The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-07-12

~ HAMPAGNE for all Corners IN
four cities and all summer!
" In the Ierfumed old towns OF
the French champagne district
nIe worlds visitors will sample II. There
Nill be historical pageants and recon-
structions in the greatest champagne
festival of history-thc quarter mil
lennium VI the wine that pops!
They will celebrate the pop.
Two hundred and fifty years OF pop
The anniversary will happen in 1916 or
thercabuut While the exact date liz be-
Ing discussed It is certain that $50 years
ago q Bencdictine monk named DON
perignun was ccllarmaster Of Haute
villers Abbey. three miles from Epernay
in the period when champa gne was YET
a still wine. without pop or iizz.
II had always been the wine of kings
From st. Remy to Henry VIII. Of Eng
land. by way of Urban H.. King Wen
CeslaS. Dunuis who rode with Joan Of
Are. and Leo y. of the Renaissance, the
great ones of the earth loved the special
wine of the Marine. which always had its
champagne taste, though as red as
port and a. Hat as burgundy. At the
opening Of the seventeenth century. II
began to be the pink or cherry color
which tho French call "clairet'; and
In due time Dom Perignon became
cellarmaster at Hautevilers.
Dom perignon invented wooden corks
10 replace the antique plugs of fax
dipped in oil; and one season when
the crop was unequal ne had the idea
to mix the juices OF different slopes
one soil gives fragrance, another
began to be the pink or cherry color,
and so on. Dom Perignon found that
he could even get white wine from
black grapes.
Not only the pop. but the entire
standardizing OF champagne-by types
Of great marks instead OF by vintages-
IL due to these chance experiments OF a
Benedictine cellarmaster some 250 years
ago.
II might be called the quarter mil
lennium of Dom Perignon.
Only the pop 1, not quite everything.
And mixing has come to be almost too
easy.
This explains. IN part. the spectacular
Jubilee which Reims Epernay and other
cities will hold in 1916-17--if the Aube
ard Upper Marine will let them. The
true" champagne interests want the
world to learn n quantity Of striking
facts. They think that II will help them
in their business.
The true champagne 'Marne) district
grows 37O0O.000 quarts OF grape Juice
per year. A percentage Is lost in
hreakage and manufacture. Deduct,
also, vast trainloads OF grapes and Juice
shipped to Germany. for mixing with
the better class OF German champagnes.
France consumes Of this true cham
payne some 100000 quarts per year.
The annual foreign shipments average
$4,000 900 quarts.
Thus are accounted for more than
81 900 900 OF the 100000 annual
quarts: yet the subterranean cities Of
the great firms of Reims and Epernay
contain a reserve of 10000 900 quart
bottles and 100000 quarts in casks.
Not to mention the vast quantity held
by little firms!
How account for n?
It must be partly because the ancient
province of Champagne included two
other modern French departments. The
Aube produces 34.o0O,oO0 quarts Of
Juice and the Upper Marine another
81 900 900 quarts. which | have not
mentioned. When they want to mark
their produce champagne" there are
difficulties. But when their Juice is i'm
ported into the Marine district for judi
cious mixing ought not the great hrms
and little ones-to be trusted?