Not a single festive New Year's table in Russia is complete without the famous French drink. Champagne is also drunk at other celebrations: weddings, anniversaries, etc. But not everyone knows the history of the appearance of this light and sparkling wine.
The creator of champagne is believed to be the Benedictine monk Dom Pierre Perignon, who in the 17th century was the caretaker of the wine cellar in the Abbey of Hauteville. On one of the usual spring days of his service, the monk accidentally noticed that the wine of last year's harvest was fermenting, foaming and breaking bottles. Perignon was distinguished by his curiosity and, apparently, loved to experiment, since he subsequently developed the basic subtleties of the production of this divine drink. These include: arranging bouquets, assembling (combining several wines) and corking bottles. The British also claim the honorary role of inventors of champagne. They claim that they used this wine back in the 16th century, when they were supplied with it from the Champagne province - green, in flat bottles, with the addition of sugar and molasses to ferment the drink. And then the English winemakers decided to take control of the champagne process and improved the wine formula, making some changes to it. In addition, the inhabitants of Foggy Albion have come up with sturdy glass bottles burnt in a coal furnace for the best storage of wine. By the way, Great Britain is the largest consumer of champagne, which is exported to it from France. The method of champagne, invented by the British, was improved by the French in 1876, creating a modern dry technique - brut. For a long time, wine was exported to England. Since 1891, the Madrid Treaty on the International Registration of Trademarks was concluded, which stated that only the province of Champagne had the right to use the name "champagne". This document was once again enshrined at Versailles in 1919. However, the American Senate did not ratify the document, having signed a separate peace treaty with Germany. After the repeal of Prohibition in the United States, American winemakers began selling their own champagne, thereby greatly annoying the French.
