Champagne is one of the most recognized alcoholic beverages around the world. It’s used to toast special occasions, in christenings and in championship celebrations. The drink takes its name from the region of France it’s produced in, Champagne, and is a sparkling wine that has been fermented in the bottle for carbonation after fermenting in barrels.

Champagne is located in the northeastern region of France. The name “Champagne” comes from the Latin word Campania – which is a part of Rome, Italy. Now famous for its namesake sparkling wine, Champagne, France was once renowned for the large fairs held throughout the region in the High Middle Ages (11th – 13th centuries).

The early wine of the Champagne region was pale and even pink in color, using the Pinot noir brand of grape exclusively. It was a carryover from the Roman influence on the land. They were the first to cultivate this region and plant grapes. In 987, Hugh Carpet was named the King of France and the area’s wine was often on display at formal banquets.

Members of the Champagne region, called Champenois, were jealous of the red wine made by the Burgundians. The cooler northern climate in Champagne provided difficult challenges in making red wine as grapes would often fail to properly ripen. Wine would never grow as dark in color or develop a full body like southern wine.

Another side effect of the cold weather was the fermentation process of the wine. When the wine was stored in the barrels and sent to age, the yeast would never fully develop and thus the wine would not fully ferment. Unbeknownst to the winemakers at first, the yeast would return to life in the spring and a second fermentation would begin after the wine was already placed into bottles.

This was a disaster in the minds of winemakers. Most of the wine bottles at the time were made of thin glass and would explode while being stored – and those that did not explode would have bubbles which the winemakers thought to be dreadful.

The second fermentation of the yeast was causing C02 gas to be released. The carbon dioxide was trapped within the liquid and nearly every winemaker was busy trying to figure out how to rid the wine of these bubbles.

By the 17th century, Champenois winemakers were trying everything they knew of to get rid of the bubbles in their wine. One of the most notable winemakers of the era was Dom Perignon, a Benedictine monk. Their efforts were going nowhere; however, little did the winemakers know that others appreciated this wine.

The French had learned to love their pale and still wine over the centuries. The British, however, now preferred this French bubbling wine. Royalty and other aristocrats enjoyed the pale, sparkling and carbonated drink. After the death of Louis XIV in 1715, champagne was the most popular drink among nobility.

The drink eventually caught on worldwide, but only the French could perfect the art at first. Others attempted to recreate it, but due to prohibition in America and a revolution in Russia, champagne returned to its French roots. Today there are numerous sparkling wines from other parts of the world, but the most exclusive of them all is still champagne from this north-eastern pocket of France.