According to wikipedia it's a Roman invention developped by the clergy in the middle ages (not unlike just about everything else in this country). The bubbles were thought unconvenient as the bottles would pop open during transportation, and of course it's a grey wine so it can't be kept in a barrel. So production would have stopped if the English hadn't bought it despite the inconvenience, until the cork method of closing bottles was developped (in France, by a Frenchman), at which point it became popular in France too.
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According to wikipedia it's a Roman invention developped by the clergy in the middle ages (not unlike just about everything else in this country). The bubbles were thought unconvenient as the bottles would pop open during transportation, and of course it's a grey wine so it can't be kept in a barrel. So production would have stopped if the English hadn't bought it despite the inconvenience, until the cork method of closing bottles was developped (in France, by a Frenchman), at which point it became popular in France too.