Champagne was in fact discovered in France by accident in the 1700’s in the Champagne region when casks of wine were shipped out from France and the warm weather set off a secondary fermentation during the journey.

A more bizarre story, the traditional champagne glass was in fact invented after Marie Antoinette, who loved a party, decided to cast a wax mold of her breasts and make them into a glass to sip champagne from.

Finally, did you know that there are roughly 44 million tiny bubbles in a bottle of champagne and that a cork will escape a bottle of sparkling wine at 38-40 mph!

Here’s Façonnable’s top 5 champagnes…

Henriot Cuvée des Enchanteleurs 1996 – $125

This elegant champagne is mainly Chardonnay, with an addition of Pinot Noir. It is a warm yellow-gold in colour, and smells of fresh fruit, particularly citrus, with fusions of floral aromas. The taste has hints of dried fruit, caramel and spicy flavours. The “Enchanteleur” in the name refers to the cellar workers in the days when vinification was only carried out in barrels. When they were piling up these barrels, it was said that they put the casks on cantiers that they “enchantelaient”.

Gosset Célébris 1998 – $125

The Célébris consists of 64% Chardonnay and 36% Pinot Noir. The colour is a bright, clear and golden liquid with flecks of green and amber. There is also a constant stream of bouncy bubbles. The scent of the champagne is a powerful and concentrated fragrance that contains of honey, dried fruit and stewed apples with hints of spicy vanilla and cinnamon. The taste is fresh and warming, and provides a great accompaniment to red or dark meat.

Dom Perignon 2002 Möet & Chandon – $200

This traditional favourite released its 2002 edition in September 2010. It has an intensely floral scent with aromas of jasmine. The flavours are ripe and tropical with flashes of apricot, passion fruit and peaches. It is recommended that the owner leaves in a wine cellar for a couple of years to mature. The composition is approximately 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Noir. It is straw-coloured and has been hailed as the best vintage since 1996.

Tattinger Brut Prestige Rosé 2003 – $350

This delicate and intense Rosé is made of 30% Chardonnay and 70% Pinot Noir from Montagne de Reims. Some of the Pinot Noir grapes are the same ones that are used to make red wine, added to give the blend its pink hue. It is shimmering with persistent bubbles and has fresh and powerful aromas of red fruit, including wild raspberry, cherry and blackcurrant. It also has a velvety taste with subtle flavours of fresh fruit.

Krug Clos D’Ambonnay 1996 – $2,250

This unique blend contains the finest wines exclusively from 1996. It is described as extreme and eccentric champagne which caresses the senses with rich aromas, a firm texture and full, ripe flavours. It is a rich and radiant gold, with illuminations from constant streams of bubbles. The flavour has hints of candied lemon, ripe fruit, honey, gingerbread and mocha. 1996 is a landmark year in the history of House of Krug as it was the last vintage to be blended by 3 generations of the Krug family.

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