1638-1715

French Benedictine monk who is renowned for his contribution to winemaking. Prior to the seventeenth century, abbeys produced only still wines, although sparkling wines were known in France and England. As cellar master at the Abbey of Hautvillers in Champagne, France, Dom Perignon converted ordinary sparkling wine into the exceptional wine called champagne. Dom Perignon's sparkling wine was expensive, ordered only by royalty and the nobility, and made him famous in his own lifetime.