Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-08-04
ENGLISH CHAMPAGNE DRINKERS.
Some Notable Points fn Which They
Differ From Americana.

From the New York Recorder.
Since the time when, in merry old Eng
land, DR.. Johnson declared port to be the
only drink fit for men, the taste Of the
British wine bibber has undergone con-
siderable change. Some stout hearted old
country squire may still keep up the habit
of passing the bottle" around the board,
but the six bottle men" have long since
died out It may be the tendency of mod
ern life which has bought about a change
in the habits ard pursuits of the English
gentry. and. driving them from the hunting
fields the stage each and rural sports in
general Into city life has forced the sturdy
port to Sive way to the nlilGer claret and
the sparkling champagne.
With characteristic thorougkness tie
Briton has cultivated ana perfected this
new taste till IT can well be said that the
buying, the keeping, the serving and the
drinking CT wine have become an art with
him. This is particularly evident in the
Importance the English give to the pur-
chase and treatment of Champagne. Not
satisfied II the label bears merely the name
of one Of the well-known Cnampa cne
houses the EngliShInaR graveiy sets about
to investigate the merits of the different
brands and vintages offered 10 him, and
viii have none bat the best. Thus, each
year. when the great champagne firms send
their Vintages TO the English auctions
which are such q notable feature of the
English wine trade, the leading wine mer-
chants and the purchasers with estab-
fished regulations for fine palatcs meet in
solemn cCnclave. and after many hastings
decide to which wine the palm should be
given. So subtle Is their knowledge and
Judgment that their opinion Is final AMI
finds its expression in the prices paid fer
the different brands at these sales. which
give the keynote for prices throughout the
English markets.
Cheaper in s,nRluud.
The English wine drin,ler is always will
ing to pay the highest price for what he
considers the best wine, but even at that
he gets his champagne much cheaper than
Americans cca sc: the same thing. For
instance. we find ii recent number Ct
RiGleys Wine and Spirit Trade Circular
the following quotations per dozen OF
familiar brands of champagne of the vint-
age of 1SS,; PUmmcry, So to SIS; Meet.
los: PerrIe. -Jouet, I2s.. and G.. II. Numm.
10 to - LIS. These same brands would
cost the American consumer in his home
market nearly double the price paid in Eng
land, a fact largely due. of course, 10 our
duties On champagEe;. But another pecu-
lar thing about the champagne market in
America is the lack of distinction in
price in purchasing. The consumer here
pays about the same price for all brands &c
reputable champagnes. and thereby creates
the Impression tina: one wine is about the
same as another 10 him, SO long as i: is
reputable champagne.
And yet we have in our country as good
ccnnc:sseurs as there are in England. But
the average American wine d mixer will
rarely take the time ana the trouble TO try
the relative merits CT the different brands.
AID too often leaves 1t to the knight Of the
bar or the Garc0n. who not iafrequeatly per
mits self-laterest to influence the choice OF
the brand
The Climate is FavorabIr.
The Engiishrian. once in the pcsScgsioE Cf
the band he prefers. stores il with pune
tlious care in his cellar, which is admirably
adapted for keeping the wine for years in
the best OF condition. The English climate
also favors wine preservation. Any good
cellar in England will not show a greater
variation In temperature than few degrees
throughout the yea. In America we are at
a disadvantage. In cur climate, even in the
best of cellars, the temperature varies thirty
degrees and more. This makes it impoSsi-
bic to keep 50 delicate an article as cham
pagne from leaking.
The EnSlishman also serves champagne
differently from the manner in which il IS
served in our country. True to our predi-
lection for ice-oeld drinks, insist upon
the bottle being as cold as Greenland, and
some even go SO far as to have the cham
payne trapped" and are not satisfied I'M
less the liquid Is turned into frozen mass.
To the Englishman this process seems
wrong conc to the subtle fSvor Of the wine
which is destroyed by intense cold. He Is
careful to leave the champagne in the ice
cooler only short time before ii is con-
sumej, and believes that thus he loses none
Of the delicate bouquet of this prince OF
beverages.