Champagne: when it goes from the bottle to the flute it will give birth to pure energy: a combination of aromas and scent which is really unique. We can say with no doubt that nowadays the history of champagne plays a very important role, especially if connected to the excellences produced in each territory.
Its consistency, its impact on the palate and the bouquet it releases is directly associated to the choice of vineyards, degorgement, ripening, micro climate conditions, temperatures: each element takes part to the idea of perfection champagne tents to.
The origin of champagne is to be found in a north east region of France, Marna Valley, nearby the Hautvillers Abbey: The area between Reims and Eparnay, with its 30.000 hectares of vineyards, was declared a World Heritage in 2015.
You should know that champagne wasn't sparkling at the beginning: it took quite a long time before the french aristocracy could get used to this new "personality" : this mutation was apparently due to a changing in climate conditions, occurred during a winter in XV century.
From this moment on, the sales of this wine had a total collapse till 1668, when the catholic church got hold of the Abbey and contacted a young benedictine monk, Dom Pierre Perignon, in order to resolve the problem.
While the church was trying to put it back to the market, the french high society was beginning to appreciate this new characteristic of champagne: it was so appreciated that, at the end, producers decided to intensify it.
The "Maisons"
We have many important champagne brands on the market: we can decide to buy a bottle of champagne depending on our possibility: we can choose to spend a hundred dollars for a really good one or we choose to invest as if we were in a stock exchange session!
Curiosity
The maison Krug, founded in1843 by Josef Krug, selects grapes in 250 different vineyards: they have produced Private Cuvè, a bottle which cost is approximatively around 1500 $
The maison Drappier has created Boerl & Kroff, a brut rose which takes origin from Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir, with a cost of 1650 $ around
The maison Moet & Chandon had created a limited edition of Dom Perignon White Gold: an astonishing bottle decorated with a white gold plate at a cost of 1900 $
The maison Krug Clos D'Ambonnay gave birth in 2008 to a collection of 3000 numbered bottles, produced in a small vineyards in Grand Cru Village: the cost stays around 2300 $ per bottle.
At the end : is it worthwhile to spend such an amount for a good bottle? We personally think that you can find excellent and inedited champagne maisons, giving you the chance to buy an excellent wine at a right cost.
Going to extreme excess??
One of the most expensive champagne bottle in the history of this particular wine is Gout de Diamond, designed by Alexander Amosu, a modern designer who settled a plate of pure gold with 5 diamonds 19 carat: 1,5 million Euros, can you believe it??
Food combination and service temperature
Champagne matches really with everything: the important thing is to serve it at the right temperature, which means, very cool.
As for the glass choice, the flute is the most used even because it holds and exalts the organoleptic characteristics of the wine.