It started with a rivalry, of course. Wine's been made since the Romans first planted vineyards, but it wasn't until the mid 1660's that the centuries-old competition between the Champenois and Burgundians in northern France would officially start to boil.

Wines from Champagne were of various shades of light red to pale pink, a poor choice in competition with their Burgundian neighbors to the south who were producing rich, colorful, full-bodied wines. Champagne, then a pinkish "still" wine, was made from white grapes, but the flavor was dull and it quickly spoiled.

It was well known white wines made from red wine grapes had more flavor, aromatics, and longevity but it took a couple of centuries of hit and miss results before the French Benedictine monk named Dom Pierre Pérignon, newly appointed cellar master of the Benedictine Abbey at Hautvillers, France, in 1668, would apply his viticulture philosophy and techniques to the vineyards thus setting the bubbly on a rocket's trajectory.

Dom Pérignon believed the red Pinot noir grapes, had the best flavor and potential quality. After years of aggressive pruning, small yields, early morning harvesting, hand cutting and smooth transport from vine to vat, Dom Pérignon's pressing techniques to keep the grape skins from leaching into the juice had finally given him the results he had long sought. The making of Champagne, Méthode Champenoise, is a two to five-year process from vine to table depending on the house style, or cuvée.

Red grapes were less likely to become "volatile" in the French wood-fired bottles. The risk of financial ruin (the disturbance caused by one bottle's disintegration could cause a chain reaction, routinely cellars lost 20–90%), let alone the sorrowful mess of a floor of shards swimming in pools of liquid gold, was an unwelcome fact of a champagne maker's life. Cellar workers donning metal masks to protect their faces from exploding bottles nicknamed the wine le Vin du diable! (the devil's wine)

The Champenois understandably considered bubbles a fault. That is, until those champion imbibers, the British, had their say in the matter. Wine was exported to England in wooden wine barrels intended as non-sparkling, but something happened on the way to the party.

Before bottling, English merchants deliberately provoked a second fermentation by adding sugar and molasses. Initial fermentation had stopped temporarily, leaving residual sugar and dormant yeast. English glassmakers made stronger bottles and bottle makers re-discovered cork stoppers tied down with string worked to withstand the building pressure. Warm weather reactivated fermentation. The true méthode champenoise—was discovered by the English!

While the French were still decanting the champagne to rid it of sediment that would make the juice cloudy, and—say it ain't so, Joe!—losing much of the fizzle before it reached eager lips, the English loved the volcanic eruption of liquid bubbles. This effervescent exuberance led to all sorts of fun, puns, adult euphemisms and hysteria from otherwise genteel ladies and gents. Champagne became the object of poets' affection, characters in fiction and film, and newspaper cartoonists revealed in the revelry of the twist, pull and pop.

Vintners to England's south across the channel quickly took notice and finally conceded: bubbles were here to stay. Overnight, the thirst of French royalty and fashionable society created the major champagne houses we know today. Champagne wars across the royal courts of Europe spread at a fever pitch and demand exploded.

Even during the French Revolution and Napoleonic wars, winemakers devised creative schemes to smuggle their wines to thirsty clients. To save some of their noble customers from the guillotine, Champagne merchants altered business records by replacing the titles of their clients with "Citizen". During Napoleon's invasion of Russia, sales agents saw both victor and loser as potential customers and armed with cases, traveled by horseback ahead of the French Imperial Army on their way to Moscow. Napoleon lost, and was heard uttering "Champagne! In victory one deserves it, in defeat one needs it."

How much sugar to add? A French pharmacist, André François, figured out precise measurements for optimal effervescence and sparkle. Very, very sweet to none, the brut. The Russians topped the list with up to 83 teaspoons or 1 3/4 cups followed by Scandinavia, France, Germany, the United States and lastly English preferring the least. Today a variety of sweetnesses is now available worldwide. Aroma, taste, bubble size (smaller is better), persistence (long-lasting is better) and their mouthfeel (smoothness or coarseness of texture) are key criteria.

Early producers decanted the bottle to remove dead yeast after the second fermentation that clouded the wine and gave it "off" flavors. Madame Cliquot and her cellar master of the house of Clicquot invented the practice of "riddling", giving the bottle an abrupt wap and turn and resting the bottle-neck down in holes cut out of her kitchen table. The collected sediment could then be easily removed thus producing a clearer liquid.

World events and social unrest would test the fortitude of the Champenois. Enemy invasion in World War I destroyed the vineyards and production, but tougher rootstock would replace these lost vines in more suitable locations. In 1917, Karl Marx banned Champagne, finally available again after the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1991; Prohibition made owning the fizzy a felonious act for 13 years, the Great Depression, and lastly, the second World War dampened American markets.

After Germany surrendered in May of 1945 in Reims, France, General Eisenhower celebrated with Pommery 1934. "The last explosions of the war were the popping of Champagne corks" according to a wine historian, but it was Churchill's declaration, "Remember gentlemen, it's not just France we are fighting for, it's Champagne!" that was best remembered.

Champagne was given star status in film, a memorable line delivered by Humphrey Bogart, playing Rick Blaine in the movie, Casablanca, was "Henri wants us to finish this bottle, then three more. He says he'll water his garden with champagne before he lets the Germans drink any of it."

Resilient and resourceful, the Champenois were destined to lead carbonated world domination. The Champagne AOC was established to define territory, viticulture practices and promote one of France's most iconic symbols. Only sparkling wine from Champagne could be called Champagne; "Sparkling wine" would describe all others.

Over 300 million bottles of Champagne are produced annually. Sparkling wine? We've lost count. Bubbly by any name is still bubbly. We love it all.

Best Wishes for a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Three Local Wineries that Produce Champagne

Cobbler Mountain Cellars 2009 Blanc de Blancs
A chardonnay with notes of tropical fruit, lush apple and pear, and a creamy, rich texture.

Greenhill Winery & Vineyards 2013 Blanc de Blancs
A creamy, fruity Chardonnay with notes of ripe apples, pears, and freshly baked bread.

Paradise Springs Winery Aprés Sparkling Viognier
100% Viognier – Virginia's signature grape – rich, luscious and aromatic with fine bubbles and a dry finish.