Ep 11: Who Really Invented Champagne?

In this fizz-filled episode of A Question of Drinks, Felicity Carter and Lulie Halstead investigate one of the wine world’s most persistent myths: who really invented Champagne? Was it Dom Pérignon, as the marketing legends claim — or were British scientists and merchants bottling bubbly decades earlier?

Expect exploding bottles, legal firestorms, Russian oligarchs, Stalinist innovation, and a blind tasting study that might permanently change how you see cheap sparkling wine.

What we cover:

• The overlooked role of English scientist Christopher Merret (1662) in documenting secondary fermentation.

• Why British coal-fired glass furnaces mattered more than French monks.

• How Champagne marketing reinvented history and created global brand dominance.

• The 1911 Champagne riots and how they shaped today’s AOC protections.

• Champagne Jane vs. the CIVC: When trade protection becomes personal.

• Why Californian 'Champagne' still exists — and the legal loophole keeping it alive.

• What really happened when Belgian customs seized Gallo André 'Champagne' on its way to Nigeria.

• Stalin’s role in democratising sparkling wine.

• Consumer preferences: Do drinkers actually like Champagne best? 

• Sugar, calories, and labelling.

Plus:

• Lulie tastes Chinese wine in Hong Kong.

• Felicity finally tries Guinness (but did she like it?).

• Australia goes soft, with Wagyu for dogs and "Paw-kies" on menus.
  
  

To contact us:

Got a burning drinks question? Or just want to tease Felicity about Guinness? Email us at: [email protected]

Meet Your Hosts:

Lulie Halstead founded and led international consumer research and strategy consultancy Wine Intelligence, and led it to a successful PE exit. Today she is a renowned global beverage alcohol and wine sector specialist, focused on consumer behaviour, strategy, retail and hospitality. An accomplished keynote speaker, she has spoken at more than 70 international events over the past 20 years.

Felicity Carter is an award-winning wine and drinks journalist, editor, speaker trainer and content strategist. She led Meininger’s Wine Business International to become the world’s most must-read wine trade magazine, and was founding Executive Editor of The Drop/Pix, which the Wall Street Journal named one of the most trusted sources of wine information. A regular keynote speaker, she was named a 2024 Industry Leader by WineBusiness Monthly.