History of champagne
The first vineyards appear in Champagne between the first and the fourth century. The "One hundred years war" destroys the vineyard of the Champagne province; The vineyards are abandoned and the presses destroyed. It is only at the end of the fifteenth century that The expansion will start once again.
The monk Dom Pérignon ( 1638-1715 ), from the Hautvilliers abbey would have participated in a better understanding of the sparkling process which was rather unpredictable and which hampered particularly the transport of the wine since this one could only be sold in barrel. If the fermentation was not mastered, barrels would burst while in transit, besides, only still wines were in demand. We lend to Dom Pérignon an important role in the assembly system.
In 1685, the cork made of cork bark improves the waterproofness of bottles. However, it is in 1723 that the sale of wine in bottle is authorized.
The soft and progressive pressuring process of the black grapes to obtain a white juice begins at the end of the seventeenth century. The use of exogenous sugar extends from 1820 on. The use of exogenous yeasts will be perfected in the twentieth century.
The shape of the bottle dates from 1735. The name of "wine of Champagne" first appears at the end of the eighteenth century and in 1887 a court decision from the Court of Appeals of Angers recognizes the use of the word "Champagne" exclusively for wines issued from the Champagne province.
The first physical demarcation of the wine tradition's criteria dates from 1908 and represents 15 000 hectares with Reims, Epernay and Vitry-le-François. The prices of grapes are fixed thanks to the scale of vintage wines created in 1911. The current demarcation dates from July 22nd, 1927 and includes the county of Aube thereby increasing the surface to 34 000 hectares of which 33 000 are planted.
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