I remember I used to think that ‘every white sparkling wine’ was Champagne. But, everybody else used to think that, and a fine champagne was just a matter of money. ‘The more expensive the bottle, the finer the liquor’, I thought. For me, Dom Perignon champagne was expensive, not because it was really a sparkling wine (the first one ever) made in the french region that has given its name to it, but because the brand was a synonym for luxury and wealthy people.
But now I know that Dom Perignon is the epitome of the french champagne, and that even a ‘ cheap champagne ’ may cost much more than one thinks. Of course, it is a very special wine, produced with a very specific sort of grape, and with all the wine tradition of La République; you just can’t ‘produce’ your champagne and sell it pretending it is something it is not. That's what most people do: any cheapy sparkling white wine poured into champagne glasses may – to the eyes of the inexperienced – look like old tradition's Champagne de Reims. Or a fancy bottle inside a champagne bucket may be mistaken for a finest quality liquor, as let’s say, Crystal champagne (created in 1876 for Alexander II of Russia, the only ‘Champagne’ produced outside the Champagne region).