Moet Chandon Imperial Champagne
Moet et Chandon Champagne began in 1743 as Moet & Co. by Claude Moet. In the reign of King Louis XV the demand for sparkling wine increased and very Soon the winery had noble clients and aristocrats.
Madame de Pompadour supplied the Royal Court with Moet champagne and soon after imbibers in Germany, Spain and Russia became Moet's customers. Jean-Rmy Moet assumed control after Claude's death and bought the vineyards of the Abbey of Hautvillers. It was here that the Benedictine monk Dom Perignon discovered double-fermentation to produces champagne.
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Sparkling wine was invented in the Limoux area of Languedoc about 1535. Champagne was first produced in the French region of Champagne about 1700.
Dom Perignon began "La mthode champenoise" was introduced into the region by about 1700. The popularity of champagne did not develop until about 1650 when the nobility and royalty of Europe became "intoxicated" by the taste and eloquence of Champagne. Brilliant marketing and fashionable trends identified Champagne with luxury, celebrations and partying amongst the wealthy and privileged.
Champagne is made from vineyards that grow Chardonnay, Pinot noir and meunier varieties. The mature grapes are sorted and undergo rapid pressing, but without crushing so as to avoid and maceration. After a settling the must is fermented at low temperature. "Prise de mousse" is a second fermentation in the bottle and is produced by adding to the wine a highly concentrated yeast liqueur. The bottles are then capped [they used to be corked back in my day - 1963] and racked horizontally. After a controlled period of fermentation, the bottles are re-racked with a neck down tilt. For some time the bottles are individually rotated by hand and laid to rest in a slightly different position until all the sediment reaches the cork - or cap. Not very long ago a clever machine was used to removed the old cork from the upside-down bottles and replaced them with a new corks - an great machine to watch. Many vineyards now freeze the neck and disgorge the ice with the sediment. This is less wasteful I am told. At this stage the wine can be "topped-up" with old wine to produce a particular champagne vintage.
The writer has a sensitivity towards champagne and rejects the wasteful practice of spraying this precious and exquisite liquid over the audience at pop concerts, losers at car races etc. To some it looks impressive, but to me it is a disgusting waste of a valuable resource that deserves our preservation in line with all of earth's wonderful resources and not our abuse.
Bench Marque Wines Ltd.
25 Kirkway,
Broadstone,
Dorset BH18 8ED
TEL: 07966 112950
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