On this day in 1693, Benedictine monk Dom Pérignon invented champagne, the sparkling wine of celebration and joy.

Pérignon had a keen sense of smell and palate and knew of a special characteristic of the white wine of Aÿ, Champagne in northern France. This wine became effervescent with a second, short-lived fermentation. With spring warmth, the dormant yeast came to life and multiplied.

He worked diligently at his abbey to create this second fermentation and regulated the wine to retain its sparkle. He finally succeeded at age 60 and exclaimed, “Come quickly! I am tasting the stars!”

Champagne became the wine of English and French royalty and the favorite at aristocratic gatherings. Napoleon Bonaparte said, “I drink champagne when I win, to celebrate... and I drink champagne when I lose, to console myself.”

“Remember gentlemen,” noted Winston S. Churchill in 1918 during World War I, “it's not just France we are fighting for, it's champagne!”

“God only made water,” said Victor Hugo, “but man made wine.”