The Washington herald., 1907-05-05
CUTTING THE GRAPE.
Champagne Made on This SIDE Beats
the Real Article.

Champagne Made on This SIDE Beats
the Real Article.
That the American public Is yearly
growing TO prefer American champagne
10 the imported article. and that 10 con-
sequence there has been an astonishing
decrease in the amount Of the famous
wine imported from France, has been
noted by the Bureau Of Statistics Of the
Department Of Commerce and Labor The
bureau has issued a statement showing
that over 2.000o4 bottles Of genuine
champagne wine is produced annually in
this country, and that the imports for 1895
fell 81, ala quarts below the imports Of the
preceding year, while for the nine months
ended viii March Of this year. the fall
ing on was 1852 quarts. compared with
the corresponding months Of the pre-
ceding year
This falling of in the importation Of
champagne. which was referred TO in
statement prepared by the Bureau Of sta
tistics some weeks ago. has led TO con-
siderable correspondence between the bu-
reau and large number OF persons en-
gagged IN the importation and safe Of for
eign champagne, or in the production and
sale of American wine of this character.
This correspondence seems TO clearly in
dicate tnat the manufacture of genuine
Champagne" wine in the United States
has quadrupled in the last decade. that
the product now exceeds 100000 bottles
per annum. including in this class only the
wine fermented in the bottle and not tnat
charged with carbonic acid gas by arti-
ficial methods. and that this increase in
home production is the principal eaus- Of
the slow growth in importation
one marked characteristic Of the large
number Of letters received by the Blu
reau Of Statistics upon this subject is an
almost uniform expression Of opinion by
experts, whether engaged in importation
or otherwise. that the American product
compares favOrably with that produced
in other countries and is steadily improy-
ing III quality with tl0 increased expert
/ ence OF American producers
New York State is by far the largest
/ producer Of American champagne, the in
/ dustry in that state being chiefly in
! Orange County. in the southeastern part
F Of the State. and Steuben County, in the
western section Of the state. a cOnsen-
/ sus of estimates by the producers and
! dealers indicates that probably tW0-thirds
J Of the American champagnes Of the gen
| uIne. OF fermented ia the bottle variety.
l is produced IN New York State, the other
I one-third being produced chiefly in north
ern Ohio, Missouri. and California The
area in which conditions are suited 10 the
( production of champagne IS estimated al
/ sufficiently large To render possible an
enormous increase in production the
srowth being ut present limited by the
( fact that large sums of capital are re-
quired for its successful and pr0hJabie
production
The class of wine ordinarily designated
as champagne, which obtains its name
from the fact that it is chiefly produced
in that section Of France formerly known
/ as the Province Of Champagne. has as one
/ OF its special characteristics the fact that
! its fermentation in the bottle in which II
/ reaches the consumer results in the alb
sorption by the wine of the earbonic-acid
gas generated in the fermentation, the
/ wine thus becoming effervescent when the
{ removal Of the pressure permits the gas
TO become disengaged.
The correspondence between the Bureau
Of Statistics and tae wine importers, deal
ers, and producers In the United States
indicates shat the number Of American
producers Of champagne mas quacIupled
in recent years, and that the quantity pro-
duced has more than quadrupled within
ii decade.
The conclusion Of the Bureau OF Stats
ties from this stusv of champagne pro-
duction in The United States is that the
quality of genuine, fermented in the bot
tie ''champag gne' wine produced in this
country at present IS nearly One-haf as
great as the importation Of wine Of the
same general class; or. in other words,
that about one-third of the genuine cham
pagne wine now consumed IN this coun-
try is of domestic production and the
proportion which the home product formE
of The total is rHnidlY increasing.