1879 Facts About Champagne and Other Sparkling Wines

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Charnpagne and Other Sparlcling Wines.

ga~bling dispute with a hand-to-hand combat, in the course of which table, cards, and dice have got cantered over; the fom·th ~resenting us with two French knights, armed cap-a-pie, engaged ma tourney ; while in the fifth and last a couple of German lansquenets essay their gladiatorial skill with their long and dangerous weapons. Several years back a tablet was discovered in one of the cellars of the ·house, inscribed" Ci-gist venerable religieux ma!stre Pierre Dercle, docteur en theologie, jadis prieur de ceans. Priez Dieu pour luy. 1486," which would almost indicate that the house had originally a religious character, although the warlike spirit of the bas-reliefs decorating it renders any such supposition with regard to the existing building untenable. · The Messrs. Werle 1 6wn numerous acres of vineyards, com– prising the very finest situations in the well-known districts of Verzenay, Bouzy, Le Mesnil, and Oger, at all of which placer; they have vendangeoirE? or pressing-houses of their own. Their establishment at Verzenay contains seven presses, that at Bouzy eight, at Le Mesnil six, and at Oger two, in addition to which grap~s are pressed under their own supervision at Ay, Avize, and Cramant in vendangeoirs belonging to their friends. Since the death of Madame Clicquot the legal style of the firm has been Werle and Co., successors to Veuve Clicquot– Ponsardin, the mark, of which M. Werle and h is son are the sole proprietors, still r emaining " Veuve Clicquot.Ponsardin," while the corks of the bottles are branded . with the words "V. Clicquot-P. Werle," encircling the figme of a comet. The style of the wine-light, delicate, elegant, and fragrant-is familiar to all connoisseurs of champagne. What, however, is not equally well 1."TIOWll is that within the last few years the firm, in obedience to the prevailing taste, have introduced a perfectly dry wine of corresponding quality to the richer wine which made the fortune of the house. The house of M. Louis Roederer, founded by a plodding Gennan named Schreider, pursued the sleepy tenor of its way for ye'.1'rs, until all at once it felt prompted to lay siege to t~e