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Wine History and Production - Science and Wine
History of Champagne
 Perhaps one of the most important scientific advances in the field of wine making was the discovery of Champagne. In 1668 a monk named Dom Perignon was appointed the treasurer of Hautvilliers Abbey in the Champagne region of France. The Hautvilliers Abbey wanted to develop its wine trade and felt that Dom Perignon was the man who could achieve that goal.
One of Perignon's first successes was to organize the grape harvest in such a way that truly white wine could be produced. He also studied wines to discover the best ways to preserve them without losing their flavours or textures. Perignon developed the following rules to ensure a good vintage:
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Only use Pinot Noir. |
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Prune the vines so that they will grow no higher than three feet. |
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Keep the grapes intact during harvest, and work in as cool weather as possible. |
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Do not tread the grapes and be sure that none of their skin ends up in the juice. |
Perignon discovered that the greener and lighter his wines, the more apt they were to fizz in the spring. Ironically, Perignon spent his life trying to prevent this fizzing, but the European public demanded more and more of the sparkling wine. Eventually Champagne became the rage in European society and its production rate soared.
Because sparkling wines had a tendency to explode in their bottles, their storage cellars required special attention. It was found that deep cellars with consistent temperatures had the lowest quantity of burst bottles. Champagne, although quite admired in Europe, was not established as an industry until the 19th century. This industrialisation helped Champagne become one of the most desired and circulated wines of the 19th and 20th centuries.
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