1. What we colloquially call champagne is really a type of sparkling wine. The difference between sparkling wine and champagne is the region it comes from. Authentic champagne can only be produced in the Champagne region of Northern France, and there are international laws in place to make sure it stays that way.
2. It is estimated that there are 49,000,000 bubbles in a 750ml bottle of champagne. Someone actually counted them, or rather used a chemistry-based mathematical equation to figure it out. Warmer champagne produces more bubbles than chilled champagne. It’s recommended to serve it at 50° to 55° F.
3. The pressure in a champagne bottle is between 70 to 90 pounds per square inch, that is three times the pressure in your car tires. That is why it’s not recommended to open a champagne bottle while pointing it at someone, unless of course you want to seriously hurt that person…
4. The most expensive bottle of champagne cost $2.07 million dollars. In 2013, designer Alexander Amosu worked with Swarovski to create that bottle for a private client. It was handcrafted from 18 karat solid gold and featured a huge diamond as a centerpiece of its design. Needless to say, the bottle cost a bit more than the bubbly inside.
5. While excess alcohol in general is known to kill brain cells, 1 to 3 glasses of champagne per week could actually help counteract memory loss and could even aid in degenerative brain disorders associated with aging. So drink up, it’s good for you!
6. Marilyn Monroe was a great admirer of champagne. She not only loved to drink it, but once took a bath in it. That tub reportedly took 350 bottles of champagne to fill.
7. The person credited with the invention of champagne was a Benedictine monk and cellar master Dom Pierre Perignon. Does the name ring a bell? Rumor has it that the invention was a complete accident. A cold winter followed by an unusually warm spring resulted in secondary fermentation creating those bubble we now love. Initially frustrated by the presence of the bubbles and wanting to outdo his famous Burgundian neighbors to the south, he began to blend grapes, which resulted in the first white wine ever produced. After some lengthy experimentation and tasting he came up with wine so good that it was compared to “tasting stars” by his fellow monks. His name is now immortalized in the world’s most luxurious champagne brand.
8. Do you prefer to drink the bubbly from a flute or an old fashioned champagne glass (which is called a coupe, by the way)? Legend has it that the coupe was modeled after Marie Antoinette’s left breast. However intriguing that idea may be, drinking champagne from a flute might be more effective, since you don’t lose the bubbles as fast.
9. To prevent a headache we recommend sipping champagne. The bubbles carry the alcohol to your bloodstream a lot faster than non-carbonated drinks. This results in headaches for some people. And on a plus side, you will look a bit more elegant if you are not chugging your champagne.
10. Champagne contains a lot fewer calories than many other alcoholic drinks. For example, there are 7 times as many calories in a gin and tonic as in a glass of champagne. Cheers to that!