147 / 272
WINES OF FRANCE
wine is then bottled in very strong bottles in order to
withstand the pressure of COo that is produced inside them.
The wine is then corked and the neck of the bottle is
sealed with a steel clamp called an agrafe. This clips under
thelip ofthe bottle neck preventingthe corkfrom blowing off.
The bottles are then transported down into the cool
underground cellars or caves which have been hewn out
of the chalky subsoil which abounds in the area. The
temperature in the cellars is about 50°F.
The bottles lie in the cellars for anything up to ten
years, being moved from time to time to prevent the forma
tion of a"crust"on the sides of the bottles. If this crust
were to lie undisturbed it would get hard and be difficult
to remove later on.
Although Champagne might lie in the cellars up to ten
years, it is said to be at its best between ten and fifteen
years, after which it goes on the decline, and is past its
best. This does not mean that all Champagne more than
fifteen years old is undrinkable, far from it, but it might
throw another sediment or otherwise become unpalatable
if not cared for properly.
Before being required for sale, the sediment has to be
removed, and this takes place upon a rack called a
"pupitre ". In this rack the bottles are placed in an
almost horizontal position, and gradually over a period
of about two to three months the bottles are shaken
gently and twisted and at the same time inverted very
slightly, until at the end of the period of the treatment the
bottles are practically vertical in an upside down position.
This allows the sediment to collect in the neck of the bottles,
allowing it to be easily ejected, by either {«) freezing the
neck of the bottle or {b) by a rapid careful handling and
reinverting the bottle at the same time as the"agrafe"
is removed. The small loss occasioned with the action of
removing the sediment is made up from another bottle
of the same wine, plus sweetening according to the market
for which the wine is intended. The sweetening used is a
sweet wine, a mixture of pure sugar (cane) and wine, and
not a mixture of brandy and sugar as some people imagine.
147