The San Francisco call. [volume], October 12, 1902, Image 15

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

Image provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA

                
Make up for of dlsher the absenoa and light
ness. .
And the foam, sparkling pure. .'.'-.
Of fresh, delicate wine ', ' .
Pot fortune's frail lure . .'.' . ¦ • • .
Blots out all regret in this'.' memory of mine.
This same poet, In replying to an In
vitation to Sonnlng's house at Neuilly
on July 20, 1707. refers especially to the
glasnes, which were also the invention
of Perignon: , ~ . ' • •¦¦¦ ¦/•;.. •"
Alora. Brand mervellle. sera
- ; De vih fluter vin. de champagne.
Which literally means, "It will be a
pleasure to see how the champagne is
drained from the tall glasses," then called
"flutes.". : - . ¦•¦'¦-..
One more Instance of the Influence, of
this new wine: Frederick William Il^bf
Prussia actually proposed to the Acad
emy of Arts ; and Sciences at Berlin; the
question, "Why does champagne foam?"
The students; -worthy our day, promptly
requested the King to. send them samples
of the beverage '• upon which - to experi
ment The'stlngy monarch sent them one
dozen bottles, j . He never heard their
curses. At another time this new .wine
served -a- curious .purpose... Count.. d«
Saillans,: one of . the .most famous horse
men of his day, made 'a wager that he
would ride a single horse from Versailles
to the Hotel des Invalides within an hour.
His wife, fearing. "the dangerous? descent
from Sevres toward Paris, prevailed upon
the King "to :prohlblt him from riding in
person, but a .valet (whose neck was of
course of no account) rode as his deputy.
The- horse was [ carefully fed ;on ; biscuit*
and champagne and crowds assembled to
watch the close of the flying trip; 'The
valet won the. wager iand the 'horse 'was
given more champagne. ' History does not
relatehow the. animal felt the; next day.
,.;. From-'that . ! time present "day
.champagne. ' has / t been- • the- pet v of the
wealthy.' and; has - made world-famous
those sloping . vineyards , of the ; Cham
pagne; '^Romance, , wild and " mysterious^
>llves to-day .> tn J the ¦ stories one . piay hear
at Rhelms; or Epernay concerning those
early days "of 'this .dazzling wine, but
spacepermits no further^ digression.
- Although France Is the*; home ,'of cham
pagne," and -although .TSy actual count Eu
rope makes twenty times more cham
pagne than all the. rest of theiwofld- to
gether,"; still : the .'domestic champagne' /of
America Us [ steadily; increasing in; favor.
And champagne, is; greatly; In
demand,"; even 'in' the '^East; * It is 'made
exactly as the Benedictine monk used to
make It, and Mr. A. Gruenberg of -San
Francisco, who Is an. expert upon this
subject, tells of the process in detail, and
compares -the I California wine With the
imported ; champagne. j ;
¦."Toorie; interested in .the grape,*' isald
he, "California Is of surpassing attrac
tion during the vintage season.. The miles
of even rows of vines in*. full foliage, cov
ering the beautiful hills, form a picture
of unique '.chafm. Our California moun
tains are \ eritable workshops, for outside
are., the ;» rich' vines, and within.- are :* the
cool." Immense, cellars. * Of course, we
can't make as. good wine as is made In
France, ' because we have;; hot the climate
and. soil for , it. That champagne section
in France is peculiarly adapted for rais
ing the grape.' Just as California is cele
brated for its orange groves. The soil in
the. champagne province Is chalk mixed
¦with : silica, ; aind ; this •' is very; ; conducive
to viticulture. ~ Still the manufacture of
champagn^ in ' our j State is rapidly being
pushed onward to i perfection, and our
wine is sought for all over the world. We
send a large .quantity, of it to London, and
have' frequent** orders.-' for "It "from- New
he succeeded in producing champagne.
The exact date of his achievement la hot
given, but It could not have been later
than 1697.
At first' the new wine was called "VIn
de PerJgnon," but soon assumed its prei
tnt name, "Vin de Champagne." -
En passant, no two evils without their
blessing. At the time of.. Its Introduction
the glory of France was on the wane.
Colbert, -Louvois •• and Luxembourg were
dead; the treaty of Ryswick had been
rlgned; famine, crouched near, and the
heart of France. beat low and fitfully. Be
hold! An amber wine, laughing and foam
ing in high-stemmed glasses, bids mel
ancholy depart, and mirth sits enthroned
in the high places! At every feast Bac
chus reigned supreme, and 'the pear
shaped flasks, "ten inches high, Including
the four or five of the neck, stamped with
the arms of the noble hosts, and secured
with Spanish wax,'! were -Indispensable.
An apropos story' Is recorded of the
Marquis de BUlery; Being enamored of
the wine, at a famous supper, he intro
duced It in bewitching guise. Twelve
blooming girls, scantily draped, as beau
tiful Bacchantes/entered the room, bear
ing baskets of flowers apparently, but
which, on being placed before the guests,
proved to be flower wreathed bottles of
champagne. If ever a beverage was
meant for pleasure it was certainly thts
one. The French -found ' iri\ its discovery
a consolation even for the i victories of
Marlborough. . .
Chaulieu, the poetic abbe, and the fa
vorite of both the Neudomes, halls the
otw wine in, these rapturous strains:
Of five score clear «:!«•••• ?»«• ¦'....— w~ « O( j
brightness
position gradually changed to a vertical
one, thus sending the sediment down to
the cork. This takes from two to four
months before all the sediment is de
posited on the cork. It is very delicate
work, as the least Jar or wrong shaking
would ruin the wine. After this Is all
done the bottles are taken neck down to
the finishing room, and the "disgorging*
Is begun. This term means getting th«
cork out with its deposited sediment with
out spilling the wine. Afi expert work
man loosens the iron clasp over the cork,
which, together with the sediment." files
out with a big pop. and, at the s«m» in
stant the bottle is brought to an upright
position . and closed with the thumb. Of
course there must be some loss of wins
in thla, but the bottle is filled- at once>
from the emergency bottle and the final
cork put in, which is secured by a wire
hood and muzzle. > T>«e wine. is then laid
away to ripen and' blend for months be
fore-adding the labels and : caps t after
these have been put on the champagne is
finished and ready for market. All this
process takes at least two or three years.
and each, bottle has been handled over
three hundred times. The color of th«
wine is amber, more or less deep, accord
ing to the vintage and to the proportion
of black grapes used. ''.-..• • ,
"Of course, before the final sealing up
of the bottles the wine la ltqueuxed, th«
amount of which depends upon the sweet
ness required. The liqueur used Is mad*
from the finest wine, sugar and cognac
In California very little liqueur Is : re
quired owing to the mild climate.
."All this process sounds easy, but it to
not and the smallest mistake in prepara
tion would spoil the wine. Good Cailfor
nia champagne does not rain down from
the clouds or gush put from the rocks,
but la the result of Incessant labor, pa
tient skill, minute precaution and careful
observation. And champagne Is Just be
ginning to be made when other wines ar»
finished. Again, there is "considerable
danger in manipulating the bottle at cer
tain periods of the process, and the skilled
workmen are more difficult to find over
here than in France. The shaking? of
the bottles twice 'daily requires men of
great dexterity. I have seen. men who
could shake with their two hands as
many a? 50,000 bottles a day. But these
are men who have spent thirty or forty
years of their lives In this task. Fancr
being entombed all alone day after day
In vaults dark and" cold, and obliged- to
twist sixty or seventy of these bottles
•very minute throughout" the "day! On»
can understand why- these men becoma
gloomy and .taciturn, and often affirm
that -they see devils hovering over the
bottle-racks and grinning, at them. Some
times, shake and .twist as these men will,
the sediment refuse* to stir. 'and. -then
the bottle mu3t.be tapped with a pleca
of iron. This sometimes causes the wins
to explode in the workman's hands.- It
is a' picturesque sight to yf ee these man
engaged at their work in the long, sub
terranean tvine-cellars, of which Califor
nia can proudly, boast of possessing so ma
of the finest in America." *
York, Chicago and other Eastern cities.
We follow the French method, and have
everything new in the way of. apparatus,
etc., shipped to us from Paris. In the
production of champagne r great care is
taken that only. the grapes from the best
vineyards . are used; these are carefully
picked and sorted, then brought to the
press with the utmost dispatch, that they
may be perfectly fresh. . By the way, the
soil imparts to the grape a special qual
ity, . .For - Instance, the magnificent vine -
yards under . the shadb-w of Mount St.
li plena would produce grapes. of a differ
ent flavor from vineyards In another part
of the Sta,te. - •
"After the grapes are lightly crushed, the
first run of Juice Intended for champagne
is filtered, drawn off and run into tanks.
This first Juice is always the best. It Is
left in the . tanks " for several month*.
where. It- undergoes fermentation, and
where in solitude undisturbed it become*
perfectly bright. It is then racked from
the lees into clean casks.. Now comes the
vital point Inj- the production '_ of cham
pagne, the blending, or 'marrying' of the
various wines. - Here is where the | true
skill of the expert champagne-maker
comes in. One desirable grape may bo
too fruity, another fiat, another has too
much color, another will cause the wine
to yellow with age, another may have too
much acid. To reconcile and combine- the
¦whtes In just proportions requires experi
ence and skill and a delicate palate pos
sessed only by the born wlnemaker. -
"After the several Juices are blended the
•Cuvee* is allowed to rest for a time, is
then again racked into clean' casks, and
ready for the bottling in the early sum
mer, when it undergoes a second ferment
ation. During, this period the imprisoned
carbonic add gas is generated, and also
a sediment which falls to the sides of the
bottles. v The . bottles are; most carefully
selected, - having . sloping shoulders,' so
that no sediment can permanently adhere
to the sides. This time is the critical
period. The generated gas gives the wine
life and sparkle, but to retain the 'sparkle
without excessive breakage of the bottles
requires very careful handling; Of late
years,, however, artificial methods of* re
frigeration have come - Into use. which,
greatly simplify the handling of. the wine
at this point. After fermentation Is com
plete the bottles are lowered to the vault,
atack'ed in 'tlerage* to rest and ripen in
darkness for at least a year, often a num
ber of years, ,the length of time depend
ing upon the- character of the vintage.
During the tierage. or resting period, the
wine deposits. quite a heavy sediment on
the side of the bottle, leaving the wine
above bright arid clear. To get rid of thla
sediment • the . bottles are placed on the
•clearing tables/ .' .
"These tables are so constructed that
the bottles are put : through holes neck
down" and. can be, placed In any position
from horizontal to vertical. At first their
position Is > almost horizontal, with the
line" of sediment on the side of the -bottle
toward the floor. With a peculiar rotary
motion the bottles are shaken twice a day
by: skilled and their boriaontal
IN the brotherhood of wine ehatrpnirn*
r. tands a synonym for all that is aris
tocratic and reflned. White wine, red
wine and the more mysterious darker
liquors have conspired to give their
charming associate a brilliancy, a verve,
a devil-may-careishness which fascinates!
From earliest days (not as we count
early days In California, but as the an
cients counted them), champagne has
been bubbling and bursting, sparkling
and effervescing through the staider
wines of the old vintages, to reach, the
"top of de ladder," where it could ex
plode and froth and beguile at Its own
6weet will. Prelates, kings and artists,
burgomasters and masons, dainty ladles
and clever demoiselles have caressed
this foaming child of compressed force
and found it good, a tonic for tired
bralcs (if not too tired) and an originator
of sweet fancies. So great was Its power
that Louis XIII, when old and debilitated <
by excessive excesses and under the
sway of "La Maintenon." forbade the
further production *nd lifted its old-time
rival, burgundy, to the front rank. Again,
when the centuries were called in three
numerals. "Mad Domitian" issued an
edict that all wine cultivation should
cease, because the peopie Idolized Bacchus
more than Ceres, and six generations of
men lived and died before this edict was
removed. Then one — a gardener's son—
Emperor Probus, licensed the cultivation
of the grape and in their grateful Joy
the citizens of Rheims erected a tri
umphal arch, which still stands at the en
trance of their city, and is called "the
Gate of Mars." A warlike name surely,
but mountains and forests of the cham
pagne contained grapes of every sort and
eo the appellation was appropriate, "Le
VIn Champagne" had to combat many
foes to reach its summit of excellence.
Staid burgundy . and its compatriots, all
are good, but when enters laughing, in
eidlaus, dear-eyed, amber-hued cham
pagne (offspring of them all), their
curved receptacles remain cipty and the
wlde-llpped, long-stemmed glasses, filled
¦with a foaming beverage, are lifted high,
end Champagne is King of Feast!
Past and present are ever mingled in
lives and countries, states and provin
ces. America is still new. and California
a new State. England and France are
old compared with us. but; in comparison
with th« "old Roman empire even' tbey
are new. Champagne Is older than them
ail, a veritable, rejuvenated graybeard,
end to trace to its origin, we must first
Jump backward (a bad custom, generally
speaking), and hobnob with those jolly
old abbots and friars, those "august
Caesars," and the dazzling courts of the
French Kings.
California Is now extensively engaged
In manufacturing champagne from native
vineyard*, and has wisely adopted the
French method of preparation. There
fore, as California had once to be born,
before Its fertile mountains could culti
vate the grape, so to compare our Cali
fornia champagne with Imported brands
the origin and invention of their wines
must be explained.
Champagne takes Its name from the old
French Province of Champagne, which
is now represented by Havre. Haut--
Havre, Aube and Ardennes. This coun
try has been, and is, actually overflow
ing with— not milk and honey, but with
eparkllng, irrepressible grape-juice. As
early as the fourth century, when Chris
tianity became the established religion of
the Romans, the holy abbots found a
frothy, Ellly sort of wine which "was al
ways in a fury, and boiled incessantly in
Its vesRel." but which they liked won
drous welL
"It causeth both the stomach and heels
to swell," said one, and its terrific effer
vescing was regarded with awe. But the
real history of the Invention, develop
ment and naming of champagne belongs
to a later period.
Religion and wine seem Indisputably
blended. Incongruous as It may appear.
Christ made water into wine. Perhaps
this Is the solution of the puzzle. Certain
It Is that in every country the choicest
wine has been developed from the vit;t
yards belonging to the church. In early
days the monk, because of his secluded
life and retired pursuits, became ac
quainted with the best methods of con
trolling fermentation, and aiding, like
wise, In Its legitimate production. Why,
to the monks of Beye we owe Chamber
tin ths favorite wine of the first Na
poleon: to the Cistercians of Citaulx. the
Clos Vaugeot and to one of the Benedic
tines of the Royal Abbey of St. Peter at
Hautvlllers we owe champagne. .
After being ravaged by the Normans,
twice destroyed by fire, devastated by tn»
Huguenots, ettll in 1670 the famous abbey
of St. Peter stood (among the sunny
vineyard slopes risln< from the poplar
fringed Marne). a historic and Imposing
monument of Nature's everlastingness.
Space does not permit of the romantic
Etory of its christening, but the agel bear
solid witness to Its fortunate location.
Situated among numberless vlneyaras
Its revenue became tremendous. -A wlne
preducing section; a select array of work
ers (chosen from the monks), the re
sources of the abbey became fam'ous.
Right here. In 1670. a worthy and wily
Benedictine — Dom Perignon — presided
over these vineyards. Remember the
name. Dom Perigmon. for he is the
father of "Le VIn Champagne.", Listen,
ye thirsty San Franciscans, this monk
was chosen for his position because of
two things. I e.. his purity of taste and the
"soundness of his heart." He soon noticed
the different qualities of the wine and
grapes— one kind of soil grave fragrance,
another generosity, while some varieties
were destitute of both. Then Dom Perlg.
non— a worthy benedict— conceived the
Idea of "marrying." or blending the pro
duce of different vineyards -together, and
his happy conceit is still adhered to in the
manufacture of wine to-day. Years after,
when this clever old Benedictine was
bllr.d from age. his palate, was still so
Bklllful and delicate that when different
varieties of grapes were brought to him
he would taste each kind and say. "You
must marry this. wine with such another
wine." But his crowning glory was
achieved when he succeeded In obtaining
for the first time In- the champagne a
perfectly white wine from black grapes,
and finally, by a method, regulated to the
habit cl the wine of that district to "ex
plode" (and by a new system of bottling).
THE SUiJDAT GALL.
HOW CHAMPAGNE IS MADE
15