Dom Perignon was a Benedictine monk frequently credited with the invention of Champagne. The famous brand of Champagne Dom Perignon is named after him. ... A Roman Catholic monk A monk is a person who practices monasticism, adopting a strict religious and ascetic lifestyle, usually in community with others following the same path. ... Champagne is often drunk as part of a celebration Champagne is a sparkling wine produced by inducing the secondary fermentation of wine. ... Dom Perignon is a famous and expensive Champagne produced by Moët et Chandon. ...

The quote attributed to him - "Come quickly, I am tasting the stars!" - is supposedly what he said when tasting the first sparkling Champagne. Sadly, while the Dom did work tirelessly and successfully to improve the quality and renown of the still wines of Champagne, he did not invent sparkling wine, nor was he the first to make Champagne. It has been suggested that Red wine be merged into this article or section. ...

In his era the in-bottle refermentation that gives sparkling wine its sparkle was an enormous problem for winemakers. When the weather cooled off in the fall, fermentation would sometimes keep fermentable sugars from being converted to alcohol. If the wine was bottled in this state, it became a literal time bomb. When the weather warmed in the spring, dormant yeast roused themselves and began generating carbon dioxide that would at best push the cork out of the bottle, and at worst explode, starting a chain reaction. Nearby bottles, also under pressure, would break from the shock of the first breakage, and so on, which was a hazard to employees and to that year's production. Dom Perignon thus tried to avoid refermentation. He did introduce some features that are hallmarks of Champagne today, particularly extensive blending from multiple vineyards. Prior to blending he would taste the grapes without knowing the source vineyard to avoid influencing his perceptions. References to his "blind tasting" have led to the common misconception that Dom Perignon was blind. In its strictest sense, fermentation (formerly called zymnosis) is the anaerobic metabolic breakdown of a nutrient molecule, such as glucose, without net oxidation. ... In general use, sugar is taken to mean sucrose, also called table sugar or saccharose, a disaccharide which is a white crystalline solid. ... Carbon dioxide is an atmospheric gas comprised of one carbon and two oxygen atoms. ...

External link

• Dom Perignon Official site