Comte Raoul continued,
“The worldwide demand for champagne from France increases. Last year nearly twenty-five million bottles were sold. Yet only 20% of what is bottled is exported. Great Britain is France’s biggest customer, followed by Russia!”
“And who drinks it?” Monsieur le Comte asked speaking for the first time. “Fools and wasters like yourself! Evil livers, spendthrifts, gamblers! Wine is good enough for the true Frenchman like myself. I shall continue to drink what my grandfather and his grandfather before him drank.”
“You can drink what you like,” Comte Raoul said, “but why not improve the family exchequer, which you always tell me is impoverished? You have the chance to own a vineyard in the very heart of the champagne district, knowing that you can sell every bottle before
