the qu'lit,
of the wine that it be trodden on
with naked feet. 1t is also said AM
very truly that soap and water vii
cleanse the feet as well as the hands
At one place visited l inquired OF tn
workmen if they washed their feet be
fore tramping on the grapes, and wa
told they did not. One of them er
lightened my ignorance by explaining
that wine had the power to flag off a
impurities, so that it was of no s Of
OF consequence how free they mad
With it. No doubt there is a goo
deal to be said on the other side o
this question of Dirt confess tina
what I saw and heard disturbed IN
. old notion-at all events, the Medo
s vintages acted as if quite sure of the
chemical deductions, and would wal
; with bare feet slap.dash through puo
die and mud and mount the iait
heap with the assured tread of me
firmly grounded in their principles.
At the "Hospice' at Bliguy, in til
Province of Burgundy, the propert
. OF an endowed hospital in Beaune,
d found the arrangements excellent
~ The watts, which are constructed lik
u those of medoc only lower and wide
in proportion to their height, hol
!. about thousand gallons each. Ofte
it is necessary to resort to artlficl'
, heat in aid of the fermentation. b'
! so long as things work well in tn
E watts nothing of the kind is neede'
!. But there is another mode of rousin
. up the slackening process and at tn
d same time bringing the skins an
o seeds which have settled to the DO
tom into contact with the new-mat
alcohol, SO that the latter may con
.. bine well with the coloring natt'
= they contain.
This consists IN string up Il