Traite Theorique et Pratique du Travail des Vins. Leurs proprietes, leur fabrication, leurs maladies. Fabrication des Vins Mousseux - Edme-Jules Maumene 1874 - G. Masson, Paris - Deuxieme Edition, Entierement Refondue. An influential and fundamental work in the history of Champagne production, with text in French, by a pioneering industry chemist and Professor at Reims. In addition to the production of sparkling wines, and a lengthy study on the affects of sugar, this work deals with the properties of wine, manufacture, and their diseases. Also included are descriptions of the efforts made by other chemists, and a bibliography. This work appeared for the first time in 1858 under the title ‘Indications Théoriques et Pratiques sur le Travail des Vins’.

An internally fine unopened and uncut copy with illustrations and tables throughout.

Maumene was intrigued by the large number of exploding bottles, a problem that in some years affected over 60% of bottles in the mid-nineteenth century as Champagne houses battled to produce sufficient
mousse to produce a good champagne. It had been supposed that the excess CO2 produced by the addition of too much sugar was the culprit, however Maumene, evaluating this ‘mousse-power’ by measuring the pressure of the CO2 inside the bottle, discovered that different wines produced different amounts of CO2 despite having the same amounts of sugar added.

Building on this work, by the end of the 19th century, Emile Manceau of Moet et Chandon, successfully reduced the breakage of 8-10 percent to 1 percent, and produced some pretty good Champagne to boot.
  Provenance: In what is likely the standard publisher’s binding with additional gilt stamping to front board for ‘Chambre Syndicale du Commerce en Gros des Vins et Spiritueux de Paris et du dépt. de la Seine’. Later booksellers plate of Libraire Alain Brieux, Paris.

References: Simon,
Bibliotheca Vinaria, 23. Oberlé, Bibliothèque Bachique/Fritsch, 332. Eberhard Buehler, Viniana, Supplementary Bibliography, 639.

Octavo (binding size 24.5x16.5cm), pp. vii [1] 680.
  Bound for the publisher in contemporary half smooth green sheep over matching marbled boards, smooth spine lettered and ruled in gilt, upper board lettered in gilt, top edge marbled, marbled endpapers.   Condition: Very good, binding with rubbing to corners and spine edges, wear to head of spine, top 1cm of outer hinges splitting, small book dealer s plate to front pastedown.   Ref: 107479   Price: HK$ 3,500