DID DOM PERIGNON INVENT CHAMPAGNE?
If not, then what exactly DID Dom Perignon do with Champagne?
In 1668, six years after the Englishman Christopher Merret presented his paper to The Royal Society in London about deliberately inducing a second fermentation into the wine making process in order to produce the bubbles, the Benedictine monk Dom Pierre Perignon entered Hautvilliers Abbey, near Epernay.
He then spent the remainder of his life (a further 47 years) as cellarmaster of the Abbey, doubling the size of its vineyards.
Dom Perignon PREVENTS the Second Fermentation
Dom Perignon initially actively tried to prevent the second fermentation that caused the wine to turn into sparkling wine. This is because it was thought of as a problem or curse - he even called it 'the devil's wine'. Wine was bottled in the cool autumn. When the weather warmed up the following spring, the yeast fermented creating carbon dioxide, resulting in an increase in pressure inside the bottle. This would often push out the cork, or literally make the glass bottle explode. One exploding bottle caused the bottles around it to explode, and before long, much of the wine held was ruined.
So what DID Dom Perignon do?
Dom Perignon created a set of wine making 'rules' that were published shortly after his death. Many of these 'rules' are still followed today in the making of Champagne. The rules included:
Fine wine should only be made from Pinot Noir (he believed that the white grapes caused the second fermentation).
Grape vines should be aggressively pruned so they grow to no higher than 3 ft tall, and produce a much smaller crop.
Harvest should take place during cool, damp conditions (early morning).
Care should be taken during harvest so grapes are not bruised or broken.
Grapes should not be treaded, instead they should be gently pressed.
The grapes should be pressed more than once to prevent the skins and juices coming into contact with each other.
Wine should only be made using 'natural' processes.
The cork should be held in place with a wire collar.
Blend grapes from different vineyards PRIOR to pressing them (as opposed to blending different wines).