Dom Periginon: The Acknowledged "Father of Champagne"
The French monk Dom Perignon (1638-1715) was credited with the invention of champagne. Legend has it that he produced an uncloudy sparkling wine at the Benedictine Abbey in Hautvillers in the Champagne region of France and that the clarity of the liquid was remarkable.
The word champagne translates from French into English as "white from whites" but Dom Perignon used black grapes.
As prized as a glass of champagne is today, the presence of bubbles in a wine was considered a flaw in the 17th century so Dom Perignon took a real leap of faith when he brewed sparkling wine purposefully.
Champagne's vineyards were/are approximately 90 miles to the east of Paris. It was and still is a prominent wine-producing region and Dom Perignon's sparkling wine named Vins de Perignon, and not champagne, led to progress in wine production.
Christopher Merrett Invented Sparkling Wine 30 Years Before Dom Perignon
Dom Perignon invented a fast-working champagne press and he used airtight corks that contained the fizz, or rather the carbon dioxide, within to maximise its lifespan. He chose thick English bottles to house his wine. Vins de Perignon later became known as a vins mousseux, in English this means a sparkling wine.
His habit of "blind tasting" his creations and recognising the grape types in the blends led to a misconception that he was blind.
Through the subsequent centuries, there has been a question mark attached to whether Dom Perignon really invented champagne. Alternative suggestions have featured other monks in the Champagne region and the English scientist Christopher Merrett (1614-1695).
In 1662 Christopher Merrett submitted a paper to the British Royal Society in which he explained how he'd achieved the production of carbonated wine. He'd used sugar and molasses. He, like Dom Perignon, used thick English glass bottles that didn't explode with the force of the bubbles.
As interesting as his paper was, the English winemakers perceived the bubbles as a regrettable flaw and they were more concerned with creating a sublime smooth still wine. "A bottle of fizz" was dismissed.
French Royalty's Preferred Dessert Wine
Whether we have Christopher Merrett or Dom Perignon to thank for the invention of sparkling wine and champagne from Champagne, its popularity has not waned since the 18th century. The pre-revolution French royalty adored it as a dessert wine. What they drank, their loyal clique copied and vins mousseuxs graced fashionable tables.
John-Remy Moet from the champagne houses Moet & Cie and Moet & Chandon used his friendship with Napoleon Bonaparte to ensure that the powerful figures of the new regime quaffed champagne as eagerly as the royals had.
It was the early 19th century when "champagne" was chosen as the sparkling wine's name. Moet purchased Hautvillers Abbey in 1823 and this linked champagne, Dom Perignon and Moet & Cie together in the public mind. Today Dom Perignon's statue outside their premises reinforces the message.
Pierre-Gabriel Chandon de Briailles was Moet's son-in-law. He became a partner in 1833, hence the company's name change to Moet & Chandon.
During the 19th century 5 million bottles of champagne were sold per annum in France and approximately 3–4 times this amount were sold globally each year.
Madame Clicquot
Champagne was cleverly marketed, most notably by Madame Barbe-Nicole Clicquot, nee Ponsardin (1777–1866). She was a young entrepreneurial widow who seized her opportunity to prosper in a male-dominated environment.
To set the Clicquot (Veuve Clicquot today) brand apart from its rivals she selected a slender bottle and she established the practice of pouring her champagne into bottles that were set at an angle.
Madame Clicquot ignored a trade embargo to become the first champagne house owner to sell champagne to the Russians. Tsar Alexander I loved it so much that he declared that he would drink nothing else. His courtiers mirrored the tsar's fervour.
Jean Alexandrine Louise Pommery (1819-1890) introduced brut (dry) champagne to England where it was eagerly consumed by the elite.
Since the establishment of the Syndicat du Commerce des Vins de Champagne in 1884 only sparkling wines that were/are produced in the Champagne region of France can use the name champagne.
The Champagne Riots 1910/1911
The Champagne Riots of 1910/1911 were caused by production difficulties. A pest named phylloxera decimated Champagne's vineyards. The crop losses, their financial ramifications and a government announcement led to unrest and then to rioting.
To "help" the crop-pest situation the government considered lifting the geographical restrictions for champagne as the Champagne region couldn't deliver to meet demand. As consumers were increasingly and incorrectly inclined to believe that champagne was not exclusively from the Champagne region it seemed a logical solution.
What the politicians casually forgot was that the Champagne growers were reliant on the champagne houses to purchase their grapes. Although the houses aimed to keep the grape prices low, at least they were buying true Champagne-grown grapes. A switch to other suppliers in other regions meant ruin for the Champagne growers because they had no other clients to sell to.
The growers told the government exactly how they felt.
After the Champagne Riots, a grading system was introduced for grapes so that there was greater pricing fairness. The strict geographic area for true champagne production was re-enforced. The pricing and grading systems still exist.
Growers today can produce their own champagnes and these are labelled Grower Champagnes or Récoltant-Manipulant Champagnes.
The region also produces still wines but these are lesser known than its sparkling star.
Dom Perignon, Christopher Merrett or an unknown monk from Champagne would be proud that a wine designated as flawed during their era has done so well.
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