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CLASSIFICATION OF
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See also:CLASSIFICATION OF SAUTERNES See also:Grand First Growth. See also:Chateau Yquem, Sauternes. First Growths. Chateau La Tour See also:Blanche, Bommes. Peyraguey, Bommes. Vigneau, Bommes. Suduiraud, Preignac. Coutet, Barsac. Climens, Barsac. See also:Bayle (See also:Guiraud), Sauternes. Rieussec, Fargues. Rabaud, Bommes. Second Growths. Chateau Mirat, Barsac. Doisy, Barsac. Feyxotto, Bommes. d'Arche, Sauternes. Filhot, Sauternes. Broustet-See also:Nerac, Barsac. Caillou, Barsac. Suau, Barsac. Malle, Preignac. Romer, Preignac. „ Lamothe, Sauternes. The See also:production of the Sauternes vineyards is, as a See also:rule, smaller than that of the See also:chief red growths, and in consequence of this, and that the See also:district it a relatively small one, the prices of the finer growths are often very high. The See also:Cotes district consists of the slopes rising from the See also:lower marshy regions to the See also:east of the See also:Garonne and the See also:Dordogne respectively. St Bm/llon. The best of the Cotes wines are grown in the St Emilion region. This region consists of the See also:commune of St Emilion, together with the four surrounding communes. It produces wines of a decidedly bigger type than those of the Medoc, and is frequently called the See also:Burgundy of the See also:Bordeaux district. The classification of the St Emilion wines is very complicated, but in principle is similar to that of the Medoc wines. Among the better known wines of the first growths are the following: Chateau Ausone, Chateau Belair, Chateau Clos Fourtet, Chateau Pavie, Chateau Coutet, Chateau Cheval-See also:Blanc, Chateau See also:Figeac. The Chateau Ausone is of See also:peculiar See also:interest, inasmuch as it is here that the poet See also:Ausonius possessed a magnificent See also:villa and cultivated a vineyard (A.D. 300). Palus and Entre-deux-Mers.—The above wines are grown in the marshy regions in the immediate neighbourhood of the Garonne and Dordogne. They produce useful but rather rough wines. The Entre-deux-Mers district forms a See also:peninsula between the Garonne and Dordogne, comprising the arrondissements of La Reole, the See also:south of See also:Libourne and the east of Bordeaux. This district produces both red and See also: The See also:art of making the wine was kept See also:secret for some time, and many mysterious fables were circulated concerning it; inter See also:cilia it was believed that the Evil One had a See also:hand in its manufacture. It does not appear, however, to have become popular or consumed on a large See also:scale until the end of the 18th century. The district producing the finest champagne is divided into two distinct regions, popularly known as the See also:river and the See also:mountain respectively. The former consists of the vineyards situated on or in the neighbourhood of the See also:banks of the Marne. The See also:principal vine-yards in the valley, on the right See also:bank of the river, are those at Ay, Dizy, Hautvillers and Mareuil; on the See also:left bank, on the slopes of See also:Epernay and parallel with the river, those at Pierry and Moussy; in the district towards the south-east, on the slopes of Avize, those of Avize, Cramant, Vertus and Mesnil. The chief vineyards in the " mountain " district are at Versy, Verzenay, Sillery, Rilly and Bou. The See also:soil in the champagne district consists on the slopes largely of See also:chalk and in the See also:plain of alluvial soil. It is interspersed with some See also:clay and See also:sand. The chief red vines of the champagne district are the Plant-See also:dore, See also:Franc-Pineau and the Plant vert dore. The Plant gris, or See also:Meunier, yields grapes of a somewhat inferior quality. The chief white vine is the Pineau, also known as Chardonay. The best qualities of wine are made almost exclusively from the See also:black grapes. For this See also:reason it is necessary that the See also:process of collection, separation and pressing should proceed as quickly as possible at vintage time in See also:order that the juice may not, through incipient See also:fermentation, dissolve any of the colouring See also:matter from the skins. For the same reason the grapes are collected in baskets in order to avoid excessive pressure, and are transported in these to the See also:press See also:house. As there is no preliminary crushing, the presses used for extracting the juice have to be of a powerful character. As a rule, three qualities of wine are made from one batch of grapes, the first pressing yielding the best quality, whilst the second and third are relatively inferior. After the must has been allowed to See also:rest for some See also:hours in order to effect a partial clearing, it is See also:drawn off into barrels and fermented in the latter. The first racking and fining takes See also:place about See also:December. The wine is allowed to rest for a further See also:short See also:period, and if not See also:bright is again racked and fined. It is then ready for bottling, but previous to this operation it is necessary to ascertain whether the wine contains sufficient remanent See also:sugar to develop the gas " necessary for effervescence. If this is not the See also:case, sugar is added, generally in the See also:form of See also:fine See also:cane or candied sugar. The bottles employed have to be of very fine quality, as the pressure which they have to stand may be as much as 7 to 8 atmospheres or more. Formerly the loss through breakage was very See also:great, but the art of making and selecting these bottles has greatly improved, and the loss now amounts to little more than 5%, whereas formerly 25 % and even 3o% was not an uncommon figure. In the See also:spring-time, shortly after bottling, the rise in temperature produces a secondary fermentation, and this converts the sugar into See also:alcohol and carbonic acid. This fermentation proceeds throughout the summer months, arid in the meantime a sediment which adheres to the See also:side of the See also:bottle is gradually formed. The bottles, which up till now have been in a See also:horizontal position, are then, in order to prepare them for the next process, namely, that known as disgorging, placed in a slanting position, See also:neck down-wards, and are daily shaken very slightly, so that by degrees the sediment See also:works its way on to the cork. This process, which takes several See also:weeks, is a very delicate one, and requires much skill on the See also:part of the workman. When the whole of the sediment is on the cork, the See also:iron clip, with which the latter is kept in position, is removed for a moment, and the force of the wine ejects the sediment and cork simultaneously. This operation also requires much skill in order to avoid an excessive See also:escape of wine. An ingenious modification has of See also:modern times been introduced, which consists in freezing part of the contents of the neck of the bottle. The cork may then be withdrawn and the sediment removed without any wine being lost. 1,161,339 gallons of champagne, to the value of £1,679,611, were imported into the See also:United See also:Kingdom. The See also:general See also:composition of high-class champagnes, as supplied to the See also:English See also:market, will be gathered from the preceding table, which is taken from a large number of analyses published by the author and a collaborator in the See also:Analyst for See also:January 1900. It will be seen that, compared with the dry, See also:light red wines, the proportion of sugar, alcohol and acidity is comparatively high in champagne, and the See also:extract (solid matter) rather See also:low. The fruitful departments watered by the See also:Loire and its tributaries produce considerable quantities of wine. The white growths of the Seumut: Loire have been known for many centuries, but up to 1834 were used only as still wines. At that date, however, it was found that the wines of See also:Saumur (situated in the See also:department of the See also:Maine-et-Loire) could be successfully converted into sparkling wines, and since then a considerable See also:trade in this class of wine has See also:developed. At first it was chiefly used for blending with the wines of the Champagne when the vintage in this district was insufficient, but at the See also:present time it is largely sold under its own name. The imports of sparkling Saumur into the United Kingdom in 1906 amounted to 114,234 gallons, valued at £73,984. Although the See also:average wholesale value of Saumur is considerably less than that of champagne, it compares favourably with the lower grades of that See also:article, and in flavour and character is similar to the latter. The successful See also:evolution of the Saumur sparkling wine See also:industry is largely due to the fact that the range of See also:limestone hills, at the See also:foot of which the See also:town is situated, afford by excavation illimitable cellarage, easy 724 WINE [WINES OF See also:FRANCE After the sediment has been removed the wine is subjected to dosage, of See also:access and of remarkably even temperature, at a very small cost. or liqueuring. It is by this process that the degree of sweetness The method of manufacture is similar to that followed in the required to suit the particular class of wine being made is attained. Champagne. In the east of France, not far from the See also:Jura, lies the See also:oldest viticultural district of See also:Europe, namely that of Burgundy. It is still so called, after the old See also:French provinces, Upper and Lower Burgundy. It comprises the departments of the See also:Yonne on the See also:north-See also:west, the Cote d'Or in the centre, and the See also:Saone-et-Loire on the south. In the Yonne are made chiefly the white wines known to us as See also:Chablis; in the Saone-et-Loire are made the red Burgundy. and white wines of See also:Macon, and there is also, stretching into the department of the See also:Rhone, the district producing the Beaujolais wines. The most important wines, however, the Burgundy wines proper, are made in the centre of this region on the range of low hills See also:running north-east by south-west called the Cote d'Or, or the See also:golden slope. The soil of the Cote d'Or is chiefly limestone, with a little clay and sand. The vineyards producing the best wines are situated about See also:half-way up the slopes, those at the See also:top producing somewhat inferior, and those at the foot and in the plain See also:ordinary growths. Practically all the best vineyards (which are grown on See also:flat terraces on the slopes, and not on the slopes themselves) See also:face south-west and so get the full benefit of the See also:sun's rays. The most important vine—in fact on the slopes of the C8te d'Or practically the only vine—is the Pineau or Noirien, but in the plain and in the districts of Macon and Beaujolais the Gamay is much cultivated. The See also:influence of the soil on one and the same vine is interestingly illustrated by the different character of the vines grown in those districts, the Beaujolais wines having far greater distinction than those of Macon. The commune of See also:Beaune must be regarded as the centre of the Burgundy district, and possesses numerous vineyards of the highest class. To the north of Beaune See also:lie the famous vineyards of Chambertin, Clos Vougeot, Romanee, Richebourg, Nuits St Georges and Corton; to the south those of Pommard, Volnay, Monthelie and Meursault with its famous white wines.
The vinification of the Burgundy wines takes. place in coves of 500 to 2000 gallons capacity, and it has for very many years been the See also:common practice in vintages in which the must is deficient in saccharine to ensure the stability of the wine by the addition of some sugar in the cuve. The first rackings generally take place in See also:February or See also: Description of Wine. Vintage. per cent. Acid. Extract. Ash. Tartaric as invert See also:Glycerin. Acid. by vol. Acid. Sugar). I Champagne nature 1892 14'01 5.22 20.95 1.17 2'20 3.36 7'55 8'27 2 See also:Brut 1892 12.57 3'23 19.78 2.53 2.76 I.32 7.64 7.79 3 Dry 1892 13.50 5.99 27.07 1.16 2•IO 9.20 9'IO 9'55 4 Extra sec 1893 13'53 5'01 22.95 I•Io 2.18 7.84 6.5o 8.12 5 Extra dry 1893 12'56 5.43 23'18 1.13 2'49 7.23 8.18 7'75 6 Dry 1893 14'44 4'8o 30.33 1.05 2.04 13.86 9.05 For wines exported to See also:England very little liqueur is employed; in the case of some wines, known as Brut or Nature, none at all is added. Wines intended for consumption in France receive a moderate quantity of liqueur, but those for the See also:Russian and South See also:American markets, where very sweet wines are liked, receive more. This liqueur is made of fine wine, See also:brandy and candied sugar. The liqueuring is nowadays generally carried out by means of a See also:machine which regulates the quantity to a nicety. Champagne is not, as is the case, for instance, with the classified growths of the See also:Gironde, the product of a single vineyard. The bulk of the wine is made in vine-yards belonging to small See also:peasant proprietors, who sell their produce to the great See also:mercantile houses. The latter blend the wines received from the various proprietors, and the chief aim in this blending is to maintain the character of the wine which is sold under a particular trade See also:mark or See also:brand. Similarly, it has been said that, strictly speaking, there is no such thing as vintage champagne, for it is almost invariably the practice, in order to maintain the general character of a specific brand, to blend the new wines with some old wine or wines which have been vatted for this particular purpose. These vattings, and indeed all blendings of any particular batch of wines, are termed cuvees. The vintage date, therefore, which is See also:borne by " vintage champagne," refers rather to the date of vintage See also:prior to bottling than to the See also:age of the wine, although the See also:main bulk of the wine of a certain ' ` vintage " will actually have been made in the year indicated. It is not unusual in the case of champagne to add some sugar to the must in the years in which the latter is deficient in this regard. No legitimate objection can be raised to this practice inasmuch as champagne in any case must be regarded in the light of a manufactured article rather than as a natural product. The principal centres of the champagne trade are at See also:Reims, Epernay, Ay and Avize. The total output of the Marne district has for the past three years averaged about 9 million gallons, but it occasionally runs as high as 20 million gallons. A great part of this wine, how-ever, is not suitable for making high-class champagne. As a rule, the See also:supply considerably exceeds the demand, and the stock in hand at the present time amounts to roughly four years' consumption of finished wine, but to this must be added the stock existing In cask, which is considerable. For the period 1906–1907 the total number of bottles in stock amounted to over 121 millions, the bottles exported to over 23 millions, and the bottles required for See also:internal See also:commerce in France to something over Io millions. There is, thus, at the present a total See also:annual consumption of rather over 30 millions of bottles. The chief trade in champagne is with the United Kingdom, to which the finest varieties are exported. In the year 1906, 1. Red Wines. Growth. See also:Les Arvelets. Clos de la Perriere. Chambertin, Clos de Biz, Clos St Jacques. Clos de See also:Tart, Les Bonnes Mares, Les Larrets. Les Musigny. Clos de Vougeot. Les Grandes Eschezeaux. Romanee-See also:Conti, Les Richebeurgs, La Tache. Romanee la Tache. Les See also:Saint-Georges, Les Vaucrains, Les Porrets, Les Pruliers, Les Boudots, Les Thorey. Le Corton, Le Clos-du-Roi-Corton. Les Vergelesses. Les Feves, Les Greves, Le Clos de la Mousse. Les Arvelets, Les Rugiens. Les Caillerets, Les Champans. Les Santenots, Le Clos-Tavannes. 2. White Wines. Les Perrieres, Les Genevrieres. Montrachet, Les Chevaliers-Montrachet Le Batard Montrachet. Aloxe . See also:Savigny Beaune . Pommard Volnay . Santenay Locality. Fixey . Fixin . Chambertin Morey. . Chambolle Vougeot Flagey Vosne. Nuits . Meursault Puligny . An interesting feature of the Cote d'Oris the See also:Hospice de Beaune, a celebrated charitable institution and See also:hospital, the revenues of which are principally derived from certain vineyards in Beaune, Corton, Volnay and Pommard. The wines of these vineyards are sold every year by See also:auction See also:early in See also:November, and the prices they make serve as See also:standards for the valuation of the other growths. To the south of See also:Lyons, in the department of the Dr3me, are made in the district of See also:Valence the celebrated Hermitage red and white Hermitage. wines. The quality of some of these, particularly of the sweet white wines, is considered very fine. The quantity produced is very small. The red wines made at the present time are after the See also:style of Burgundy and possess See also:good keeping qualities. If we except the wines of See also:Roussillon, produced in the old province of that name, in the extreme south of France, the above constitute the principal varieties of French wines known in the United Kingdom. They form, however, but a small fraction of the entire production of the See also:country. The most prolific viticultural district of France is that known as the Midi, comprising the four departments of the See also:Herault, See also:Aude, See also:Gard, and the See also:Pyrenees-Orientales. Thus in 1901 the department of the Herault alone produced nearly 300 million gallons of wine, or approximately a See also:quarter of the whole output of France. The average amount of wine made iii the four departments for the past three years has been roughly Soo million gallons. These wines formerly were largely exported as vin de cargaison to South See also:America, the United States, See also:Australia, &c., and were also much employed for local consumption in other parts of France. Owing, however, to the fact that viticulture has made much progress in South America, in See also:California, in Australia and particularly in See also:Algeria, and also to the fact that the quality of these Midi wines has fallen off considerably since the See also:phylloxera period, the outlet for them has become much reduced. These and other reasons, notably the manufacture of much fictitious wine with the aid of sugar (fortunately stopped by the rigid new wine See also:laws), led to the See also:grave wine crisis, which almost amounted to a revolution in the Midi in the spring and summer of 1907. Viticulture has made great strides in Algeria during See also:recent years. The first impetus to this department was given by the destruction Algeria, or crippling of many of the French vineyards during the phylloxera period. The present output amounts to roughly 150 million gallons, and the acreage under the vine has increased from 107,048 hectares in 1890 to 167,657 hectares in 1905. The wines, moreover, of Algeria are on the whole of decidedly See also:fair quality, possessing See also:body and strength and also stability. In this regard they are See also:superior to the wines of the Midi. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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