The History of Champagne

Who invented our favorite celebratory drink? That depends on who you ask. The French say that champagne was created around 1668 by none other than Dom Perignon, a blind Benedictine monk and master vintner.

It’s a good story, but its veracity – along with Perignon’s blindness - has been brought into question. The English version credits scientist Christopher Merret with the first deliberate production of bubbly wine in 1662.

You see, early wine-makers did their best to get rid of the bubbles which sometimes formed in bottles of wine. (That’s right – the bubbles we prize in today’s champagne were considered a fault by the drink’s early developers!) Merret discovered that adding sugar to the wine before a second fermentation caused the bubbly effect.

Regardless of who discovered champagne, Dom Perignon is thought to have perfected the vital carbonation process. Still, champagne proved to be more popular in England than in France until the 18^th Century, when Duke Phillipe II of Orleans introduced the drink to French nobility.

From that moment on, champagne production skyrocketed. After a few major setbacks, including the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars, French wine-makers took up their bubbly craft once again.

Note that true champagne comes from the Champagne region in France; anything else is properly called “sparkling wine”. Today’s drink is not as sweet as the original bubbly beverage, but it has been improved through many advances in processing and refinement.

Champagne has advanced from 17^th Century Europe to a modern and global following. We pop open bottles to celebrate births, weddings, maiden voyages, and New Year’s Day. Really, any reason will do; if champagne is on the menu, it’s time to celebrate!