#8: Cheers!
For over five centuries, Champagne’s vineyards have been at the forefront of producing some of the finest wines globally. The game changed in the 17th century when the region’s cold winters led to increased carbon dioxide in the wine bottles, causing an unintentional fizz. This slight carbonation, a byproduct of imperfect fermentation, marked the early days of champagne as we know it.
Enter Dom Pierre Perignon, a French monk tasked by the Catholic Church in 1668 to address the accidental fizz in Champagne’s wines. Perignon embraced the bubbles rather than eliminating them, pioneering methods to boost enthusiasm without compromising taste. His efforts bore fruit, quite literally, with a bottle of Dom Perignon today fetching between $130 and a stunning $84,700.