Sa 
Statistics. 
—— 
FRANCE. 
territories of Verznay, Mailly, and St’ Basle. They 
were made by a particular process by the Marshal 
D'Estrees, and for this reason were long known by the 
name of Vins de la Mareschal ; but at the Revolution 
this estate was divided and sold. 
In Cham , and indeed in all the vine districts 
of France, the south and the east exposures, and the 
middle grounds, are preferred. In general, through- 
out this province, the soils proper for vines rest on beds 
of chalk: they are planted in November or December ; 
the plants are inserted into turfs, or in longuettes. Graft- 
ing is not in use. A plant will last 50 or 
60 years. is not much variety in the grapes of 
; the black are general] erred to the 
white. There are whole cantons, foveet anes there 
are very few black a aa their wine isin high 
estimation. In this province, the vine is pruned about 
the end of February or co | of March. It is 
never allowed to rise higher a foot and a half. At 
5. next trimming for the 
shoots. 6. Pared and tied in June. 7. Second trim- 
ming in July, 8. Third trimming in August. The 
vintage is in September or October. 
Many tions are necessary in making white wine; 
steeping before pressing makes red wine, be- 
ine- ing allowed to remain in the vessels till the first fermen- 
tation has in the colouring pellicle of the fruit. 
In making white wine, great care is taken to keep the 
grapes from the sun; ce ete ce 
i covered with cloths, from which they are 
not emptied into the press till after sun set: these 
are necessary to prevent fermentation. 
rom twenty to forty panniers are put into the at 
atime; the contents of two panniers produce half a 
piece of wine. Forty panniers yield nine or ten pieces 
of white wine, and each piece contains 200 bottles. 
The fruit is pressed by three successive and rapid turns 
polos py leekare: sy mugen’ 68 Bee hes 
others. The whole of the operation be finish- 
ed in less than an hour. When the three have 
been effected, the wine produced from the juice is cal- 
ad enero or choice wine ; after this vin d’elite is 
extracted, juice is out by ano- 
Cheenti ofthe bereers:ahde ts iere taille, the 
first cut, and is often added to the vin delile. Ano» 
ther pressure is given at a subsequent period, and the 
wine is called deuxieme taille, or vin de tisanne ; lastly, 
phe, yon moar epaemesgalio Orr. Bele 
duced by repeatedly pressing the husks ti are 
perfectly dry. The white wines are clarified with isin- 
glass; are generally bottled in the month of March. 
. About the middle of August, the fermentation in the 
bottles ins, and frequently there is a loss by the end 
iene of. Srouss va to ten pestlbdgt. by Une bots 
tles breaking. When the white wines deposit a sedi- 
ment in the bottles, very minute care is requisite to ex- 
tract it. The wines eheprernys vs oe Prey | put 
into circulation, preserve their good qualities for ten 
years ; but when they are kept in the cellars of their 
native province, which are superior from the nature 
of the soil, (being dug out of beds of chalk), they will 
continue good for 20 or 30 years, 
VOL. IX, PART II. 
713 
The price of an acre (100 rods and 22 feet to the Statistics. 
acre) of the best vineyard ground in Champagne, va- 
ries from 2000 to 6000 livres; the vineyards at Ay sel- 
ling as Pgh as 6000 livres. The price of an acre of yards, 
ni 
the second quality varies from 1000 to 3000 livres. The 
ordinary expence of cutting, hoeing, tyeing, and prun- 
ing the vines, is 80 livres the acre; of occasionally 
propping such as have fallen, 60 livres; of props, 16 
or 18 bundles, 50 in each bundle, 30 livres ; dung and 
carriage of the vines, 42; five puncheons for the’ pro- 
duce of an acre, 50 livres; expence of gathering, prun- 
ing, &c. 46 livres ; making a total expence per acre of 
308 livres. With respect to the produce of an acre of 
vineyard in Champagne, it is generally understood, that 
taking the average of 10 vintages, five pieces or pun- 
cheons of wine are obtained from every acre ; three of 
these are of the first quality, or choice wines, and two 
of them are ordi wines. Valuing the three pun- 
cheons of the best wine at 150 livres each, and the two 
others at 50, the total produce will be 550 livres ; from 
which must be deducted, besides 308 livres for labour, 
&c. the expence of bottling, cooperage, and fining, 30 
livres for the best wines, and six for the inferior ; the 
annual interest of the money laid out in the ground, 
100 livres; taxes, &c. 72; making in all, with the la- 
bour, 516 livres; which being deducted from 550, 
leaves 34 livres as the net produce of an acre of vine= 
yard in Champagne, on an average of years. This net 
produce, however, it is very difficult to fix, as the wines 
of Ay, Haut Villiers, Epernay, and Pierry, frequent- 
ly sell for 300 or 400 livres a piece, while some of the 
other wines do not bring more than 90 or 100 livres. 
It has already been mentioned, that this province is Red wines. 
equally famous for its red wines, and some parts of the 
rocess by which are made have been hinted at. 
o make red wine, the black grapes in general are on« 
ly picked and gathered. The juice is allowed to fer- 
ment, and the degree of fermentation is ascertained to 
be advantageous, when a lighted candle cannot be held 
over the tub without going out. When the fermenta- 
tion has entirely pao ap = puncheon is hermetically 
sealed. About the end of December, and if possible in 
dry weather, the wine is drawn off. About the mid~ 
dle of May, it is again drawn off. A puncheon of red 
wine contains 240 bottles. In general, the red wines of 
Haute Montagne are bottled in the month of Novem- 
ber, i. e. 13 months after the vintage. The-wines of 
St Thierry can remain three or four years on their lees. 
The best red wines of Haute Montagne, will:keep in 
bottles in cellars for six, eight, ten, or twelve years, 
These-cellars: (already alluded to) are regs to A feet 
in-depth. ‘Fheir temperature is 'y. five degrees 
of Reaumur below that of the anaes the varia< 
tions are seldom above halfa degree. 
The cost of an acre of vineyard, for red wine of the 
best quality, varies from 900 livres to 2000. That in 
Haute Montagne bears the highest price; the second 
class sells from 300 to 900 livres. The annual expence 
of cultivating an acre of red wine vineyard, including 
the expence of vintage and of pruning, is about 200 
livres. 
Such are the general details of the culture of the 
vine in Champagne. There are many vineyards, how- 
ever, and particularly in St Thierry, where the greater 
part of the vines are always raised to the height of 
about five feet, and supported by props of oak six feet 
high, and an inch in diameter. . i 
he following are the classes of the white and red 
wines of Champagne: j 
x 
