The secret to champagne’s universal appeal is the physics of bubbles

Champagne actually predates Priestley by at least 150 years: the first mention of a sparkling wine dates back to 1535 in the Languedoc region of France. The classic brand Dom Perignon gets its name from a 17th-century monk who had the job of getting rid of the bubbles that developed in his abbey’s bottled wine, lest the pressure build up so much they exploded. Legend has it that upon sipping such a bubbly wine, the monk realized the bubbles might not be such a bad thing after all, declaring, “Come quickly, brothers, I am drinking stars!”

Champagne is usually made from grapes picked early in the season, when there is less sugar in the fruit and higher levels of acid. The grapes are pressed and sealed in containers to ferment, just like any other wine. CO2 is produced during fermentation, but it’s allowed to escape, because what you want at this stage is a base wine. Then there is a second fermentation, except this time, the CO2 is trapped in the bottle, dissolving into the wine. Striking just the right balance is key. You need about six atmospheres of pressure and 18 grams of sugar, with just 0.3 grams of yeast. Otherwise the resulting champagne will either be too flat, or too much pressure will cause the bottle to explode.