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THE
DISGORGEMENT
The
deposit,
having
settled
on
the
cork,
is
now
ready
to
be
extracted.
To
do
this
the
bottle
is
first
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.