1879 Facts About Champagne and Other Sparkling Wines

137

Oha1npagne Establishme1its at .Avize and Rilly.

the roof of the upper story and hang pendent overhead like innumerable stalactites. Here after the comparatively new wine of 1874 had been shown to us-including samples of the Vin Brut or natural champagne of which the firm make a :speciality at a moderate price-some choice old champagnes were brought forth, including the fine vintages of 1865, 1857, and 1846. The latter wine had of course preserved very little of its effervescence, still its flavour was exceedingly fine, being soft and delicate to a degree. At the Vienna Exhibition of 1873 .and the London Exhibition of 1874 the collection of champagnes €xhibited by Roper freres met with favourable recognition from the international juries. · Our tour through the Champagne vineyards and wine– -cellars here comes to an end. It is true there are important €stablishments at Chalons, notably those of JacquesRon et fils, the P erriers, Freminet et fils, and J acquard freres, the cellars of the first-named being, perhaps, unrivalled in the Champagne. As, however, anydescription of these establishments would be little else than a recapitulation of something we have already said, we -content ourselves with merely notifying their existence, and bring our Facts about Champagne to a close with the translation of a _poem from the pen of M. Amaury de Cazanove of Avize :-

CHAMPAGNE. LESS for t by grace and glory, land of ours,

Than for thy dolour, dear; Let the grief go, and here--

Here's to thy skies, thy women and thy flowers ! France ! take the toast, thy women and thy roses, France ! to thy wine, more wealth unto thy store! Aud let the lips a grievous memory closes Smile their proud smile once more! Swarthy Falernian, :M:assica the Red, Were ye the nectars poured At the great gods' broad board? No, poor old wines, all but in name long dead, :~foctar 's Champagne, the sparkling soul of mirth, 'fhat bubbling o'er with laughing gas, Flashes gay sunbeams in the glass, And like our flag goes proudly round the earth.