James Crowden, has written a new book called Ciderland which documents the history of cider making and claims that the credit for inventing Champagne should really go to Christopher Merret, a West Country scientist who outlined his method of making sparkling wine in a paper to the Royal Society in 1632, six years before Dom Pérignon was born.
The English connection will be spelt out next week by Mr Crowden in a paper to the Royal Society, claiming that the méthode champenoise was only refined by the French. He said: “What is extraordinary is that these cider-makers did not realise the potential of their discovery.”
Recent Comments