Many people have enjoyed Champagne from Napoleon to Marilyn Monroe (who is said to have bathed in it, taking up some 350 bottles!) but do we really know much about the myths and majesty that surround this King of wines?

Let us dispel a myth and state that it was not, contrary to popular belief, the great Benedictine monk Dom Perignon who invented Champagne!
It was in fact an English scientist and physician called Christopher Merret, who, in 1662, six years before Dom Perignon even entered the Abbey of Hautvillers, presented a paper to The Royal Society documenting his studies involving the addition of sugar to a finished wine to create a second fermentation, now known as méthode champenoise.
All is not lost with Dom Perignon though, as he was responsible for creating the wire collar (muselet) used on every bottle of Champagne nowadays, to hold the cork in place.

Champagne Facts

- The Champagne region in NE France covers 81,600 acres
-  A cork leaving the bottle can travel as fast as 100mph
- There are approximately 47,000,000 bubbles in a standard bottle
- The pressure in a bottle is about 90 psi
- Only 6 grape varietals are allowed by law, although the 1st 3 listed here are the accepted 'norm';
         -  Chardonnay
         -  Pinot Noir
         -  Pinot Meunier
         -  Pinot Blanc
         -  Petit Meslier
         -  Arbane
- Always open the bottle by twisting the bottle, not the cork, unless, of course,
if you require the cork to project out at velocity and the champagne too!