40 THE VINE AND CIVILISATION, 
VIII, of England, had each of them a vineyard at Ay, their 
own property, and on each vineyard a small house, occupied 
by a superintendent. Thus the genuine article was secured 
by each sovereign for his own table. There are many kinds 
of Champagne wine, but the best are those that froth moder- 
ately ; when the effervescence is in excess, the better qualities 
of the wine and spirit evaporate. The finest Champagnes are 
those grown in the vineyards of Ay, situated on a calcareous 
declivity, at the foot of which runs the river Marne. The fine 
lands of the hilly district of Rheims are those of Bouzy, Ver- 
zenay, Sillery, Verzy, and also a number of other districts. 
‘It seems a singular fact that the blackest grapes should 
produce wine of the finest white, and straw colour, while the 
white grape produces an inferior wine to the foregoing. Ay is 
a small town on the right bank of the Marne, a little above 
Epernay, where the black Champagne grape is mostly culti- 
vated, and the wine approaching that of Ay in the abundance 
of saccharine matter in delicacy of flavour, and in the fragrance 
of the bouquet; and the bouquet of genuine Champagne can 
not be imitated. 
‘‘There are many SR of Champagne at Rheims and at 
Epernay. Mumm and Moet have long been known, but many 
other makers are now in vogue, so that at the present time, 
Champagne is known by the name of the makers and mer- 
chants, more than by the place of its production. The average 
quantity of sparkling Champagne produced annually is esti- 
mated at 14 millions of bottles. In 1836, France took 625 
thousand bottles ; England and the East Indies, 467 thousand; 
United States of America, 400 thousand ; Russia, 280 thousand ; 
Sweden and Denmark, 30 thousand bottles. 
**Muscadine Wines are grown in Languidoc; those of 
Frontignac and Lunel are the most noted, and are luscious, 
