Champagne; the journey from the beginning to today

Champagne is widely associated with luxury and extravagance and typically only consumed by the rich and famous or at special occasions. Its fizzy nature has led to it being the most loved glass of wine out there and is informally referred to as ‘bubbly’. Champagne is so called as a tribute to the region in north east France where the grapes are grown however it has not always had the colour and consistency that we all know and love today.

The roots behind the drink lie with the Romans who were the first to plant vineyards in this region. The wine which was initially made from the grapes of Champagne was a pale wine with a tinge of pinkness to it, was made from a Pinot Noir grape and was known as vins de Reims; very different to the sparkling wine which we see today. The first wine in this region became extremely popular through the King of France in 987 beginning a tradition that all successive monarchs would feature this wine as the main feature of all Coronation banquets. Despite this noble acclaim for the wine makers in Champagne they continued to be envious of their neighbours in Burgundy who could produce red wine of great quality. The Champenois repeatedly tried to equal this quality of red wine however the northerly climate set many challenges to their plan. The grapes never seemed to ripen fully with sugar levels being low and the acidity levels high leaving the end product considerably thinner and lighter bodied than the wine of the Burgundies. These were not the only problems which occurred during the Champenois’ experience of red wine; problems which would eventually lead to the discover of the sparkling wine for which they became famed. The cold winter temperatures meant that the fermentation process became halted during this time regardless of whether the wine was bottled or kept in a cellar. Once spring arrived residual sugar and the yeast would reactivate and continue fermenting. One of the main by products of the fermentation cycle is the release of carbon dioxide which when trapped can cause a build up of pressure. If the wine and therefore the gas are enclosed in a bottle the result, especially with weak bottles, is that the container explodes; this is exactly what the Champenois found. If the bottle remained intact, the wine makers found that once opened the wine contained bubbles; a feature that was considered unwanted and a fault in the product. By the 17^th century wine makers were still struggling with this issue and were trying various methods to rid their wine of bubbles; the most notable being the Benedictine monk, Dom Perignon.

Dom Perignon had a rigorous set of rules for his wine making and was a firm believer in the pruning of vines stating that they should not be allowed to grow any taller than 1 metre (3 foot). He also believed that the yield from each vine should be small in quantity, that harvesting should be delicately carried out during the early hours of the morning when the temperatures were cool and that the structure of the grape should be in no way compromised; any grapes which were broken or bruised were unceremoniously rejected. He employed strict transportation methods to ensure that no grapes were harmed or lost during the travel from the vineyards to the pressing area. Dom Perignon thought that the key to success was to quickly and efficiently press the grapes, the theory being that the possibility of the grape skins leaching into the juice is greatly reduced. Pressing was also performed in different levels; the first being to simply use the weight of the grapes to press themselves. The result was thought to be the highest quality wine known as vin de goutte. The second and third pressings utilised more traditional weighted methods and although the result was a tasty wine it was not considered exceptional. The fourth and fifth pressings resulted in darker hues of wine although these were seldom used. Dom Perignon had a deep understanding of the wine making process and knew that the skins of the grapes imparted differing textures and flavourings to the end result; coarser wines not being part of his vision for his high quality wines. This knowledge led to him limiting the contact with the skin enabling the making of white wines from red grapes.

While Dom Perignon among many others, were trying to rid their wine of bubbles in order to please the discerning French market, the British were actually developing a taste for this unique bubbled wine. In 1715, upon the death of Louis XIV, Champagne’s unwanted sparkling wine became a favourite beverage with the elite classes leading to all Champenois wine makers making their wine sparkle deliberately. Obviously this new venture came with a few difficulties in the form of lack of knowledge. Previously all bubbly wine had been a mistake and so the basic principles to recreate the result were unclear. No one really understood how to control the fermentation process, how much sugar was required to achieve the best results or even how to make wine bottles strong enough to contain the gas and withstand the intense pressure.

By the 19^th century all processes had been refined and the methods for created sparkling wine had been mastered and Champagne could be produced on a more profitable and larger scale. It was during this time that three of the most famous Champagne houses were established; Bollinger in 1829, Krug in 1843 and Pommery in 1858. Champagne at this time tended to be sweet making it not only more palatable but also hid any flaws in the wine from poor quality and less desirable grapes. Wine makers soon became so expert in the fermenting of sparkling wine that they could actually tailor the sweetness of the drink to suit each countries individual trends and desires. The Russians preferred the sweetest taste with 250-330 grams of sugar being added, with Scandinavia coming a close second with 200 grams of sugar. France with 165 grams, Germany with only slightly more, the United States preferring 110-165 grams and England with a moderate 22-66 grams of sugar added meant that the wine makers could design sparkling wines which were preferred in each area of the world. Gradually the level of sweetness desired was diminished and the first demi sec or half dry Champagne was developed. The popularity of this dryer version led to wine producers to add only a minimal amount of sugar, labelling the product as an ‘extra dry’ Champagne. It was not until 1846 that the Champagne house, Perrier-Jouet, developed a sparkling wine that had no sugar added before the fermentation process. Although this style was very much dryer than the ‘extra dry’ variants and so not initially a success, this is the most popular type of Champagne today. The popularity of Champagne flourished until the vineyard growers rioted in 1910-1911. Coupled with the Russian Revolution, the Prohibition and the two World Wars, production was dramatically hindered in the Champagne market.

Although rationing during the World Wars meant that citizens could not access the luxuries that were prevalent previously, it was actually worse than most feared. The problem was not transporting the product through the war zone or the monetary aspect instead the problem lay in the area where Champagne was made had in fact become part of the battle field. Many wine makers were forced to flee their vineyards as the Germans surged forwards with others who could not get away were forced to hide in the limestone caves which were typically used as an area where the bottles would be stored during the fermentation process. By the end of the first war many of the warehouses and production buildings had been destroyed and the region of Champagne had lost almost half of its population. As the area began to rebuild that which had been lost, the French government passed laws to define the winemaking processes clearing up any misgivings that had previously arisen such as accusations of rhubarb being added to bring extra sweetness etc. The vineyards also had the opportunity to replant their lost vines often in more preferable locations. The region believed that they this would be the end to their troubles however the United States released a declaration of prohibition closing one avenue of the market which was followed by the Great Depression further decreasing sales. The situation did not better any as World War II all came to a head bringing more armed troops to the area. The devastation which took place was by no means near that experienced in the previous war however there was a sense of heightened tension. It was in this region that the German military commander, Alfred Jodi, offered an unconditional surrender; an act which was celebrated with 6 cases of the Pommery 1934 vintage leading a World War II historian to remark that “the last explosions of the war were the popping of Champagne corks”.

Once the politics and battles between countries had settled the demand for Champagne resumed its surge where it had previously faltered. Nearly 300 Champagne houses worked with the vineyards in order to supply the immense demand for the product. The popularity of the sparkling wines from the Champagne region was enviable around the globe and other countries began to make their own versions and labelling bottles with the ‘Champagne’ title. This marketing strategy was soon prevented by the name ‘Champagne’ being designated as a ‘protected designation of origin’ meaning that unless it was actually made in the region, wine makers could not use the term. Imitators across the world soon began to capitalise on the process of creating sparkling wine, promoting under varying titles e.g. Sekt from Germany and Cava from Spain.

The fame of Champagne may have taken years to establish and the popularity is remarkable considering that it all began from a fortuitous accident. Without the rivalry and envy from the Champenois towards their neighbours, the Burgundies, one the world’s favourite alcoholic beverages may never have come about. What once was considered a fault of traditional wines has become a profitable success across the world and has evolved from a drink for the elite to a treat to mark a special occasion for the masses. So, everyone raise your glasses and let us make a toast to this sparkling wine that changed the tastes of the world.