Subscribe to one of our news e-mail lists. A bottle of bubbly often tops shopping lists whenever the word celebration is mentioned. Below are some answers for the casual drinker on how to choose, buy, care for, open, pour, drink, and of course, enjoy the perfect bottle for any occasion. Champagne comes from the region of the same name in France. Sparkling wine has been produced in the area since the days of the Roman empire.
Champagne comes from the region of the same name in France.
The area has produced sparkling wine since the days of the Roman empire, and still bottles some of the best vintages in the world. The producers of Champagne carefully guard the right to use the name Champagne on a bottle, and have done so since 1891, when the Treaty of Madrid was signed. The treaty declared that only wines made in a particular region could use the name on the bottle. In 1919, the Treaty of Versailles, the peace agreement ending World War I, reaffirmed that rule. The U.S. never signed the Treaty of Versailles, but rather had a separate peace agreement with Germany.