Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VII.djvu/424

 412 FRANCE (WINES or) partment of southern France produces wines of a similar character, but generally of an in- ferior quality, which serve their purpose as mns de remede. To the valley of the Rh6ne belongs another division of wines, the greater and more reputed part of which are produced on the right bank of the river. The Cote du Rhone, as that part of the department of Gard is called which borders on the Rh6ne, produces red and white wines not unlike those of St. Gilles, but of finer quality. On the left bank of the river, in the neighboring department of Vaucluse, are the vineyards of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, the wines of which, being spirituous and dark-colored, are exported in large quantities to Bordeaux and Burgundy to be mixed with the poorer growths of those districts. Further up the Rhone, on its right bank, in the department of Ardeche, are pro- duced the white wines of St. Peray, both dry and effervescent. The former are spirituous, delicate, and of an agreeable bouquet ; the latter heady and sweet, but the sweetness arises from the natural juice of the grape, and not from the addition of sugar, whence it is considered more wholesome than champagne. Crossing to the left bank of the Rh6ne again, we find at Tain, in the department of Dr6me, which is a part of the old province of Dauphiny, the famous vineyards of the Hermitage, so called from the retreat which one Gaspard de Sterimberg, a courtier of Queen Blanche of Castile, is said to have built early in the 13th century on a lofty, round-topped hill rising ab- ruptly from the river. Its S. and S. "W. sides descend in a series of terraces to the river level, and are covered with vines on which the sun plays the whole day, maturing the juices of the grapes to absolute perfection. The vineyards are of three kinds, according to the soil of which the terraces are composed, and the high quality of the wine depends upon the combi- nation of the growths of these vineyards, which are always sold mixed; so that a proprietor, in order to have his produce classified as of first quality, must hold property in the three vineyards. Nine tenths of the wines are red. The first growths are sent to Bordeaux to be mixed with the clarets which are made up for the English market, and only the second growths are sold in the trade as Hermitage. But these, when genuine, are esteemed the best wines of southern France, being distinguished by body and richness, a lively purple color, and a peculiar bouquet. The white Hermitage is of great rarity and delicacy, and will keep for 50 years. The vineyards of Condrieu, in the department of Rhone, south of Lyons, produce a white effervescent wine of luscious taste and agreeable aroma, which is described as an im- perfect champagne. In the commune of Am- puis, a few miles distant, is the vineyard of the C6te-R6tie, literally the " burnt side," which has an exposure scarcely less favorable than that of the Hermitage. It produces red wines, of remarkable clearness, strength, and bouquet, the first quality of which ranks among the best in France. North of Lyons and along the Saone and other tributaries of the Rhone lie the districts of Beaujolais, Maconnais, and C6te de Chalon, the wines of which, while differing in many respects from those of Burgundy and the valley of the Rhone, may be said to form a connecting link between them. The Beaujo- lais, formerly part of the province of Lyonnais, but now mainly forming an arrondissement of which Villefranche is the chief place, lies be- tween Macon and Lyons on the right bank of the Sa6ne. The district being hilly in parts, the vineyards are designated as high or low Beau- jolais, according to their situation and elevation. The low Beaujolais produces a greater quantity of wine, but of a coarser quality, than the high. The best growths are those of Chenas, Fleu- ry, Lancie, and St. tienne-la-Varenne, light- colored wines, and the Jullienas, which repre- sents a class of fine, strong, and deep-colored wines. The products of the Beaujolais are as a rule more acid and delicate than those of the valley of the Rh6ne, and are largely consumed in France. The Maconnais is the district lying around Macon, and immediately N. of the Beau- jolais. It formed part of ancient Burgundy, and its wines are regarded as a species of second class Burgundies. They are both red and white, the former class greatly predominating in quan- tity but not in quality. The best red growths are those of Thorins, Romaneche, St. Amour, and Davaye, the finer grades of which are not unfrequently taken into Burgundy and sold as wine of that country. Much of the red Macon is alcoholic and exceedingly acid ; but the latter quality, the result of unscientific methods of making the wine, is not considered an objection by the natives, who almost invariably drink their wine mixed with water. White Macon is produced in the vineyards of Pouilly and Fuisse, in the extreme northern part of the district. The Pouilly wine is the finest product of the Maconnais, and in good years is scarcely surpassed by any wine made in France. It is dry, of a deep golden hue and a superb bouquet, but, like all the wines of the district, is a little too heady. The Fuisse is inferior in quality, and mostly used to mix with the Pouilly. The re- maining wines of the Saone valley are those of the Cote de Chalon, under which name are comprised the vineyards of the arrondissement of Chalon-sur-Sa6ne. The best growths have an admirable exposure and are nearly related to the Burgundies properly so called, but, owing to a vicious system of culture, are of vastly in- ferior quality. The best of them are employed to mix with Burgundies. The Burgundy wine district is often popularly described as com- prehending the departments of Yonne, C6te- d'Or, and Sa6ne-et-Loire, which were all in- cluded in the ancient province of Burgundy. But the greater part of the last named depart- ment is monopolized by the Macon and C6te de Chalon wines, which are not true Burgundies ; and the products of Yonne bear no closer rela-