Roland Barthes’ 1957 essay ‘Wine and Milk’ describes a collective proprietary attitude of the French people towards wine: ‘Wine is felt by the French nation to be a good which is its very own, at the same level as its three hundred and sixty types of cheese, and its culture. It is a totem-drink corresponding to the…tea ceremoniously consumed by the British Royal Family.’ Deeply embedded in French culture and daily life, wine has taken on mythical national significance. If we imagine that this national myth remains the provenance of the past, or even of the French, we need only remember the broad range of influence exerted by the word ‘champagne’. It is distinguished from all other French sparkling wines in the singularity of its nomenclature—unlike a Blanquette de Limoux, or a Crémant de Bourgogne—it is simply ‘champagne’. The unique nature of its name is also legally protected—no other sparkling wine in the world may officially be labelled ‘champagne’. As a global brand, champagne is perceived by contemporary consumers as a symbol of luxury, excellence and Frenchness.

For over one hundred years champagne producers have marketed their sparkling wines as geographically unique products, and restricted the designation ‘champagne’ to wines which meet strict criteria related to origin. Since 1935 international treaties and the domestic Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée have offered legal protection to preserve the integrity of the brand, and promoted adherence to these criteria in a global market. Delineated by geographic boundaries and strictly defined methods of elaboration, champagne continues to be traded not only on its exclusivity, through limited production and an assumption of superior quality, but also through the cumulative history associated with the product.