past & present: champagne
past & present: champagne: "
Image above: Illustration by Julia Rothman
Madame de Pompadour once said, “Champagne is the only drink that leaves a woman still beautiful after drinking it.” As Louis XV’s royal mistress, she must have known a thing or two about beauty. So here’s to many a glass of champagne in the New Year and if you’re stuck for a conversation topic while the bottle is making the rounds, here’s a quick little history of everyone’s favorite celebratory drink! For this final 2010 Past & Present, the “Present” was a group project that is coming up at 1pm — a super easy champagne glass craft! Oh and don’t forget to save your champagne cages for Amy M.’s miniature bistro chair! So let’s get into champagne – first let’s get the boring stuff out of the way - Yes, technically Champagne is only produced in the region of Champagne, France (many countries have signed a trade agreement not to use the term champagne) – and Champagne is also the region where the production of the bubbly stuff was first refined.
Image above: Champagne coupe and champagne flute, both from the V&A museum
Champagne is one of the most difficult wines to make — and it’s not just taming the bubbles — all wines start to bubble the moment the wine is pressed and when the yeasts on the skin come in contact with the sugar in the juice. In colder wine-growing regions, the yeasts are dormant during the winter and reactivate during the spring. Fizzy wine was a big no-no until the 17th century. Dom Pérignon, who is frequently credited with inventing champagne, actually worked tirelessly to eliminate those embarrassing bubbles from his wines. What Dom Pérignon did contribute to the evolution of champagne was an understanding of the art of blending. Rather than make single-vineyard wines, as was the norm, Dom Pérignon used grapes from different parcels owned by the abbey or given as tithes from local farmers.
Image above: Champagne coupe by Emile Gallé (1846–1904) from Musée des Arts Décoratifs
Eighteenth-century Europeans began to appreciate the effervescent wine (a result of winemakers learning how to harness the bubbles, and contemporary doctors’ beliefs that the sparkling wine was healthier). But only a few producers were able to satisfy the champagne craving. Not only was champagne difficult to make, but it was also dangerous. The sparkling wine was so unpredictable that cellar workers wore heavy iron masks that resembled a baseball catcher’s mask to prevent injury from the spontaneously bursting bottles, but even with the masks, lost eyes and scarred hands were common liabilities.
Image above: Jean-François de Troy (1679–1752); Le déjeuner d’huîtres, 1734
The painting above of a post-hunt oyster lunch by de Troy demonstrates just how early the drinking of champagne was linked to celebration. This painting, commissioned for Louis XV’s private dining room, was the first time that champagne had ever been depicted in a painting, and if you look closely, you can see the cork mid-air. The man who opened the bottle is still holding the knife that was used to cut the string that held the cork in place. In these early days of champagne, glasses were drunk in a big gulp and then turned over in a bowl to allow the sediment to drain out — each “gulp was served in a new glass.” (Lots and lots of dishes!)
CLICK HERE for more about champagne + books to read if you want to learn more!
(more…)
"
* please visit original post site
Image above: Illustration by Julia Rothman
Madame de Pompadour once said, “Champagne is the only drink that leaves a woman still beautiful after drinking it.” As Louis XV’s royal mistress, she must have known a thing or two about beauty. So here’s to many a glass of champagne in the New Year and if you’re stuck for a conversation topic while the bottle is making the rounds, here’s a quick little history of everyone’s favorite celebratory drink! For this final 2010 Past & Present, the “Present” was a group project that is coming up at 1pm — a super easy champagne glass craft! Oh and don’t forget to save your champagne cages for Amy M.’s miniature bistro chair! So let’s get into champagne – first let’s get the boring stuff out of the way - Yes, technically Champagne is only produced in the region of Champagne, France (many countries have signed a trade agreement not to use the term champagne) – and Champagne is also the region where the production of the bubbly stuff was first refined.
Image above: Champagne coupe and champagne flute, both from the V&A museum
Champagne is one of the most difficult wines to make — and it’s not just taming the bubbles — all wines start to bubble the moment the wine is pressed and when the yeasts on the skin come in contact with the sugar in the juice. In colder wine-growing regions, the yeasts are dormant during the winter and reactivate during the spring. Fizzy wine was a big no-no until the 17th century. Dom Pérignon, who is frequently credited with inventing champagne, actually worked tirelessly to eliminate those embarrassing bubbles from his wines. What Dom Pérignon did contribute to the evolution of champagne was an understanding of the art of blending. Rather than make single-vineyard wines, as was the norm, Dom Pérignon used grapes from different parcels owned by the abbey or given as tithes from local farmers.
Image above: Champagne coupe by Emile Gallé (1846–1904) from Musée des Arts Décoratifs
Eighteenth-century Europeans began to appreciate the effervescent wine (a result of winemakers learning how to harness the bubbles, and contemporary doctors’ beliefs that the sparkling wine was healthier). But only a few producers were able to satisfy the champagne craving. Not only was champagne difficult to make, but it was also dangerous. The sparkling wine was so unpredictable that cellar workers wore heavy iron masks that resembled a baseball catcher’s mask to prevent injury from the spontaneously bursting bottles, but even with the masks, lost eyes and scarred hands were common liabilities.
Image above: Jean-François de Troy (1679–1752); Le déjeuner d’huîtres, 1734
The painting above of a post-hunt oyster lunch by de Troy demonstrates just how early the drinking of champagne was linked to celebration. This painting, commissioned for Louis XV’s private dining room, was the first time that champagne had ever been depicted in a painting, and if you look closely, you can see the cork mid-air. The man who opened the bottle is still holding the knife that was used to cut the string that held the cork in place. In these early days of champagne, glasses were drunk in a big gulp and then turned over in a bowl to allow the sediment to drain out — each “gulp was served in a new glass.” (Lots and lots of dishes!)
CLICK HERE for more about champagne + books to read if you want to learn more!
(more…)
"
* please visit original post site
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