An Intro to Champagne

Nothing says the holidays are almost here like champagne. Of course, we celebrate the arrival of the new year with a bottle and a toast. But champagne is also appropriate on other holidays, like Thanksgiving and Christmas.

In fact, why do we celebrate by drinking champagne? And why is the drinking of champagne often reserved just for those momentous times?

Well, it comes from the medieval courts of Europe, or so wine historians believe. Champagne was so difficult to produce, it became extremely expensive. And thus, celebrating with it became a status symbol, reserved only for royalty– and only on the most auspicious occasions.

You can bring the royal touch to your holidays by celebrating with real champagne.

Fun Facts About the Champagne Region

The often-butchered meme says, “It’s only champagne if it’s grown in the Champagne region of France. Otherwise, it’s just sparkling wine.”  But did you know that’s actually true? It comes from the 1891 Madrid Treaty which set the standards for champagne vs. sparkling wine all around the world.

Why? It’s all about the grapes. Champagne is only made from the Pinot Meunier, Pinot noir, and Chardonnay grapes grown of the Champagne region.

Located about an hour outside of Paris, Champagne is the former home to Napoleon, Charles DeGaulle, and, of course, Dom Perignon, who was not the elegant Coco Chanel-meets-James-Bond type you’re picturing but actually a 17th-century Benedictine monk. It’s also home to the famous and ancient French cities of Troyes and Reims, the latter of which is the seat of French kings since the days of the Gauls and Romans.

A sparsely-populated, rural area of France, the Champagne region has been home to many famous battles since the French revolution, including the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944.

Other crops grown in the area include alfalfa, wheat, barley, sugar beets, and other cereals and legumes.

Our Next Champagne Event

October 22nd, 2021 is National Champagne Day. To celebrate, we will be offering three champagne flights from the Champagne region all week long, starting the evening of 10/19. For $25 a pour, you’ll get to sample Laurent Perrier, Taittinger, and Chateau Thienot. It will be a great night for champagne fiends to revisit old friends or for those who have been too intimidated previously by champagne to find something they really enjoy.