Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-06-07

other for its generosity, a third for its
color, fourth for its preservatiye anali-
ties, and SO on. By judicious "blendingn
Dom Perignon produced grand wine. a
sparkling wine that burst from the bottle
and oyerfowed the glass; Moreover, 1t
was white, though made from black grapes.
1t so far exeelled all other wines that it
quickly won the first place, and took the
name of the province-Champagne.
Vast improvements have been made in
the manufacture of ehampagnes since the
death of the monk in us, but the princi-
pies he introduced have never been aban-
doned. The newly expressed juice of the
grape, after the first fermentation in casks.
is conveyed to the cellars or caves" in the
chalk rock. and after brief period it is
racked and ready for making the "cuvee."
which consists in offending" or mixing
the wines OF various vineyard together in
such proportions as to produce perfect
wine. As the result depends on the skill.
art, experience and judgment of the
faster, the ehampagnes of the several
manufacturers differ accordingly. In or
der to insure the greatest uniformity the
mixing is done in gigantic watts, contain
ing from 10000 to $4,000 bottles. The
wine is then returned into casks, and at
the proper time, in May or June, bottled.
securely corked and laid away for at least
two years and half in the cellars. Soon
after bottling the second fermentation takes
place, which produces the efferyescence
and forms sediment When the wine is
ripe for use it is shaken sharply several
times day for from three to eight weeks
by skilled workmen called ''remneurs. in
order to detach the sediment from the
bottle and get it to rest on the cork, the
bottles being racked neck downward. Then
comes the work of the ''degorgeur." who
carefully loosens the cork, which flies
out, carrying the sediment with it and a
small quantity of the wine. This makes
room for the dosage" which is prepared
according to the market for which the
wine is intended. This dosage" is a
llqueur, compounded by each manufacturer
after receipt OF his own, consisting of old
wine OF the best quality, dash of the best
cognac and some pure sugar candy. 1t
determines 10 great extent the character
of the wine, whether it shall be dry or
sweet, light or strong After the dosage"
Is added the bottle is recorked and the
wine is then ready for market.
Only new bottles are used, and the
greatest care is exercised to secure sound
ones. Because of the pressure which the
gases OF the wine bring to bear upon it.
the champagne bottle is one of the strong
est and heaviest made, weighing nearly
two pounds. Its sides must be of uniform
thickness, the bottom solid, the neck per-
fectly round with an even and gradual
conveyance, the inside smooth and pol
ished and the elements of the glass such
as will not mix with or act upon the wine.
1t costs at wholesale about six cents. The
aim in bottling champagne is to fix the
pressure at about FIVE atmospheres. When
1t has five and three-quarter atmospheres
1t Is known as grand mousseux," and if
above that there is extreme danger of its
bursting the bottle. Notwithstanding the
utmost care there is considerable breakage
by the imprisoned gases. The average
loss ranges from three to eight per cent.
II 1t De above four per cent. it shows that
the fault lies in the bottles and not in the
''cuyee," while if below three the manu-
facturer knows there is something wrong
with the wine. In one case 10000 out of
100000 bottles burst during fermentation.
and it is tradition in Reims that man
ufacturer In the last century saved only
120 out of total of 5000 bottles.
The manufacturers of champagnes are
usually people of great wealth and high
social standing in France