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8 Fun facts about Champagne you never heard before

8 Fun fact about Champagne you never heard before

You want to know everything about Champagne and its fun facts, anecdotes and amazing specificities ? Here we go! It all begins wth its invention in the 18^th century by the well-known monk Dom Pérignon. Now, Champagne is considered as the drink of the great and the good. In fact, the drink quickly became the King of sparkling wine! Flowing generously during celebrations and festivities, Champagne hides little secrets and funny stories behind its Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée … It’s now time to discover a few of them! Ready to dive between the Champagne bubbles?

1 I CHAMPAGNE, THE ART OF SABRAGE

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Maybe you have heard about this technique for opening a Champagne bottle with a saber, or even saw it! Nonetheless, few know the history of the art of sabrage. This tradition starts with the fall of Napoléon 1st. The Russian army was occupying Champagne lands, and imperials officers took advantage of the situation by visiting the cellars. They emptied a huge number of bottles and opened them with their sabers. After years of conflicts, Napoleon 1st finally won this battle against the Russian army and to celebrate the victory, French troops carried on the technique and continued to open Champagne bottles with a saber. Currently, the sabrage can be perform during celebrations or prestigious events, but also during more informal moments by passionate wine-growers.

2 I CHAMPAGNE, COMMON POINT BETWEEN WINSTON CHURCHILL AND JAY-Z

As we said in the introduction, champagne is the drink of the great and the good. Indeed, a lot of celebrities, from politicians to famous rappers, get their preferences regarding the French sparkling wine. As a matter of fact, the iconic British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was a true Champagne lover. He used to drink Pol Roger cuvee once a day. He used to talk a lot about Champagne, but here is our favorite quote: “I could not live without Champagne. In victory, I deserve it. In defeat I need it”. After his death, Pol Roger house decides to dedicate him in 1975 its cuvee prestige “Sir Winston Churchill”, still available today.

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3 I CHAMPAGNE, MILLIONS OF BUBBLES

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Around 49 million of bubbles can be found in a Champagne bottle of 75cl stored at 20°. But who claims that, and especially how did this person came to this conclusion? To reassure you, he did not count the bubbles with the naked eye! Bill Lembeck, an eminent scientist and Champagne proud drinker, determined the volume of CO2 in a 75cl bottle and divided that figure by the volume of regular bubble. He came to the conclusion that a bottle contains around the same amount of bubbles than the number of inhabitants in South Korea. Got it right?

4 I CHAMPAGNE, EXTRAVAGANT BATH

It is said that during a moment of craziness, Marylin Monroe took a Champagne bath! It took approximately 350 standard Champagne bottles to fill the bathtub. However, if this luxurious bath was filled with Magnum bottles that contains 1,5 liters of Champagne, then it would have been necessary to empty 175 bottles (only!). Note that bottles from different sizes have completely different names derived from biblical sources: Jeroboam for 3 liters of Champagne. Mathusalem for 8 liters. Salmanazar for 9 liters. Balthazar for 12 liters. Nabuchodonosor for 15 liters. Salomon for 18 liters. Souverain for 26.25 liters. Primat for 27 liters and finally Melchisédech for 30 liters.

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5 I CHAMPAGNE, IMPRESSIVE FIGURES

We already learnt more about the bubbles. However, are you familiar with the speed a cork can reach during the opening of a Champagne bottle? It can attain 40 km/h, the average speed of a tiger! Besides, this speed is driven by the pressure contained in the bottle. This pressure is two to three times higher than in a car tire (around 6 bar for a Champagne bottle against 2/3 bar for a tire).

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6 I CHAMPAGNE, GOOD FOR HEALTH

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According to a new research conducted by the British University of Reading, drinking Champagne could help to improve brain functions et even delay Alzheimer. Indeed, researchers found that polyphenol contains in Pinot Noir and Meunier grapes can stimulate the cognitive brain part of memory and learning. In other words, a glass of Champagne a day keeps the doctor away!

7 I CHAMPAGNE, TREASURE OF THE SEA

In 2010, a diving team from Finland lived a story worth of a Jules Verne’s novel. Indeed, while enjoying the sea bed of the Baltic Sea, they discovered a curious shipment in the wreck of a German boat. The first diver noticed several bottes and decided to take one with him to analyze the liquid. The boat was not identified, but it results that the Champagne bottles stayed around 170 years in the Baltic Sea! More surprisingly, the Champagne kept its characteristics and specificities. Wine experts even qualified this wine as “young, with great freshness, with a floral and fruity taste”. Today, some famous Champagne houses as Veuve Clicquot are conducting tests on wine aged in sea bed. Future of wine is coming!

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8 I CHAMPAGNE, UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE

Since 2015, Champagne hillsides, houses and cellars are officially classified as a UNESCO world heritage in the Living Cultural Landscapes category. This glorification results from the demand of the Paysages du Champagne Association, and its exceptional universal value was unanimously recognized by the UNESCO representatives. This recognition will also help to preserve the 320 AOC in the Champagne region but also to carry on traditional and ancestral methods used to produce this unique beverage. From its architecture to its human history, Champagne has a lot to offer!

Now that you enrich your general knowledge about Champagne and its fun stories, I’m sure that you are dying to discover its amazing landscapes and beautiful cellars while tasting the drink of the King; I am right? You are willing to meet passionate wine-growers from family estate and to explore world-renowned Champagne houses? Join us on our small-group Champagne tour to come around the charming Champagne region, or book a private tour to enjoy the cellars just with your relatives! Our guides still have a lot to tell about this lovely region of Champagne, from fun facts you never heard about to rich and authentic stories: don’t hesitate a second and become a real Champagne expert!

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1 Response

Rosie Beckett

06/15/2020 at 6:05 PM

Reply

My husband and I are trying to figure out the best beverage to serve at our 25th wedding anniversary party coming up next month. I am so glad that I found this article because I had no idea that along with being tasty, champagne has a lot of health benefits! Thanks for explaining that champagne stimulates learning and memory.