# Dom Pérignon (monk)

- Link: https://kihulane.eu/glossary/dom-perignon-monk
- Published: 2026-08-05T11:55:00+03:00
- Author: toomas

French Benedictine monk (1638–1715)

[[

Statue of Dom Pérignon at [Moët & Chandon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moët_&_Chandon)

[Dom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minister_(Christianity)#Dominie,_Dominee,_Dom,_Don)**
Pierre Pérignon** (French: [[dɔ̃ pjɛʁ peʁiɲɔ̃]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/French);
December 1638 – 14 September 1715), was a French [Benedictine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benedictines)
monk who made important contributions to the production and quality of [champagne wine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champagne_wine)
in an era when the region's wines were predominantly still red. Popular tales frequently,
but erroneously, credit him with the invention of [sparkling](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparkling_wine)
champagne, which did not become the dominant style of champagne until the mid-19th
century.

The famous champagne [Dom Pérignon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dom_Pérignon),
the prestige _[cuvée](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuvée)_ of winery [Moët & Chandon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moët_&_Chandon),
is named after him. The remains of the monastery where he spent his adult life are
now the property of that winery.

## Biography

Pérignon was born to a clerk of the local [marshal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provost_(civil)#Provost_Marshals)
in the town of [Sainte-Menehould](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sainte-Menehould)
in the [ancient Province of Champagne](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champagne_(province))
in the [Kingdom of France](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_France). He 
was born in December 1638 and was [baptized](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baptism)
on 5 January 1639. He was the youngest of his parents' seven children, as his mother
died the following summer. His father's family owned several vineyards in the region.

As a child Pérignon became a member of the boys' [choir school](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_choir_schools)
operated by the Benedictine Abbey of [Moiremont](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moiremont),
studying there until 1651, when he went to study at the [Jesuit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesuits)
college in [Châlons-sur-Marne](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Châlons-en-Champagne).
When he was 17 he entered the Benedictine Order near the town of [Verdun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verdun)
at the Abbey of Saint-Vanne, the leading monastery of the [Congregation of St. Vanne](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congregation_of_St._Vanne).
The congregation was a reform movement of monastic life, and he followed a regimen
of prayer, study and manual labor, as prescribed in the _[Rule of Saint Benedict](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_Saint_Benedict)_.
In 1668 he was transferred to the [Abbaye Saint-Pierre d'Hautvillers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hautvillers_Abbey),
where he served as [cellarer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellarium) for the rest
of his life.^([[1]](https://kihulane.eu/glossary/dom-perignon-monk#cite_note-FOOTNOTEPhillips2000245-1))
Under his stewardship, the abbey flourished and doubled the size of its vineyard
holdings, while he worked to improve their product with the help of Dom [Thierry Ruinart](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thierry_Ruinart),
a noted scholar of the abbey.

When Pérignon died in 1715, as a sign of honor and respect, he was buried in a section
of the abbey cemetery traditionally reserved only for [abbots](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbot).
^([[2]](https://kihulane.eu/glossary/dom-perignon-monk#cite_note-FOOTNOTEKladstrupKladstrup200538-2))
That cemetery is now the property of the local [commune](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communes_of_France).

The most photographed statue of Dom Pérignon stands at the entrance to Moët & Chandon's
headquarters in Épernay, though as of summer 2022, a significantly more artistic
one was unveiled in Hautvillers. The latter bronze integrates a very large glass
champagne bottle into the figure's lower portion as well as a motif at its base 
which represents the trunk of the grape vine. The two cellar keys hanging from his
belt sash represents the coat of arms of the same village.

## Influence on champagne production

[[

Dom Pérignon is buried in the church of [Hautvillers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hautvillers),
Champagne region.

In Pérignon's era, the in-bottle [refermentation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secondary_fermentation_(wine))(
now used to give sparkling wine its sparkle) was an enormous problem for winemakers.
When the weather cooled off in the autumn, fermentation would sometimes stop before
all the fermentable sugars had been converted to alcohol. If the wine was bottled
in this state, it became a literal time bomb. When the weather warmed in the spring,
dormant [yeast](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeast_in_winemaking) roused themselves
and began generating [carbon dioxide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_dioxide)
that would at best push the cork out of the bottle, and at worst explode, starting
a chain reaction. Nearby bottles, also under pressure, would break from the shock
of the first breakage, and so on, which was a hazard to employees and to that year's
production. Dom Pérignon thus tried to avoid refermentation. He did introduce some
features that are hallmarks of Champagne today, particularly extensive blending 
of grapes from multiple vineyards.

In 1718, the [Canon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_(title)) Godinot published
a set of wine-making rules that were said to be established by Dom Pérignon. Among
these rules was the detail that fine wine should only be made from [Pinot noir](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinot_noir).
Pérignon was not fond of white grapes because of their tendency to enter re-fermentation.
Other rules that Godinot included was Pérignon's guidance to aggressively prune 
vines so that they grow no higher than three feet and produce a smaller crop. Harvest
should be done in cool, damp conditions (such as early morning) with every precaution
being taken to ensure that the grapes don't bruise or break. Rotten and overly large
grapes were to be thrown out. Pérignon did not allow grapes to be trodden and favored
the use of multiple presses to help minimize [maceration](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maceration_(wine))
of the juice and the skins.^([[3]](https://kihulane.eu/glossary/dom-perignon-monk#cite_note-FOOTNOTEJohnson1989213–214-3))

Pérignon was also an early advocate of wine-making using only natural processes,
without the addition of foreign substances.^([[4]](https://kihulane.eu/glossary/dom-perignon-monk#cite_note-FOOTNOTEKladstrupKladstrup200526-4))

## Misconceptions

The quote attributed to Pérignon—"Come quickly, I am tasting the stars!"—is supposedly
what he said when tasting the first sparkling champagne. However, the first appearance
of that quote appears to have been in a print advertisement in the late 19th century.
^([[1]](https://kihulane.eu/glossary/dom-perignon-monk#cite_note-FOOTNOTEPhillips2000245-1))

The tales about Pérignon being the first to use [corks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cork_(material))
and being able to name the precise vineyard by tasting a single grape likely originated
from Dom Groussard's account of him.^([[5]](https://kihulane.eu/glossary/dom-perignon-monk#cite_note-FOOTNOTEJohnson1989210-5))

Prior to blending he would taste the [grapes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grape)
without knowing the source vineyard to avoid influencing his perceptions. References
to his "[blind tasting of wine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blind_wine_tasting)"
have led to the common misconception that Dom Pérignon was blind.

Contrary to popular assumptions, Dom Pérignon did not introduce blending to Champagne
wines but rather the method of blending the grapes _prior_ to sending them to press.
^([[6]](https://kihulane.eu/glossary/dom-perignon-monk#cite_note-FOOTNOTEJohnson1989214-6))

## See also

 * [History of Champagne](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Champagne)
 * [List of wine professionals](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wine_professionals)

## References

 1. [1](https://kihulane.eu/glossary/dom-perignon-monk#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEPhillips2000245_1-0)
    [2](https://kihulane.eu/glossary/dom-perignon-monk#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEPhillips2000245_1-1)
    [Phillips 2000](https://kihulane.eu/glossary/dom-perignon-monk#CITEREFPhillips2000),
    p. 245.
 2. [↑](https://kihulane.eu/glossary/dom-perignon-monk#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEKladstrupKladstrup200538_2-0)
    [Kladstrup & Kladstrup 2005](https://kihulane.eu/glossary/dom-perignon-monk#CITEREFKladstrupKladstrup2005),
    p. 38.
 3. [↑](https://kihulane.eu/glossary/dom-perignon-monk#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEJohnson1989213–214_3-0)
    [Johnson 1989](https://kihulane.eu/glossary/dom-perignon-monk#CITEREFJohnson1989),
    pp. 213–214.
 4. [↑](https://kihulane.eu/glossary/dom-perignon-monk#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEKladstrupKladstrup200526_4-0)
    [Kladstrup & Kladstrup 2005](https://kihulane.eu/glossary/dom-perignon-monk#CITEREFKladstrupKladstrup2005),
    p. 26.
 5. [↑](https://kihulane.eu/glossary/dom-perignon-monk#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEJohnson1989210_5-0)
    [Johnson 1989](https://kihulane.eu/glossary/dom-perignon-monk#CITEREFJohnson1989),
    p. 210.
 6. [↑](https://kihulane.eu/glossary/dom-perignon-monk#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEJohnson1989214_6-0)
    [Johnson 1989](https://kihulane.eu/glossary/dom-perignon-monk#CITEREFJohnson1989),
    p. 214.

## Sources

 * [Johnson, Hugh](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Johnson_(wine_writer)) (1989).
   [_Vintage: The Story of Wine_](https://archive.org/details/vintagestoryofwi0000hugh).
   New York: [Simon & Schuster](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_&_Schuster).
   [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)) 0-671-68702-6. [OCLC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OCLC_(identifier))
   [19741999](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/19741999).
 * Kladstrup, Don; Kladstrup, Petie (2005). _Champagne: How the World's Most Glamorous
   Wine Triumphed Over War and Hard Times_. New York: [William Morrow](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Morrow_and_Company).
   [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)) 0-06-073792-1. [OCLC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OCLC_(identifier))
   [60664456](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/60664456).
 * Phillips, Roderick (2000). [_A Short History of Wine_](https://archive.org/details/shorthistoryofwi0000phil).
   New York: [Ecco Press](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecco_Press). [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_(identifier))
   0-06-621282-0. [OCLC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OCLC_(identifier)) [51267749](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/51267749).

## Further reading

 * [Stevenson, Tom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Stevenson); Avellan, Essi (
   2014). [_Christie's World Encyclopedia of Champagne & Sparkling Wine_](https://archive.org/details/christiesworlden0000toms).
   New York: [Sterling Publishing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sterling_Publishing).
   [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)) 978-1-4027-7224-5. [OCLC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OCLC_(identifier))
   [869776228](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/869776228).

## External links

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