In the dimly lit cellars of a historic Champagne house nestled in the heart of France, something extraordinary lies hidden away from the world.
Aged to perfection and shrouded in an aura of mystery, the world's oldest Champagne has quietly awaited its moment to shine. This effervescent elixir, with a history that stretches back centuries, embodies the art of winemaking at its finest. Join us on a journey through time as we uncork the story behind this remarkable beverage, a testament to the enduring allure of Champagne.
"The House of Ruinart is unlike any other. It was the first established House of Champagne in 1729 and inspired by the intuition of a monk well ahead of his time,” reads the inscription on the Ruinart website which owes its origins back to Dom Thierry Ruinart, a Benedictine monk born in 1657 and met his death in 1709.
Described as hardworking, intuitive, modest and above all – a visionary, Dom Thierry left his home of Champagne in France’s northeast at age 23. Today the region is synonymous with wine but during Dom Thierry’s time – that was still to happen.
Interestingly the area is actually a difficult environment for wine grapes to fully ripen, due to the high latitude and mean annual temperature of only 10 C. However, the surrounding forests help stabilise temperatures and maintain moisture in the soil which in turn helps with ripening. The low year-round temperatures also assist in producing high levels of acidity in the resulting grape which is ideal for sparkling wine.
When Dom Thierry set out from Champagne, it was the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, he had in sight which was then known as the most influential centre for learning near the city once called Lutece (now Paris).
Of course, no stay in Paris is complete without ‘wine and bubbles’ which were quite new in the late 1600s and not even yet known as Champagne. It was however quite popular among young aristocrats.
Fast forward to some 20 years after Dom Thierry’s death, it was on September 1, 1729 ( yes, more than 300 years ago) 130 km north of Paris, in Reims that Dom Thierry’s legacy would start to grow and then thrive, where his nephew Nicolas Ruinart created the world’s first-ever Champagne-producing company.
"The intuition of his uncle, the monk who had first shown him the way, had thus inspired an initiative that was to make history.”
Today, you can visit the natural chalk cellars of the Maison Ruinart Crayeres, which are listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list, with a guided tasting of two signature cuvées to complete your Maison Ruinart discovery.
