In 2007, champagne sales hit a record of 338.7 million bottles. The 19th century saw a dramatic growth in champagne production, going from a regional production of 300,000 bottles a year in 1800 to 20 million bottles in 1850. Champagne did not use the méthode champenoise until the 19th century, about 200 years after Merret documented the process. Even when it was deliberately produced as a sparkling wine, champagne was for a very long time made by the méthode rurale, where the wine was bottled before the initial fermentation had finished. Initial versions were difficult to apply and inconvenient to remove. In 1844, Adolphe Jaquesson invented the muselet to prevent the corks from blowing out. At the time, bubbles were considered a fault. In France, the first sparkling champagne was created accidentally the pressure in the bottle led it to be called 'the devil's wine' ( le vin du diable), as bottles exploded or corks popped. As early as 1663, the poet Samuel Butler referred to 'brisk champagne'.

French glass-makers at this time could not produce bottles of the required quality or strength. Merret's discoveries coincided also with English glass-makers' technical developments that allowed bottles to be produced that could withstand the required internal pressures during secondary fermentation.

Merret presented a paper at the Royal Society, in which he detailed what is now called méthode traditionnelle i.e. Over a century later, the English scientist and physician Christopher Merret documented the addition of sugar to a finished wine to create a second fermentation six years before Dom Pérignon set foot in the Abbey of Hautvillers. They achieved this by bottling the wine before the initial fermentation had ended. The oldest recorded sparkling wine is Blanquette de Limoux, which was invented by Benedictine monks in the Abbey of Saint-Hilaire, near Carcassonne, in 1531. Ĭontrary to legend and popular belief, Dom Pérignon did not invent sparkling wine, though he did make important contributions to the production and quality of both still and sparkling Champagne wines. The wines would be lighter bodied and thinner than the Burgundy wines they sought to outdo. At the far extremes of sustainable viticulture, the grapes would struggle to ripen fully and often would have bracing levels of acidity and low sugar levels. However, the northern climate of the region gave the Champenois a unique set of challenges in making red wine. The Champenois were envious of the reputation of the wines made by their Burgundian neighbours to the south and sought to produce wines of equal acclaim. French kings were traditionally anointed in Reims, and champagne was served as part of coronation festivities.

Later, church owned vineyards, and monks produced wine for use in the sacrament of the Eucharist. When Emperor Probus, the son of a gardener, rescinded the edict, a temple to Bacchus was erected, and the region started to produce a light, fruity, red wine that contrasted with heavier Italian brews often fortified with resin and herbs. Cultivation was initially slow due to the unpopular edict by Emperor Domitian that all colonial vines must be uprooted. The Romans were the first to plant vineyards in this area of northeast France, with the region being tentatively cultivated by the 5th century. Still wines from the Champagne region were known before medieval times. Main article: History of Champagne Jean François de Troy's 1735 painting Le Déjeuner d'Huîtres (The Oyster Luncheon) is the first known depiction of Champagne in painting The leading manufacturers made efforts to associate their Champagnes with nobility and royalty through advertising and packaging, which led to its popularity among the emerging middle class. The grapes Pinot noir, Pinot meunier, and Chardonnay are used to produce almost all Champagne, but small amounts of Pinot blanc, Pinot gris (called Fromenteau in Champagne), Arbane, and Petit Meslier are vinified as well.Ĭhampagne became associated with royalty in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. Vineyards in the Champagne region of France For other uses, see Champagne (disambiguation).Ī glass of Champagne exhibiting the characteristic bubbles associated with the wineĬhampagne ( / ʃ æ m ˈ p eɪ n/, French: ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, specific grape-pressing methods and secondary fermentation of the wine in the bottle to cause carbonation. This article is about the sparkling wine from the Champagne region of France.

3 types of wine