France is an interesting and intriguing place. If I had to choose the one country that I’d like to explore from a bartenders point of view, I’d pick France without hesitation. The reason is because there are so many unique places that produce great wines and other alcoholic beverages and I think that it would be fun to explore all of those places.  They say that timing is everything so, since it’s almost Valentine’s Day and since Champagne is an ideal choice to celebrate the big day, I thought I’d start my tour of France with the Champagne region of France.

If you’ve been reading this blog regularly, then you’ll remember that I talked about Champagne during New Years. However, I only scratched the surface. This time I want to dig a little deeper. To do so, I’ll start at the beginning. About 65 million years ago, northern France and Great Britain were covered by a vast sea. When the waters receded, what was left behind was a chalk, rich with minerals such as zircon and quartz and the fossils of prehistoric sea urchins and sea sponges. Now, fast forward 64,998,400 years or so and you find the perfect climate and soil conditions to grow the fruit that makes Champagne unique among sparkling wines.

The Champagne region is located 90 miles northeast of Paris. It covers 85,000 acres. Today, about 75,000 acres are now in production. By law, less than 80,000 may legally be used to grow Champagne grapes. The soft, porous chalk of the region encourages the roots of the vines to dig deep into the Earth in search of water. The chalk drains well yet stores enough water to allow the vines to prosper.

As we’ve discussed before, Champagne can only be made from three grape varietals: chardonnay, pinot noir, and pinot meunier. This usually surprises people, since two of the three grapes are red. The Champagne region is divided into five main vineyard areas: The Montagne de Reims, The Cote des Blancs, TheVallee de la Marne, Cotes de Sezanne, and The Aube. The Montagne de Reims and The Cote des Blancs are the most important because they produce grapes that are historically rated at 100 percent. This rating implies extraordinary and superior quality.

Champagne was first made toward the end of the seventeenth century. Legend dictates that a Benedictine monk by the name of Dom Perignon single handedly invented Champagne. The legend was perpetuated in part because of the irony associated with a man of the cloth discovering the world’s most notorious seduction wine. Although he was instrumental in its development, he was not alone. Many took part in creating Champagne, including nature.

The Champagne region is one of the coldest wine producing areas in the world. Because of this fact, wines that were made in the fall would be left to settle over the winter. The cooler temperatures would halt the fermentation process before all of the sugar had been turned to alcohol. When spring arrived, the wines would warm up and begin to re-ferment causing the wines to sparkle. This phenomenon was unique to Champagne. It occurred naturally and it only occurred in Champagne. The wine makers of this era tried painstakingly to develop techniques that would improve the taste and eliminate the effervescence. During this time, the fizzy quality was frowned upon. Their goal was to produce wines that would outclass those produced in areas like Burgundy and Bordeaux.

After years of frustration they began to give up hope of making significant progress. But, instead of just quitting, they took a different approach. Instead of looking at the bubbles as a menace needing to be eliminated, they began to look at them as a reason that the wine was special. They began to look at ways to make the wines more appealing to the eye and to the palate. Over time, this approach allowed the wine makers of Champagne to develop what we enjoy today. This approach also exemplifies the essence of Valentine’s Day — finding the good in the person you hold dearest to you. Wine making is a great tradition in France. The Champagne region presented challenges to be overcome. Persistence and hard work allowed the wine makers of Champagne to develop something unique to their home. Valentine’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate the hard work that you and your significant other put into your relationship, and what better way to celebrate than to propose a toast to your hard work using something as unique and special as Champagne.

So, there you have it, Champagne in a nutshell. Who else but a bartender could take Zircon, chalk, and fossilized Sea Urchins and wrap them up in a neat little Valentine’s Day package?