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.
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.
By the Middle Ages, Champagne’s wines were well known in certain areas of France. But because Champagne’s vineyards were so far north, it was difficult to ripen the grapes before autumn’s rain and cool temperatures.
The finished wines were light red and somewhat acidic – which did however, enable them to last longer in the barrel without spoiling.
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 French aristocracy hated this ‘fizz’ and considered it a sign of poor winemaking. The market for Champagne’s wines collapse progressively.
Champagne wines suffer two hundred years of hard times before the Catholic Church - which had a major interest in Champagne’s vineyards and was experiencing revenue looses decided to tackle the problem.
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.
Although sparkling wines are produced all over the world, only those from the Champagne region of France may legally wear the name ‘Champagne’ as stipulated in the Treaty of Madrid (1891) and reaffirmed in the Treaty of Versailles following World War 1.
Champagne in history
