Champagne facts

Here are some Champagne facts with Royal connections to help you make your choice

• On the 24th February, William and Kate made their first public appearance to launch a new Royal National Lifeboat Institution boat, the Atlantic 85 Hereford Endeavour on the Isle of Anglesey. Kate christened the boat with a bottle of Bollinger Champagne. Bollinger received a Royal Warrant from Queen Victoria in 1884 and since then this Grande Marque Champagne House and has enjoyed long lasting relationship with the Royal Household.
• Other Grande Marque Champagne Houses that hold Royal Warrants include Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, GH Mumm, Laurent-Perrier, Louis Roederer, Krug and Pol Roger.
• Prince Charles personally selected for 20 of his friends a Bollinger 1975 for his stag party at Whites Club in London.
• We are also informed by Anouk Westeel, Sales and Marketing Assistant at Champagne Bollinger that for this great occasion, Bollinger R.D. 1973 was specially bottled for the Buckingham Palace reception and supper party for Heads of State, plus other lucky guests the evening before the wedding. 1,560 bottles of the RD were served to 2,500 guests at this supper party.
• Moët et Chandon 1961 Dom Pérignon was served at Charles and Diana’s wedding reception. It was chosen because not only was it a notable vintage, but it was the year of Princess Diana’s birth. Twelve magnums of the brut were packaged for the wedding, with six bottles going to charity and six presented to the royal household.
• Krug 1969 Grande Cuvée was served at Prince Charles and Lady Diana’s wedding breakfast and strangely the Krug brothers were not aware that their wine had been selected. They only found out when messages of congratulation began arriving at their Grande Marque House in Reims. The Queen Mother was reputed to be particularly fond of this illustrious Champagne House, and apparently supported them well!
• Krug was also featured, the 1973 Grande Cuvee, at the wedding of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson in 1986. Again, the Krug brothers again were not aware of this selection.

Champagne Q's and A's

Question: What is the Champagne method of production called?
Answer: The original term was ‘Method Champenoise, but has now been re-named ‘METHODE TRADITIONELLE’

Question: How many grape varieties are allowed in the making of Champagne?
Answer: THREE – 2 Black varieties and 1 White

Question: Can you name them all?
Answer: PINOT NOIR / PINOT MEUNIER / CHARDONNAY

Question: What are the top Champagne House brands called?
Answer: GRANDES MARQUES - In 1954 ‘Le Syndicat du Commerce des Vins de Champagne’ changed its name to ‘Le Syndicat de Grande Marques de Champagne’ and although disbanded in 1997 it consisted of 24 members of the top houses, the term continues to be associated with these famous brands.

Question: What other countries or wine regions which produce sparkling wine are allowed to use the term Champagne' for their product description?
Answer: NONE - Since 1882 after the formation of ‘Le Syndicat du Commerce des Vins de Champagne’ the battle began to keep the name synonymous with only the sparkling wines made within the delimited area of ‘Champagne’ can be called ‘Champagne’ throughout the world. This still continues today as all others must be classified as ‘Sparkling Wines’.

Question: Which nation first discovered the Champagne method?
Answer: ENGLAND- The first discovery of the Champagne Method – [the secondary fermentation] was by Chemist Christopher Merret, an English Chemist based in Gloucestershire, 22 years before the French Monk, Dom Perignon.

Question: Who mastered the process to create Champagne?
Answer: DOM PERIGNON - This can be accredited to Dom Perignon who eventually successfully developed the process at the Abbey of Hautvilliers in France to make Champagne.

Question: What are the Champagne bubbles collectively called as they rise in the glass?
Answer: THE MOUSSE

Question: What does the term Blanc de Blancs mean?
Answer: Champagne that has only been produced from the White CHARDONNAY Grape. Producers of other Sparkling Wines such as Cava that use Chardonnay have adopted this term.