Champagne - Defined, Types and Vintages
Champagne—A wine prepared from grapes; the best varieties are manufactured at Epernay, Rheims and Mareuil in France, but the vintages of each year are vastly different, and sometimes the grape crop is a dismal failure. Hence champagne drinkers in Europe and Great Britain are versed on the merits and demerits of the various vintages.
While in the United States, but very little attention has thus far been paid to the matter; the following clipping from the Hotel World of London, England, will doubtless be of interest:
| Yield in Year | Gallons | Character of the wines |
|---|---|---|
| 1891 | 5,618,292 | Passable, but very dear. |
| 1890 | 6,675,666 | Ordinary quality |
| 1889 | 6,109.954 | Very good, prioe excessively high. |
| 1888 | 4,689.098 | Passable. |
| 1887 | 10,409.278 | Fairly good light. |
| 1886 | 6,626,898 | Some good wines. with abundance of vinosity; but for the most part the vintage is under suspicion, which time has not so far lessened |
| 1885 | 8,199.070 | Mediocre. resembling the 1883's. |
| 1884 | 11,528,946 | Fine elegant "Ants, highly prised by connoisseurs. |
| 1883 | 9,061.460 | Mediocre and dear; acid. |
| 1882 | 7.048 568 | Mediocre; acid; immature. |
| 1881 | 14,627,140 | Passable. |
| 1880 | 2,423,286 | Very good; lighter than the 1874's, excessively deer. |
| 1879 | 2,008.776 | Complete failure, yield small, fortunately |
| 1878 | 11,898,646 | Good; fine; |
| 1877 | 10,407,604 | Mediocre; acid. |
| 1876 | 16,120,786 | Mediocre |
| 1875 | 21,710,846 | Passable. |
| 1874 | 8,178,644 | Very fine, both as to vinosity and color. has been greatly sought after. |
| 1873 | 3,438,718 | Bad; acrd, and notwithstanding that, dear. |
| 1872 | 4,480,960 | Fairly good. |
| 1871 | 6,486,306 | Mediocre. |
| 1870 | 4.960.010 | Good. |
| 1869 | 8.542.896 | Passable. |
| 1868 | 12,318,700 | Very good, elegant, and lighter than the 1868's. |
| 1867 | 1,889,856 | Mediocre. |
| 1866 | 19,449,870 | Bad. |
| 1865 | 14,814,542 | Wine of superior quality; very vinous. |
CHAMPAGNE JELLY.
Add to jelly one quart champagne or white wine. Use about half of this in fdling half full some small wine glasses, and set in ice box to get firm. Take the other half of the jelly, add the whites of two eggs, put it in a kettle set on ice and whip to a froth, then fill the glasses. Replace in ice box until firm. Serve in the glasses.
CHAMPAGNE SAUCE.
Reduce one quart of espagnole with half a pint of mushroom essence or the liquor in which they have been cooked, also a pint of mirepoix stock, and a pint of champagne or any other wine, and reduce once more until the sauce be sufficiently consistent.
