The Penn's Grove record., 1884-03-08

AAINh HA VII
OF all countries which go largely into
wiDe-making France is foremost, and
owing 10 the abundance and\ variety
produced. through the variety of soil
and climate, it has been called the yIne-
yard of the earth. About seven-eighths
Of the territory is wiue-beaTing, and
next to the ordinary business OF agrl-
culture it is the most valuable branch
of industry. 1t gives employment ~
3,0OO,O 600 persons. The quantity OF
Wine annually produced is 100000
900 gallons, and this is worth ~SjoO,OUO,-
900. These wines differ widely one
from another, and each has a fame Of
its own. OF them all the products OF
the Champagne country are the best
known and most widely distributed.
This has always been considered a5
bearing off the palm; it has always
been the favOrite wine Of the crowned
heads as well as of other historical per-
sonages.
The province of Champagne is divi-
ded INTO five departments, but 1t IS
only in the Department Of Marine that
the champagne of commerce is made,
And Marine is sub-diyided into live de
partments, of which Rheims and Eper-
nay are the true center Of the manutac-
ture. So when we see Rheims and
"Epernay' on the bottles, We know
just where they come from; and, for a
still clearer picture, 1t may be stated
that the vineyards of Rheims are situa'
ted around the slopes Of a wooded
mountain, while those of Epernay oc-
cupy an %undulating plain. The vintage
begins in September. The grapes are
subjected to three pressures, and Tie
juice being collected into large watts, II
is allowed to stand twelve or eighteen
hours, till the sediment is deposited.
1t is then drawn off into barrels and
left to ferment. BY December the wine
being clear, it is again drawn into watts,
and as the perfect article is made from
the products of several different vine
yards, the operation Of mixing begins.
After this is accomplished 1t Is again
drawn into the barrels allowed TO stand
till spring. 1t is then bottled and car
ried into the cellars and laid on its side
and the secondary fermentation beglns,
1t lasts through the summer and du-
ring this time there is often 50 much
bursting among the bottles that the loss
sometimes amounts to twenty-five per
cent. After the fermentation and break
age cease, the bottles are oyerhauled,
and those that are whole r~estacked.
! After resting eighteen months they are
taken out and shaken, whereupon any
little sediment there may be comes to
the top, and the cork being taken out,
the froth that pushes up brings the sedl-
ment with it, so that it can be re-
moved.
One thing more aud the wine is ready
for market. Into each bottle is intro
duced a little melted rock candy, mix
ed with a trifing quantity of brandy.
The quantity of sweetness introduced
depends on the country to which the
| wine is to be sent. Russia requires
least, and England and the United
! States most. The bottles are cow re-
corked, the air excluded by means Of
tin foil or wax, and the champagne,
| now three or four years Old is ready fol-
! use. Twenty-Five millions of bottles
are annually put up, one-siXth of which
! comes to the United States.
l LNCAb III llLlIOl AtAillO ttbtS lAO lily
| of the Giroude. The capital of this de-
partment is Bordeaux; hence the wines
are often called by that name. The
| Gironde is divided INTO five wine-prO-
ducing districts, of which MedOc is the
most celebrated. 1t is a long, narrow
plain containing 45, 000, 900 acres o.
vineyards. Eight million gallons o.
wine are annually produced. These
wines are all red, and are what art
called clarets. One-fourth of them are
the exquisite high class wines, such az
Chateau MorgauX, Chateau Lafltte
and Chateau Latour. These command
an enormous price, even in France
| Comparatively little pure MedOc reach
es this country, as the popular taste il
America likes it reinforced with spiritu
GUS strength, The amount of mixing
that goes on at Bordeaux is prodigious
Her export is twelve times as much a
entire growth of Medoc, and one-hal
of these are bought as genuine without
a misgiying.
Another of the famous wines exhibit
ed here is the Hermitage. The VINE
yards which produce this wine lie OF
the south slope of a hill near the tow
of Tain, ON the Rhone, in the old pro
vince of Dauphiny. 1t is called HeTmi
tage, because of a hermit who took III
his abode there IN the thirteenth centu
ry and planted the vines for an inter
esting occupation. The slope being
~southerLy, the sun shines on the vines
all day long, and brings the fruit t.
marvellous perfection. The vines art
in three vineyards, and as the perfect
wine results only from a mixture OF the
product of the three, the p%rOprietors
must hold property in each.
The Burgundy wines are grown on q
series OF low hills about thirty-six mile;
in length. Along their slopes and eX,
tending a mile or SO out OF the plains al
their feet lie the vineyards which pro
duce the yellow Burgundy.n The
district of the Sauternes produces the
celebrated Chateau Yquem, which j,
esteemed almost too precious to use.
1t looks like bottled sunshine.
The department of Charente is rich
in vineyards, All Of the wine is used
for d~isuillation Immediately after fer,
mentation. The town of CogLac is the
center of the manufacture, hence the
name is usually to these brandies
which are the best in the world.
1t is Of some little interest to know
the general average of alchohol in wine.
From one thousand gallons Of wine
they get, o. distillation, from II hun.
bred to one hundred and fifty gallons OF
brandy. President Jefferson sald III,
~toxication would neyer prevail where
wine was cheap; that it was only the
dearness of that, that set men to work
evoking the Fiery demons" out of the
sugar-cane, rye, corn, other grains, etc,
But having nee evoked the demon, he
masters them and they can't shake him
off. 1t is like Sinbad and the Old Ma
OF the Sea. So, if the world demands
brandy, Of course, vineyards will bt
turned into it.