Yet… in the days of King Clovis and for many, many centuries after him, champagne was not the bubbly white wine as we know it today: it was a still wine with shades of pink and grey – a colour mix often referred to as ‘partridge eye’. Modern day white and bubbly champagne was developed much later and essentially in two stages.
First of all: making white wine from white grapes in the Champagne region initially produced meagre results in terms of flavour, intensity and texture. It took a lot of experimenting before the famous cleric Dom Pierre Pérignon, based in the Champagne region, perfected the art of making white wine from fuller and tastier red grapes in the late 17th century. His techniques - including the early separation of skin of the grapes from their juice – are applied until this day.

Secondly: winters in the Champagne region could be so cold that the natural fermentation process of wines simply stopped, leaving a residue of sugar and yeast. As soon as temperatures rose again, the fermentation process would pick up. If the wine had been bottled, pressure from carbon dioxide gas would build up inside the bottle. By the time the bottles were opened, the wine would be fizzy.
Funnily enough, for the longest time those famous bubbles were considered a defect, also because wine producers were incapable of controlling the process. This situation rapidly reversed, however, when Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, became the Regent of France in 1715. The Royal Regent actually preferred the bubbly version and famously had it served over supper at the Palais-Royal in Paris.
Royals can unleash new fashions almost overnight and that is exactly what happened to bubbly champagne: the Regent’s preference meant the beginning of a production turnaround and an explosive commercial growth for the region which witnessed the establishment of some of its most famous brands in this period along with fierce competition between many producers as the Royal Courts around Europe were now all keen to drink that new, bubbly version.
Champagne as Royal favourite was born!

Other important technical production improvements were achieved in the 19th century: the right dosage of added sugar was calculated to ascertain the right amount of sparkle whereas the famous house of the Widow (‘Veuve’) Cliquot developed the remuage or riddling of bottles: a technique involving the turning of filled champagne bottles to lose sediments without losing the bubbles.

The popularity and consumption of champagne have only increased ever since. Today, the Champagne region produces over 300 million bottles of champagne per year representing a turnover of around 5 billion euros of which roughly 50% is exported outside France.
At Royal Wines, we are very pleased indeed to offer you a delightful selection of refined champagnes with a Royal link.