The history of champagne is rooted in French culture and history. Champagne was discovered by mistake as far back as the 1st century when Romans were cultivating vines and making wine in what was then northern Gaul and now the Champagne region.
By the 9th century, Champagne's association with the coronation of French Kings in Reims Cathedral made the regional wine popular across France. The following pointers explain how France’s champagne industry has developed:
The Romans established vineyards in the Champagne region in the 1st or 5th century. The wines produced were pale and acidic due to the region's less favorable weather conditions.
Winemakers in the Champagne region were trying to match Burgundy wines, but the cold winters stopped the fermentation process. In the spring, the yeast cells woke up and started fermenting again, releasing carbon dioxide gas. The bottles that survived contained the sparkling wine.
Dom Pérignon is known as the "Father of Champagne". He created the traditional second fermentation process, or méthode champenoise, and used corks with hemp to prevent bottles from exploding.
The Church played an important role in the development of vines in Champagne. The archbishop of Reims and several abbeys in the region were prominent grapevine owners.
Champagne became more popular in other European countries after the elite in Georgian England requested barrels to be shipped across the channel. From 1871 to 1914, champagne became more accessible to the upper middle-class.
Champagne is an expensive white or pink fizzy wine made in the Champagne area of Eastern France. It is often drunk to celebrate something.
Cheers!
Prof. Carl Boniface
Vocabulary builder:
Vines (n) = creepers, plants, climbers, lianas, trailing plant, creeping plant, climbing plant
Georgian England (n) = The Georgian era spans the years from 1714 to 1837, covering the reigns of George I, II, III and IV, as well as that of William IV. It was an era of great social, political and cultural changes.
Dom Pérignon = The history of Dom Pérignon is tied to the life of a French Benedictine monk, Dom Pierre Pérignon, and the champagne brand named after him:
Born in 1638, Dom Pérignon lived at the Abbey of Hautvillers, where he worked as a cellarer and was responsible for wine production. He is known for improving the quality of Champagne wine through his winemaking techniques, including mixing grapes from different varieties and vines. He also experimented with new methods for bottle fermentation. Dom Pérignon died in 1715.
The Dom Pérignon champagne brand was launched in 1936 by Robert-Jean de Vogué, using wine from the 1921 vintage. The brand is named after the monk, and the remains of the monastery where he lived are now owned by Moët & Chandon, the producer of the famous Dom Pérignon prestige cuvée.
For many years, Dom Pérignon grapes were sourced from the historic vineyards at Hautvillers, where Dom Pérignon lived. The holdings have increased over time, and the blend now uses eight grand crus and one historic premier cru from Hautvillers.
A bottle of Dom Pérignon is aged for at least seven years, but the first vintage is typically released after about nine years. The second wave is released at around 18 years, and the third at around 25 years.
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