It was a cold winter evening in the year 1693. Dom Pérignon, a monk and winemaker, was bottling his white wine in the cellar of Hautvillers Abbey. He had developed a special method for maturing wine on the lees, the yeast cells that remained at the bottom of the barrel after fermentation. In this way he hoped to give the wine more flavor and complexity.

But when he opened one of the bottles, he was shocked by the sound he heard. It sounded like a cannon shot! He watched as the cork flew out of the bottle and a stream of frothy wine shot into the air. He smelled the bottle and tasted the wine carefully. To his surprise, he found that the wine had become sparkling and effervescent. He accidentally made the first champagne!

He ran to the other monks to share his discovery. They were all amazed and delighted with the new drink. Dom Pérignon and his fellow monks decided to serve champagne on Boxing Day, as a symbol of joy and gratitude. They invited the poor and the sick to celebrate with them. They handed out bread, cheese, fruit and of course champagne. They toasted life, love and the Lord.

This is how the tradition of drinking champagne on Boxing Day came into being. A tradition that lives on to this day. A tradition that reminds us of the wonders of nature and the goodness of man.