New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-12-05
CHAMPAGNE.
SCENES IN THE CAvERNs OF EPERNAY.
Erorn Thn Pail Nail Gazktke.

casks full OF the spark ng. foalnng nectar Bottles
Are stacked about in every attitude some lying
horzon;ay others stpck in racks. dagonally OF YER
tically There is light in this labyrinth OF streets
crossings, aud turnIngs except wnat tne splu''crnE
candles afford. All ts dark, dank and DAM. Win
the temperature away down about zero Workmen are
about IN hundreds gathering with bottles. packing
cases. and making champagne ready Tor me marker.
We are 10 the caves OF MercIer Il Co. the largest
champagne manufacturers in Epernay. whose amer
ground cellars cover forty-hve acres. ana contain
5000. 900 bottles OF wine There is a whole street
in Epernay lined with foe chateaus the proprieiors
o. which possess similar establishments. he whole
town il hone ycombed with these underground galleries
and cellars for the manufacture and storage OF cham
payne. NJ MERCER begins TO explain the different
processes through which the sparkling wine nas TO
pass between the grape and the bottle. The grapes
having been gathered by the gamins OF fars
and wayside wanderers they have first to he pressed
The press is mighty machine II is first iet down
gently the grapes stacked on the floor beneath &C.
The first touch produces the cream OF the Juce which
makes the very finest ouvees." The Juice runs of
into casks. Six different squcezes arc given. each
pow ertul than the preceding, and each produo-
ing an inferior quality OF Juice. The last quality Is
very coarse and is considered to be tit only for the
working people to drink In making caret the skins
distilled with the Juice to color the wine. but are
kept back in making champagne and light co'ored
wines. Out Of the crushed grapes very bad quality
of brandy is distilled When tho wine has attained its
proper flavor and bouquet another delicate operation
has TO be gone through 1t has to he made enerves.
cent The quantity OF carbonic gas put IN must ne
regulated to nicely Too little will make the VINE
fat and too much burst the bottles. Any deficiency
IN saccharine matter is made mp AT this point linen
the bo,tIinl. As yet there has been no attempt
to clear the wine OF its impurities and foreign matter
but alter remaining several years in bottle clears
itself. At first the bottles laid down horizontally
turned rOuni and shaken every day. and gradually
raised mp until they stand end. neck downward;
by which time ali the sediment in the wine gatnereo
III a sOlid lump the cork. Then taxes p'ace .ho
"dissorgemcnt.' tor which and the remaining opera
ton several machines are employed. DisgorEo-
ment that Ihe cork sediment and an 10 olowh
out 10 nj. NJ the bottio agan-for certain quantity
OF wine goes the cork iqueur. consisting OF inc
purest sugar-candy test champagne aud old Orahdy'
l ia mt in I'M
Mercle depends the blend and distinctive chara
OF tie wine. We make 1t sweet dry or very airy, 10
snit customers by regulating the proportions OF
tho liquor In England for Instance. dry wines are
most drunk, while Frenchmen must have their VINES
sweet" After this process the bottles are corked by
machinery and labelled aud alter lying several
months for the amalgamatiOn OF the wine and the
liqueur the wine ia tit for drinking. These are the
principal operations through which champagne
passes. . A.,
The quality OF the champagne" continues NJ Mer.
cer. also depends. OF course the quality Of the
grapes. This year the vintage Is very bad Inc
grapes and OF inferior quality owing to the
ravages OF the mildcw hectare only produces
one-hali what did last year. The outlook LOT
the future is not encouraging for in addition 10 the
mildew expect soon TO have phylloxera, which is
fast mounting iii this direction" ~
WHAT is tue annual production Of the wine fields
OF Champagne I"
about 14,OOO,oOO gallons on an average Hero
are oihcal statistics as 10 champagne which are
issued every April by the Rheims Chamber OF CON-
The quantity of champagne In the cellars ana
wholesale merchants just nov is J9Z oo3 hectoll-
/
year. But what more striking Is the enormous iaIi
in the consumption OF champagne wines IN recent
years During tue year before last the movement LII
INDEPENDENTLY the consumpton-was 20, /ls,-
1Sl, and III lSoo-o6 fell over o,OOo,ooo, WHICH Is
/ IL, OUU 900 less than in 1882"
DO you CONSIDER that the demand or champagne
wines $ affected by the wines made IN America ana
Australia I" ~
mo These wines have no effect Oh our trade We
hold that II impossible to make champagne OUTSIDE
| OF Champagne. The wines OF Champagne do not owe
their deic,tesse, their plquant SAVIOR, and Sparkling
mousse entirely to the peculiar nature oil the sou
on which the vines are grown, but largely to The
process which they go through in course OF manGiao'
ture. The nature OF the soil and the kind OF grape do
give the wine all its qualities Art IN this matter
| s important auxiliary to nature. We nave 10
Marne several varieties OF grapes In the southeast
| OF Champagne white grapes called the pineau are
grown tound about Az and Oh the north side OF the
Marine, the bac, varietesgros plant dore morlilon,
vert lore. griser and muscadet-are common: b'acs
grapes produce with more body. vinoste, ana
| bouquet than white grapes bat the ter nave more
hnessc stronger and more favorable TO eherVes.
cency. rbc altitude which the grapes are grown ana
| the climate Important matters. Although in
America and Al STRATA soil similar to that OF Cham
neu from this district accustomed to the making OF
champagne, similar wines are not produced. There
is great deal OF ehervescent wine made in Germany
and Austria, which is Pamed OIL tor genuine cham;
payne. No. it the foreign trade that has injured
Us, but the general depression oil trade" -,
Which country is the best market tor chauipagneP
England is the greatest champa Ine- drinking
country in the world. We send million bottles
TO England every year. but annual consumption is
not less than 5000, 900 bottles 1t is Impossible
know the amount consumed in France, the octroi
oncItls do not classify wine. Germany. the United
| States and Russia are also good merchants but for
these countries there Is a heavy import duty For
III and the duty the tor Paris-tw0pence
per bottle For the United States il is 81 per DOZEN
| for Germany and Austria about francs the bottle,
and tor Russia u francs The duties for Canada aud
Australia still higher There Is way OF getting
clear Of the duties Tor Germany by sending the wine
over the iroulier in casks we save more than two
| francs per bottle on IT,"
NJ. Mercior OF course bottles his wine to- the Ger
ma M in lpl
almost given up Austria as hopeless market. There
| are three forces there against them. lucy cannot
contend against the native wne the high import duty
| ana the te:otaiie:s.
{" II the duty Tor England NJ. MERCER, Is the as
| the octroi al Paris how do you explain that cham
payne dearer with nsi'
IL ought not to De dearer 1t is the middeman who
puts it up. In the champagne trade enormous profits
made by the Intermediates. Foi instance, cham
pa ne which sell to the restaurs eurs AT francs
| bottle is retaled II and 10 francs There Is thus
| frequently 100 and 200 per cent of clear GAIN
One ieaur OF the champagne trade IA the produc-
| ton of special marks by the manufacturers The
mark may be special blend out il oitener nothing
but distinctive laDe bearing the name OF the person
who orders 1t. or some hcutious name luis system
| is carried great extent. NJ. MERCER produced
| book called the etiquette aioun win ABOUT ooo
labels. all purportng TO -cteI to different manufact
| urers vi choice wines at Epernay or Rheims. but
which wines. as matter OF fact come out OF the same
| cellar. There NAV BE- a few different qualities. but
nothing like ZOO. In the matter OF champagne there
| appears be much IN a name. II Lord FtznOodle
| takes a fancy 10 the Dundreary blend and won't
| drink any other, Lord Fit2noodlos taste must Ut
course he satisfied. Wholesale houses and big iamlies
have theii marks stuck their bottles-as Lord
Byron, Countess OF Castillo, Chateau LisOOn, or what
they may select. The trick OF the trade Ia
for the merchants TO announce that they have
monopoIs IN the Lord Byron the Louis Philippe, and
their object IA TO create taste not necessarily Tor
| particular blend but for name People may write
to the dukes and maiquse- and Others whose names
| figure the bottles manufacturers nj Epernay
but then the real manufacturer ia IN league with the
post-olce and receives all the letters IL IL difficult
10 get a new mark that will take, says NJ MERCER.
| d" Old established nrms cannot very we'll change, as
their mark 10 their fortune"
great quantity OF spurious champagne Is sold
And hot only in countries like Australia and the
| United States where they attempt To produce the
immense quantities OF wine made and sold as