Sparkling wine from France is probably the most famous alcoholic beverage and epitomises joie de vivre and luxury. As early as 1531, a sparkling wine was documented in south-west France, namely the Blanquette de Limoux from the village of Limoux. But in Champagne, champagne was by no means synonymous with this type of wine in the first half of the 17th century. A common phenomenon in this region was that fermentation was interrupted in autumn due to the cool weather and the wines were bottled anyway. When the weather warmed up in spring, the residual sugar triggered an unplanned or unwanted second fermentation in the bottle. Initially, there was no intention behind it, it just happened by chance.
The glossary is a monumental achievement and one of the most important contributions to wine knowledge. Of all the encyclopaedias I use on the subject of wine, it is by far the most important. That was the case ten years ago and it hasn't changed since.
Andreas Essl
Autor, Modena