Today is International Champagne Day! I don’t know exactly what this means, but all I know is that it is a pretty good excuse to pop open a bottle and enjoy! And who needs more of an excuse to celebrate a day than that? You don’t need to tell me twice! To celebrate International Champagne Day in more ways than just enjoying a glass, I thought I would share 10 facts about Champagne that might surprise you.
Champagne is one of the most well-known wines in the world, and it’s fame only adds to its price tag. Although I wish I could enjoy Champagne every day, it is something I can’t always justify spending money on. I think this makes it all the more special as it’s reserved for those special occasions in life.
For a wine with such a rich history and worldwide reach, there is so much to know about Champagne. But here are some fun facts that you may not have heard before. You can pull them out at dinner parties and impress your friends with you Champagne knowledge. Better yet – serve them up with a side of Champagne! Your friends will thank you for it I’m sure.
1. Champagne is seriously under pressure
There’s a reason a Champagne bottle is made of such thick glass. The pressure in a Champagne bottle is 90 pounds per square inch. This is roughly three times the amount of pressure in your car tires! In the early days of Champagne production, manufacturers came down to their cellars to find some corks had popped prematurely. Although they thought it might be spiritual beings wanting to pop the bubbly, it led to many of the Champagne makers wearing iron helmets to prevent injury.
2. Party trick alert – pop a raisin in your Champers
If you want to impress your friends at a party, all you need is a raisin and your glass of Champagne. Drop the raisin into the glass and watch as the raisin floats up to the top and back down continuously. I haven’t tried this one myself but I certainly will be next time I have raisins on hand.
3. Champagne may or may not have been created by a monk
There is a legend that Champagne was created in the 17th century by a near-blind Benedictine monk named Dom Pierre Perignon. He stumbled upon the fermentation of the wine due to changes in the weather which impacted the yeast in the wine eating the sugar. When he tasted the bubbly wine, legend has it he exclaimed “come quickly, brothers. I’m tasting the stars!”
As lovely as this story is, there is no way to prove it is true. The English also claim to be the creators with a similarly cute story. Regardless of whether it is true or not, it is an excellent way to explain the Champagne method and its secondary fermentation.
4. Bubbly is actually very bubbly
Did you know that there are over 49 million bubbles in a standard-sized bottle of Champagne? I can’t even comprehend that in my mind, but it sounds like a lot to me! A glass of bubbly is estimated to have one million bubbles according to an article published in the Journey of Physical Chemistry B in 2014. That is if you don’t touch the glass of Champagne and let it fizz out.
Side note: you can gauge the quality of the Champagne from the size of the bubbles. The smaller the bubbles, the higher the quality.
5. The corks are a little dangerous
A Champagne cork reaches speeds of 64km/h when it is popped due to the extreme pressure in the bottle. Because of this, Champagne corks actually kill more people each year than poisonous spiders! More than a third of these deaths occur at weddings, so make sure you don’t end the celebrations prematurely at your next celebration!
6. Bribing the soldiers
The Champagne region in World War One was devastated by bombs and destruction. However, the clever French devised a way of getting protection for their famous Champagne region. Soldiers were offered two bottles per man, per day to defend Reims, one of the main towns in Champagne. That’s an incentive I can get behind!
Champagne was also used in the British Army, but not as an incentive. It was included in their medical supplies! I think my first aid kit at home could use this excellent addition.
7. The best way to enjoy Champagne isn’t a Champagne flute
For true enjoyment of your Champagne, it is recommended that you get a glass that concentrates the aromas whilst also allowing the bubbles to oxidize. Coupe glasses, or boob glasses as I like to call them, are one of the worst things you can use for Champagne. It allows the aromas to escape and bubbles pop quickly because of the surface to air ratio. A Champagne flute also has too small a surface to air ratio for the bubbles.
So what should you use? Well, experts recommend a tulip-shaped wine glass. It creates concentration of the aromas but also means the bubbles can oxidize. However, if you want to make a Champagne tower with your Coupe glasses for fun, maybe save it for the cheaper bottle!
8. There is a specific way to open Champagne
Although everyone wants to pop open a bottle like they make a trillion dollars and own a private jet (no? just me?) but this isn’t the best way to open your Champagne. It’s the best way to ruin your Champagne, waste it and possibly injure yourself and others.
There is a way to open Champagne correctly. Remove the foil, then twist the cage clockwise exactly six times. Loosen and remove, putting your thumb on the cork. Grab the bottom of the bottle and twist clockwise, loosening until the cork pops with a hiss.
This is something I think I’m going to have to test, for research of course!
9. Those initials on the bottle mean something
There is so much Champagne out there, and so much variation that can only be understood by tasting (what a shame). However, there is a neat little trick to understanding where the grapes are from, which is a good start! If a Champagne house wants their Champagne to taste the same every year they will source their grapes from around Champagne to ensure the same flavour profile. However, some Champagne houses will source from a single estate which creates variability between vintages.
On every label of every bottle of Champagne, there will be a RM, CM or NM:
- RM (Récoltant-Manipulant) – This is a grower Champagne, so all the grapes are picked from one estate. The disadvantage of this is that it means each year’s Champagne may not taste the same but will be unique
- CM (Coopérative-Manipulant) – These are cooperative wines where growers take what didn’t sell to anyone else and press the grapes to make Champagne
- NM (Négociant-Manipulant) – These grapes have been sourced from multiple growers
10. Looking for a unique pairing? Try popcorn!
I know it sounds weird – pairing something as simple as butter popcorn with a glass of some of the most prestigious wine. But popcorn and Champagne are actually the perfect pair! The reason they go so well together is that Champagne pairs so well with salty snack foods (fried chicken and french fries are also a good option). The acidity and biscuit flavours in the Champagne are great at cutting through the salt. It makes for a refreshing and satisfying experience.
If that’s not a reason to jump onto the couch and watch some Netflix with a glass of Champagne in hand and a bowl of popcorn, I don’t know what is!
So there you have 10 facts about Champagne
I hope you take some of these facts about Champagne away from this article to enjoy with a nice glass of Champagne today! There is so much to learn about this famous celebration drink and some seriously interesting history behind it! Personally I can’t wait to get out my popcorn and raisins to try some of this stuff out!
What’s your favourite Champagne to drink? And did I miss any of your favourite Champagne facts? I’d love to hear them!