Champagne is one of the most famous and most admired alcoholic
beverages in the world. Champagne is associated with all types of
celebrations. Hence, a lot of people want to know about champagne facts
and champagne brands.
The history of champagne itself is quite
interesting. It is normally believed that the French invented champagne
first in the seventeenth century by a monk, Dom Perignon. The
experiments to make champagne by the saint, Dom Pierre Perignon, were
done with the help of the house of Moet et Chandon or M&C. Moet
bought the rights to use the name Dom Perignon from Mercier. It is not
quite clear whether the saint was the actual inventor of champagne
though the myth had been carefully nurtured by the house of Moet.
However, the contributions of the saint to the making of champagne are
immense.
Dom Perignon was the one to suggest that the grapes should not be
harvested on the first day of summer but on a later date. The
harvesting of grapes for champagne is done in September even now. He
further said that the grapes should be pressed gently to get the best
quality champagne. He also introduced the practice of pressing the
grapes in three stages but the third stage of pressing had been banned
at present. Another contribution to champagne making by Dom Perignon
was the idea that different types of grapes should be mixed for high
quality champagne. As such, most of the champagnes prepared today are a
combination of grapes of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier.
On the other hand, a few historians believe that the production of
sparkling wine through a second fermentation, which is an equivalent of
champagne, was done in 1662 itself by Christopher Merret in England.
This is supported by the recordings of Sir George Etheredge in 1676
about sparkling wine preparation.
Another version of the making of sparkling wine in champagne facts
had been documented in 1531, stating the monks of St. Hilaire in
Southern France used this second fermentation method. However, the
regulation imposed in France in 1600 that wine and other alcoholic
beverages must be transported only in vats and not in bottles created a
problem for champagne, since champagne was filled up only in bottles.
This ban was lifted in 1728 and champagne manufacturers started
flourishing. The first champagne houses in France were Ruinart in 1729,
Chanoine in 1730, Taittinger in 1734, Moet in 1743, Abele in 1757,
Clicquot in 1772, and Heidsieck in 1785. Even though Gosset was
established in 1584, it did not deliver champagne till the late
eighteenth century.
Champagne Wine Regions and Champagne Houses
It is firmly held by champagne connoisseurs that champagne is of real
quality only if it originates from the region of Champagne Ardenne. The
main region is further divided into four other areas, namely, La
montagne de Reims or Marne, mainly Pinot Noire, La Valee de la Marne or
Marne et Aisne, La Cote des Blancs or Marne, mainly Chardonay, and La
Cote des Bar or Aube near Troyes. Certain other organizations such as
the Champagne Information Bureau or CIVC use three geographic areas for
champagne production in the Ardenne region. The province of Aisne et la
Seine et Marne or Aisne contains 2,053 hectares of vineyards, Aube et la
Haute-Marne with 5,823 hectares, and Marne with 22,271 hectares of
vineyards are the three areas, known as Aisne, Aube, and Marne. As such,
Marne is the largest area containing champagne vineyards
Seven major champagne houses produce about 50% of the total global
output of the various champagne brands, while another 5,000 companies
supply the balance 50% of the other champagne brands. The seven
champagne majors are LVMH group, consisting of Moet & Chandon, Veuve
Clicquot, Krug, Ruinart, Dom Perignon, and Mercier, VRANKEN group of
Vranken, Pommery, Demoisselle, and Heidsieck Monopole, MARNE group of
Marne & Champagne, Lanson, and Besserat, Allied Domecq of Mumm and
Perrier-Jouet, PERRIER of Laurent Perrier and Cast Lane, REMY COINTREAU
of Piper Heidsieck, Charles Heidsieck, and BCC of Biozel and the Venoge
Philliponat. In the United States, the LVMH group has a market share of
80% in champagne sales.
The true champagne lovers adore every step of drinking champagne. These champagne facts should be understood by all those who want to consume champagne. They first inspect the labels to find out the information and genuineness about the champagne. The label contains the house from which the champagne had come, the type of champagne, the region in which it was produced, the percentage of alcohol, the size of the bottle, the name of the champagne, and the harvesting year.
The next steps are the holding of the champagne glass and the pouring to ensure that it is poured slowly up to three-fourths of the glass without making it too bubbly. After that, the champagne is inspected visually and smelt with the nose. The tasting of the champagne follows by swallowing a tiny quantity that is swirled inside the mouth to savor its taste and flavor. Only if you follow all these etiquettes, you are accepted as a true champagne lover or connoisseur.
Champagne Brands of High Reputation and Large Sales
The major champagne brands that have high reputation and excel in sales volumes are presented here in the order of their production volumes for persons who wish to know all the champagne facts. They are Moet & Chandon, Nicolas Feuillatte, Marne & Champagne, Mumm, Jacquart, Vranken, Veuve Clicquot, Laurent Perrier, Piper Heidsieck, Lanson, Pommery, Mercier, Charles Cazanove, Cast Lane, Canard Duchene, Taittinger, Louis Roederer, Perrier-Jouet, Bollinger, Dom Perignon, Pol Roger, and Krug.Storing and Drinking Champagne
Champagnes are sensitive beverages. Excessive heat, exposure to sunlight or UV rays, or the hot atmosphere in a car can destroy the true taste and quality of good champagne. Champagne retains its best qualities when stored in temperatures between 7o and 12o in a horizontal storage position. Even the storage of champagne in refrigerators is likely to affect the quality of champagne due to the shaking created by the compressor. Basement climate cabinets are the best places to store champagne.The true champagne lovers adore every step of drinking champagne. These champagne facts should be understood by all those who want to consume champagne. They first inspect the labels to find out the information and genuineness about the champagne. The label contains the house from which the champagne had come, the type of champagne, the region in which it was produced, the percentage of alcohol, the size of the bottle, the name of the champagne, and the harvesting year.
The next steps are the holding of the champagne glass and the pouring to ensure that it is poured slowly up to three-fourths of the glass without making it too bubbly. After that, the champagne is inspected visually and smelt with the nose. The tasting of the champagne follows by swallowing a tiny quantity that is swirled inside the mouth to savor its taste and flavor. Only if you follow all these etiquettes, you are accepted as a true champagne lover or connoisseur.