The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-11-10
LORE ABOUT CHAMPAGNE.
Conditions Upon which Prices and
Qualities Depend.

Qualities Depend.
From the London Mails Paris Cor
respondent.
Despite what is being said about
champagne being dearer on account of
the unsatisfactory vintage of this
year in. France, there is no real un-
easiness felt about the matter among
champagne men here, who are even OPP
timistic over the situation. and predict
rather fall in the price of champagne
than an increase.
What has probably given rise to the
rumors that the champagne Vintages
for 1901 would be of mediocre quality
is that the abundant rains which have
fallen in France before the gathering
of the grapes in the Bordeaux and
Burgundy districts have seriously in
jured a great quantity of the grapes
which furnish the wines of these
countries.
The vineyards of Bouzy, Cramant,
Verzenay, as we'll as those of the hills
of Reims, where grapes for cham
payne are grown, have. however, been
almost miraculously spared by these
rains, and the majority of the grapes
which have been gathered there are
of a quality neither inferior nor super
for to those of ordinary years. 1t is
well known that the champagne of
France is not the product of one single
district vine grown in a single district,
as are the wines of great reputation in
Burgundy and Bordeaux, but the pro-
duct Of many kinds of vines mingled
together. Thus black grapes and white
grapes, in the proper proportions, are
employed to make champagne. The
proportion of the latter used-that is
to say, the white grapes-is always
more considerable than that of the
black grapes, because when the latter
dominates an inferior quality of cham
payne is produced. The really expert
connoisseurs of champagne always
refuse champagne which is not abso-
lutely limpid and clear, the result of
a greater proportion of white grapes.
1t is all the more difficult to say at
present if the champagne of this year
will be good or bad, because the num-
erous operations necessary to make 1t
are hardly commenced. The principal
manipulation of the wine for cham
payne making will only commence in
December. and the whole manufacture
will only be finished in May next-that
Is to say, in 1902, when the vintage
OF this year will be bottled.
This, however, does not mean that
at that date the 1901 champagne will
be put on the markets and sold to
consumers. On the contrary, the bot
ties will be sent to the immense cell
lars of the great houses in Reims,
where the champagne will be allowed
to grow old. Here the wine will re-
main for five or six years, and it is
only at the time of it's withdrawal from
these cellars, in 1906 or 1907 that one
will really be able to judge of the
real quality of the champagne of 1901.
At present the great champagne houses
who respect their brand have hardly
commenced to deliver 1895 champagne.
For thirty years, the years which
have been the best for champagne are
1874, 1880, 1884, 1889, 1892, 1898, and
1895. The other years have been medic
ere, with the exception of that of 1894,
which was frankly bad.
The year 1889 was of all years the
most remarkable. The champagne
merchants then bought from wine
growers the quantity of wine they
needed at the price of G64 the 200
quarts, and to-day a heavy premium
is paid to secure the 1889 champagne.
The champagne merchants, however,
as a rule, are not pleased to have
wine of the 1889 quality on the markets,
FOR. while they are obliged to pay the
grape growers a higher price for the
vintage, they are unable to charge
their biggest customers, the hotels,
cafes, restaurants, and commissioners
more for a case of 1889 champagne
than for that of an ordinary year
The result is that only the public pays
the premium, and the champagne
manufacturers do not profit. Upon this
account the current price of a bottle
of champagne purchased in France at
the mother house is 6s. sd, although as
much as Ell is paid for the same
champagne in the restaurants.
So far as the rise in the price of
champagne, owning to the reported un-
satisfactory vintage this year, is con-
cerned, 1t is most erroneous to suppose
there will be an increase in prices, for
there is q general marked tendency to-
ward fall in the price of champagne.
the whole market iEclining toward
lower prices.
France produces something like 5000
900 bottles of real champagne of which
100000 are destined for abroad. and
particularly for England. which i'm
ports the major part of the best
French champagne sent out of the
country. This champagne is, for the
most part, what is called here the
"brut" wine, extra dry)-that is to
dQulIlOn
OF sugar To satisfy the French, Ger
man, and Russian customers taste,
however, the champagne makers are
obliged to add a certain quantity of
cane sugar. A short time ago even a
little cognac was added, but IL appears
that at present this latter custom has
almost ceased.
These are the figures which. approxi-
mately, cover the real champagne con-
sumption. However, no one will be sur
prised to learn that an infinitely great
er quantity of champagne than that
mentioned is annually drunk in the
world. Both in France and abroad a
large amount of fabricated champagne
is consumed. which has only one real
quality of good champagne-that is to
say, the trademark. Germany, in par
tieular, manufacturers great ouanti-
ties of this imitation champagne for
its home and export trade
Concerning the French champagne
export trade, it is most interesting to
note that the greatest champagne
horses in Paris-and the most con1pe-
tent experts in champagne have been
their mouthpieces-decla that ali
talk Of rise in the prices Of cham
payne is but a bait sent out to catch
the uniformed public abroad. in the
hope Of really creating a rise in the
price of champagne sold retail, at
least for the customer
1t is easy to understand this. as
1901 champagne, even If it were poor.
which is denied at present, would not
effect the price of the other years
vintages until five or six years hence
II there We're serious lack in the