Brief history of Champagne
A very old wine land: Champagne
Like many vineyards, the vineyard of Champagne was born from the know-how of the Romans who imported their art of working the vine into Gaul. The wine they made in the Champagne area was notably made to supply the "Limes", a set of forts that defended the border of the Roman Empire and that was occupied by legionnaires who had to be watered. This wine, most often white, was also used at the famous Champagne fairs (especially in Troyes) where it was used to drink the merchants who came from far away to sell their products. It was also appreciated by the numerous ecclesiastics in the abbeys of the East. At the end of the Middle Ages, we started to speak about "Champagne wine" in Paris where it was appreciated.
Harvesting in the Middle Ages / Image chosen by Monsieurdefrance.com : harvesting on a high hill / Wikipedia
Champagne wine with a defect: the bubbles!
Improved with the techniques discovered over the centuries, such as the appearance of the glass bottle by the English, and of the cork holder invented by the Belgians, Champagne ended up having a defect in the bottles that it did not have in the barrels: bubbles. Not very appreciated, because the corks jumped by themselves, so much so that champagne was nicknamed: "le saute bouchon" or the devil's wine, and because they gave the impression that the wine was grated, they were the object of research by the wine growers to try to understand why they appeared.
An English idea: a little sugar
Great lovers of champagne wine, even with these cursed bubbles, the English had the idea to add this brown sugar which came to them in great quantity from their colonies. By putting a little in the barrels of Champagne that they bought in large quantities, they ended up improving a little the taste of a wine that at the time was considered too green.
And the genius of Dom Pérignon
Dom Pérignon imagined at the beginning of the 20th century / Image chosen by Monsieurdefrance.Fr : Postcard after a painting by Armand Guery
In 1670, Dom Pérignon, celery maker of a Champagne abbey, who, while trying to understand why Champagne made bubbles, would have developed a method to make them voluntarily and to master them. It is to him, also, that we owe the bases of what was called "the method champenoise" and which is also used to manufacture other sparkling wines like the Crémant. He would have learned all this by studying, at the Saint Hilaire Abbey, an effervescent wine older than champagne: the blanquette de Limoux (nothing to do with the dish, it is just that it is a white wine). A method that was only explained scientifically much later by the work of Louis Pasteur on yeast.
The 18th century puts Champagne in fashion
At the end of the reign of Louis XIV, in 1715, the French began to appreciate sparkling wines and especially the wine of Champagne. It is said that Madame de Pompadour, the royal mistress, loved it and served it to King Louis XV. It is even said that the first glass of champagne would have been molded on her breast.
The first representation of a bottle of champagne in a painting: the oyster lunch by Jean François de Troy (1734).
In 1729, the Ruinart House was founded in Reims, but it was often foreigners, rather Germans, who founded the great houses that we still know today. The Heidsieck, Moët or Bollinger families set up their houses in the 19th century. The women have a say in the matter since they often continue the production after the death of their husbands like Madame Pommery or the famous Veuve Clicquot. The personalities finish to put the Champagne in fashion in the "Great World". For example Talleyrand among the diplomats (he serves it at the Congress of Vienna in 1814 while he gives sumptuous dinners to put himself in the pocket of the diplomats in charge of seeing what will be done with France after the crushing defeat of Napoleon).
And today?
Champagne is 6 billion euros in 2022, the year of absolute record sales of Champagne in the world. This represents 330 million bottles sold. 40% are consumed by the French (who still love their Champagne) and 60% abroad (and it is still increasing). More than 70% of the production is sold in restaurants, bars, cafés, discotheques of the planet.
Champagne ! You are in Reims Photo chosen by Monsieurdefrance.fr : barmalini/Shutterstock
What kind of champagne:
We say "champagne" but there are, in fact, several kinds of champagne. The denominations allow to know which champagne we are talking about. Above all, remember that "there is no champagne but Champagne". Basically, if you are offered champagne from elsewhere, it will have nothing to do with the real champagne, which benefits from an Appelation d'Origine Contrôlée since 1936 and also from a Protected Designation of Origin.
Champagne ! Photo chosen by Monsieurdefrance.com : KarepaStock/Shutterstock.fr
Seven grape varieties are authorized
The grape variety is basically the type of grape used. You can mix the grape varieties. There are 7 authorized. To make champagne we use 3 main grape varieties: pinot noir, chardonnay and meunier. We can also use a little bit of four other grape varieties : pinot blanc, pinot gris, and the much less known : arbane and petit meslier (source : comité Champagne). We can also mix the years of harvest.
Brut, half dry... The different champagnes
The name changes according to the sugar level. The sweeter it is, the less "lively" it is in taste. The less sweet is the "brut nature" or "0 dosage" champagne, the sweeter is the "doux" champagne.
From the driest to the sweetest.
Champagne Brut Nature : - 3 grams of sugar per liter.
Champagne extra-brut: from 0 to 6 grams of sugar per liter.
Champagne Brut : - 12 grams of sugar per liter.
Extra dry Champagne : from 12 to 17 grams of sugar per liter
Champagne sec (or dry) : from 17 to 32 grams of sugar per liter.
Champagne demi-sec (or semi-dry) : from 32 to 50 grams of sugar per liter.
Sweet Champagne: more than 50 grams per liter.
Rosé Champagne :
Rosé Champagne Photo chosen by Monsieurdefrance.fr: mady70/Shutterstock.fr
There are two kinds of rosé champagnes. They are often a little more expensive than white champagnes, without any objective reason, but they are in fashion...
Champagne rosé "classic" consisting of a blend of white wine and red wine, as for a traditional rosé wine or champagne rosé said "bleeding" for which the reasons are macerated a little time with their black skin which gives a pinkish color to the grape juice.
The champagne : instructions for use
How many people per bottle?
One counts in general 3 people by bottle
The champagne in a wedding
It can be served with the wine of honor or with the dessert, or at both times. Here are the average quantities that I advise you if you want to have what you need without having too much left.
A good champagne in a wedding is something else... Photo chosen by Monsieurdefrance.com : Shebeko/Shutterstock.fr
For the wine of honor or the dessert
15 people : 5 bottles
20 people : 7 bottles
30 people : 10 bottles
50 people : 17 bottles
100 people : 34 bottles
200 people : 64 bottles
For the wine of honor AND the dessert :
15 people : 9 bottles
30 people : 12 bottles
50 people : 29 bottles
100 people : 59 bottles
200 people : 118 bottles
How to keep champagne ?
The best is, of course, a cellar, so away from light and in a cool place, ie between 10 and 15 degrees.
How long to keep champagne ?
On average it can be kept for 5 years. Champagne without a year does not keep too long, it must be consumed after purchase. If your champagne is vintage you can keep it for a long time: 20 or even 30 years. The taste will evolve a little, but, elaborated for that, it will not lose its bubbles.
How to serve champagne ?
Even if we love to see the champagne "jump", we must be careful because we can hurt ourselves. The cork undergoes a pressure of more than 2 bars and it reaches more than 40 Km/H when it is expelled. Always hold the bottle firmly.
Even though it is customary to serve champagne in flutes or glasses, it never reveals itself as well as in a classic wine glass. This allows it to "open up".
- Present the label
- Remove the liner that contains the label while still holding the bottle.
- Turn the bottle in one direction and the cork in the other so you have everything under control.
- Tilt the glass that will receive the champagne and serve it slowly in several times
- Keep the bottle cool, either in the refrigerator or in a champagne bucket filled with ice cubes.
This is how you serve champagne: hold the bottle by the base and tilt the glass to reduce foaming... Photo chosen by Monsieurdefrance.fr : Minerva Studio/Shutterstock.fr
Names and sizes of Champagne bottles:
It is customary, since the Middle Ages, to name the quantities according to the containers. In the 19th century, the Champagne houses (and Bordeaux to a lesser extent) developed a series of names according to the capacity of the bottles:
The bottle (75 Cl)
The magnum (1.5 liter or 2 bottles)
The Jeroboam (3 liters or 4 bottles)
The Rehoboam (4.5 liters or 6 bottles) but we no longer find them
Methuselah (6 liters or 8 bottles)
Salmanazar (8 liters or 12 bottles)
Nebuchadnezzar (15 liters or 20 bottles)
Solomon (18 liters or 24 bottles)
The Sovereign (26.5 liters or 35 bottles)
The Primat (27 liters or 36 bottles)
And the biggest: the Melchizedec (30 liters or 40 bottles).
Slash champagne
It is Napoleon's soldiers who would have taken this habit to go faster. You can "slash" the champagne, with a saber (not sharp!) or even with the foot of a glass.
- Before anything else, check that there is no one in front of you. It is dangerous
- You have to remove the whole liner of the bottle, even the paper part.
- Tatez the bottle, you will feel a kind of "seam" in the neck, it is there that you must strike.
- Tilt the bottle at 45 degrees in the hand opposite to the one holding the sword
- Slide the blade towards the neck while tapping
- You may have to do this several times.
It also works with the foot of a cup that you hold by passing the foot between three fingers.
Nothing more chic than to slash the champagne with the glass but it is difficult (and it is also wasting good champagne)... Photo chosen by Monsieurdefrance.fr : Sasha_PShutterstock.fr
What are the collectors called?
Placomusophiles collect the plates of champagne wirehoods.) Some collections contain more than 60 000 pieces. The rarest ones are priced around 3000 euros, such as the 1923 Pol Roger Champagne capsule.
Excuse our translator for the mistakes, he drank too much... Champagne ! Hips
Don't forget: alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health: consume in moderation.
