THE AMERICAN CHAMPAGNE DISTRICT. 743 



THE AMERICAN CHAMPAGNE DISTRICT. 



BY LEE J. VANCE. 



TWO hundred years ago a pious monk, Dom Perignon by 

 name, held the post of cellarer to the fraternity of monks of 

 the Order of St. Benedict, in the hamlet of Hautevillers, situated 

 on the river Marne, four or five miles from Epernay and about 

 fifteen miles from Rheims. His was an important position, for 

 the revenues of the abbey depended entirely on its vineyards, 

 and consequently on the taste, judgment, and skill of its cellarer. 

 Consider what this pious monk did to increase the revenues of the 

 abbey. 



The important contributions that Dom Perignon made to the 

 art of wine-making were the result of observations and experi- 

 ment. Thus, he noticed that the wine which was made from 

 the grapes growing in the different vineyards of the district 

 showed, as might be supposed, different characteristics. For ex- 

 ample, the black grapes produced a white wine that improved 

 with age, instead of turning yellow and deteriorating as did the 

 wine made from white grapes. This set Dom Perignon to think- 

 ing. Then the happy idea suggested itself to him of " marrying " 

 the different wines produced in the vineyards of the district. 

 Why not blend the juice of the black grapes with that of the 

 white grapes ? Now, Dom Perignon, be it said, was an artist. 

 He tried many different mixtures until he obtained one or two 

 wines that satisfied his nice and cultivated taste. 



If Dom Perignon had been content to manufacture wine by 

 the ancient and time-honored methods of his predecessors, he 

 would never have discovered the light, sparkling wine which has 

 made the Champagne district of France known the world over. 

 His first discovery, the blending of certain wines, which was 

 the result of care and thought, led in turn to his second and 

 greatest discovery the secret of sparkling wines which, oddly 

 enough, came by accident. One day a tightly corked bottle in 

 the cellar exploded, and lo ! to the monk was revealed the mys- 

 tery of effervescence, and vin mousseux what we call cham- 

 pagne was the glorious result. 



The new wine met with immediate favor and great success. 

 It revolutionized the art of wine-making ; it was a revelation to 

 wine-drinkers. Sparkling wine was so far beyond the old-style 

 still wine that the two could not be compared in the same breath. 

 The delicious and original qualities of vin mousseux are a fine 

 color, a snap, a sparkle, and "beaded bubbles winking at the 

 brim," a quick, fleeting taste to the tongue, an almost impercepti- 

 ble bouquet, and last but not least a subtle, exhilarating effect. 



