The first wine was made in Champagne about 2,000 years ago, and was discovered by chance rather then intent. But history has it that the Champagne as we know it today was created by a French monk called Dom Perignon during the 17th century. Who spent most of his career trying to rid his Champagne wine of bubbles, as he felt the bubbles degraded the quality of the wine.

Dom Perignon's pioneering techniques used to make white wine from red wine grapes would influence the development of modern sparkling Champagne. He managed to understand the typical fermentation, mix the grape varieties, invented the cork that could withstand the pressure caused by the fermentation of the wine in the bottle and added sugar which dissolves the carbonic gas in the wine.

Winemakers use 3 types of grape to produce Champagne. Chardonnay, a white grape, is the typical grape used in great Burgundy white wines. Pinot Noir is a red grape traditionally used in Burgundy to make their famous red wines. Pinot Meunier is a red grape mostly used in Champagne, giving a less delicate wine and is mostly used to make second grade Champagne.

Within the Champagne region there are three famous areas. Firstly there is the Cote des Blancs south of Epernay city, where the best Chardonnay grows providing freshness and elegance. Then there is Vallée de la Marne, west of Epernay city, where the best Pinot Meunier grows bringing fruitiness and aroma. And last but not least there is Montagne de Reims, south of Reims city, where the best Pinot Noir grows, giving body and structure.

Champagne is primarily a product of vast blending - of different grape varieties, different vintages and different vineyards - with a typical non-vintage blend being composed of grapes from up to 80 different vineyards. However for their prestige cuvee such as Dom Perignon or Cristal Champagne producers will often limit the grape sources to only Grand cru vineyards. While single vineyard Champagnes are rare, they do exist, such as Krug's Clos du Mesnil coming from the Grand cru vineyard located near Le Mesnil-sur-Oger.