NEW CHAMPAGNE BILL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1166, 17 June 1911, Page 5

NEW CHAMPAGNE BILL.

FORMED PROPOSALS ABANDONED. Bj Telceraph- -Press AEsociation-OopyrleM Paris, June 15. Tho French Cabinet has abandoned tho champagne delimitation area proposal, and is introducing a Bill to prevent fraudulent adulterations and to protect' old-established brands of champagne. A conimitteo of the Senato has approved tho principlo of tho suppression, of absinthe. AN INTERMINABLE DISPUTE. Tho Departments of Marino and tho Aube, tho scenes of tho recent disturbances in France, produce, respectively, the finest and most inferior champagne in tho world. Marnc demands that oniy its wines shall bo labelled champagne, and rioted on tho announcement that tho term was also to bo bestowed on tho vintage of Au'bc. A new Bill was jnh-o-•duced providing that wines of tho Aubo should bo designated as "sparkling wine," and this resulted in another Eeries of riots, this timo in tho Aubo. Finally it was announced that the Government had decided to settle the dispute on the lines of tho report of M. Charles Blanc. This was to tho effect that the Aubo should be allowed to retain tho title "champagne" for its wines, whilo tho high-class vintages of Mamo should bo designated "grand champagne." Now, apparently, this proposal has gone by tho board. Writing of the situation recently, Mr. J. F. Macdonald said in the "Manchester Guardian":~

Aube produces but a sham, semi-spark-ling stuff sold by Paris grocers at 2s. Cd. and 3s. a bottle. There is humour as well as pathos in the situation. The pathos lies in the plight of the Aube winegrowers; the humour in the attitude that will not fail to bo taken up by their customers. Tho latter, tho smallest of small bourgcoise, who bought tho threeshilling sparkling etuiT when it was pretentiously labelled "champagne," will have nothing to do with it under tho namo of "sparkling wino." It wns tho joy and the pride of M. lo Bourgeois on his birthday, and on New Year's live, and upon tho occasion of tho First Communion of his children, to produce a bottle from tho Aubo with the words, "Now, mes amis, wo will drink a glass of champagne." For all his guests knew it might have been the costliest of brands. Was not the neck of the bottle correctly enshrouded in gold paper? Did not the cork pop out briskly? And if Ihe' win" did not precisely foam—well, thero on the i label, in bold, irrefutable characters, was tho noblo namo "champagne." But now an end to M. lp Bourgeois's little acts o? deception. No longer able to pass off "vin mousscux" as champagne in his dreary little dining-room, ho will withdraw his custom from the Aube, and fall back on Madeira and port, which bottles may bo obtained as dusty and as cobwebby as you like at oven a smaller figure than "the "vin mousscux" from (ho Paris grocer.