Champagne

• 1. Roman Roots And Royal Anointing

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  The Romans planted the first vineyards in the Champagne region of northeast France by the 5th century. Emperor Domitian issued an edict requiring all colonial vines to be uprooted, slowing cultivation for decades. When Emperor Probus rescinded the ban, a temple to Bacchus was erected and the area began producing light, fruity red wine. Catholic monks later cultivated vineyards to produce wine for the sacrament of the Eucharist. French kings were traditionally anointed in Reims, and champagne was served as part of coronation festivities. The Champenois envied the reputation of wines made by their Burgundian neighbours to the south and sought to produce wines of equal acclaim. However, the northern climate gave the region a unique set of challenges in making red wine. At the far extremes of sustainable viticulture, the grapes would struggle to ripen fully and often had bracing levels of acidity and low sugar levels. The wines were lighter bodied and thinner than the Burgundy wines they sought to outdo. This historical context set the stage for a region that would eventually turn its challenges into a global phenomenon. The next section will explore how accidental discoveries transformed these thin red wines into the sparkling beverage known today.

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• 2. The Devil's Wine And English Science

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  In France, the first sparkling champagne was created accidentally when pressure in the bottle led it to be called the devil's wine. Bottles exploded or corks popped, and bubbles were considered a fault. Christopher Merret documented the addition of sugar to a finished wine to create a second fermentation six years before Dom Pérignon set foot in the Abbey of Hautvillers. Merret presented a paper at the Royal Society in 1662 detailing what is now called méthode traditionnelle. English glass-makers developed bottles that could withstand the required internal pressures during secondary fermentation. French glass-makers at this time could not produce bottles of the required quality or strength. As early as 1663, the poet Samuel Butler referred to brisk champagne. Dom Pérignon was originally charged by his superiors at the Abbey of Hautvillers to get rid of the bubbles since the pressure in the bottles caused many of them to burst in the cellar. Cellar workers had to wear a heavy iron mask to prevent injury from spontaneously bursting bottles. The disturbance caused by one bottle exploding could cause a chain reaction, with it being routine for cellars to lose 20 to 90 percent of their bottles this way. The mysterious circumstance surrounding the then unknown process of fermentation and carbonic gas caused some critics to call the sparkling creations the devil's wine. This dangerous period eventually gave way to more controlled production methods. The following section will examine how legal frameworks emerged to protect the name and regulate the industry.

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• 3. Appellations And International Treaties

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  The only wines that are legally allowed to be named Champagne must be bottled within 100 miles of the Champagne region in France. The name is legally protected by European law and an 1891 treaty that requires true champagne to be produced in the Champagne region and made from the Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, or Chardonnay grapes grown in this region. The Champagne winemaking community, under the auspices of the Comité Interprofessionnel du vin de Champagne (CIVC), has developed a comprehensive set of rules and regulations for all wine produced in the region to protect its economic interests. They include codification of the most suitable growing places, the most suitable grape types, and a lengthy set of requirements specifying most aspects of viticulture. This includes pruning, vineyard yield, the degree of pressing, and the time that wine must remain on its lees before bottling. It can also limit the release of Champagne to market to maintain prices. Only when a wine meets these requirements may it be labelled Champagne. The rules agreed upon by the CIVC are submitted for the final approval of the Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (formerly the Institut National des Appellations d'Origine, INAO). In 2007, the INAO was preparing to make the largest revision of the region's legal boundaries since 1927 in response to economic pressures. A final decision is not expected until 2023 or 2024. This legal battle continues to shape the future of the industry. The next section will detail the specific techniques used to create the carbonation that defines the drink.

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• 4. Secondary Fermentation And Riddling

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  After primary fermentation and bottling, a second alcoholic fermentation occurs in the bottle. This second fermentation is induced by adding several grams of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and rock sugar to the bottle. According to the appellation d'origine contrôlée a minimum of fifteen months is required to completely develop all the flavour. For years where the harvest is exceptional, a millésime is declared and some champagne will be made from and labelled as the products of a single vintage rather than a blend of multiple years' harvests. This means that the champagne will be very good and has to mature for at least three years. During this time the champagne bottle is sealed with a crown cap similar to that used on beer bottles. After aging, the bottle is manipulated, either manually or mechanically, in a process called remuage so that the lees settle in the neck of the bottle. After chilling the bottles, the neck is frozen, and the cap removed. This process is called disgorgement. The 6 bar pressure in the bottle forces out the ice containing the lees. Some wine from previous vintages and additional sugar is added to maintain the level within the bottle and adjust the sweetness of the finished wine. The bottle is then quickly corked to maintain the carbon dioxide in solution. This intricate process ensures the final product has the desired texture and flavor profile. The following section will analyze how specific grape varieties and sub-regions influence the taste of the wine.

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• 5. Grape Varieties And Sub-Regions

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  The grapes Pinot noir, Pinot meunier, and Chardonnay are used to produce almost all Champagne. Small amounts of Pinot blanc, Pinot gris, Arbane, Chardonnay rosé, and Petit Meslier are vinified as well. The dark-skinned Pinot noir and Pinot meunier give the wine its length and backbone. They are predominantly grown in two areas , the Montagne de Reims and the Vallée de la Marne. The Montagne de Reims run east, west to the south of Reims, in northern Champagne. They are notable for north-facing chalky slopes that derive heat from the warm winds rising from the valleys below. The River Marne runs west, east through Champagne, south of the Montagne de Reims. The Vallée de la Marne contains south-facing chalky slopes. Chardonnay gives the wine its acidity and biscuit flavour. Most Chardonnay is grown in a north, south-running strip to the south of Épernay, called the Côte des Blancs, including the villages of Avize, Oger and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. These are east-facing vineyards, with terroir similar to the Côte de Beaune. The various terroirs account for the differences in grape characteristics and explain the appropriateness of blending juice from different grape varieties and geographical areas within Champagne. Four other grape varieties are permitted, mostly for historical reasons, as they are rare in current usage. The 2010 version of the appellation regulations lists seven varieties as allowed. The sparsely cultivated varieties of Arbanne, Petit Meslier, and Pinot blanc can still be found in modern cuvées from a few producers. This diversity allows producers to craft unique styles. The next section will explore how marketing transformed champagne into a symbol of royalty and middle-class aspiration.

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• 6. Royal Associations And Middle-Class Appeal

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  Champagne became associated with royalty and expensiveness in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. The leading manufacturers made efforts to associate their Champagnes with nobility and royalty through advertising and packaging. Laurent-Perrier's advertisements in late 1890 boasted their champagne was the favourite of Leopold II of Belgium, George I of Greece, Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Margaret Cambridge, Marchioness of Cambridge, and John Lambton, 3rd Earl of Durham. Despite this royal prestige, champagne houses also portrayed champagne as a luxury which could be enjoyed by anyone, and was fit for any occasion. This strategy worked, and, by the turn of the 20th century, the majority of champagne drinkers were middle class. In the 19th century, champagne producers made a concentrated effort to market their wine to women. This is done by having the sweeter champagne associate with female, whereas the dry champagne with male and foreign markets. This was in stark contrast to the traditionally male aura that the wines of France had. Laurent-Perrier again took the lead in this area with advertisements touting their wine's favour with the Countess of Dudley, the wife of the 9th Earl of Stamford, the wife of the Baron Tollemache, and the opera singer Adelina Patti. Champagne labels were designed with images of romantic love and marriage as well as other special occasions that were deemed important to women. In the 19th century, champagne was produced and promoted to mark contemporary political events, such as the Franco-Russian Alliance of 1893. The popularity of champagne is particularly attributed to the success of champagne producers in marketing the wine's image as a royal and aristocratic drink. This cultural shift paved the way for modern consumption habits. The following section will examine how sweetness levels evolved from dessert wines to dry styles.

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• 7. From Sweet Desserts To Dry Palates

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  In the 19th century, champagne was noticeably sweeter than today's champagnes. The trend towards drier champagne began when Perrier-Jouët decided not to sweeten his 1846 vintage before exporting it to London. The designation Brut Champagne was created by Pommery for the British in 1876. Wines labeled Brut Zero, more common among smaller producers, have no added sugar and will usually be very dry, with less than three grams of residual sugar per litre in the finished wine. The following terms are used to describe the sweetness of the bottled wine: Extra Brut (less than 6 grams of sugar per litre), Brut (less than 12 grams), Extra Dry (between 12 and 17 grams), Sec (between 17 and 32 grams), Demi-sec (between 32 and 50 grams), Doux (50 grams). The most common style today is Brut. However, throughout the 19th century and into the early 20th century Champagne was generally much sweeter than it is today. Moreover, except in Britain, Champagne was drunk as dessert wines rather than as table wines. At this time, Champagne sweetness was instead referred to by destination country, roughly as: Goût anglais (between 22 and 66 grams), Goût américain (between 110 and 165 grams), Goût français (between 165 and 200 grams), Goût russe (between 200 and 300 grams). Of these, only the driest English is close to contemporary tastes. Today sweetness is generally not looked for per se, and dosage is used to fine tune the perception of acidity in the wine. This shift in taste reflects changing consumer preferences over the last two centuries. The final section will review current production statistics and the economic significance of exports.

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• 8. Global Exports And Industry Economics

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  In 1800, champagne production was a regional output of 300,000 bottles a year. By 1850, it had grown to 20 million bottles. In 2007, champagne sales hit a record of 338.7 million bottles. The Champagne industry is expected to sell 314 million bottles in 2023, down 3.7 percent from the previous year, according to the Comité Champagne industry trade group. Nightclub markets remain strong, but consumption of Champagne in the home is losing ground. There are more than one hundred champagne houses and 19,000 smaller vignerons in Champagne. These companies manage some 32,000 hectares of vineyards in the region. The type of champagne producer can be identified from the abbreviations followed by the official number on the bottle. NM stands for Négociant manipulant, CM for Coopérative de manipulation, RM for Récoltant manipulant, SR for Société de récoltants, RC for Récoltant coopérateur, MA for Marque auxiliaire, and ND for Négociant distributeur. Shipments to top external markets include 34.1 million bottles to the United States, 29.9 million to the United Kingdom, and 13.8 million to Japan. Total exports account for 57.5 percent of volume and 66 percent of value. The Champagne region has developed a comprehensive set of rules and regulations for all wine produced in the region to protect its economic interests. This includes limiting the release of Champagne to market to maintain prices. The industry continues to adapt to global demand and economic pressures. The future of champagne depends on balancing tradition with modern market realities.

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