Champagne: The Drink of Kings

As much a part of New Year’s Eve celebrations as singing “Auld Lang Syne,” watching the ball drop and kissing that special someone at the stroke of midnight, popping open that bottle of bubbly and toasting the new year with a glass of champagne seems a necessary part of the New Year’s tradition.

Champagne is THE celebratory drink and beverage of choice for many festivities. And, while you may just think it’s the bubbles that have made this a drink automatically associated with celebrations, have you ever wondered why this sparkling wine has become the standard in elegance, opulence and festivities?

Champagne only comes from France

While many people associate any sparkling wine with the name “champagne,” true champagne is exclusively made in the Champagne region of France where it originated. While wineries in other parts of the world make the bubbly wine, France protected the name “champagne” through international treaty and national law and most countries limit the use of the term to only those wines that come from the Champagne appellation (not sure what an appellation is? Read my Guide to French Wines).

Envious of the stellar reputation of the Burgundy wines from the south, the Champenois (i.e people from Champagne) sought to produce wines of equal acclaim. However, the northerly climate of the region gave the Champenois a unique set of challenges in making red wine—the cooler temperatures meant grapes would struggle to ripen fully and often would have bracing levels of acidity and low sugar levels. However, the same conditions that made producing good red wines difficult in the Champagne region also proved to be the reason for sparkling wines to succeed.

History

There is debate as to the origins of champagne. Contrary to popular belief and legend, Dom Perignon did not invent sparkling wine. In fact, in 1662 (6 years before Dom Perignon arrived at the monastery where his sparkling wine was produced), an English Scientist presented a paper to the Royal Society entitled “méthode champenoise” (“the champagne method”), which detailed how the addition of sugar in a second fermentation process created bubbles.

Although French monk Dom Perignon did not invent champagne, he was an integral part of much advancement in the production of the wine, including holding the cork in place with a wire collar to withstand the fermentation pressure. (Read more about the story of Dom Perignon)

While the method to make champagne was first released in 1662, and Dom Perignon began perfecting the wine shortly after that, the sparkling beverage did not see large increases in production until the 19th century. The early nineteenth century saw an explosive growth in champagne production going from a regional production of 300,000 bottles a year in 1800 to 20 million bottles in 1850.
Champagne has also changed since it’s beginning days. In the 1800s champagne was noticeably sweeter than the champagne of today. The trend towards drier champagne began when Perrier-Jouet 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, and is the most popular and widely drunken variety today.

The Drink of Kings

Champagne first gained international attention for its association with the anointment of French kings. French kings were traditionally anointed in Reims (in the Champagne region of France) and champagne wine was served as part of coronation festivities.

At a time when France was one of the dominant world powers and a major cultural beacon throughout Europe, news about the bubbly wine from the Champagne region of France quickly spread and gained notoriety.

Because the French nobility represented the epitome of power, luxury and class, champagne automatically had a strong association with luxury and power. Seizing on this opportunity, the leading manufacturers of champagne devoted considerable energy to creating a history and identity for their wine–associating it and themselves with nobility, royalty, luxury and power.

In later years, champagne manufacturers continued to try to associate the beverage with high luxury, festivities and rites of passage through advertising and packaging. The strategy paid off. Today, champagne has become synonymous with celebrations, luxury and opulence.