1910s Jack's manual by J A Grohusko (3rd edition)

THE DISGORGEMENT The deposit, having settled on the cork, is

now ready to

be extracted. placed head downward, to a depth of three inches, in a refrigerating bath. Under the action of the cold, the deposit congeals in the neck of the bottle. The cellarman then takes the bottle out of the bath, holds it upright, undoes the clasp and eases the cork, which the pressure of the carbonic gas inside eventu- ally forces out with a loud report, together with the deposit. The wine is then absolutely clear. THE LIQUEURING After disgorging, the wine has not the least taste of sugar, the sugar added at bottling having been completely transformed into alcohol and carbonic acid. Whilst in this state the wine is known as "brut." To regulate it to the client's taste, which varies in different countries, a certain quantity of liqueur, composed of sugar candy and wine from the finest Champagne vineyards, is added immediately after the disgorging. THE CORKING For corking, the best Spanish corks are used and are held in by either string and wire or wire muzzle, according to the custom of each house. Finally the capsule and label are put on and the bottles are packed in cases or baskets ready for shipment. The cellars are located at Rheims, Epernay, Ay, Avize, etc., and are well worth seeing. ALWAYS A LUXURY True champagne can never be other than a luxury, from the cost of cultivation, the care in making, the long period elaps- ing before the wine has reached maturity and principally be- cause of the limited area in which it can be produced. The loss from leakage and breakage is enormous, owing to the pressure upon the bottle, and difficulty of transportation. SAUTERNES Un Rayon de Soleil Concentre Dans un Verre (Biarnez). The region which produces the celebrated white wines universally known under the name of sauternes is situated on the left bank of the Garonne, about 35 kilometers south of Bordeaux, and includes the communes or parishes of Barsac, Bommes, Fargues, Sauternes and Preignac, and a part of Saint-Pierre de Mons. The country is hilly, admirably exposed to the rays of the sun, which explains, to a great extent, the degree of maturity the grapes attain. The soil is more or less sandy, argillo-sillico-calcareous in some parts, argillo calcareous (as at Barsac) or entirely argillaceous in others. To do this the bottle is first