1490 Hartmanns Mag 30-56 TP:Layout 121/2/08 10:14 Page 17
Champagne
...another greatpleasurethat
puts sparkle intoyour life
By Jo Hine
acrebleu, if his Benedictine superiors had had their way predates Dom Perignon to 1535 when it is thought to have been
all thosecenturies ago,Dom Perignon would have been created more by happenstance than design.Indeed, the firstS
compelled to conjure up amethod of purging champagneof sparkling wine is saidtohave been madeinEngland -not France -
its natural effervescence. where wine was imported fromacross the Channelincasksbefore
sugar and molasses were added to createfizz.
Fortunately,the 17th century monk, afterwhom Moet &Chandon
named their famous champagne, couldn’t or wouldn’t adhere to the But Dom Perignon did createand advance many of the processes
divine instruction to denythe wineits sparkle. It wasn’t thathis stillemployedinthe champagneindustrytoday,all these
Frenchsuperiorswere killjoysper se, they actually had avery centurieslater.His inventions includethe wire collar that so
practical motive for wantingchampagne’s fizzremoved, as the deftly holds the cork in place against the bursting enthusiasm of
pressure in the bottles was causingagreat manyofthem to the bottle’s contents.
explode in the cellar at the Abbey of Hautvilliers in the Champagne
region.Indeed, as sparkling wine production increased in the It was in the firsthalf of the 19th century thatmost of the great
1700s, cellarworkers took to wearingheavy iron masks for their champagnehouses we recognisetoday were formed. At this time,
own protection against spontaneously explodingbottles! Bollinger,PerrierJouët,Charles Heidsieckand dozens of others
wereacquiring land once ownedbythe Benedictines and setting
Popular folklore has it that Perignon actually invented champagne, down roots into Champagne’s unique white soil, which reflects
and while this charming version has considerable romantic appeal, sunshine back onto the ripening fruits and keeps the vines warm
it is nonethelessnow widely regarded as fable. Champagne, in fact, throughoutthe cold winter months.
46
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60