A Little History of Champagne for Mothers Day
"Come,
for I am drinking stars!"
Dom Perignon
Dom Perignon
With Mother’s Day fast approaching many find themselves
scrambling to make those last-minute Sunday Brunch reservations. The one day a year we celebrate our adoration
to our mother’s with the delicacies of brunch and of course champagne, plenty
of champagne. With that in mind, let’s
consider the history, source, and profiles of this wonderful, bubbly drink that
has a seat at every brunch table.
The history of Champagne dates
back to the 17th century when in the cold, northeastern region of France,
bubbles accidentally appeared in bottles of fermenting wine. That's right. This
celebrated beverage first began in Champagne, France as a science experiment.
The trapped carbon dioxide bubbles were not originally intended to be part of
the wine. Although these magical bubbles
were a created via a historical faux pas, it took the visionary Dom Perignon, a Benedictine monk and cellar master at
the abbey Saint-Pierre d’Hautvillers, to
master the production of Champagne.
Champagne, we’re talking REAL champagne, comes from the
Champagne region of France. If it’s not from this region it is Sparkling
Wine, plain and simple. Apologies to all
the Korbel’s of the world, but in the eyes of the wine drinking world you are
not invited to the club. Sidelined –
noses firmly placed against the glass – on the outside looking in on the Champagne
world. The Champagne region includes the major cities of Epernay and Reims.
It lies about 90 miles east of Paris. The region is home to such famous labels
as: Collet, Mumm,
Mercier, Moet & Chandon, Joseph Perrier, Perrier-Jouet, Taittinger, Veuve Cliquot.
One of the beauties of Champagne is the remarkable diversity
of styles that come from such a small corner of the world. Each style and type
of Champagne is designed to please the various preferences in taste. The
primary types of Champagne include Blanc de Blancs, Blanc de Noirs and Rosé. One must
also consider sugar content and of course context. In terms of sugar content: “brut” or “sec” is
going to give you a sweeter champagne, while “dry” is going to give you a less
sweeter variety. The majority of champagne
consumed is of these two styles, yet, one must also consider the almighty rose,
yes the rose. This is the key to any
womens heart and a perfect opener to any romantic interlude.
In the end champagne may
go down as one of the greatest mistakes of all time, but one thing is for
sure. Champagne will always go down as a
refreshing delicious way to celebrate a special occasion – or even to celebrate
the perfect Sunday.
