The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1885-07-23
DOWN IN A WINE VAULT.
How Champagne Is Made in California;
Aging the Dry Wines.

Aging the Dry Wines
ISan Francisco Cor. Baltimore Americana
After having seen so many vineyards
we thought it advisable to visit one of
the places where the grapes are made
up into wine and stored for sale; so we
visited the warehouse and wine vaults
of Aspad Haratzthy, on Washington
street. The outside appearance Of this
establishment does not promise much,
but when one gets inside of it be finds
it to be immense. We spent over two
hours in going through the fermenting
rooms, wine vaults and bottling estab-
lishment. We saw how champagne is
made and how the various dry wines are
kept so as to give them age and guaran-
tee their purity. On the top floor we
found q number Of Cinnamon washing
the bottles. These are all made in
France. The breakage during the first
fermentation is about ~ per cent The
washing Of the bottles required the
services Of about twenty men.
We next visited the room where the
wines are blended so g to make cham
payne. Most people supposed cham
payne is made out of one wine, but it
is made out Of different wines, as no
wine will sparkle by itself. 1t is also
necessary to find out the proportion of
alcohol, sugar and acid Of each kind Of
wine. There are Ave kinds of wine
used in blending. These are the Beis-
ling, Berger, Gutedel, Auscatel and
Ziufandel.
The bottles are filed automatically,
and at least q half dozen men are EN-.
ployed from morning to night in filling
them. The lottlos are then corked and
tied with one string and put into the
temperature room, where the heat il
from rs to 80 degrees. This keeps the
I cold from the vine and induces
4 fermentation. During fermentation
albumen and the natural sedi
ment OF the grape seed percipi
tate themselves on the lower side of the
bottles. From 7 to 10 per cent Of the
bottles are lost from explosion. Aftel
the lapse of about three months thu
bottles are taken out of this room anC
put into cooler one. The bottles arr
laid HAT. We passed through cellal
after cellar filled with these bottles.
After six months of gradual fermen
tation, again the bottles are put il
racks, and every bottle is twisted o.
turned for four months every day. Twt
men do nothing else but twist the bot
ties, which brings the sediment dow
into the neck. The bottles are ther
taken down from the rack and stood OF
tip end. The neck of each bottle rest
in the bottom Of It's underneath neigh
Dor. When the sediment il all takel
out of the neck Of the bottle, which
done by man wearing wire mask,
small quantity Of rock.candy syrul
is put in to sweeten it. Tho term
dry and extra dry mean more or les
syrup. After this is done new cor
is put in and tied and wired. The tirs
J cork costs 2 cents the second one abou
cents. Each bottle is then shaken u
SO as to incorporate the syrup with tn
wine. It is then laid by for at least 81
months before it is sold. The cham
payne before the syrup is added is lik
vinegar.
On the first floor are sixty vats, eac
containing from 1000 to 1900 gallon
of wine, and We went through sixtee
cellars either stored with champagne Q
various wines stored in bulk. lhi
house has never less than 100000 ga
Ions of still wines on hand, besides thei
large stock of champagnes | am sal
isfied from what have seen Of the Gu
ture of the grape and the making Of tn
wine that in a few years the Caiiforni
, wines will supersedo all otherA