Champagne is an an English invention, according to kottke:
Merret came to sparkling wine through his interest in glass. The process of secondary fermentation had been known since before medieval times but was not reproducible because the glass bottles would explode under the pressure. Using stronger English glass and sturdy corks, Merret was able to dependably reproduce the sparkling effect and publish the technique for anyone to do the same. A bit less glamorous than ‘drinking the stars’ perhaps, but a deft illustration of the scientific method nonetheless.