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Champagne! What it really is.

Bills-Package-Store-Clarksville-TN-Champagne-BubblyBills Package Store wants you to sound smart this New Year’s Eve.

 

 

What is Champagne?

Champagne is a sparkling wine that comes from the Champagne region of northeastern France. If it’s from somewhere else, it’s not champagne… it’s sparkling wine. Most people use the term champagne generically but the French maintain their legal right of calling their wines champagne.

How is it made?

Sparkling wines are traditionally made by a process called methode champenoise. It starts out as a normal wine:

  • The grapes are harvested, pressed, and allowed to undergo primary fermentation.
  • The acidic results of this process are then blended and bottled with a bit of yeast and sugar.
  • This process makes a secondary fermentation in the bottle which makes the bubbles.
  • The bottles are then stored horizontally for 15 months or more.
  • The bottle is then turned upside down so the “lees” can settle to the bottom.
  • Once the dead yeast (lees) has settled, they open the bottle and remove the yeast.
  • They then add a bit of sugar to determine the sweetness of the champagne and then slip the cork onto the bottle.

Who the heck is Dom Perignon?

Perignon was a Benedictine monk who worked as cellar master at an abbey near Epernay during the 17th and 18th centuries. In Perignon’s day, sparkling wine wasn’t a sought-after beverage. The bubbles were considered to be a flaw.  Early production methods made producing wine somewhat dangerous. Temperature controls lead to fermentation starting again after the wine was in the bottle. If one bottle in a cellar exploded, it would start a chain reaction. Perignon helped standardize production methods to avoid these explosions, and he also added two safety features

  • Thicker glass bottles that better with-stood pressure
  • Rope snare that helped keep corks in place

Who started the tradition of spraying athletes with champagne?

When Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt won the grueling 24 hours of Le Mans race in 1967, they ascended the winner’s podium with a bottle of champagne in hand. Gurney looked down and saw team owner Carroll Shelby and Ford Motors CEO Henry Ford II standing with some journalists and decided to have a bit of fun. Gurney gave the bottle a shake and sprayed the crowd, and a new tradition was born.

Knowing these facts will make you seem smarter at your next party but bringing a bottle of the bubbly from Bill’s Package Store will make you even more popular!

Bill’s offers superior quality, top-shelf brands of your favorite liquors and wine at the lowest prices in Clarksville, TN. Call (931)647-5566 or visit at 1651 Fort Campbell Blvd Clarksville, TN 37042.

 

Source:
http://mentalfloss.com/article/29610/brief-history-champagne