The Legend of Dom Perignon

While everyone is certainly familiar with Dom Perignon, a premium champagne brand produced by Moet Chandon, few are probably aware that the brand's name is associated with a French monk from the 1600s.

Back in the 17th century, sparkling wine resulting from in-bottle fermentation was considered a winemaking flaw. Without our modern temperature-controlled winemaking technology, winemakers would aim to have their yeast ferment all of the sugar in wine during the summer months. If this process was not completed before winter arrived, the remaining yeast in each bottle would go dormant during the winter, but become active again once temperatures warmed up in the spring. The active yeast inside the bottle would then consume the remaining sugar and create CO2 bubbles in the bottle, leading to sparkling wine.

While historians aren't sure whether Dom Pierre Perignon was the first person to begin intentionally producing sparkling wines, he made tremendous strides in improving the quality of wines from Champagne, France. Dom Perignon is known for mastering the art of producing white wine from red grapes, which led to our modern 'blanc de blancs' champagne. He was also one of the first proponents of lowering yields in order to improve the concentration of wine. Additionally, Dom Perignon is considered the first winemaker to keep the wines from different vineyard lots separate and the first to realize that blending several still wines can lead to a more interesting final product.

While Dom Pierre Perignon grew-up in an era with rudimental winemaking techniques, his innovations in the cellar ultimately helped put Champagne on the map. Even after Dom Perignon's death, future generations of winemakers continued his innovative winemaking practices, which led to the high quality wines that are now associated with Champagne, France.

I find it interesting that Moet Chandon decided to name their tete cuvee after a 17th century monk- their choice reflects Champagne's homage to its history and demonstrates respect for those who helped create Champagne's reputation for high quality wine.  The decision to name a high quality Champagne after a historical figure also proves that today's wines and champagnes can still create a 'luxury' image without modern references and branding.