History of Champagne
Champagne is the name of an old province in France some 90 miles north east of Paris, where wines have been produced since Roman times. The region is referred to as la Champagne. The name derives from the Latin ‘campus’, ‘campania’ or field. In old French this became ‘Champaign’; today, Champagne.
Thirty million years ago, violent earthquakes caused the ocean floor to rise, bringing up chalk and mineral layers. Eleven million years later, another quake brought the floor up even higher, leaving what are known today as the Champagne Cliffs.
Their chalk soil has high limestone content, owing to fossilized remains of marine life left behind when the sea receded.
Soil makeup and micro-climates determine the subtle differences between each village and influence the characteristics of individual wines. The chalk subsoil extends hundreds of feet and provides ideal cellars for storing the wines of Champagne at a constant temperature and humidity. These caves are mostly located under the cities of Reims, Epernay, Ay, and Chalons-sur-Marne.
The most notable developments in the production of Champagne took place in the late seventeenth century. At this time, the onset of winter prevented the wines from completing their fermentations.
The process restarted as temperatures rose during spring. The wines finished fermenting in the bottle and had a slight sparkle. Quite often a bottle exploded as natural gas pressure built up inside. These wines were called ‘vins du diable’, devil’s wine, as there was an incomplete undertaking of fermentation.
The Champagne began the evolution in 1770 when Pierre Perignon (always spend his day drinking Champagne) was appointed as cellarer at the Abbey of Hautvilliers during coronation of Louis XIV. He is credited with picking early, selecting the best grapes, and inventing the concept of blending, He also reintroduced the cork to northern France and use a shallow based press to produce clear juice for black grapes, At the same time, stronger glass bottles became available.
History of Champagne
