CHAMPAGNE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 723, 24 January 1910, Page 9

CHAMPAGNE.

AN EXPERT IN WELLINGTON. Among' tho' l viators at /present iri.yWd-: liiigtdriis'MriVivian -A;• J Simon..' f.ot Messrs. - Simon Brothers 'and ;.Co;; Limited, I. London,- iwHohold va. monopoly .of/ the brand "Most. and Chahdon", champagne, i for -'the.: United -Kingdom- ;.and;'.tho:'colonies. .; Mr.V'Simoii/.is liko'most: visitors', much oharmed/witli New Zealand scenery: iand: is:vgi ; atified.::to -find;'that .'business■ (Shows a ! .-decided: improvement.',:.Chain.pagho. is .a luxury; arid.. is -thereforo a'' test. of a country's prosperity. ;;; /;/; ;■ , ..Mr.'Simon;.'.as may be expected,'.knows.' the champagne bade from A to Z. Eperjiay, >,tko Centre /ofthe- champagrioV in-', dustry,- is ;,n/little/ town'/ encircled /by hills,;situated ion ■ the banks. of .the Mariie,' 1 some; eighty miles; out' of- Paris. When one stands on'-.the. extremity of tho hillaide of Ay, amid the vines of the .house of ;Mpct and.Chdridon,'one seos.-Epornay lying;' :as - it' wore, 1 in ;a . cup'-formed .by . ■the surrounding hills.;; Ay .is about three, miles' to. the north-east of, Epernay. .'.ln', front/lies, the "Wliito\ Mountain":'where ( .the'.white- grapes grow which' produce the 'delicate : 'wine ; of Cramant. Behind Ay lies tho forest of Rheims and'"the- vine-' yards'' of v.the./ - mountain," 'Bouzyvv-and ..Per'z'eriayi '. flt is' /.tliese i'.vineyards : which - produce; : the- triore full-bodied /wines 'aiid''it:is/'tho; 'fiye;yiheyards:of::-Ay^]ipMnoy,' :: 'Crttinaiiii'- . Bouiyj i .and"/Verz'enay /which t grow" tho best- grapes,/ forming-.what.is /known ; tls "10/,desius /du/ panier"—the ; grape? - that/, tie' on : the ..top: of- tho basket. vßach of: .theßo:/yinoyargs'yields/wine.of : a distinc-' con-sidered-the best 'of tall; 'thoy .'are' not full: bodied,' hut they' possess a' finer-flavour than-.--'thb twines/ :of,- any'/ other'/district: •Almost: half '&e. hill of. Ay/belongs to rth.efirm of Moet and Chandon. • .-. Thb'virieyArds/of/champagne are'somo' 27,000-acres in. extent,'. and. they' are divided atnOngst mire ; than 17,000- ptopHe-' tork'.Y/Mahy.' of ■'.•these;-proprietors.! do : nothold/.md?e than' an, acre; thei land is of .such' high vUue that the'/cultivation' of : even" so..- small ■a • vineyard, is sufficient to. maintain the proprietor, his wife, and: family;,- ..Champagne .firms/purchase, rtlie' grapes from/the peasant proprietors. The vines t are , not 'allowed : to" grow; more! than 'from :twovftnd/: hair'to^/three. i /.feot,;iri height; every -j?ear the plants. are sunk deoper into the' ground,', so that/in .the caSO- .of. the . dlder . vines; , the. .roots', are ■sometimes five' or/ six' times -tho 'length, of 1 the part jwliioh may Wseeu. ■.. In.; a warm; year.; the t vintage in cham- 1 j pagrio commences about tho end of. S6p-: (tatter;'-but, if; the/ summer has-not becii so 'propitious, tho . work is . not started "until, thomiddle,, of;;, October..: Most important for. tho. perfection-of tho wine is the;choice .0f... the fright. momont to comf lhcrico the: vintage;, In' former y&rs tho .-masters' of •, the./.vineyards > decided the moment 'for; commencing,;operations.;by. the i appearance >and ■ taste, of. .the , grapes; it is ; now-rebog'nised. that such a ;test .does, not fallow'' of' sufficient' precision.'/: After extended , experiments ;'it, is:,now possible to judgiiby,.the '.weight 'of the, grapes/the right; momont. for. the '.vintage 'in ', each vineyard. ; ■ :■■'/:■■''

vAsi.tho grapes., are gathered 'they.', are placpd in .'oblongi shallow.baskets. about two: .feet in length;, when these: baskets(ire: filled the contents. are transferred' to .larger and-: heaviiar " baskets; i; which -" are taken immediately to the press-house. The grapes , are placed .in a large wooden .reservoir, and two wooden-flaps are let down as. soon 1 as : thd. reservoir is. filled: The, grapes ! aro. pressed .fivo times;' thf juice from' the- first threo' pressings'/is '.raised''together .and forms .what is/kno wii as the , "premier serro"—i.e.,' the;firist crushiig.,»The fourth and:fifth pressings form a. second crushing, and' the wine yielded is of not quite so fine a ohar. actor..4s soon' as': the''wine-has 'elearedj it is cai-efnlly drawn: off ; .into .oasks'where it romaiiis -hntil" the constitution' of tho year's onvees have been arranged. The iblending of the wines takes place, in enormousvats, into which the ,coh; tents of . the casks are emptied. The wine at this stage" of its development; has a powerful scent and a strong taste, and. Scarcely suggests the exquisite flavour .and . delicate -bouquet. which one associates withVthe ibest' champagne.' When :theiwine fs-ready : .-for,bottling ; (during tho .flowering 'of . the .vine in' the:spring• following), .it: is drawn off through pipes into oblong reservoirs, each provided with a row of taps to which the bottles are applied,, and .frdm : .'whiohi'.the. wine'' ceases to flow- immediatoly the bottles,are filled; i The ibottlos are then transferred to cellars, out. out of tho chalk"which 1 , havp an extreme depth of,; 100 feet; There nre two ~ atori«i under: ground. known as tho "eaves" and above ground are largo buildings known as /'colliers." -.'.ln: the lower story of 'tho caves • is stored the permanent jesorvo of i wiiio. which; in the caso of Moot and Chandon consists at the presont day, of 15,000,000 bottles;.' .