A History of Champagne, with Notes on the Other Sparkling Wines of FranceVizetelly, Henry
History
A History of Champagne, with Notes on the Other Sparkling Wines of France
Vizetelly, Henry
Champagne (Wine) -- History; Wine and wine making -- France
Half-way down the narrow Rue du Temple is an ancient gateway, on
which may be traced the half-effaced sculptured heads of Ph[oe]bus
and Bacchus. Immediately in front is a green _porte-cochère_ forming
the entrance to the Clicquot-Werlé establishment, and conducting to
a spacious trim-kept courtyard, set off with a few trees, with some
extensive stabling and cart-sheds on the left, and on the right hand
the entrance to the cellars. Facing us is an unpretending-looking
edifice, where the firm has its counting-houses, with a little corner
tower surmounted by a characteristic weathercock consisting of a figure
of Bacchus seated astride a cask beneath a vine-branch, and holding
up a bottle in one hand and a goblet in the other. The old Remois
Commanderie of the Knights Templars existed until the epoch of the
Great Revolution, and today a few fragments of the ancient buildings
remain adjacent to the 'celliers' of the establishment, which are
reached through a pair of folding-doors and down a flight of stone
steps. The date of the foundation of this Commanderie is uncertain,
but it is known that a Templar's church occupied a portion of the
site in 1170. In 1311 both the church and the Commanderie passed into
possession of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, which held them until
the epoch of the Revolution. Formerly the _échevins_ of Reims used to
be elected in the ancient hall of the Commanderie, which at one period
was a sanctuary for debtors, and also for criminals. Early in the
present century the buildings were sold and demolished.
[Illustration: THE CLICQUOT-WERLÉ ESTABLISHMENT AT REIMS.]
[Illustration]
[Illustration: Arms of the Dauphins of France.
Arms of the Knight of Malta.
DEVICES FROM THE COMMANDERIE AT REIMS.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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