Champagne Wine - The Early Years and Creation

The Romans first developed the Champagne district in France. The very best of the wineries transferred to the hands of the church in the 11th century after the Crusaders made the decision to not return. For centuries, the wines manufactured in this area were used for the sacrament, for coronations, for the royal dinner table as well as the consecration of treaties.

In the 17th century, the Champenois grew to become envious of the reputation of the wines made by their Burgundian neighbors to the south and sought to produce wines of equal acclaim. Nonetheless, instead of imitating the wines of Burgundy, the Champenois wanted to produce a new style of wines. Reference is made from the middle of the century onwards to Champagne wines of numerous colors; 'couleur de miel' (honey-coloured); 'oeil de perdrix' (partridge eye); 'cerise' (cherry pink); 'fauve' (tawny); or 'gris' (grey).

Although the red wines of Champagne had been known in England for some time, the new 'vin gris' was only introduced there in the early 1660's. It is from this period that the first accounts of sparkling Champagne wines are found. The English scientist and physician Christopher Merret documented the addition of sugar to a finished wine to create a second fermentation almost 40 years before it was claimed that the famed Benedictine monk, Dom Perignon (1638-1715), invented champagne. Merrett presented the Royal Society with a paper in which he detailed what is now called m?thode champenoise in 1662.

Although Dom Perignon did not invent champagne, he did develop many advances in the production of this beverage, including holding the cork in place with a wire collar to withstand the fermentation pressure. In France, champagne was made by the m?thode rurale, where the wine was bottled before the only fermentation had finished; Champagne did not utilise the m?thode champenoise until the 19th century, 300 years after Christopher Merret documented the process.

The 19th century saw a massive growth in champagne production, from a regional production of 300,000 bottles a year in 1800 to 20 million bottles in 1850. In the 1800s, champagne was much sweeter than it is today. The trend towards drier champagne began when Perrier-Jou?t decided not to sweeten his 1846 vintage prior to exporting it to London. The designation Brut champagne, the modern champagne, was created for the British in 1876.

In 1941, the Comit? Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CICV) was legally established, and has since contributed not only to administering production regulations in Champagne, but to promoting the wines throughout the world.

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