Page 205 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - France

The vineyards of Champagne on a misty morning

CHAMPAGNE

The Romans were the first to plant grape vines in
the chalky hills of Champagne in the 5th century.
During the early Middle Ages, Hugh Capet, crowned
king at Reims in 987, and Pope Urban II spread the
reputation of the region’s vineyards by serving
the pale white wine at ceremonies. The vineyards
of Champagne, owned by popes and European
royalty for centuries, continued to bring wealth,
while trade fairs in Troyes and flourishing textile
and metallurgical industries in Reims and St-Dizier
respectively established the region as an economic
powerhouse. In the 18th century, the British, fol-
lowed by the French nobility, developed a taste
for Champagne’s sparkling wine, and winemaking
became the region’s primary industry.
When Champagne’s sovereignty was abolished
in 1790, along with the rest of the traditional
French prov inces, the region brought its prosperity
into the France nation state. Its peace was always
tenuous, however; for as a frontier region,
Champagne was invaded whenever France was
attacked by an eastern front. In 1870, during the
Franco-Prussian War Napoleon III surrendered at
Sedan, while the vineyards of the region became
a battlefield throughout the both World Wars.
Thankfully, the regions wine cellars have recovered
and corks continue to pop into the 21st century.
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