(CHAMPAGNE & HUNGARIAN SPARKLING WINES).

Manuscript in French on paper entitled Travail sur la Vigne et la Vinification dans le Royaume de Hongrie. Comparaison avec le Système Champenois et son application. Dedié à Son Excellence Monsieur Koloman de Tisza Ministre-Président du Royaume de Hongrie, par...Alexandre Carle, sujet belge...Membre de la Chambre de Commerce française à Bruxelles, et propriétaire de Vignobles au Château de Fontaine Denis près d'Epernay (Champagne).

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19 pages with full-page panoramic lithographed views of the Champagne wine-growing areas & eleven full-page orig. watercolor drawings of Hungarian wineries & their floor plans, all pasted on thick board leaves. 46 thick board leaves (including two blanks), of which 24 are text. Pagination: 3 p.l. (the first a blank), 42 numbered leaves, one blank leaf. Each page of text within an elaborate gilt & red border. Oblong folio (275 x 500 mm.), cont. red morocco (a bit of wear to extremities), covers panelled in gilt, within central panel of upper cover the following dedication stamped in gilt: “Hommage à Son Excellence Mr. Koloman de Tisza Ministre-Président du Royaume de Hongrie,” dentelles gilt, spine richly gilt, a.e.g. Brussels: Introduction dated 25 October 1887. A handsomely written and illustrated manuscript, presented to Koloman Tisza (1830-1902), prime minister of Hungary from 1875-1890, on the techniques of making of champagne and other sparkling wines and their applicability to Hungarian wine-making. Hungary has had a long and distinguished history of making wine, dating back to at least Roman times. In the 19th century, the famous sweet wine Tokay was by far the finest wine produced in the Hapsburg Empire and was in demand throughout Europe. However, early in the 1880s, the wine industry of Hungary was destroyed by the spread of phylloxera. New grape varieties and wine making techniques were immediately introduced in order to revive this vital industry. The present manuscript, which is beautifully written in a calligraphic hand, describes the observations of Alexandre Carle, a Belgian who made sparkling wine (probably champagne) at his Château de Fontaine Denis near Epernay. We learn from the Dedication that Carle visited Palin, near Nagykaniza in western Hungary, on a fact-finding mission, during which he observed the vineyards and sampled a wide variety of wines. The purpose of his travels was to make a series of recommendations to improve the sparkling wine of the region and revive production. The first part (leaves 2-17) are concerned with the methods of making sparkling wine in the Champagne area. Carle describes the geography and geology of the district, methods of tending vines, harvesting, bottling, etc. Most remarkable are the 19 leaves with full-page lithographic panoramas of the wine-growing area surrounding Epernay. Each view contains manuscript information regarding the qualities of the soil, the number of hectares of vines under cultivation, prices received, varieties of grapes grown, etc. I believe this is unique and valuable information. The balance of the manuscript deals with wine-making in Hungary. Part Two (leaves 18-22) are concerned with the current methods of making a wide variety of Hungarian wines. Carle describes the numerous species of grapes, techniques of fermentation and storage, pruning methods, etc. Part Three (leaves 23-41) is entitled “Le Vin blanc mousseux en Hongrie.” Here Carle makes a series of recommendations regarding the making of sparkling wine. He describes the proper design and construction of a winery devoted to sparkling wine, costs of building, annual budgets, etc. He also provides details on the correct design of a warehouse for the wine in Pest and includes costs and an annual budget. Present in this section are eleven fine full-page water-colors, each signed “Alex Carle,” of idealized wineries, including floor plans elevations, machinery including presses, and the planned warehouse at Pest, again with floor plans and elevations. The final leaf contains an index. In fine condition.

• USD 17,500.00 > другие валюты
• номер заказа: HillBibl-1948

• продавец: Jonathan A. Hill, Bookseller, Inc. (USA)