The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-06-06
MANUFACTURES OF CHAMPAGNE.
a Process Which Requires Great Care
ana Rigorous Superintendence.

NeW York Commercial Advertiser.
II IS not generally known that cham
payne is principally made from red grapes,
10 the extent perhaps of from three-fourths
to four-hfths. If it were allowed to fer
ment with the skins, the result would be
RED wine, except in the case of Sillery,
Cremant and Choilly, which are made
from white grapes That color in cham
payne known IS oil de pedrix, and usually
associated with good vintages, is the con-
sequence OF large proportion of the
grapes being full-ripe when gathered,
when the fruit is lightly tinted with the
color of the skin.
The principal reason why champagne is
only made in the districts of France now
sacred to 1t Is because of the caves which
admit OF the indispensable uniformity and
i!oWness OF temperature. Such caves can be
ouiit anywhere, perhaps, but the expense
would be prohibitive. In the champagne
country the soil-surface is chalk to con-
siderable depth, which is easily and cheap
ly exeavated. Thus any amount of cellar
age can be obtained by digging. AS rule
the cellars range in depth from twenty to
forty feet
The entire area of the champagne
country is about 5000 acres, planted with
about 400. 100000 of vines. valued by the
toA1tLOA ACPAL VI Tue MINISTRY Oh
France at nearly f5,000.000 sterling
1880, 000
The vine-gathering has to be most care
fully conducted and vigorously superin-
tended, for no damaged or unripe fruit
ought to find its way into the baskets.
After these reach the tpressoir" they are
again infinitely examined by set of men
and women appointed for the purpose,
whose duty it Is to detach all bruised or
anterior hPrrlo1 tho stalls -
The work of the sorters is most important,
for single rotten grape will infect and de-
terlorate the whole contents of the press.
This press is, for the most part, like the
ordinary cider-press, but on some of the
large vineyards it is worked by large fy-
wheel. On the floor of the press the grapes
are spread in compact mass, and are
usually first trodden by couple of men
with their bare feet. Out of 1900 kilo-
grams of grapes--the usual contents of a
press-this physical pressure should pro-
duce about 90 gallons of must; then me-
chanical pressure is applied, and about an
equal quantity should result, producing q
total cuvce of about 440 gallons This is
allowed to flow into prepared reservoirs,
and is thence pumped through silver
lined or gutta-percha tubes into the watts.
where it is allowed to clear for eight or
ten hours. The mucus matter floats to the
surface in kind of froth, and when this
appears the liquor is quickly drawn off
into new and perfectly clean casks.
The special characteristic of champagne
is, as has been well said, that its manu-
facuture only begins where that of other
wines ordinarily ends. After the wine has
been drawn off, as above described, it is
left in the casks at the presses until the
beginning of the following year. Then
it is carried into Reims, Epernay, Ala,
PERRY, Avize, etc., where are the establish
ments of the manufacturers and owners of
brands" There the casks are filled up
and tightly bunged. and kept until ready
for mixing according to the principle of
the particular manufacturers. each Of
whom has his own method of producing
the flavor and quality of his own brand.
The mixing takes place in large watts,
holding 10000 or Il, 600 gallons. and fitted
with fans, which are worked to effect COM
plete amalgamation. The result of the
mixture is what is called a cuvee, and in
making it it is usual to temper the wine
expressed from black grapes by adding
about fifth part from white grapes. He
has also TO consider the efferescence,
which depends on the quantity of car
bonic acid gas the wine contains, which in
turn depends on the amount of natural
saccharine. If there is too much gas, it
will burst the bottles and waste the liquor;
If there Is too little the wine will not
sparkle.
When all this is done the cuvee is drawn
off into casks again, and is fined with ISM
glass and slightly dosed with liquid tannln
to make up the loss of natural tannin dur
ing fermentation. At the end of month
the liquor ought to be perfectly clear and
ready for bottIing.
Only new, perfectly sound, and very
strong bottles are used, and these are all
carefully tested by an experienced hand
before being 1illed
This is the method of bottling or tirage:
The wine is emptied from the casks into
watts or tuns of varying capacity, whence it
flows through pipes into oblong reservoirs,
each provided with row of siphon-taps, on
to which the bottles are slipped, and from
which the wine ceases to now directly the
bottles become filled. Men or lads remove
the full bottles replacing them with empty
ones, while other hands convey them to
the corkers, whose guillotine machines are
necessarily in motion. Speed in the pro-
cess is of much Importance, as during
single day the wine may undergo notable
change. From the corkers the bottles are
cork by means of an iron clip called an
agrafe, and the bottles are afterwards con-
viewed to q spacious room above ground.
known as the cellier, or to a cool vault
underground, according to the number Of
"atmospheres" the wine may indicate.
This may be two, or four, or more, since
air compressed to half its volume requires
twice its ordinary force; and If to quar-
ter of its volume, quadrupie this force. "A
manometer, or pressure gauge, is used TO
ascertain the exact degree of pressure.
The bottles are now stacked in rows,
and in about three weeks the explosions
begin, as the gas-making proceeds. The
bursting of bottles varies from 21z to about
per cent; but sometimes the wine sur
prises the maker. Not many years ago
one large firm lost by explosion l20, 600 out
of 200. 600 bottles in their cellars.
By the month of October the breakage
should be about over, and then the sur
viyinc bottles are restacked horizontally
and left for about eighteen months or so.
Some makers leave them for two or three
wears before going TO the final process.
When this approaches the bottles
are altered to q slanting position,
with the necks downward, the
position being altered from time to
time until the slant becomes abrupt.
This is to cause the sediment, which forms
in the bottle after fermentation, TO leave
the side of the bottle for the neck. There,
bv a series OF dexterous twists. il is
gradually brought near the cork, when the
latter is smartly withdrawn, the sediment
expelled, and a new cork inserted, with
the loss of only small percentage of
liquor Only clever and thoroughly
practical hand can perform this feat, and
can tell the exact amount OF twist and
sIope 10 give daily 20 the bottles. Some
men pass their lives In doing nothing else,
and have been known to shake and replace
in exact position a. many as oo,ooV bottles
day. "