The champagnes, these sparkling drinks with the characteristic flying cork at the festive season, took its name from the region in north-eastern France where it is produced. The name "Champagne" is protected and only sparkling wine produced in the Champagne region can be called Champagne. The same applies to the process that secures these trademark bubbles: only Champagne producers can claim the its use.
The myth of bubbles in champagne
It's a charming legend and the French have long believed it is that Dom Perignon, a monk who had lived at Hautvillers Abbey more than 100 years earlier had experienced a happy accident when he opened a bottle of wine that had been bottled before it was fully fermented.
The wine continued to ferment in the bottle and when the monk went to open it, the cork popped and the wine sparkled and sparkled. Curious, Dom Perignon poured himself a glass. He was delighted with the taste and with the sensation of the little bubbles rising in the his glass.
How bubbles get into champagne
In fact, in the Dom Perignon era, bubbly wine was something to be avoided. It appeared from time to time naturally and was called "the devil's wine" or "pop wine". Bubbles developed when the wine was bottled before the fermentation process was complete.
The pressure is created inside the bottle and often causes either the cork to pop or the bottle to explode. The flying debris would hit other bottles and set off a chain reaction that burst and broke bottles.
This could cause a significant loss of wine. So while it is true that Dom Perignon did a lot to promote wine production, he never tried to create sparkling wine. In fact, he tried to avoid it. It's a simple myth that the French often continue to believe to this day.
