The first records of sparkling wines date back to 1531. These were found at the Abbaye de St. Hilaire, near Limoux in the South of France. The Benedictine monks there were purposely making and selling a wine that sparkled when opened. They discovered that by bottling the wine in glass flasks with cork stoppers before the fermentation process was complete, it would then ‘fizz’ when opened. The process is known as ‘Méthode Ancestrale’.

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According to legend Dom Pérignon visited the Abbaye de St. Hilaire. There he saw the process the monks used to make sparkling wines. On his return to Rheims he used the technique with local still wines to create Champagne. What is certain is that sparkling wines were not produced in the Champagne region until around 1680, some 150 years after they were produced in Limoux.

 

Limoux lies close to the medieval walled city of Carcassonne not far from the Mediterranean and the eastern Pyrennes mountains. The region grows several varieties of grape but the Mauzac grape is unique to the region with Pinot Noir and other grape varieties also grown.

 

Over the last five centuries the tradition started by the Benedictine monks of St. Hilaire has continued. The producers harvest small areas of grapes and the first fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks. The blend is then tasted and with an additive poured  into bottles. The additive causes bubbles to form and a second fermentation to begin. The bottles are housed in temperature controlled cellars for up to thirty months. During this time they are regularly turned and the lees (spent yeast) forms as sediment in the neck of the bottles. The bottles are then disgorged (removing the sediment and sealing with a new cork) to complete the process.

 

Our Original Fizz comes from Limoux.. The domain has 66 hectares (approx. 163 acres) of vines. All the grapes are hand picked every year by the same family. Picking by hand ensures the grapes are at their absolute best when harvested and fermented.