GENERAL VIEW OF AVIZE.
XII.
CHAMPAGNE ESTABLISHMENTS AT AVIZE AND RILLY.
Avize the centre of the white grape district—Its situation and aspect—The establishment of Giesler & Co.—The tirage and the cuvée—Vin Brut in racks and on tables—The packing-hall, the extensive cellars, and the disgorging cellier—Bottle stores and bottle-washing machines—Messrs. Giesler’s wine-presses at Avize and vendangeoir at Bouzy—Their vineyards and their purchases of grapes—Reputation of the Giesler brand—The establishment of M. Charles de Cazanove—A tame young boar—Boar-hunting in the Champagne—M. de Cazanove’s commodious cellars and carefully-selected wines—Vineyards owned by him and his family—Reputation of his wines in Paris and their growing popularity in England—Interesting view of the Avize and Cramant vineyards from M. de Cazanove’s terraced garden—The vintaging of the white grapes in the Champagne—Roper Frères’ establishment at Rilly-la-Montagne—Their cellars penetrated by roots of trees—Some samples of fine old Champagnes—The principal Châlons establishments—Poem on Champagne by M. Amaury de Cazanove.
DOORWAY OF AVIZE CHURCH.
AVIZE, situated in the heart of the Champagne white grape district, may be reached from Epernay by road through Pierry and Cramant, or by the Châlons Railway to Oiry Junction, between which station and Romilly there runs a local line, jocularly termed the chemin de fer de famille, from the general disregard displayed by the officials for anything approaching to punctuality. Avize can scarcely be styled a town, and yet its growing proportions are beyond those of an ordinary village. It lies pleasantly nestled among the vines, sheltered by bold ridges on the north-west, with the monotonous plains of La Champagne pouilleuse, unsuited to the cultivation of the vine, stretching away eastward in the direction of Châlons. Avize cannot pretend to the same antiquity as its neighbour Vertus, and lacks the many picturesque vestiges of which the latter can boast. Its church dates back only to the fifteenth century, although the principal doorway in the Romanesque style evidently belongs to a much earlier epoch. There is a general air of trim prosperity about the place, and the villagers have that well-to-do appearance common to the inhabitants of the French wine districts. Only at vintage-time, however, are there any particular outdoor signs of activity, although half a score of Champagne firms have their establishments here, giving employment to the bulk of the population, and sending forth their two or three million bottles of the sparkling wine of the Marne annually.