V.

/The Preparation of Champagne./

The treatment of Champagne after it comes from the wine-press--The racking and blending of the wine--The proportions of red and white vintages composing the 'cuvée'--Deficiency and excess of effervescence--Strength and form of Champagne bottles--The 'tirage' or bottling of the wine--The process of gas-making commences--Details of the origin and development of the effervescent properties of Champagne--The inevitable breakage of bottles which ensues--This remedied by transferring the wine to a lower temperature--The wine stacked in piles--Formation of sediment--Bottles placed 'sur pointe' and daily shaken to detach the deposit--Effect of this occupation on those incessantly engaged in it--The present system originated by a workman of Madame Clicquot's--'Claws' and 'masks'--Champagne cellars--Their construction and aspect--Raw recruits for the 'Regiment de Champagne'--Transforming the 'vin brut' into Champagne--Disgorging and liqueuring the wine--The composition of the liqueur--Variation in the quantity added to suit diverse national tastes--The corking, stringing, wiring, and amalgamating--The wine's agitated existence comes to an end--The bottles have their toilettes made--Champagne sets out on its beneficial pilgrimage round the world 154