Sparkling wine from France is one of the most famous alcoholic drinks 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 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 here was that fermentation was interrupted in autumn due to the cool weather and the wines were bottled anyway. In warmer weather 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 INVENTION OF CHAMPAGNE
The "invention" of the sparkling beverage is often wrongly attributed to the Benedictine monk Dom Pierre Pérignon (1638-1715). A statuette of him stands in the headquarters of the largest champagne house Moët et Chandon in Épernay, which also produces a brand named after him. However, it is an indisputable fact that he brought the skilful blending of vintages, grape varieties and sites to perfection. But not only did he not aim for a second fermentation in the bottle, he also tried to prevent the undesirable process through various measures. One of these was to use more red wine grapes.
The satirist Marquis de Saint-Évremond (1610-1703), who went into exile in London due to disputes with the Prime Minister of Louis XIV (1638-1715), made an important contribution to its popularity. From 1661, he introduced white wines from Champagne in barrels. Due to the warm spring weather, a second fermentation was often started in the barrel. The lively, sparkling wines were bottled on arrival and quickly became a favourite drink in aristocratic circles. These were primitive forerunners of champagne, twenty years before Dom Pierre Pérignon began to work on it. A "sparkling champagne" was first mentioned in writing in London in 1663. Only then did it become fashionable in France, especially in Paris.
In the last third of the 17th century, it became common practice in Champagne to add sugar and molasses to the wine during bottling in order to obtain sparkling and effervescent wines. The sparkling product was then deliberately produced in larger quantities towards the end of the century. However, even thick-walled bottles were very often unable to withstand the high carbon dioxide pressure caused by the copious addition of sugar and vigorous fermentation. Around 80% of all bottles were broken at the time. As a result, only a few thousand bottles were produced each year throughout the 18th century. And these were extremely expensive. For this reason, champagne initially developed exclusively as a fashionable drink in aristocratic circles or among the wealthy.
Large-scale champagne production only began at the beginning of the 19th century when the problem of the correct sugar dosage was solved. The chemist Jean-Antoine Claude Chaptal (1756-1832) recognised that the cause of foaming in the bottle was unfinished fermentation. However, it was the pharmacist Jean-Baptiste François (1792-1838), who discovered the secret of the correct amount of sugar, who earned the greatest merit. Other milestones were the improvement of corks, the corking machine and, at the Veuve Clicquot-Ponsardin Champagne House, the invention of the vibrating console for remuage by the legendary cellar master Antoine de Muller (1788-1859).
REGION OF ORIGIN
Champagne has enjoyed the status of an Appellation d'Origine Protégée (AOP) since 1936, even if this is not usually stated on the label. It is predominantly produced in white and in smaller quantities as rosé, but there is no red champagne as with sparkling wine. According to the strict conditions of the CIVC, sparkling wine can only be called champagne if it fulfils the requirements regarding origin and production.
The grapes must be grown and pressed in the "Région délimitée de la Champagne viticole" and fermented in double fermentation according to the Méthode champenoise, which was established in 1935. This was stipulated by an EU regulation in 1994 after lengthy legal disputes. Outside Champagne (and also in other countries), a quality sparkling wine is known as Crémant and in German-speaking countries as Sekt. However, there are other country-specific designations (see a list under sparkling wine).
Articles 274 and 275 of the Peace Treaty of Versailles of 1919 were referred to as the "Champagne Treaty". These prohibited German products from bearing foreign designations of origin, which had been customary until then. This particularly affected champagne and cognac from German production, which from a French perspective were misleadingly named after French regions. Since then, these products have been labelled as sparkling wine and brandy. At the time, this did not apply outside the area covered by the peace treaty, such as Shampanskoye for Crimean sparkling wine.
The name Champagne is not only protected within the EU, but in 120 countries worldwide. In Russia, however, a law was passed in 2021 that the name "Champagne" may only be used for Russian sparkling wines. According to the new law, French champagnes must be labelled with the addition "sparkling wine". The word Champagne may only appear on the label in Latin and not in Cyrillic script. "Champagne" is now written in small letters on the back of the label.
PRODUCTION OF CHAMPAGNE
Producing champagne is an extremely complex and complicated process involving many steps. The chronicler Henry Vizetelly (1820-1894) described this in his book "A History of Champagne", published in 1882: 'Good champagne does not fall from the sky or leap from the rocks, it is rather the result of tireless labour, prudent expertise, the most precise care and the most careful observation. The special thing about champagne is that its production only begins where winemaking usually ends.
Grape varieties
Seven varieties are authorised, of which only Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and...
