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In 1783 Pilatre de Rozier and Marquis d'Arlandes became
the first men to ascend in a Montgolfier hot air balloon,
they celebrated this magnificent achievement with champagne,
and you will continue this tradition, with our compliments.
Until medieval times, it was the monks who tended the vines: the wine was blessed and drunk during mass. The wines of Champagne were given a unique destiny when the paths of geography and history crossed. It was Saint Rémi, bishop of Rheims, whilst living in a villa surrounded by vineyards near to the present town of Epérnay, who baptised Clovis when he converted. The first King of France was anointed with wine from the Champagne region one Christmas evening in 496. Several centuries later, the marriage of Jeanne de Navarre, heiress of Champagne, to the heir to the French throne, later Philip the Fair, linked the destiny of the Lords of Champagne to the crown of France.
Blessed by history
Between 898 and 1825 the kings of France were crowned in Rheims, at the heart of the Champagne region. At the accompanying festivities, Champagne flowed freely. The wines were appreciated for their taste and finesse, and were to become the wines offered in homage to any visiting monarchs. Francis I received a few casks, as did Mary Stuart (later Mary Queen of Scots); whilst Louis XVI was offered several hundred pints for his coronation.
From the 12th century onwards, Champagne's reputation began to cross borders and their prestige grew continuously. As they grew in notoriety and were appreciated by the greats of this world, Champagne wines were the chosen wines for celebrations and major events.
Three centuries of Genius
In the beginning, the wines of Champagne were still, light and crisp. But it was only from the end of the 17th century that they became sparkling wines. This made them the uncontested Kings of the world's celebrations. The Champenois, already dedicated to the unstinting search for excellence, made two fundamental advances.
The pressing of black grapes to produce white wine
This inspired idea enabled the Champenois to produce a white wine of such purity and shine, as well as prolonging the life of the wine (up to 3 – 4 years). A slow but progressive pressing was needed, the general principals of which are still in use today.
Capturing the sparkle
At the beginning, the natural fermentation of the wines began in the Autumn, slowing with the onset of the winter chill in the cellars. The wines retained a proportion of their sugar and as soon as the temperature began to rise with the arrival of spring, the fermentation started again. But as the wines were kept in large barrels, the effervescence escaped. When bottles replaced barrels, the wines natural sparkle remained imprisoned until they were opened. This is how Champagne wines found their sparkle.
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