The Wine of Celebration
Champagne is widely acclaimed as the wine of celebration. During the early years of its history, the wine had a royal and a religious significance. The Catholic monks, who owned most of the vineyards, considered Champagne to be the only wine worthy of being offered to God. Later, the French kings began using it for their coronation ceremonies.
During the early part of its history, Champagne fascinated kings, czars, aristocrats, clergymen, and those belonging to the upper tiers of society. However, it soon became popular among all social classes. By the middle of the nineteenth century, the sale of sparkling bubbly had reached 20 million bottles.
This sparkling wine gets its name from Champagne, a grape-growing region of France, which has been famous for its vineyards ever since the Middle Ages. Although it is believed that the Champagne wine is the result of an accidental discovery of the process of second fermentation, there are records to show that it was the English, and not the French, who were the first makers of Champagne.
Some records give the credit of making the first Champagne to a couple of French monks Frere Jean Oudart (1654-1742) and Dom Pierre Perignon (1639-1715). However, the two monks were more concerned with the removal of bubbles from the fizzy wine because they felt that a bubbly wine lacked dignity. Although Dom Perignon and his companions did not succeed in removing the bubbles from Champagne, they did succeed in developing a set of techniques that are still relevant in the modern process of making Champagne.
Methode Champenoise is the traditional method of making Champagne. The wine is first fermented and bottled. A second fermentation is then induced within the bottles by adding yeast and rock sugar. This basic method is followed even today, although each brand has its own secret recipe and variations in the process.
Many sparkling wines bear the name ‘Champagne’ on their labels. However, the authentic Champagne comes from the grapes grown in Champagne, a region in France that comprises 70,000 acres of lush, beautiful vineyards. If it comes from any other part of the world, it is just sparkling wine and not the real Champagne.
