National Champagne Day is observed annually on December 31st. While genuine champagne only comes from France’s Champagne region, there is plenty of bubbly available from Italy, California and even the South of France. Ringing in the New Year is the perfect opportunity each year to celebrate National Champagne Day.
- Champagne is a sparkling wine produced from grapes grown in the Champagne region of France following rules that demand, among other things, secondary fermentation of the wine in the bottle to create carbonation, specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from specific parcels in the Champagne appellation and specific pressing regimes unique to the region.
- The primary grapes used in the production of Champagne are black Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier but also white Chardonnay.
- Méthode Champenoise is the traditional method by which Champagne is produced. After primary fermentation and bottling, a second alcoholic fermentation occurs in the bottle. This second fermentation is induced by adding several grams of yeast and rock sugar to the bottle.
- In a 750ml bottle of Champagne there are approximately 49 million bubbles.
- The longest recorded flight of a champagne cork is more than 177 feet (54 metres).
- Sparkling wines and champagnes are generally categorized as: extra brut, brut, extra dry, sec and demi sec. All of this depends on sugar levels. In wine terms, ‘dry’ is the opposite of sweet.
- Wines from the Champagne region were known before medieval times.
- The Romans were the first to plant vineyards in this area of north-east France, with the region being cultivated by at least the 5th century, possibly earlier.
- Contrary to popular belief, Dom Pérignon did not invent sparkling wine, though he did make important contributions to the production and quality of sparkling Champagne wines.
- The first sparkling Champagne was created accidentally; the pressure in the bottle led it to be called “the devil’s wine”, as bottles exploded or corks popped.
- The chalky remains of ancient sea-creatures are the “soil” for champagne’s grapes. The champagne region of France was actually once the floor of an ancient pre-historic sea. Now it’s the perfect foundation to grow grapes.
- Sabrage” is a term for opening a champagne bottle with an actual sword. It’s only done in certain ceremonial occasions and the wielder uses the blunt side of the sword. It was made famous by Napoleon and his army when they celebrated victories in battle.
- Champagne can help prevent memory loss. According to new research, one to three glasses of champagne each week could counteract memory loss associated with aging – so cheers!
- Marilyn Monroe took a bath in champagne. It took 350 bottles to fill up the tub.
- The pressure in a champagne bottle is 90 pounds per square inch. This is three times the amount of pressure than the tires on a car.
- Dropping a raisin into champagne causes it to travel from the top of the glass to the bottom continuously.
- Christening ships with champagne started in Babylonia. They would pour liquid over the hull to check for holes, and this gradually turned into a ceremony using many different kinds of liquids and beverages. Champagne became the favorite in the late 1900’s. Some go to great lengths to make sure the bottle does in fact break every time.
- There’s currently 1 billion bottles of champagne in storage worldwide
- Champagne corks fly out at speeds near 25 mph
- Workers called “Riddlers” twist champagne bottles 1/8 of a turn every day to push the “lees” into the neck of the bottle. It’s a bizarre process that makes the champagne journey that much more complex for manufacturers.
- On average 28,000 bottles of Champagne are served at Wimbledon each year.
- If you’re drinking good Champagne you should see what’s called “collerette” – these are bubble trains on the sides of the glass.
- A somewhat surprising fact perhaps, but marketing surveys have shown that concert-goers of hip-hop concerts, rap and R & B gigs, are 94% more likely to drink Champagne than the average person.
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