Champagne in Champagne

Though many people use the term "champagne" to designate all sparkling wines, in truth Champagne is a specific type of French sparkling wine. 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 large Champagne houses rarely grow all their own grapes, instead they contract with growers who nuture the fruit in their own vineyards, and sell at harvest time. In some cases, these growers also bottle and sell their own Champagnes.

At about $75 and up, the best French champagnes are the so-called tête de cuvées, which include Dom Pérignon, Veuve Clicquot "La Grande Dame," Perrier Jouét Fleur de Champagne and others. They are made from the finest grapes and aged the longest at the winery. The least expensive French champagnes are the non-vintage bruts, which are consistent house blends of several vintages, and run about $28. In between are the vintage bruts – selected wines from exceptional single vintage years (i.e., 1990).