Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-06-07
MILLIONS FOR CHAMPAGNE.
IMMENSE QUANTITIES DRUNK AND
WASTED EVERY YEAR.
How New Brands are pushed MANY
Interesting Facts About the.
Sparkling Product.
From the New York Tribune.

honest living. He belongs to the leisure
class-has no money, cannot steal, and TO
beg he is ashamed You wouldn't call his
occupation work, you are inclined to sheer
at it, but, do you know, it is entirely be-
yond your ability? You might stand it
twenty-four hours. Then you'd declare
breaking stone easier. Habit, if not ma
ture, has fitted him for it as it has I'M
fitted him for everything else.
He was an deliberately dressed person,
one who delighted in hearing himself
spoken of as ''young man about town." a
term the exact significance of which has
always been in doubt among seriously
minded people. When gilded youth be-
comes a young man about town he has
reached the completion of hope, the sum
nit of happiness. In the eve of the sober
public he may appear as the tadpole turn
ing into the frog, but in his own giddy es.
timation he is jolly Prince Hal. The
champagne pusher has been a frog these
ten years, and his hopping had ceased to
attract attention. He had the sense to
see that he was on the verge of being for
gotten, so he became what he is-a cham
payne pusher.
Last night he led two Chicago acquaint-
ances into fashionable cafe up town and
ordered bottle of the wine he had been
hired TO push, a new brand from Ay, OF
which only some 1.S00 cases were imported
in 1889.
"We have none Of that brand in the
house, sir" the waiter apologetieally in
formed him, whereupon he feigned the
utmost amazement
WHAT he exclaimed "You have
-?"
'Not bottle in the house, sir"
"Did you ever have bottle in the
house? Do you know the brand? Ever
heard OF it before ?"
"l-I-don't know, sir, for certain.
will ask the manager"
"Call the manager. Send him to me.n
The manager was man of experience.
He had seen champagne pushers before
and knew the article at a glance. The
young man had no sooner begun to in
weigh against the establishment for not
keeping tirst-class wines than he broke in
with:
Il know your business, sir, and | know
mine. We have all the champagnes we
want Just now. | know the brand YOU
represent, and while | have nothing
against II, for it is an excellent wine, it
will not pay me to introduce it. When it
becomes fashionable, when it is demanded
by my customers, shall order supply.
Not any tonight, thank you. Shall I
order you bottle of Pommerv, Mumm.
Piper-Heidsick, Perrier-J Duet, Clicauot.
Moet Il Chandon, Louis Roederer. Dry
Monopole, Extra, Grand Sec or Delbeck ?''
The young man about town looked as if
he felt himself weighing a ton, but in
reality there was difference of over 100
pounds in the weight Of himself and the
manager, all in favor of the latter, who in
consideration OF that advantage ESCAPED a
thrashing. The champagne pusher, while
not actually ashamed of his occupation,
was much Inundated by the exposure.
The establishment of his friends wounded
him far more than the language of the
manager. To save himself in their ewes
was his first thought, and as an effort in
that direction he threatened to report the
manager to the owner of the cafe for using
insolent and insulting language to guests.
He then arose, apol0gized to his friends
place, and invited them to accompany him
across the street to Blanks, which he could
recommend as resort for gentlemen, and
where he felt quite certain of finding the
champagne desired. Having sold Blank
three cases the previous morning he was
justified in making the latter statement.
1t IS unnecessary to follow the Young
man about town further. He methods are
the same everywhere. The agent of the
manufacturers who own and are trying TO
introduce the new brand has engaged him
TO push the wine at all the hotels and the
better class of restaurants. He is well
known to the social world as something of
connoisseur, and It is supposed that the
Initiative set" seeing him enjoy bottle
of -, viii insist on having quart of the
same, TO be sin the swim" don't Won
know. His compensation is a small COM
mission on his sales, and an allowance of
500 week in trade; that is, he NAV order
for himself and friends to drink $50 worth
OF the new brand, provided he does it in a
manner to attract attention.
AMERICAN DEMAND FOR WINE.
The consumption of champagne has in
creased in recent years TO an almost in
credible extent. America is now the larp-
est consumer but one in the world. Eng
land, or rather the British Empire. heads
the list. Hundreds of thousands of cases
are exported in bond from London to the
British colonies, feature of the business
from which the United States is entirely
cut of, as no goods can be shipped from
this country to another country in bond.
The American trade in imported wines is
purely domestic. Free trade England i'm
poses a heavy duty on champagnes. but
the United States tax is still greater. being
no less than s. 80 case. The value of a
case in bond is from SIS to SIS. The
wholesale price to dealers in this CITY is
from S24 to $50 a case, or from 50 to 50 so
bottle. The universal price at hotels
and restaurants Is s. 50 for quarts and
81 20 for pints, apparently very hand
some profit. The retail dealers make no
such profit. Such firms as Park & Tilford
and Acker, Merrall q Condit, which, from
the nature OF their business, find it neces.
sary to handle champagnes, would be glad
to rid themselves of the entire business. as
there is no money in it for them. Either
of them viii sell you quart Of excellent
champagne for 3 SO, or pint for 81 So,
at a profit Of 10 cents bottle. which
dwindles TO nothing when carriage, storage
and delivery are placed in the balance
against it. or course champagnes bought
in that way are not iced, but as nearly
every one has an ice-box at home, he need
be at no serious expense to prepare the
wine for drinking. As rule our hotels
and restaurants serve champagnes too cold
Excessive cold DESTROYS the life" of good
wines. When there is too much ice there
Is too little sparkle, the quality that
Americans SO delight in. Acker, Neral
Condit and Park & Tilford sell about
$4,000 cases of champagne each year, at a
nominal profit of 81 a case.
The competition among the great cham
payne manufacturers Of the Derart,,,e,,t ..