After processing the grape pulp, Joseph placed the water for brewing into another large wooden barrel, also maintaining it at 60 degrees.
Half an hour later, Joseph took out the grape pulp that had been soaked in hot water, covered it, and began soaking the next barrel of grape pulp...
Just like that, he and Eman busied themselves for three or four hours and finally processed all the brewing ingredients.
Joseph wiped the sweat from his brow and asked Eman to invite in the expectant vineyard owners who were waiting outside.
More than thirty nobles streamed into the brewing room, but upon seeing the scene before them, they all exchanged puzzled glances—water was still water, and the grape pulp was still grape pulp.
The senior vineyard owner looked at Joseph and said cautiously, "Your Highness, it seems you haven't begun the brewing process yet..."
Joseph nodded, "Then have your brewers start now."
The old noble's face showed surprise, "You mean, let my people do the brewing?"
"That's right."
The crowd immediately showed their disappointment; so much for "reducing the failure rate" and "improving quality" techniques—they were just a joke made by the Crown Prince.
Joseph, seeing their expressions, couldn't help but chuckle and pointed towards the barrels inside the room: "All the important steps have been completed where you cannot see. Brewing is just simple finishing work, anyone could do it."
"Ah... Very well, Your Highness." The elder noble lacklusterly called his brewers over, instructing them to start making wine.
As the brewers began to hustle, Joseph only reminded them to minimize contact with the ingredients and use high-temperature treated utensils before he gracefully left.
The nobles escorted the Crown Prince to the driveway outside the Yalsen Cellar until his carriage door closed. Then they stopped their saluting gestures and started to discuss:
"Viscount Jules, do you think the Crown Prince was serious about those techniques?"
"It stands to reason, His Highness wouldn't come all the way to Bordeaux just to tease us, right?"
"I hope it's true; my cellar hasn't made money in years..."
"Alas, neither has mine..."
"Speculating here is useless; we'll know in a few days after we see the brewing results."
On the carriage, Joseph leaned back in the soft chair backrest, enjoying a rare moment of leisure—now he just had to wait for the wine to be brewed and then he could "cast the net" at the opportune moment. Until then, there was nothing he could do.
It was actually his first vacation since becoming the Crown Prince.
Where to relax? He pondered for a while, then turned to Eman, "Count Eman, there should be some nice beaches in Bordeaux, right?"
After a moment's thought, the other nodded, "Your Highness, if you want to enjoy the beach scenery, I recommend Arcachon. It's a half-day journey to the southwest from here."
"Good, let's go there!"
Joseph suddenly remembered Doctor Perna who was alone at the Governor's villa in Montsorro and hurriedly ordered, "Let's go back and pick up Doctor Perna too."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Before long, Perna clad in a white men's coat, her hair tied up and wearing a tricorne hat, climbed aboard the carriage. Upon learning they were going to Arcachon, she excitedly crossed her hands over her chest and cheered, "Oysters! God Almighty, I love oysters the most! Thank you, Your Highness, thank you so much!" Check for updates on freewebnovel
Joseph was taken aback, "Oysters?"
Eman whispered an explanation, "Your Highness, Arcachon has been a famous oyster-producing area since Roman times."
Perna quickly added, "The best oysters in all of France!" Her eyes sparkled with a pilgrim's devoutness.
Joseph chuckled, not expecting their little doctor miss to be such a foodie.
The carriage set off and after another bracing half-day's ride, they finally reached the town of Arcachon.
Joseph stood by the seaside, feeling the cool sea breeze blow in his face—here was a temperate marine climate. Even in winter, the sea breeze wasn't too cold. Looking out at the painting-like great dunes and the golden beaches that stretched to the horizon on the other side, he felt a resonance with nature, filled with peace and tranquility.
Smelling the faint fishy odor of the sea wind, Perna smiled at Joseph, "Your Highness, this climate is very beneficial for your pneumonia; perhaps you should stay here for a while longer."
Joseph sighed lightly, "Yes, if possible, I really don't want to leave this place."𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖
Perna replied with a smile, "But moving the Palace of Versailles to Bordeaux would not be an easy task."
After some more idle chat, the young miss started peering around curiously.
With a smile, Eman leaned over and whispered to her, "I have already contacted the best oyster vendor; he will be here soon."
Perna, her secret thoughts revealed, blushed slightly.
Shortly after, on the flat beach, guards used drapes to encircle a spot. A middle-aged man wearing a black coat, with rough and tough skin, directed several men to unload barrels from a cart.
Eman ordered servants to bring several elegant little wooden tables, place tablecloths on them, and set up the utensils, pastries, and wine. Then he turned to signal the oyster vendor guarding the barrels, "Please begin."
The middle-aged man immediately used his calloused hands to fish out an oyster larger than his palm from the barrel, took out a small knife, skillfully levered and cut through, then extracted the milky oyster meat from the hard shell and placed it on a plate in front of Joseph. He then cut a lemon in half, squeezed out the juice onto the oyster, and attentive to Joseph, indicating he should try it.
Eating raw? Joseph felt a bit awkward: Mate, fresh from the sea these oysters may be, but what if they make me sick? Could have mud worms, you know? And there were viruses too...
He saw Perna at the next table already bright-eyed and picking up her fork. He quickly stopped her, clearing his throat and saying, "Ahem, you're in for a treat today. I know a much healthier, more delicious way to cook oysters. Would you like to try it?"
"Ah?"
Joseph thought for a moment, asked the oyster vendor for a grill, some garlic, and a few spices, and then gave detailed instructions...
Half an hour later, on the iron grill, the oyster shells filled with garlic paste and various spices held oyster meat turned golden, sizzling and bubbling with oil. The rich meaty aroma blended with the scent of garlic, wafting over half a mile away.
Joseph lifted a piece of oyster meat the size of a walnut, slathered in garlic paste, to his mouth with a fork and instantly squinted his eyes in delight: Indeed, it was from the best oyster producing area in France! The meat was plump, tender, juicy with a hint of sweetness!
Paired with spices and garlic paste, grilled over a fire, it was as if the ocean's freshness and the flame's spiciness melted together in the mouth, as sweet as kissing a beautiful, lovely girl!
Ah—this is the flavor!
Perna, on the other hand, had forgotten everything, abandoning all semblance of ladylike composure, desperately stuffing grilled oysters with garlic paste into her mouth. Even though they were hot enough to bring tears, she was unwilling to stop.
In this manner, Joseph spent the first day of his vacation accompanied by sunshine, the beach, and grilled oysters.
What he didn't expect was that shortly thereafter, a dish named "Crown Prince Oysters" would become a sensation throughout Bordeaux...
Leisurely holidays always fly by, and after having a blast all over Bordeaux for eight days, Joseph returned to Yalsen Cellar.
Because the wine had already been brewed.𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢
In the warm brewing room, dozens of vineyard owners watched the ten or so oak barrels, anxiously awaiting the outcome.
Joseph smiled and gestured to the old nobleman beside him: "Baron Polutak, please, would you do us the honor of checking the brewing for everyone?"
"At your command, Your Highness," Polutak said somewhat nervously as he used a bung extractor to remove the cork from the barrel. He then inserted a hollow glass tube into the barrel and plugged the other end with a finger.
When he drew the tube out, a good amount of wine had filled the lower end.
He released his finger, letting the wine from the tube flow into a nearby glass. He sniffed the wine and then took a tentative sip.
Someone nearby asked anxiously, "Baron Polutak, how is it?"
Polutak's eyes sparkled, and he nodded vigorously: "Very good! Although it's from cellar-stored grapes and of average quality, it really has no sour taste at all!"
Another vineyard owner quickly stepped forward to take the glass, uncaring that someone else had drunk from it, and tasted a sip, immediately exclaiming excitedly, "Really, completely devoid of sourness!"
Polutak sampled from the next oak barrel, tasted, and once again exclaimed in amazement, "The same, absolutely no sourness!"
People couldn't hold back any longer, each taking a glass to taste for themselves, followed by waves of excited praises.
Once Polutak had checked the last oak barrel and looked back at Joseph, his eyes were filled with nothing but reverence.
"Your Highness, the Crown Prince, I can confirm that your brewing technique is effective..." he started, then suddenly shook his head, "No, it's simply perfect!"
Out of twelve barrels, not one had failed to brew! Polutak was very aware of his own brewer's abilities, which surely would have been impossible before.
If, in the past, they brewed twelve barrels and no more than two turned into "vinegar", he would certainly reward the brewer.
But this time, with the assistance of the Crown Prince's miraculous brewing technique, not a single barrel had spoiled!
You should know that this effectively reduced his cost of wine production by nearly 30%!
While the success rate of brewing was nearly a hundred percent, the quality of the wine also saw a significant increase.
This wine, devoid of even the slightest bit of sourness, was definitely a high-end product. Its price would be at least one or two times higher than before!
He felt his heart pounding with excitement—he had just made a rough calculation, finding that his annual income would increase by nearly ten thousand livres!
Clearly, the other vineyard owners had also calculated how much the new technique would benefit them, discussing amongst themselves with unparalleled excitement. Continue exploring at freewebnovel
Suddenly, someone bowed to Joseph and inquired, "Your Highness, may I ask what the cost of this brewing technique is?"
Everyone was taken aback and looked at Joseph in unison. True, the income had doubled, but if the cost had also doubled, then the profit wouldn't be much greater...
"I've never calculated that," Joseph said, somewhat uncertain, for he had no idea how much it would cost to heat a barrel of water, "But the added cost per barrel of wine should not exceed 1 sou."
Their eyes immediately lit up.
One barrel of wine for just 1 sou? Even the casual sips stolen by the cellar workers cost more than that!
Some couldn't help but smile proudly, saying, "Let's see how the Venetians will compete with us now!"
Another person laughed heartily: "Not just Venice! With the Crown Prince's brewing techniques, Spanish wine will be no match for Bordeaux."
"Bordeaux wines will dominate the entire European market!"
"Exactly, all of Europe will be drinking our wine!"
"Long live the Crown Prince!"
Venio raised his glass and exclaimed loudly, "To the Crown Prince!"
The others promptly raised their glasses in unison, echoing, "To the Crown Prince!"
Once the vineyard owners' excitement had calmed slightly and they exchanged glances, the Count of Torendal, speaking for them all, stepped forward and bowed to Joseph: "Your Highness, how might we utilize your brewing technique?"
Joseph nodded, his own groundwork having been laid out for so long, was finally about to bear fruit, and he immediately smiled, "The purpose of establishing the French Brewing Technology Association is to pass on the new brewing technology to our members. The technology usage fee is 3% of the selling price per barrel."
Upon hearing this, everyone was ecstatic. They had been worried that the Crown Prince would demand an exorbitant price, but it turned out to be only 3%. Knowing that just the quality improvement of wine brought by the new technology could double the selling price, 3% was almost like getting it for free.
Count of Torendal immediately asked, "Your Highness, what qualifications are needed to join the association?"
Joseph drawled, "That, I haven't decided yet."
Everyone was stunned.
Joseph then looked at Venio and others who had agreed to plant potatoes on a large scale a few days ago: "However, Mr. Venio, Viscount Clement, Mr. Mune, and others have already proven their loyalty to His Majesty the King through their actions. To commend this loyalty, I believe they will be among the first batch of members."
Venio and others were overjoyed, never having thought that agreeing to plant potatoes to alleviate the famine among the people would result in such an unexpected windfall!
Other plantation owners, upon hearing "proven loyalty to the King," couldn't help but pause, but recalling the recent actions of Venio and others, they quickly found the answer—they had agreed to plant a large number of potatoes!
Baron Polutak pondered with his head down, knowing that as long as he could obtain the new winemaking technology, even if the potato yield was not much, the losses could be easily compensated for by the profits from wine. After all, the potato "seeds" were provided by the government, and the income from wine could at least double.
With this in mind, he immediately stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, I am willing to plant ten hectares of potatoes!"
Joseph looked at him and asked, "May I ask how extensive your vineyard is?"
"About forty hectares."
"Plant potatoes on one hectare for every four of vines," Joseph nodded slightly, "That roughly shows your loyalty."
Baron Polutak was elated, "Your Highness, does that mean I can join the association?"
"Yes," Joseph nodded, "The membership fee is calculated based on the size of the plantation, fifty livres per hectare per year."
"Membership fee?" Polutak glanced unconsciously at Venio and others, and seeing no objection from Joseph, he quickly understood—they had a discount.
However, compared to the huge profits that the new brewing technology would bring, this membership fee was negligible. He immediately agreed without hesitation.
Seeing this, other plantation owners hurried to declare their intentions, jostling each other, "Your Highness, I can also plant thirty hectares of potatoes. Oh, I have a total of one hundred and twenty hectares of vineyards."
"Your Highness, I am willing to plant twenty-five hectares..."
"Your Highness, I'll also plant fifty hectares..."
As for the "Land Tax Alliance," it was long forgotten by them.
Joseph smiled and gestured for everyone to register their area with Eman and to sign the planting contract.
Watching the plantation owners eagerly sign up to plant potatoes, Venio suddenly remembered something and hurriedly approached Joseph, "Your Highness, Count Ledney and others are not aware of today's events. Would you like me to inform them?"
Continue the excitement on freewebnovel
He was referring to the few who had asked for leave and not attended the meeting Joseph had convened the next day.
Joseph sneered and shook his head, "Thanks for the reminder, but it's not necessary. Not everyone can meet the qualifications to join the French Brewing Technology Association."
The surrounding plantation owners, upon hearing this, felt a chill down their spines, but at the same time, they were relieved.
You see, if most of the wine cellars start using the new brewing technology, those without it will quickly lose their competitive edge and go bankrupt.
Fortunately, they hadn't listened to Count Ledney that day; otherwise, their own wine workshops might also have been on the list of bankruptcies.