Champagne (wine region) soon followed by Chanoine Frères (1730), Taittinger (1734), Moët et Chandon (1743) and Veuve Clicquot (1772). The nineteenth century saw an explosive growth in Champagne production going from a regional production of 300,000 bottles a year in 1800 to 20 million bottles in 1850. A strong influence on Champagne wine production was the centuries-old rivalry between the region and Burgundy. From the key market of Paris to the palace of Louis XIV of France at Versailles, proponents of Champagne and Burgundy would compete for dominance. For most of his life, Louis XIV would drink only Champagne wine with the support
Veuve Clicquot 1816. This technique makes it possible to transform the champagne from a cloudy state to crystal clarity. Instead of transferring the wine from bottle to bottle, she kept the wine in the same bottle but agitated it gently. The bottles were turned upside down, causing the yeast to collect in the neck. Composed much like a wooden desk with circular holes, the rack allowed a bottle of wine to be stuck "sur point" or upside down. For six to eight weeks, a cellar assistant would gently shake and twist the bottles ("remuage"), rotating them by a quarter-turn every day, to