How the expression "Who does not take risks, does not drink champagne" appeared

Today, the expression "Who does not take risks, does not drink champagne" is an obvious metaphor. But it wasn't always like that. There were times when the use of this drink was associated with quite a serious risk. And the point here is not at all in the harm of alcohol to the body, but in its properties and method of storage.

The expression itself, like champagne, appeared in France. It is associated with the world-famous Madame Clicquot, the widow of wool merchant and winemaker Francois Clicquot. When her husband died, the widow decided not to wind up his business and continued to produce wines. The woman focused on sparkling wines and managed to refine the production technology. This allowed us to bring the quality of champagne wines to a whole new level.

Champagne "Veuve Clicquot" became famous first in France, and then abroad. But he had one drawback. Bottles of sparkling wine had the property of exploding unexpectedly, bursting from the inside with the pressure of gases. Therefore, going to the cellar for a bottle of champagne was associated with a very real risk.

It's hard to say how many professional sommeliers and just hospitable hosts suffered from such explosions. But it is known for sure that the expression "Who does not take risks, does not drink champagne" appeared precisely because of this unpleasant feature. A glass bottle exploding like a grenade in a confined space caused serious injuries to people. To reduce the risk, they even came up with special protective suits for trips to wine cellars.

But later the problem was solved. Champagne wines began to be poured into thick-walled bottles of a special shape and the probability of an explosion significantly decreased. Today, you can enter the cellars where sparkling wines are stored without fear. And the expression about risk was remembered and became a catch phrase.