Dom Perignon
(scroll down to see products)
The Legacy of Dom Perignon: Dom Pierre Perignon, born in 1640, was a Benedictine Monk at the Abbey of Hautville near Riems in France. French royalty had been repulsed by the new vintages coming out of the Champagne region due to climate change and plummeting temperatures around the 15th - 16th centuries that hit Champagne particularly hard. Burgundy picked up nearly all of Champagne's market so the Catholic Church sent in a specialist to help recoup its investment in the failing vineyards - Dom Perignon.
Climate change had meant a shorter growing season in Champagne. Yeast that converted the sugar in pressed grape juice to alcohol suddenly stopped processing mid-season. Spring came, the temperatures began to rise again and the yeast began processing sugars for a second fermentation. This produced an excessive amount of carbon dioxide in the wine and those infamous bubbles!
Production: Dom Perignon, who had originally been brought in to rid the wine of these bubbles, developed production methods that are still in use today. These included 'riddling' (giving each bottle a sharp twist back and forth, in order to loosen the sediments' adhesion to the glass and allow it to slide towards the bottleneck) so the sediment can be removed, adding a 'dosage' (a few ounces of wine, added to each bottle of champagne to make up for the liquid volume lost by disgorging the frozen plug formed after riddling) for a secondary fermentation, and the use of corks to seal the bottles.
Moet & Chandon: Dom Perignon's steps combined with the availability of stronger bottles which could hold the added pressure, allowed the commercial production of Champagne. Dom Perignon's famous statement "I see stars" was uttered upon his first taste of this magnificent Champagne. He died in 1716 and in 1794, Champagne House Moet et Chandon bought the walls and the vineyards of the former Abbey of Hautvilliers.
It was not until the end of the 1936, that Moet et Chandon decided to give the name of Dom Perignon to their new prestigious cuvee which celebrated the Monk's exploits. The Champagne is only produced in exceptional vintages thus maintaining its allure of glamour and success. Thank you Dom Perignon!
|
