Champagne: History and Development By Anna Lea Albright, Michelle Choi, and Jason Floyd Rich History of Reims, the de facto capital of the Champagne Region • The word ‘Champagne’ is derived from LaEn campania for field, likening the region with its rolling plains to the Campania region south of Rome – According to legend, Reims was founded by Remus, Romulus’ brother who founds ancient Rome, on a site home to numerous CelEc tribes. At its height, Reims was the most populated Gallo-­‐Roman city north of the Alps – Romans start culEvaEng vineyards in the surrounding Champagne region in the 5th century •  Clovis, Frankish king, bapEzed in Reims Cathedral on Christmas Day 498, establishing the connecEon between French Kings, the Catholic Church, and the Champagne region •  816: Louis I, first King of France, crowned in Cathedral of Reims (photo in appendix) with reference to Clovis’ bapEsm to explain this decision. From 11th century onwards, Reims became ‘CoronaEon Cathedral’, and 33 kings of France crowned at Reims, last being Charles X in 1825. •  In medieval Emes, the region’s strategic geographic posiEon brings invading armies (100 Years’ War, 30 Years’ War), but also trade and cultural exchange. Famed ‘Fairs of Champagne’ for Champagne cloth. Champagne wine not yet famous and o^en given away to incenEvize cloth purchasing. During this Eme, monasteries are centers of wine culEvaEon and wine making. • 
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Champagne Region and terroir The Champagne region in northeastern France (150 km east of Paris) encompasses 34,000 hectares of vineyards Champagne mainly made from three varietals, chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier ConnecEon between terroir (‘land’) and flavor –  The major features of the region’s terroir—its climate, – 
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soil, and relief– interact to create this one-­‐of-­‐a-­‐kind wine The northern laEtude means vines are planted at the northernmost limit of their cold tolerance, giving the grapes a higher acidity, and high ester and low tannin content. The region is subject to both oceanic and conEnental influences (‘dual climate’). Oceanic influence brings steady rainfall, while the conEnental influence ensures high sunlight levels in summer, but also brings devastaEng winter frosts. These weather paeerns disEnguish Champagne viEculture from other areas producing similar wines. The region is also characterized by its limestone soil composiEon, which enhances water storage and gives the wine a unique mineral flavor, and hillside vineyards, which combine good drainage with intense sun exposure Region is a “mosaic of micro-­‐terroirs…with as many geographical permutaEons in Champagne as there are plots of vines” (Comité Champagne) See photo appendix. Photo Source: Champagne.fr
What Makes This Wine Different? Biology of the Process •  UnEl the late 18th century, Champagne makers did not understand the second fermentaEon process. Frederik the Great was known for ordering scienEsts at the Prussian Academy of Science to study research champagne, but ironically refused to donate a boele for research. •  During preparaEon/transportaEon, grapes must be intact and sorted; skin maceraEon causes oxidaEon, and grapes infected with grey mold ruin the fizz and taste. •  Champagne processing requires two different fermentaEons. The first, where yeasts naturally found on grape skins consume sugar and release alcohol, CO2, and other compounds, results in a relaEvely flat end product. A^er first fermentaEon, the grapes are blended. •  When temperatures in the Champagne region fell in autumn, yeast acEvity stopped, only to restart with warming temperatures in the spring—hence, a ‘second fermentaEon’ when wine transferred from barrels to boeles in the warmer spring months. During secondary fermentaEon, more yeast and sugar are added to the base, and the boele is sealed, resulEng in further CO2 producEon and ensuring that it remains trapped in the champagne. –  By the summer, second fermentaEon would occur more rapidly, causing excess bubbling that destroyed up to 90% of stored boeles through explosions in the 1750’s •  When the champagne boele is opened towards the end of producEon, yeast and about 80% of CO2 are released before it is re-­‐corked. SEll, the remaining 20% are enough to create the effervescence manifested in 20 million bubbles per champagne flute. The Science of Champagne Fizz •  Champagne effervescence long considered a flaw; Champagne wine judged inferior to Burgundian red wine. Called ‘Devil’s wine” because so many boeles exploded from the pressure generated by fermentaEon and due to briele boeles, leading to injury and death •  When boele is popped, 5% of the energy converts into kineEc energy; 95% converts to sound energy. The gas temperature drops as CO2 pressure is released, creaEng a cloud of ethanol and water vapor, which condenses due to the cooling. •  Champagne’s fizz results from the presence of microscopic cellulose fibers that cling to champagne glasses (le^over from a towel used to wipe the glass) via electrostaEc forces. These fibers develop internal gas pockets as champagne fills the glass, and the pockets lower the energy barrier required for a CO2 bubble to form, allowing the champagne to deposit CO2 into the pocket unEl bubbles form •  The bubbles enhance taste since the bursEng CO2 propels both the smell and taste of the champagne into the drinker’s mouth/nose English InnovaEons •  In 1662, an Englishman (!), Oxford-­‐educated scienEst Christopher Merree, presents a paper to the Royal Society delineaEng the process of making sparkling wine. Adding sugar to boeles triggers a ‘second fermentaEon’, resulEng in a “brisk and sparkling” beverage. This technique later becomes known as “méthode champenoise”. •  In the 1660’s, the English invented thick glass boeles from quartz sand that helped reduce breakage, which could withstand the pressure generated by in-­‐boele fermentaEon. They also sourced boele stoppers from Portuguese cork, which were unique since the wood was cut such that lenEcels, sites of gas exchange in tree bark, are arranged perpendicular to the upright boele, and carbonaEon does not escape the boele (see photo in appendix) •  During 18th century, English discover that a liquer de dosage (a mixture made of cinnamon, cloves, sugar, and molasses) could be used to preserve bubbles over long storage periods •  First wrieen reference of sparkling Champagne in Sir George Etherege’s RestoraEon comedy of manners, The Man of Mode (1676). Within a few years, Champagne wines were all the rage in England, a few years before Champagne’s popularity in France •  So, the English technically invented Champagne, but it was the French who improved quality and consistency Details of Corks and Glasses (Flutes) •  To make a cork, the cork board is cut into strips, which are then placed sideways and cork is punched out perpendicular to cork growth. This process ensure lenEcels, or sites of gas exchange in bark, are posiEoned on the part of the cork touching the glass when the cork is inserted in the boele. This arrangement reduces potenEal leakage of fluid and carbonaEon through the lenEcels. •  Today, many corks are made out of cork chunks, glue, and silicone; gives corks their marshmallow feel that allows it to compress. They are designed such that, when chilled to 50 degrees (ideal drinking temperatures), they can be eased, rather than popped, out. •  Meanwhile, champagne glasses (flutes) are o^en intenEonally contain ~20 scratches that form a ring shape, which help control bubbling paeerns by providing consistent regions for bubbles to form Photos: Top-­‐ Cork LenEcil; Boeom-­‐ Champagne flute Dom Pérignon revoluEonizes Champagne making •  In 1668, Dom Pérignon, a BenedicEne monk, was hired at the Abbey Hautvillers and charged with improving its winemaking, the abbey’s principal source of income, specifically ridding the Champagne of its bubbles. •  Dom Pérignon did not succeed (thankfully!) in eliminaEng carbonaEon but did make key discoveries to improve Champagne quality, including separaEng red grapes from their skins to make white wine, and blending different species and varieEes of grapes for a fuller taste. He also avoided using white grapes since they required secondary fermentaEon. •  He had incredible prescience to arEficially select beeer-­‐tasEng varieEes, as well as to realize that grapes grown in different soil and climate condiEons (local terroir/microclimate) had different tastes •  Today, Dom Pérignon o^en refers to a presEgious brand of vintage Champagne from the house Moët & Chandon Photo: heps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Champagne Great French Wine Blight •  Introduced to Europe in 1850’s, and officially documented in France in 1863 in the village of Pujaut in the department of Gard of the former province of Languedoc •  Commonly believed to be caused by venom of the aphid Daktulosphaira viEfoliae, known as grape phylloxera – The toxin from the aphid’s venom corrodes the root structure, ulEmately stopping sap pressure and forcing the aphid to constantly move from vine to vine, making them hard to find and idenEfy •  Jules-­‐Émile Planchon discovered the aphid clinging to dead and dying roots in 1868, but Europe did not officially accept them as the cause of the blight unEl 1870 •  The introducEon of phylloxera was the product of large amounts of experimentaEon with different American varieEes in Europe, and the newly uElized steamship mode of transportaEon gave phylloxera an increased chance of transAtlanEc survival •  Around 40% of French vineyards were devastated over a 15 year period •  The economic damage to France from the Great French Wine Blight is esEmated to have been over 10 million Francs Blight SoluEons •  To prevent any more damage, French wine growers Leo Laliman and Gaston Bazille proposed the pracEce of gra^ing French vines with the aphid-­‐resistant North American varieEes •  Following the success of this approach in the 1870s and 1880s, France began the “reconsEtuEon” of their vineyards with the gra^ing method, and those who implemented this popular technique of gra^ing rootstock were known as “Americanists” or “wood https://www.agric.wa.gov.au
merchants” •  Contrary to the Americanists were the “Chemists” who refused to use north American rootstock and conEnued to try different pesEcides and flood irrigaEon techniques to combat the blight and maintain the geographical integrity of their vineyards •  Today there are sEll some vines which were never gra^ed nor fatally affected by phylloxera, and wines which are labeled “pre-­‐phylloxera” are deemed completely different than wines produced from reconsEtuted vines. For this reason, they are sold at a much higher price. Modern-­‐day Issues •  New, growing markets in Africa and Asia •  Intellectual property rights debates –  Growth in champagne’s popularity prompted its widespread development outside of France, leading to the generalizaEon of the term to refer to “sparkling wine”; spurs movement to clarify the word’s meaning –  In 1936, France introduced the “appelaEon d’origine contrôlée”, which ensures that champagne can only be trademarked if they complyto strict criteria; meant to preserve purity of geographic indicaEons used in adverEsement •  Importance of terroir and unique flavor profile arising from the interplay of geography, history, and biology. “Champagne only comes from Champagne, France”, o^en repeated moeo, connecEon to local food culture elsewhere (i.e. ‘locavores’ in United States) – Widespread sensiEvity about purity of Champagne grape origin; even in 1890’s, when foreign grapes were used, champagne prices dropped over 50% •  Champagne “hillsides, houses and cellars” declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015 – Today there are over 84k acres of land in the region, with ~300 million boeles with a value of $6.2 billion in 2011 Photo Appendix Cathedral of Reims, then and now hep://about-­‐france.com/regions/champagne.htm “A Mosaic of Micro-­‐Terroirs” Source hep://www.champagne.fr/en/terroir-­‐appellaEon/champagne-­‐terroir/champagne-­‐terroir-­‐personality Sources (1) •  “The World Atlas of Wine, 7th EdiEon” Johnson, H. and Robinson J. hep://www.amazon.com/The-­‐World-­‐Atlas-­‐Wine-­‐EdiEon/dp/1845336895 •  “Champagne granted world heritage status by UNESCO” BBC News, July 2015 hep://www.bbc.com/news/world-­‐europe-­‐33398532 •  T. Stevenson, ed. “The Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopedia” 4th EdiEon. Dorling Kindersley 2005 •  J. Robinson (ed) “The Oxford Companion to Wine” Third EdiEon. Oxford University Press, 2006. •  “Reims, 2000 years of history”. hep://www.reims-­‐tourism.com/Discover/Heritage/Reims-­‐2000-­‐years-­‐of-­‐
history •  “Comité Champagne” hep://www.champagne.fr •  “Wine Corks”, Dharmadhikari, M. Iowa State University hep://www.extension.iastate.edu/wine/corks •  “Bark”, Darling, D. Encyclopedia of Science. hep://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/B/bark.html •  “A Case of Champagne: a study of geographical indicaEons” Jay, T. Taylor, M. Bond University. hep://epublicaEons.bond.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
arEcle=1028&context=cgej Sources (2) •  “Where is my champagne?” IP Law Blog. Weintraub Law Firm. hep://www.theiplawblog.com/2012/05/arEcles/trademark-­‐law/where-­‐is-­‐
my-­‐champagne/ •  Janet Hulstrand. “Snapshot: The Champagne Region.” The Smithsonian. hep://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/snapshot-­‐the-­‐champagne-­‐
region-­‐66648/?no-­‐ist •  Guillaume Polidori, Phillipe Jeandet, and Gérard Liger-­‐Belair. “Bubbles and Flow Paeerns in Champagne.” American ScienEst. hep://www.americanscienEst.org/issues/feature/2009/4/bubbles-­‐and-­‐
flow-­‐paeerns-­‐in-­‐champagne/4 •  “The Champagne Terroir.” Champagne Marc Chauvet. hep://en.champagne-­‐marc-­‐chauvet.com/vineyard/the-­‐champagne-­‐
terroir.html •  “Spo€ng a Blind wine.” Thirty Fi^y. hep://www.thirtyfi^y.co.uk/spotlight-­‐spo€ng-­‐a-­‐blind-­‐wine.asp •  “Great French Wine Blight.” Wine Por•olio. hep://www.winepor•olio.com/secEonLearn-­‐Great-­‐French-­‐Wine-­‐Blight.html •  “RecogniEon of the Champagne AppellaEon.” hep://www.champagne.fr/en/terroir-­‐appellaEon/appellaEon/recogniEon-­‐
of-­‐the-­‐champagne-­‐appellaEon Sources (3) •  Eric Asimov. “A Champagne True to Its Roots.” The New York Times, 2006. hep://www.nyEmes.com/2006/06/14/dining/14pour.html?
pagewanted=all&_r=0 •  Gérard Liger-­‐Belair. Uncorked: The Science of Champagne. Princeton University Press, 1980. 10-­‐17. •  KersEn Ehmer and Beate Hindermann. The School of SophisEcated Drinking: An IntoxicaEng History of Seven Spirits. Greystone Books. Vancouver, 2015. p 177-­‐ 215. •  Iain Gately. Drink: A Cultural History of Alcohol. Gotham Books, 2008. Ch. 27. •  Kollen M. Guy. When Champagne Became French: Wine and Making of a NaEonal IdenEty. The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003. 5-­‐9. •  ed. Stephen Charters. The Business of Champagne. Routledge, 2012. •  Pagan Kennedy. “Who Made that Champagne Cork?” The New York Times, 2012. hep://www.nyEmes.com/2012/12/23/magazine/who-­‐made-­‐that-­‐
champagne-­‐cork.html