Dom Perignon is the Benedictine Monk who was credited with inventing champagne. In fact he was the man who first put the bubbles into champagne.

Pierre Perignon entered the monastery at Hautvilliers, in France, when was 19 years old in 1657. Under his care the vineyard at the Abbey doubled in size. At this time, winemakers had not found a way to ferment wine in bottles because once the winter came, fermentation stopped and the sugars just sat there in the sealed bottles waiting for the weather to become warmer. Then, the bottles turned into potential bombs and often exploded as fermentation started again.

Fermentation in the bottle is what gives Champagne its bubbles.

Dom Perignon found a way of stopping this refermentation by using only Pinot Noir, a red wine grape, and avoiding white grapes altogether. He also devised way of growing better grapes by closer pruning and restriction of vine height. Dom Perignon also introduced the pressing of grapes in wooden presses as an alternative to treading.

So, he managed to control the fermentation of the wine in the bottle and captured the bubbles in the way the best modern Champagne makers do.

Moet et Chandon, the best of Champagne makers honoured Dom Perignon by naming the very best of their Champagne after him.