The Little-known History Of Champagne

While women were barred from owning businesses in 19th Century France, three widows, who were exempt from the rule, created some of Champagne’s most lauded empires. On the outskirts of the north-eastern French city of Reims, winding roads converge near a gated château. Cars line a roundabout enclosed by sprawling fields. The air is still, and it’s calm. The real action is happening almost 20 m underground. Carving through this underworld are more than 200 km of cellars, with millions of Champagne bottles lining chalky rock walls, unlabeled and marked with the words “I was here” by tourists in the dust covering them. Some are upside-down, in chains, glowing in the dim light of the cellars against the backdrop of tunnels that seemingly lead to nowhere. Others are stacked in small caves guarded by wrought iron gates. This is ground zero of the world’s Champagne market… read more >