I did a bit of digging on the way into this week of Champagne. Obviously the method they use to make it won’t have been possible until a few hundred years go due to the technology and science involved. As with many things that are great with the modern world, it wouldn’t have been possible without (and I say this with all modesty given I had nothing at all to do with it) the English.
Back in the 17th century it was an English scientist called Christopher Merret that laid most of the ground work for the Champagne Method, many years before the work of the famous Dom Pérignan.
It was also the English glassmakers that first engineered the extra thick bottle that could withstand the extra pressure created by the second fermentation. Nobody else was at this level in the 17th century, and without it the Champagne Method could not have been developed.
It was the Champagne house of Perrier-Jouët, back in 1846, that “invented” the modern brut style of Champagne. They did it for the English market. Before this most Champagnes were sweet, with the Russians in particular loving so much added sugar it’d make dessert wines blush.
You’re welcome world!
Cheers
Other Posts in #NWTW Week 51:
#NWTW Week 51: Champagne For Christmas and New Year’s (Part One)
#NWTW Week 51: Champagne For Christmas and New Year’s (Part Two)
#NWTW Week 51: What Is Champagne?
