As a rule, of course, the general principle holds good, that it is far better to give
either good wine or none at all. This general principle, however, holds especially
true with regard to Champagne, and I would specially appeal to those who are going
to give Champagne with a little dinner-party about to come off". Ask your conscience
as to what is your real motive. Do you wish to please your guests 1 or do you wish
to show off"'? — i.e., is your motive in giving Champagne simjjly that of vying with or
perhaps surpassing your neighbours ? If the former is your motive, and you ca.a afford
it, lay in some Champagne of a really good brand, 66s. to 72s. a dozen; have it cool,
i.e., nearly freezing, a degree or two above freezing-point ; and whatever you do, don't
]Hit ice in the wine if the Chamjjagne is really good — and it ought to be at the price I
have named — it is a barbarous custom. Next, let your guests have enough. I should
say a fair allowance is a bottle between two persons. Do not, however, open one
bottle, and then ask if anybody will have any more. If you do, every one will say,
" No, thank you." On the other hand, if you open a bottle first and take it round,
e\ery single one will have a second glass, and a good many a third. Indeed, we
fear, some would continue till they pronounced truly rural as "tural lural."
If you cannot afford to give good Champagne and still wish to give your guests
a treat, lay in a stock of Bass's strong Burton ale, A 1. I think it fetches nearly
Is. 6d. a bottle. Let this be in good condition, and let the bottle stand upright in a
moderate temperature for a week before it is opened. The ale is rather high coloured,
but when perfectly bright and sparkling, with a I'ich creamy froth on the top, a glass
of it is worth all the cheap Champagne in the world put together. Indeed, there is
as much difference between this ale and ordinary draught beer as there is between
Chateau Lafitte and vin ordinaire.
There are so many diflferent brands of Champagne that it would be almost
impossible to enumerate and criticise them all. I have before mentioned the Duke
of Montebello's Champagne, which is a somewhat neglected wine, seeing that the
carte hlanche both of the maximum sec and ordinary sec is quite equal to any of the
highest-class brands, and can be obtained at a cheaper price at present. If called
upon to say which Champagne is entitled to take first prize, I should say Heidsieck's
Monopole. Pommery and Gi-eno, or, rather, Pommery et tils, as I think the firm is
PRINCIPLES — SPARKLING WINES. Ixxxix
now calletl, also ranks very higli. I would also mention Jules Munims, Ruinart pere
et fils, Roederer, Giesler, Perrier Jouet, Wachter, Moet and Cliandon, Piper, Veuve
Clicquot, &c.
The last of these is a very fine wine of excellent bouquet, but not altogether
adapted to the English palate, as it is a somewhat sweet wine. However, during
the last few years a new kind has been imported called Veuve Clicquot (sec). This
is a magnificent wine well worth a trial. Of all Champagnes, perhaps Moet's is best
known, and this wine seems to be universally chosen by ordinary publicans as the
one wine they keep. It is a good sound wine, but as a rule inferior in quality to
most of the brands we have mentioned. ,
Page 108
Presented as published in 1892. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
As a rule, of course, the general principle holds good, that it is far better to give either good wine or none at all. This general principle, however, holds especially true with regard to Champagne, and I would specially appeal to those who are going to give Champagne with a little dinner-party about to come off". Ask your conscience as to what is your real motive. Do you wish to please your guests 1 or do you wish to show off"'? — i.e., is your motive in giving Champagne simply that of vying with or perhaps surpassing your neighbours ? If the former is your motive, and you can afford it, lay in some Champagne of a really good brand, 66s. to 72s. a dozen; have it cool, i.e., nearly freezing, a degree or two above freezing-point ; and whatever you do, don't put ice in the wine if the Champagne is really good — and it ought to be at the price I have named — it is a barbarous custom. Next, let your guests have enough. I should say a fair allowance is a bottle between two persons. Do not, however, open one bottle, and then ask if anybody will have any more. If you do, every one will say, " No, thank you." On the other hand, if you open a bottle first and take it round, every single one will have a second glass, and a good many a third. Indeed, we fear, some would continue till they pronounced truly rural as "tural lural."
If you cannot afford to give good Champagne and still wish to give your guests a treat, lay in a stock of Bass's strong Burton ale, A 1. I think it fetches nearly Is. 6d. a bottle. Let this be in good condition, and let the bottle stand upright in a moderate temperature for a week before it is opened. The ale is rather high coloured, but when perfectly bright and sparkling, with a I'ich creamy froth on the top, a glass of it is worth all the cheap Champagne in the world put together. Indeed, there is as much difference between this ale and ordinary draught beer as there is between Chateau Lafitte and vin ordinaire.
There are so many different brands of Champagne that it would be almost impossible to enumerate and criticise them all. I have before mentioned the Duke of Montebello's Champagne, which is a somewhat neglected wine, seeing that the carte blanche both of the maximum sec and ordinary sec is quite equal to any of the highest-class brands, and can be obtained at a cheaper price at present. If called upon to say which Champagne is entitled to take first prize, I should say Heidsieck's Monopole. Pommery and Greno, or, rather, Pommery et tils, as I think the firm is
PRINCIPLES — SPARKLING WINES. Ixxxix
now called, also ranks very higli. I would also mention Jules Munims, Ruinart pere et fils, Roederer, Giesler, Perrier Jouet, Wachter, Moet and Chandon, Piper, Veuve Clicquot, &c.
The last of these is a very fine wine of excellent bouquet, but not altogether adapted to the English palate, as it is a somewhat sweet wine. However, during the last few years a new kind has been imported called Veuve Clicquot (sec). This is a magnificent wine well worth a trial. Of all Champagnes, perhaps Moet's is best known, and this wine seems to be universally chosen by ordinary publicans as the one wine they keep. It is a good sound wine, but as a rule inferior in quality to most of the brands we have mentioned. ,