1933 Jack's Manual by J A Grohusko

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Introductory

CHAMPAGNE

Champagne is produced in the Department of Marne, where grapes were cultivated as far back as the sixth century. In the last will and testament of Remy, Archbishop of Reims, dated A.D. 530, he bequeaths to the clergy of his diocese vineyards situ ated in the neighborhood of that city. The growth of the Cham pagne district has continually increased since the tenth century, and viticulture has become a very important industry. The real development of champagne dates from the eighteenth century when Dom Perignon,a monk of the Abbey of Hautvillers, near fipernay, discovered the method of making sparkling cham pagne.The Champagne district seemsto have a special influence over the fruit grown upon it, for the grapes possess a perfume and other qualities not found in grapes grown anywhere else. The soil is composed of chalk with a light covering of earth, which gives the grapes their distinctive qualities, producing a sparkling wine which cannot be equalled. Many people think that champagne is made from a white grape, but not more than one quarter of the grapes grown in the Champagne vineyards are white, the rest being black, and it is from these principally that champagne is produced. Great precaution is taken not to crush the grapes when gathering, the hunches being detached from the vine one by one and carefully sorted according to their ripeness; and in some locations every individual grape is ex amined. The grapes are pressed daily in a large press, worked by hand,and the must(juice) is separated at once from the stalk