Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-10-13

crowded Win peasants from q distance. on
their way 10 the yiney ards, jostle trucks
and drays laden with b! a.ld-Iew VINE casks.
Now and then you see nurrying by the
fine wagons of some big wine house, to
clinch their final barsa n with some peasant
proprietor; but II is not here as III the real
champagne district. The Sreat establish
.nents of the champagne OF commerce. Of
Reims, Epernay, Ay, Nareuil. AvIze, Rilly
and SO on. possess their own vineyards.
There everything goes by - stem and true
business methods. NeishDorins large vine
proprietors will press iiIeir own grapes and
sell the juices to the great establishments,
and thus are able TO nJiu back for the best
prices. But the grea, multitude of small
culttyators of ALL the true champagne dis
trict (which every one, of course. knows Is
not here In Burgundy invariably sell the
grapes themselves. and not the pressed
juice. to the giant In1ntpoiists who have
their names upon the botte'. some Of whom
are corporations. some JONI -luGk companies
and others millionaire Partnerships. keeping
the old names which made their brands
famous. There Ii Is the swift, strict, cor
Iect routine OF q great factOry; here, outside
Of DIXON, 1t IS the happy-go-lucky. but still
Get-there ways of PEASANTS, where the
center Is the family. Here. as in tie rest of
France. the owner of even a single acre of
vines will crush his own grapes himself. 1t
is a pretty sight to see 1t done in families.
In the Wine Press.
The father. mother. grandfather, grand
mother the big boys, little boys, big girls.
little girls keep moving to and fro, in the
early morning light t. pick whole piece
Of their little vineyard. They detach the
grapes with scissors or hooked knives-such
grapes as have escape. the phylloxera, the
mil1ew, hail and winu. One mule, one sin
gle mule, one melancholy mule will drag the
baskets and the tubs. the sun mounts to
the zenith. The family march back to the
farm house silently. Who're are the sweet
songs of the vintage? Ard then the little
daughters of the farmer, signing with ia
tfSue, pull of their shoes and stockings,
wash their pretty little feet, pin up their
skirts and petticoats ana jump into the tubs
to tramp the wine. The SWEET grape Juice
sGuirts up between their toes. An. me.
In the larger villages there is air of
greater jollity. The pCkers (hired at 90 to
81 cents day. with food. lodging and drink
included are as jolly in bad year as In a
good one. In vine-prctucing district
every one participates in the Interest ex-
cited by the vintage. IL is a time of settling
OF accounts for the whole year; tradespeo-
pie have a run of custom; bakers and boot
makers. as well as cafe and restauran- pro-
prietors, present joyous front, encourage
ing the others. Half the population is hall
tpSy-Lot on the sweet new must but on
green absinthe and red rum, 1t must be
said.
1t is not juice for champagne they are
squeezing In the village press house. For
the most part OF course, 1t is the great
Burgundian still wine. red and white But
the mind Of an American must naturally
run TO champagne, even in still wine dis
trict; and, to tell the truth, there are annie
evidences Of the little" white wines of
this section being shipped to be manipulat-
ed. mixed and dOctOred in the big cham
payne establishments. to be shipped in a
Few years to America. America which be-
heveth all things, hOpeth all things and
thinketh no evil.
The Local ColOring. q
At least II Is real grape juice here in the
sweet vineyards Whether for fancy red
and pink chaEpagnes. the sparkling Ro-
nance destined 70 sparkLe down tie red and