Champagne

The history of champagne is shrouded in fascination and mystery. One of the few wines to which an inventor has been attributed is the Benedictine abbot Dom Pierre Pérignon . However, there are several versions about its origin. The wines of the Champagne region were known since the Middle Ages , produced mainly by the monks of the many abbeys in the area. These wines were also used as mass wine. The French rulers appreciated these fine and light wines, so much so that they offered them as a sign of homage to other European sovereigns. However, at the time, they were mainly still wines, without foam and red in color.

Around the 1670 , the young Benedictine monk Pierre Perignon he arrived at the Abbey of Hautvillers, near Épernay. He found the convent and the vineyards in a state of abandonment and worked to restore them. Pérignon devoted himself to the production of wine with great perfectionism. He chose the best grapes, favored the most suitable soils for cultivation and refined the techniques of blending the wines, such as assembling grapes of the same type from different areas. These techniques are still characteristic of the production of champagne today.

Champagne is produced using the classic method , also known as the traditional method . The main grape varieties used are Pinot noir , Pinot meunier and Chardonnay . The winemaking process involves careful selection of the grapes, blending and gentle pressing to obtain a clear must even from the black grapes. These techniques help create the characteristic flavour of champagne. There are different types of champagne, each with its own peculiarities, and the bottles are sealed with corks and wire.