CHAMPAGNE, 1668—A Benedictine monk named Dom Pierre Pérignon arrived at the Abbey of Hautvillers near Épernay. His tenure as the cellar master for the abbey’s prized wines began with a challenging assignment.

It seems that unexpected cold snaps in the fall when the wine was bottled had temporarily halted the fermentation of the wine. When temperatures warmed in the spring, the vintage began to ferment for a second time, producing excess carbon dioxide and giving the liquid inside a fizzy quality.

Not only was fizzy wine considered poor winemaking, but bottles in the cellar kept exploding. Dom Pierre Pérignon’s assignment was to correct the situation.

Over time, however, affinity for the fizzy wine grew. By 1697, Dom Pérignon had reversed course and brought the bubbles back. He learned from the weather-induced mistake and employed a second fermentation to develop the “French Method,”  which is still used today to make champagne. As a result, Dom Pérignon became known as the father of champagne.

His paternal status was challenged, however, by a British winemaker’s discovery in the 1990s of a paper presented by Gloucester doctor Christopher Merret in 1662 (six years before Dom Pérignon arrived at the Abbey). It detailed experiments to create a bubbly wine, and included a recipe that resembles modern-day champagne.

The result is an ongoing debate across the English channel, and it’s not likely to fizzle out anytime soon.

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CHAMPAGNE, 1668\u2014A Benedictine monk named Dom Pierre P\u00e9rignon arrived at the Abbey of Hautvillers near \u00c9pernay. His tenure as\u00a0the cellar master for the abbey’s prized wines began with a challenging assignment.<\/p>\n

It seems that unexpected cold snaps in the fall when the wine was bottled had temporarily halted the fermentation of the wine. When temperatures warmed in the spring, the vintage began to ferment for a second time, producing excess carbon dioxide and giving the liquid inside a fizzy quality.<\/p>\n

Not only was fizzy wine considered poor winemaking, but bottles in the cellar kept exploding. Dom Pierre P\u00e9rignon’s assignment was to correct the situation.<\/p>\n

Over time, however, affinity for the fizzy wine grew. By 1697, Dom P\u00e9rignon\u00a0had reversed course and brought the bubbles back. He learned from the weather-induced mistake and employed a second fermentation to develop the “French Method,” \u00a0which is still used today to make champagne. As a result, Dom P\u00e9rignon became known as the father of champagne.<\/p>\n

His paternal status was challenged, however, by a British winemaker’s discovery in the 1990s of a paper presented by Gloucester doctor Christopher Merret in 1662 (six years before Dom P\u00e9rignon\u00a0arrived at the Abbey). It detailed experiments to create a bubbly wine, and included a recipe that resembles modern-day champagne. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The result is an ongoing debate across the English channel, and it’s not likely to fizzle out anytime soon.
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