The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-05-27
COST OF ONE BOTTLE.
Eugene j. Cantin Talks About
American Champagne.
.THE COST OF THE F!RST BOTTLE
Fit to Drink Was 800, oOo...sovcral
/. Thousand Gallons Destroyed In the
Experiments Mnde..-rho Success of
California Wines.

CHICAGO, May 26.-"The first bottle Of
American champagne that had tho
proper sparkle and was 1T to drink cost
a tritlc over 100000" said Eugene j.
Cantin, n California vino man, at tho
Wellington yesterday. "That was made
in California, but to-day California
American champagne Ia gaining in
favor. l am with tho only champagne
producing house in California, and for
six months We have bcecn shipping our
wine to London in large quantities, and,
at the ratio business is increasing now,
we expect to establish a branch house
there soon. Our wine Is used by many
large hotel companies and In some OF
tho loading clubs. When It comes to
drinking wine an Englishman has no
prejudice. He doesn't care where tho
wine comes from so long as It's good,
and in my opinion Englishmen are tho
best judges of wines.
"Tlio product OF American cham
payne last year was about 75,000 cases,
OF which California produced $4,000
cases. We imported about 3O0,O DOC
cases. Champagne furnishes tho most
profitable part OF our business, but it
has taken thirty years to bring about n
state OF perfection in it's production,
and that is why l say the first bottle cost
SO large a figure. In attempting to pro-
duce champagne the first lot OF 10000
bottles proved to be without sparkle,
while in tho second lot every one OF the
10000 bottles broke because the pres.
sure was too heavy. 1t was found that
French principles could not be applied
to the manufacture OF wine from the
California grape, At present, with n
cellar capacity Of 1000, 900 bottles, We
lose l6 per cent by brcakage, and even
then We use nothing but secondhand
French bottles which have once stood
q test"
"What'e the matter with American
bottles? ?"
"rhcy cannot be used. As yet no bot
ties have been made in America suita-
bic for champagne. The coloris wrong,
and color has much to do with cham.
payne. Besides the combination of ma
terials is wrong. So We bhy UP all tho
secondhand French bottles we can find.
The breakage in France is only one
fourth OF what it is in our wines.
"Californiais also going ahead in other
wines, and We are producing what are
called grand wines. In the still wines
VIC have made such excellent progress
that our wines will compare iavorably
with any. In a certain wine-cellar here
a few days ago five connoisseurs tried
three wines-two famous chateau wines
OF France and a California red wine.
They tasted 'blind'-tnat is, without
knowing one from the othcr-and four
OF the five agreed that u wine was the
best. | have seen similar tests in Now
York"
"What are the prospects for the next
wine crop in France and the United
States"
II read. in the Tribune that there were
2o,0O0,000 gallons Of wine in the Califor.
MIA cellars, but that is a mistake. The
advices / got arc not favorable to a
large crop. Frost and cold weather
have retarded the grapes, and I think
we will get only about Ii, 900, 900 gallons.
We need about 1900, 900 ior the actual
demand, but We have often produced
100000 gallons. Producers will be
rather glad OF the shortage, however, as
prices have been ruling low in Califor-
mia wines and shortage will help them.
When the wine crop is in question that
OF France is always considered with
that of America. Why, France only
furnished a seventh iof the wine con
sumed in America. Last year we con.
sumed S0,000,0O Q gallons, OF which
France furnished only 100000 gallons
and California nearly 90, 1000, 900. The
fact is people have no dea OF the guam
tity OF fine wines produced in their own
country.
rs there much California wine
shipped TO France and then reshipped
here and sold us French wine?"
That's rot. A good deal Of Cali.
fornia wine is sold here under French
labels, but wine skeletons are for sale
handily, SO what's theSuse OF shippin.
TO France and then reshipping? Cali
fornia wine is sent to France, and on
account of its great body is used for
stretching cheap Italian and Spanish
wines. But that mixture is sold there.
The brandy export from California is
also growing, especially that to Ger
many. The native wines sold here
under French labels is generally OF the
poorest quality" !.