The history of champagne

The Romans were the first to plant vines in the Champagne region. The wine they produced from them was still, not sparkling. Thanks to its proximity to Paris and the activities of the monasteries in Reims and Châlons-en-Champagne, viticulture survived, though it did not gain significant popularity.

In 1114, the Bishop of Châlons-en-Champagne issued a deed of ownership to the abbot of the Benedictine monastery Saint-Pierre-aux-Monts in Châlons (“grande charte champenoise”). This document included vineyard lands in today’s production area, such as Hautvillers, Cumières, Aÿ, and Oger.

This charter is considered the founding document of the Champagne wine region.

During the reign of Henry IV, the name Vin de Champagne became established in the capital, Paris, whereas previously it had been lost among the anonymous masses of wines from the wider Paris area. Initially, the producers in the region disliked the designation, as the term Champagne (from Latin campania, meaning “field” or “open landscape”) referred to infertile land used mainly as sheep pasture. Despite this, the wine gradually gained popularity at the royal courts of France and England.

It was not until 1670 that the foundations for the Champagne we know today were laid: the originally still white wine became a sparkling wine. In the 17th century, wine began to be bottled directly in the production region to preserve its freshness, as the wine did not survive transport in barrels very well. Because of the early bottling, the wine unintentionally continued to ferment in the bottles. If the English had not enjoyed this fizzy wine so much, bottling might have been abandoned. Winemakers were not pleased with the popping corks, as this caused significant losses. Well into the 19th century, storing and distributing Champagne was dangerous and risky. Due to inconsistent glass quality and varying fermentation processes inside the bottles, some bottles exploded in the cellars or during transport due to carbon dioxide pressure. Cellar workers wore iron masks for safety, making them look like medieval torturers. The wine thus earned the nickname “Devil’s Wine.”

Only the development of controlled bottle fermentation made it possible to master the process. As early as December 17, 1662, Christopher Merret described in a paper submitted to the Royal Society some observations concerning the ordering of wines, mentioning the deliberate addition of sugar to give wines freshness and sparkle. The method was further developed by the Benedictine monk Dom Pérignon (1638–1715), cellar master of the Abbey of Hautvillers. He refined the art of blending and making white wine from red grapes. He sealed his bottles with a cork tied down with string. He worked together with the cellar master Frère Jean Oudart in Saint-Pierre-aux-Monts, who was reportedly the first to use a dosage during bottling. Still, the quality of the wine remained inconsistent. Only after Louis Pasteur’s studies did people truly understand the fundamentals of fermentation.

In 1728, transporting wine in bottles was officially permitted. One year later, Nicolas Ruinart founded the oldest Champagne house still in existence. Although the Gosset family had been documented as wine merchants since 1584, their continuity is not fully verified. Trading houses such as Heidsieck, Moët, Perrier-Jouët, and Bollinger contributed to international distribution, giving the wine the reputation it enjoys today. Unlike many other trades, women played an important role in the development of Champagne, with names like Madame Pommery, Madame Perrier, and Madame Clicquot still well known.

A retrospective by Arno Widmann notes:
May 25, 1728 — A royal decree by Louis XV allows the French to transport wine not only in barrels but also in bottles. This decree marks the starting point for one of France’s most successful exports, now lasting almost 300 years. Winemakers were at first reluctant, but since the wine continued to ferment in bottles and customers—especially the English—loved the sparkling drink, Champagne quickly became a booming business. The still-existing house Ruinart was founded shortly after the decree in 1729 by a cloth merchant who recognized the European potential of French sparkling wine.

Until the 19th century, Champagne was cloudy because yeast from the second fermentation remained in the bottle. In 1806, Madame Clicquot (Veuve Clicquot), together with her German cellar master Antoine Müller and Alfred Werlé, invented the techniques of riddling (remuage) and disgorgement (dégorgement). The first riddling rack was said to be just a kitchen table. The technique was first mentioned in 1813 in André Jullien’s Manuel du Sommelier. In 1884, Raymond Abelé invented a disgorging machine using an ice bath.

In the 19th century, Champagne developed into a globally recognized luxury drink. In 1804, Veuve Clicquot produced the first rosé Champagne. Around 1870, the first vintage Champagnes were bottled. Labels, appearing around 1830, contributed to brand identity. In 1882, 36 million bottles were produced, three-quarters of which were exported. After Britain, the United States became the largest market. The upswing ended with the phylloxera plague. The Champagne region was affected relatively late, around 1895. Many vineyards were abandoned, and the selection of grape varieties shifted to today’s dominant Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay. In 1908, the use of the name Champagne was legally restricted to wines from the departments Marne and Aisne. After protests, the winemakers of Aube regained their rights in 1911, causing unrest in Marne. Eventually, Champagne production was limited to Marne, while other areas were classified as Champagne Deuxième Zone until 1927. Also in 1911, all villages were classified on a percentage scale (échelle des crus), determining grape prices.

Interestingly, true Champagne was also produced outside the Champagne region—in Luxembourg’s capital. At the beginning of the Belle Époque, in 1885, the house Mercier decided to move part of its Champagne production there to benefit from customs advantages in the German Customs Union. The Luxembourg Moselle region remains the only wine-growing area outside France allowed to use the designation “Crémant” for quality sparkling wine made using bottle fermentation.

Champagne suffered greatly during World War I, as many battles took place in the region. The Russian Revolution and American Prohibition caused significant export losses. Under the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was prohibited from using the name Champagne. By 1927, only 9,000 hectares of permitted vineyard area were still planted. Many winemakers were forced to distance themselves from large houses and seek their own distribution channels, leading to many small family-owned Champagne estates still operating today. This period likely contributed to the strong union organization in Champagne’s cellars—still a stronghold of the CGT union. Only in the 1930s did increasing domestic sales bring economic recovery.

Since 1936, Champagne has celebrated the feast of St. Vincent of Valencia, patron saint of winemakers, on January 22. His veneration dates back to the Merovingian era, supported by Childeric I. His role as patron of vineyards in Burgundy and Champagne may stem from a folk etymology linking his name Vin-cent (“wine-one”). Even today, January 22 marks midwinter and the beginning of pruning.

During the German occupation in World War II, the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC) was founded, which today oversees production and represents the interests of producers. The increasing prosperity after 1945 brought Champagne a new boom, pushing production to unprecedented levels. In 1999, the fixed system for setting grape prices based on village ratings was abolished. A record 327 million bottles were sold in 1999, a figure surpassed in 2007 with 338.7 million bottles. To expand vineyard area, abandoned vineyards in the Côte de Sézanne and near Vitry-le-François were replanted. An expansion to 357 municipalities has been approved, with the first grapes expected to be harvested there in 2017.

The global financial crisis also affected Champagne: sales fell by 4.8% in 2008 to 322.5 million bottles and by another 9.1% in 2009 to 293.3 million bottles. In response, the permitted yield for 2009 was reduced to 9,700 kg of grapes per hectare.

The CIVC has applied to the ministries in Paris for the Champagne landscapes (Paysages du Champagne) to be added to the UNESCO World Heritage List, honoring and protecting the unique ensemble of vineyard landscapes and chalk-cellar architecture.

Source: Wikipedia