Alfred de Vergnette de Lamotte

Viscount Alfred de Vergnette de Lamotte (born with Beaune (Coast-with Or), the July 5th 1806 - deceased in Beaune, the May 25th 1886).

He is especially known by his work on the Vin: he proposed the heating of the wine to avoid a loss of qualité.
Louis Pasteur met it and took note of its work; it however minimized the contribution of its research and its experiment. Thus, when it published its work on the means of conservation of the wine, Pasteur allotted the anteriority of discovered heating of the wine.

Biography.

July 5th 1806, Alfred Viscount of Vergnette de Lamotte is born with Beaune. Wire of Hubert de Vergnette de Lamotte and Elisabeth de Montille, it makes its studies with the Monge college of Beaune, then in Paris, the college Charlemagne (Massin institution), starting from 1822. It makes a success of its studies of college successfully.

In November 1826, it enters to the Polytechnic school the first of its promotion. It with the chance to receive the teaching of prestigious professors: François Arago as professor of analysis applied to the Geometry, of Arithmetic Geodesy and social, Augustin Louis Cauchy as professor of Analysis (mathematics) and of Mechanical like Louis Joseph Gay-Lussac as professor of Chemistry, to quote only them.

During its stay in Paris, of 1826 to 1832, he attends the living rooms of the countess of Narbonne and that of the baron de Ballainvilliers.

Then it leaves the École des Mines with the diploma of Engineer.

In 1828, it is declared acceptable in the public services and it chooses the Mines inspectorate.

In 1832, it is named ordinary engineer and it gives up the service of State in 1834 to be devoted to agronomy: it leaves Paris to join its native Burgundy where it marries Henriette Nodot, wealthy heiress who brings to him in dowry a field to Savigny Beaune. It is found with the head of an important wine field with Pommard, where he is owner of 36 ha vines of first class, but also in Meursault, Volnay and Beaune where he has the “Field of the flies”. Its cellars of Pommard were used as model with many cellars of the Coast.

In 1847, it enters to the municipal council of Beaune and is declared without political label.

In 1851, he becomes mayor of Beaune but he resigns after the coup d'etat of December 2nd, 1851 of Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, in 1852 (the April 28th).

In 1855, with the assistance of engineer Ritter, it introduces the drainage into the district of Beaune and recommends the use of the sulphating of the props. The establishment of fountains in its birthplace of Beaune and in the common neighbors (Meursault, Savigny, Pommard), whose it collects the sources and directs work, strongly contributes to establish its reputation.

Wine owner, impassioned Agronomy, of Vine growing and enology, it undertakes studies on the soil of the Burgundian Vignoble S and their different Cépages.

He publishes dedicated works with the Géologie, the Topographie and the Climatologie in the area beaunoise, with the application of the meteorological observations to the study of the Viticulture. It is also interested in the Vendange then with the diseases of the Vigne, with the use of the Tanin in the clarification of the wines, with the Congélation of the wine, the Chauffage of the wine.

Its most important contribution by far is the technique of the heating of the wine (see further work).

The baron Thénard makes a summary of his work to the Academy, which names thereafter it corresponding member of the institute in 1865.

In 1866, Vergnette publishes its work celebrates “the Wine”, which is a great success, after, the following year, it publishes an 2nd edition of the book.

It also makes many communications with the Academy of Science (see notes in references).

Vergnette also takes an active share in the revision of the commercial treaty concluded in 1860 with England with regard to the alcoholic strength from the wines which can enter without surtax this country.

He also encourages via Commercial Viticultural Association the creation of the Chamber of commerce of Beaune.

Vergnette is also devoted to the Committee of Agriculture and of Vine growing of Beaune from which it is a time chairs.

Of 1874 with 1886, he is president of the Company of Archeology, History and Literature of Beaune.

In 1886, it dies at the 80 years age.

Since 2001, there exists a price Alfred de Vergnette de Lamotte which rewards for recent work relating to the Histoire of the vine and the wine and of the vine growers in Burgundy.

Titles and distinctions

- Chevalier of the Legion of Honor (August 15th 1869)
- Mayor of Beaune (1851-1852)
- President of the Committee of Agriculture and Vine growing of Beaune
- President of the departmental Commission of study and vigilance against will phylloxéra - Vice-president of the Council of hygiene of the district of Beaune - President of the Company of Archeology, history and literature of Beaune (1874-1886)
- Correspondent of the Academy of Science (section rural economy) (February 5th 1865)
- Corresponding member of the institute of France
- Correspondent of the central Company of agriculture
- Correspondent of the Academy of Dijon (section of sciences)
- Correspondent of the Companies of agriculture of Lyon, Turin, Lisbon, Dijon, Chalon-sur-Saône, Angers, etc
- Report/ratio for the district of Beaune of the administrative commission of the agricultural Investigation of 1866
- Count Romain of the creation of Black and white IX
- Prize winner of the premium of honor of the Gold
Coast - Prize winner of the premium of honor to the regional Contest of Dijon (May 1870)
- Member of the jury of the World Fair of Paris of 1878 (see World Fairs of Paris)
- Member of the jury of the Premiums of honor and the regional contests
- Member of the administrative Commission of the old people's homes of Beaune
- Member of the inspection committee of the School of vine growing of Beaune
- Honorary Member of the commercial viticultural association of the district of Beaune
- Member of the Company Eduenne
- Knight of the Christ of the Portugal (1865)
- Gold medal for its work relating to the conservation of the wines by heat during the exposure of Oporto (1865)

The contribution and the work of Alfred de Vergnette de Lamotte

One can say that the most important contribution by far of Alfred de Vergnette de Lamotte is its contribution on the wine and its processes of conservation (heating and congelation).

The technique of the heating of the wine was known since Antiquity: Columelle speaks about it already in its treaty about vine growing, “Of Re rustica” (towards 42 before Jesus-Christ).

According to Alfred de Vergnette, the Romans heated their wine, not with an aim of preserving it, but to concentrate and increase the high content in saccharin of musts.

In 1827, A. Gervais publishes a booklet on the application of heat to the conservation of the wines, Mémoire on the effects of the purifying apparatus for the improvement and the conservation of the wines; it puts its method under patronage of the government and the trade and Ministers of Interior Department which accept the dedication of its work. Its method consists of a transfer of the wine of a barrel to another while passing in an apparatus heated with the bain-marie. By this process, the wine has a longer conservation and is specific to transport.

Alfred de Vergnette reports that, in the report of Gervais “the leaven was the cause of the diseases whose wines are likely”.

Nearer to Alfred de Vergnette, Nicolas Appert also studied starting from 1795 the heating and preserve the setting of food. In answer to a request for Napoleon Bonaparte, which offered a strong reward to that which would develop a method of conservation of food for its armies, Nicolas Appert accepts in 1810, to drop its method in the public domain by publishing “art to preserve during several years all the animal or vegetable substances”, receiving a premium of 12.000 francs. In 1841, Appert dies poor and ruined.

1846

The contribution of Alfred de Vergnette de Lamotte by far most important is the technique of conservation of the wine by heating and congelation.

Knowing work of Nicolas Appert and Jean-Antoine Gervais, since 1840, it takes again the experiments of Appert.

In its report on the heating of the wine, of Vergnette makes an important note:: in 1846, it heats a wine of 1840 and notes that it is marvelously preserved, while the same wine not heated deteriorated.

Pasteur knew Alfred de Vergnette: he had come at his place to inform itself on the wine in general. At the beginning a collaboration settles but very quickly, Pasteur decides to only play riding and, in its communications, it will sweep any anteriority of work of the heating of the wine of Vergnette. A polemic will follow between the two protagonists (see further).

The first hard copy on work of Vergnette on the heating of the Wine date of 1846, is twenty years before Louis Pasteur. One reads there that “heat returned the leavens less organized.”. According to L. of Montille, “heat returned the leavens less organized”, that means that “heat attenuated the leavens”, formulates which was used as a basis for all work of Louis Pasteur.

This year, it also publishes a report on the Viticulture and the enology of the Coast-D' Gold. about Vergnette speaks about artificial congelation to preserve the wines. According to many historians, it is the first used congelation to preserve wine.

1847

In 1847, it is interested in the harmful insects with the Vigne as well as employment of tannin in the clarification of the wines.

1848

In 1848, it publishes a text on the export of the wines of Burgundy in the hot countries as well as a text on the tax on drinks.

1850

In 1850, it publishes a report on its experiments and its results in annals of the central Company of agriculture of Paris (this memory was republished in the newspaper of Beaune in 1865 and was inserted in its book “the wine” in 1866). Let us announce in the passing that Pasteur claims to have taken some knowledge only in 1865.

Let us quote the communication published by Alfred de Vergnette: “In 1840 of the Vins of this harvest had been bottled at the racking. After being stopped tied up and exposed to the bain-marie at a temperature of 70 degrees, they were descended to the cellar and were forgotten. In 1846 (whereas the majority of the wines of 1840 whose grapes were hailed, had undergone a disease to which several succumbed) some bottles of this wine were under my hand with their label and I noted with a remarkable satisfaction that they were in the best state of conservation. We repeated this experiment on other wines at the time of their setting out of bottle and we succeeded, while varying the temperature of the bain-marie from 50 to 75 degrees, to preserve the wines of quality subjected to these tests of any later deterioration. We will not finish this note without also advising for the wines which must be dispatched out of bottle, a test whose success was complete for the white wines. One subjects the bottles stopped and tied up to the heat of a bain-marie by having care to extinguish fire as soon as the temperature reaches 70 degrees. When this water is descended to the degree from the room temperature, one withdraws them and one tars them. I subjected to my tests white high-class wines of Burgundy which after having undergone this treatment had made twice the way of the Antilles without undergoing least deterioration”.

“I observed, a few years ago, a rather important fact. Often obliged, in the moment of harvest, to preserve by the Appert method, of the musts intended for experiments which could be made only later, I also applied this process to wines of various qualities”.

1863

December 7th, 1863, Pasteur written with the Academy of Science

1864

This year, Alfred de Vergnette writes a work on the vines and the wine making in the Coast-D' Gold.

January 18th, 1864, Pasteur written with CR

April 27th, 1864, he addresses a letter to Pasteur, following his publication on the disease of the bitterness of the high-class wines of Burgundy.

The central committee of the Sologne, in its meeting of autumn of 1864, had, on the proposal of its president, Mr. the senator Boinvilliers, voted a gold medal of 1000 francs “to the inventor of a process which would be made public, and which would allow the wines of France transport of ground and sea, and the prolonged stay, in all countries, without their taste or their perfume being faded”. Let us recall however that Alfred de Vergnette de Lamotte already published a process in 1848 on the export of the wines of Burgundy in the hot countries (see higher).

1865

February 13rd 1865, it presents its candidature for the Academy of Science in the Section of rural Economy, following the death of Mr Parade.

February 20th, 1865, he is elected like member corresponding in the Section of rural Economy and obtains 48 votes out of 57.

April 11th, 1865, Pasteur deposits a patent with an aim of being able to follow to his ease all his experiments and to correspond with a great number of people, without fearing that one precedes it by some publication or patent. whereas work of Vergnette is former for him and that Louis Pasteur had this last like information source and of know-how.

May 1st, 1865, Vergnette makes a communication on the effects of heat for the conservation and the improvement of the wines to the Reports of the Academy of Science: to make a summary.

The same day, Pasteur also makes a communication with the Academy of Science.

The 13 or May 15th (?) 1865, Vergnette republishes its report published in 1850 on its experiments of heating and its results

In order to sit any anteriority of his work on Vergnette, Pasteur hastens to make known work of Nicolas Appert in a note inserted into the Reports of the Academy of Science of December 1865. While speaking about Appert, it written there that “It is nevertheless this skilful industrialist who, the first, clearly indicated the possibility of preserving the wine by the preliminary application of heat. However it is right to point out that the fact on which Appert was based did not prove at all that its method was really good for the wine. ”.

May 29th, 1865, Pasteur…

August 14th, 1865, Pasteur publishes…

October 11th, 1865, Pasteur addresses a letter to the editor association of the viticultural Monitor (On the process of conservation of the wines by the preliminary heating). He affirms that never a trader of the South did not make heat wine with an aim of preserving it. If the wine merchants make it heat, it is in order to “age” the wine but never with an aim of conservation. It refers to its notes published in the Academy on May 29th, 1865 and August 14th, 1865. He recognizes, in the same article sent to the writer, as the person who approached her process of conservation the most is Mr. de Vergnette-Lamotte. But he insists to point out that the process suggested by Mr. de Vergnette on May 1st, 1865 has only analogies with his. In the same way, Pasteur indicates that he did not know the experiments of Appert when he addresses the letter to editor association.

Pasteur affirms in his letter with the viticultural Monitor which it takes for the first time knowledge of the note of Vergnette, published the first time in 1850 and which has just been republished on May 13rd, 1865, in the Newspaper of Beaune.

Pasteur recognizes that Vergnette observed before him that wine heated with the bain-marie by the process of Appert can be preserved then but made the following nuance: he finishes while saying “He in is not less true than Mr. de Vergnette is the person who approached the process of conservation the most that I made known, and it is its work, as well as the method of Appert, and not the practices of Mèze and of This, which historical truth must place before mine”. Indirectly, he recognizes a little the anteriority of work of Appert and Vergnette.

December 4th, 1865, Pasteur quotes work of Appert. experiment of transport of wine

This year, Vergnette publishes its book the most known “wine” which will be republished the following year.

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