The Origins of Champagne: Return to the Middle Ages
Since the beginning of the Middle Ages, in the 5th century AD, it is the religious who administer wine production, the latter serving to celebrate the Eucharist.
While the number of vineyards in Champagne continues to grow, the year 1114 is decisive. In that year, the great letter of Champagne was signed by several clerics. It represents the founding act of the Champagne vineyard. Thanks to this letter, the possessions of the abbey of Saint-Pierre-aux-Monts (Châlons-en-Champagne) are confirmed, which allows the Champagne vineyard to develop in the best possible way.
A prosperous vineyard and an effervescent wine
At the end of the 16th century, the wines of this region are called “Champagne Wines”. The mania continues in the seventeenth century: these wines are increasingly popular in the royal courts of France and England.
Around 1660, a technique is used by the English to preserve the aromas of Champagne wine: bottling. However, this practice has a disadvantage, that of making sparkling wine! And it is this characteristic that gives this wine its nickname “wine of the devil”.
The glass was not suitable, the bottles exploded in the basements and the covers were expelled! A plus anyway: the English loved this sparkling wine.
History of Champagne: Between Legends and Reality
In 1670, Dom Pérignon had returned from a stay at the Abbey of Saint-Hilaire, near Limoux, a city already known for making sparkling wines.
It is said that the Benedictine monk tested this method of winemaking in the wines of his abbey in the Marne. Another legend explains that Dom Pérignon introduced the lid in liege. Thanks to its impermeability and its insulating properties, the latter allowed the wine to remain fresh and sparkling.
It was necessary to wait until the year 1729 to see the first house of champagne: Ruinart, founded by Nicolas-Irénée Ruinart in Reims. However, only 300,000 bottles of Champagne wine are shipped every year at this time. It was in the 18th century that this sparkling wine began to cross borders and export, thanks to the families that owned the vineyards. Among them, the essential Moët, Bollinger or Pommery!
Contemporary era: new progress
Author and scientist, Jules Salleron invented the cork stopper in 1860. Twenty-two years later, he developed a revolutionary precision instrument in oenology: the densimeter. The latter was used to measure the alcoholic strength of the wine and to check that it did not contain too much sugar or yeast. In 1928, up to 24 million bottles are shipped! The consumption of this wine, synonymous with celebration, is becoming more and more popular. Nowadays, champagne is widely acclaimed as an aperitif or dessert. The year 2015 was up to a record year for the consumption of champagne, with more than 161 million bottles shipped, only by France.
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