10 Things you probably didn’t know about Champagne

Let’s face it, when we’ve that glass of Champagne in our hand there is simply no-one anywhere that can knock us off our perch… we’re Jack the lad, Queen of the party, cool as a cucumber, prettiest, most handsome, fittest and meanest… we simply feel on top of the world don’t we?! Now, imagine someone asked you a basic question about what you were drinking and you fall flat on your face, you scored a zilch, a blank, a failed attempt to bluff it poor answer that took you from eight foot tall down to an embarrassed sized Ron Weasley Lego mini figure.

We all love to know that little bit more than our friends and family members don’t we? Be able to correct them politely when they are wrong, guide them when they are confused and in this case, be able to answer them when they question that glass of bubbly in our hand – Now you can with our top ten facts you probably did not know about Champagne:

1. Yes, all Champagne is French and can only be French as it comes from just a small selection wine regions / districts in France that make up it’s strict historical and administrative area.
2. If you are drinking a Vintage Champagne, it doesn’t just mean that it might be old. In-fact, what a vintage Champagne means is that all the grapes that made it were from one year only and the year will be the one displayed on the bottle which the winemaker believed gave it reason to be a superior year to others.
3. The smaller the bubbles of your Champagne then the better so experts say. Study closely that glass of bubbly in your hand and especially focus on those fine bubbles so to let those know who are in your company that they are drinking some good Champagne.
4. Veuve Clicquot is not simply famous for its yellow label, or the fact that every supermarket stocks it or that you’ll see it at many of the big sporting events – Veuve Clicquot actually were the first label to produce rosé Champagne.
5. Sparkling Wine was first discovered and produced in England, 1622 – In France, in the Champagne region, records show that years later on 4th August 1693, a now very well known Benedictine monk called Dom Pierre Pérignon shouted out to his monastic brothers: “Come quickly! I am drinking the stars!” as he had stumbled across the first sparkling Champagne (originally the wines were still).
6. Which grapes is Champagne made from? Well, you just need to really remember Chardonnay, Pinot noir, and Pinot Meunier as these three are the most grown and used varieties in Champagne.
7. Flying corks from popping bottles are dangerous – You are more likely to be killed by a stray Champagne cork than by being bitten by a poisonous spider – Weddings being the most common place these fatalities take place!
8. How many bubbles in a bottle of Champagne? Well like anyone can give an exact answer to this, but it is said to be millions… 49 million the usual amount many experts agree on!
9. James Bond’s favourite drink is not Vodka Martini, ‘shaken not stirred’ and in-fact it is Champagne which he has appeared drinking more often, over 60 times already! First Champagne this well known character drank was Taittinger in the film From Russia With Love (1963) with more commonly known Bollinger then taking over with an appearance or two of Dom Pérignon.
10. One of the most weirdest usages for Champagne? Back in the day, during the 19th Century, high society folk actually then thought the best way to polish and get that all important shine on their boots was to use Champagne!