Improvements in or relating to the Manufacture and Bottling of Champagne or other Sparkling Liquors.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Manufacture and Bottling of
Champagne or other Sparkling Liquors.
I, ROBERT WILLIAM PERRY, of Ivy Bank, Chickerell Road, Weymouth, in the
County of Dorset, Wine Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows.-
Taking champagne as an example this wine has hitherto been manufactured by
fermenting in bottles fermentation producing carbonic acid which creates pres-
sure in the bottle under which the gas becomes absorbed in the wine: the de-
posit occurring in the bottle during this fermentation 18 removed by the well-
known process called "disgorging." Another known means of producing inferior
champagne is to take still wine and impregnate it with carbonic acid gas in a
suitable cylinder this process obviating the necessity for the operation of dis-
gorging, and removing the difficulty and expense connected therewith
According to the present invention a good sparkling wine can be produced
cheaply having all the desiderated characteristics of good champagne produced
in the "disgorgement" process, without involving the expense and trouble which
that process entails; the improved process may be carried into practice in the
manner following.-two vessels of such construction that they will stand high
pressure and of such material as not to affect the taste or composition of the wine
are provided with suitable pipe connections and valves; one of them 18 charged
with wine in a state of ferment, whilst the other contains finished and claufied
still wine
The gas evolved by the fermenting wine is passed directly into the
still wine in the companion cylinder without any loss of its fugitive and delicate
vinous characteristics. The still wine absorbs the gas and becomes a sparkling
wine and inasmuch as the gas with which it is impregnated is natural gas derived
from vinous fermentation, the sparkling wine acquires all the characteristics that
have hitherto belonged only to the more expensive wine fermented in bottle and
it obtains no such undesirable peculiarities as distinguish from good champagne
a wine that has been impregnated with artificial gas
The wine prepared according to this invention can be drawn off to a corking
machine or otherwise bottled. In order that while the wine is drawn off the
pressure of the gas within it may be maintained, a supply of compressed air or
carbonic acid or other gas may be delivered into the apparatus so as to maintain
the pressure uniform during the operation of drawing off This supply should also
be in connection with the bottle to be corked or filled so that the wine leaving
the principal vessel at high pressure will not run into a bottle in which a much
lower pressure exists, as such a difference would cause it to lose its condition but
will instead pass down a syphon or exit tube into a bottle which has in it the same
pressure as that which exists in the apparatus. Conveniently a ovlinder of com-
mercial carbonic acid gas provided with a reducing valve set to allow gas to
issue therefrom at any convenient pressure is connected to the bottle and to the

page_text: main vessels of the apparatus, valves being provided where necessary in the various
pipe
connections, when it is denied to daw off some of the wine, enough wine
is first discharged through the syphon or exit tube by the aid of
the pressure within the apparatus, to charge the latter, the tap in
which is then closed, next the stopper is inserted in the bottle and gas is ad-
mitted to it after which the wine is admitted by the syphon tap The syphon tap
and that regulating the admission of gas to the bottle, regulate the filling of
subsequent bottles.
Although in the foregoing desciption the production and bottling of a wine
impregnated with gas has been described by way of example it 18 to be clearly
understood that the same process and apparatus can be utilised for the manu-
facture and bottling of gas-impregnated liquors other than wine (such as beer
for example)
Improvements in or relating to the Manufacture and Bottling of
Champagne or other Sparkling Liquors.
I, ROBERT WILLIAM PERRY, of Ivy Bank, Chicherell Road, Weymouth, in the
County of Dorset, Wine Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement.
-
Taking champagne as an example, this wine has hitherto been manufactured by
fermenting in bottles, fermentation producing carbonic acid which creates pres-
sure in the bottle under which the gas becomes absorbed in the wine, the de-
posit occurring in the bottle during this fermentation is removed by the well-
known process called "disgorging Another known means of producing inferior
champagne is to take the still wine and impregnute it with carbonic reid gas in a
suitable cylinder this process obviating the necessity for the operation of dis-
gorging, and removing the difficulty and expense connected therewith
According to the present invention a good sparkling wine can be produced
cheaply having all the desiderate-l characteristics of good champagne produced
in the "disgorgement" process. without involving the expense and trouble which
that process entails. the improved process may be carried into practice in the
manner following -two vessels of such construction that they will stand high
pressure and of such material as not to affect the taste or composition of the wine
are provided with suitable pipe connections and valves; one of them is charged
with wine in a state of ferment, whilst the other contams finished and clarified
still wine The nascent gas evolved by the fermenting wine is passed directly into the
still wine in the companion cvlinder without any loss of its fugitive and delicato
nous characteristics The still wine absorbs the gas and becomes a sparkling
wine and inasmuch as the gas with which it is impregnated is natural gas deuved
fiom vinous fermentation, the sparkling wine acquires all the characteristics that
have hitherto belonged only to the more expensive wine fermented in bottle and
it obtains no such undesirable peculiarities as distinguish a wine that has been
impregnated with artificial gas
The wine prepared according to this invention can be drawn off to a corking
machine or otherwise bottled In order that while the wine is drawn off the

page_text: pressure of the gas within it may be maintained, a supply of compressed air or
carbonic acid or other gas may be delivered into the apparatus so as to maintain
the pressure uniform during the operation of drawing off This supply should also
be in connection with the bottle to be corked, or filled, so that the wine leaving
the principal vessel at high pressure will not run into a bottle in which a much
lower pressure exists, as such a difference would cause it to lose its condition, but
will instead pass through an exit tube into a bottle which has in it the same
pressure as that which exists in the apparatus Conveniently a cylinder of com-
mercial carbonic acid ges provided with a reducing valve set to allow gas to issue
therefrom at any convenient pressure is connected to the bottle and to the main
vessels of the apparatus, valves being provided where necessary in the various pipe
connections, when it is desired to draw off some of the wine, enough wine is first
discharged through the exit tube by the aid of the pressure within the apparatus,
to charge the latter, the tap in which 18 then closed, next the bottle is
attached to the stopper which forms part of the bottling tap and gas is ad-
mitted to it after which the wine is admitted by the same tap. The bottling tap
regulates the filling of subsequent bottles
In the accompanying drawing which illustrates diagrammatically one construc-
tion of apparatus according to this invention
A A¹ are chambers constructed to stand a high pressure, they are supported as
by standards A and are provided with removable bottoms As Inner vessels B
and B are contained within the chambers A and A' respectively The fermenting
liquor C is placed in the vessel B and the clarified, still liquor D in the vessel Bi.
A tube E preferably of silver-leads from the top of the vessel B to the lower
part of the vessel B¹
Each of the chambers A and A¹ communicates through a pipe Fi with a reservoir
F containing gas carbon dioxide for instance-under pressure Cocks F and
pressure gauges G are provided for each of the chambers A, A¹ the latter being
also furnished with a safety-valve H A cock and pressure gauges G and G2
are fitted to the gas reservou F and it is also provided with a reducing valve J
A pipe E¹ leads from the lower portion of the vessel B₁ to a three-way cock L
which communicates with the pipe F by means of another pipe F and also,
through a nozzle K with a bottle L suitably supported as by a stand L' The
three-way cock K is so arranged that the bottle L can be placed in communication
either with the gas-reservoir F or the liquor in the vessel B¹, or all three openings
in the cock K may be closed.
The operation of this apparatus 18 as follows.-
The cocks F, F and K having been closed. and the fermenting liquor C and still
liquor D placed in their respective vessels, the gas evolved by the fermentation of
the liquor C passes, by means of the pipe E, into the still liquor I) and aerates
it When the aerating process has been completed, the cocks F and F3 ate
opened, care being taken that the pressure of the artificial gas, as indicated by
the gauge G, is equal to the pressure of the evolved gas, shown by the gauges
G
The cock K 18 now tuined so that the bottle L is filled with gas, and then by
another movement of the cock K the bquoi is allowed to flow from the vessel B¹
through the pipe E¹ and fill the bottle The cock K is then closed and the bottle
removed and corked in any desned manner, another being placed in position for
filling.
It is to be understood that the function of the artificially produced grs in the
reservoir F is merely to equalise and maintain the pressure in the apparatus,
during the bottling process
It is obvious that various modifications may be made in the details and arrange-
ment of the apparatus used in carving out this process without departing from
the spirit of this invention, for example the inner vessels B, B₁ may in some cases
be dispensed with, the interiors of the chambers A and A' being coated with
enamel or other material not affected by the liquor under treatment Again, when

page_text: only low pressures are required the chambers A and A¹ may if desired be made of
wood
Although the foregoing description relates to the production and bottling of a
wine impregnated with gas, it is to be clearly understood that the same piocess
and apparatus may be utilised for the manufacture and bottling of other liquors
such as beer, stout, cyder, aerated beverages or the like. Further, the liquors are
not necessarily bottled but can be passed into casks, barrels or other convenient
receptacles I am aware that the gas evolved by fermenting liquor has been stored
and utilised for aerating liquors but such stored gas fails to impart to the liquor
the delicate vinous characteristics which are piesent when the nascent gas 18
passed directly into the fluid to be unpregneted.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same 18 to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is;-
1 In the manufacture and bottling of champagne and other sparkling liquors
the employment of nascent gas evolved by fermenting liquor for aerating a separate
liquor at a pressure greater than that of the atmosphere
2 In the manufacture and bottling of champagne and other sparkling liquors
the combination with a chamber containing fermenting liquor of another chamber
containing liquor in communication substantially as described with the first
chamber and a reservoir containing gas under pressure adapted to communicate
or not with the chambers, for the purpose described
3. In the manufacture and bottling of champagne and other sparkling liquors
the combination with a chamber conteaning fermenting liquor of a second chamber
containing liquor in communication substantially as described with the first cham-
ber a connection between the second chamber and the vessel to be filled and a
reservoir containing gas under pressure adapted to communicate or not with the
chambers and the vessel the whole operating substantially as and for the purpose
described.
4 The complete apparatus for aerating and bottling liquor substantially as
described or illustrated in the accompanying drawing
1000
ROBERT W PERRY.
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicant.
ROBERT W PERRY.
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicant.