Champagne history
Champagne has three meanings: La Champagne (the province), Champagne Virocole (the champagne-producing area) and
Le Champagne (the wine).
Before the romans invaded Champagne, it was an area called Gaul. Its believed that the romans were first to plant vines in
Champagne. Churches owned vineyards and the monks produced wine in the use in the sacrament of Eucharist. French kings
were crowned in Reims and champagne was served at the festivities.
Champagnes history is chequered by many a battle. There is no other region in France that has been plundered, vandalised and
looted more times than Champagne. The goths, the franks, the vandals and the burgunders have all pillaged Champagne. Perhaps
the worst was Attila the Hun. The Katalaunian fields at year 451 were the scene of a ferocious battle forcing Attile to retreat from
western Europe. 200.000 people died at the battle. During the middle ages, Epernay was destroyed no fewer than 25 times.
Champagne was also in the middle of many major battles during both World War I and II.
Dom Pérignon
Did he invent champagne? No!
This myth has been built up by Moet and Chandon who bought the rights to his name from Mercier at the beginning of the 20th
century. Moet and Chandon took over the monastery in Hautvillers where Dom Perignon worked and turned it into a popular
museum. The entire area has profited from the myth of champagne as the work of a single man.
The English scientist Christopher Merret documented adding sugar to wine creating a second fermentation 35 years before it was
claimed Dom Perignon invented champagne.
Dom Perignon was probably the first to separate wines from three different pressings. He also was the first to succeed in maturing
white wine from black grapes. He was also the first to succeed in getting the white wines of Chardonnay to stay white. His greatest
success however, was the blending of various types of grapes. He did not invent champagne, but developed many important
advances in the production if champagne.