Ever wonder what makes those little bubbles in your glass of Champagne? Do you know how long it took to make that bottle you’re popping this Thanksgiving? I recently traveled to France to check out this winegrowing region and learn what I could about the history of the area and how your bubbly gets made.

A Little History

Champagne is one of the northernmost wine growing regions in the world, hovering around the 50th parallel. The region is so cold that, historically, it was difficult to make good still wine. So, the story goes, the good monk Dom Pérignon began to blend different wines from different plots in order to improve the flavor of the final wine. He was also the first to make white wine from red grapes (or so the story goes), which is important since two of the three grapes commonly used in Champagne are red.