If in doubt about what to drink, crack open a bottle of bubbly. As Madame Lily Bollinger, the doyenne of the famous Champagne house of Bollinger, replied when asked when was a good time to drink champagne, "I drink it when I'm happy and when I'm sad. Sometimes I drink it when I'm alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it when I am not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it – unless I'm thirsty of course."

Not all that sparkles is champagne. But without doubt, champagne is the most famous of the world's sparkling wines. But where, when and how did it come about? It started in the region Champagne, 30 miles east of Paris. At the end of the 17th century in the Marne Valley in the abbey of Hautuillers, a monk called Dom Perignon started a process, developed and refined over the following centuries that brought us to champagne as we know it today.

What makes Champagne so special and why is it usually (a lot) more expensive than other sparkling wines? We must go back to the region and method for the answers. The answer is in the soil – the chalk. The stipulated grapes, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier produce a wine of great elegance and distinction. The two Pinots are black grapes, champagne is mostly white so, when pressing, great care is taken to ensure that the juice of the dark grapes is not tainted by the skins. If you see "Blanc de Blanc" on a label, this means the Champagne is made only from the Chardonnay grape. Houses will also produce their De Luxe, Prestige and Luxury vintage labels. Now you're spending big money!

Temperature is most important for Champagne (6-8°C). Long flute glasses are essential for serving as they are shaped especially to make the bubbles last. Don't wash your flute glasses with washing-up liquid as this kills the bubbles.

Someone, somewhere with a sharp eye and loads of patience has estimated that there are hundreds of millions of bubbles in every bottle. Seriously! Well, let's crack open a bottle and find out!