History Flashcards
Where and when in Champagne was Dom Perignon a Cellar Master?
Dom Perignon was a Cellar Master at the Abbey of Hautvillers from 1668 to 1715 upon his death.
What was Dom Perignon’s biggest struggle with his wines of Champagne, and who was the first to embrace this “trouble”.
With early winters sending natural yeasts into dormancy before wines were fully fermented, these wines were bottled in Champagne with left over sugar. In the spring time, the yeasts would awaken, and produce a re-fermentation in the bottle. This caused effervescence in the wine, which was considered a fault. The English were likely the first to embrace the effervescence by moving the wines from casks to stronger bottles made of coal-fired glass. In Champagne, bottles would explode, but the English figured out the solution of stronger bottles. There is English literature praising bubbly wine that predates Dom Perignon.
Who can claim to be the oldest “Sparkling” Champagne House?
Ruinart, established in 1729.
Where was Louis, son of Charlemagne, crowned in 816 that established a precedent for future French monarchs and a reputation for still wines of Champagne?
Reims.
Which is the oldest Champagne House still in operation today (originally as a still wine producer), and when was it founded?
Gosset, founded in 1584.
Who were the original still wine producers of Champagne trying to compete with, and through what method were they most successful?
Originally, Champagne produced still wines meant to compete with Burgundy’s still white wines.
They began producing white wines from red grapes to improve their wines’ quality.
