Comet vintages

Throughout the history of wine, winemakers have attributed successful vintages and ideal weather conditions to the unexplained effects caused by the comets.

[1] Over centuries a great number of events and phenomena have been attributed to the appearances of comets in the sky—such as devastating earthquakes, a 1668 epidemic among cats in Westphalia, or an increase in the birth of twins in a particular area.

[2][4] This was due to the new technique of remuage or riddling developed by Veuve Cliquot that tackled the historical problem of how to remove the ill tasting and unpleasant looking sediments from the sparkling wine without losing the carbon-dioxide gas that makes it bubble.

[6] In the summer of 1812, following Napoleon's invasion of Russia, despite a decree from Tsar Alexander I of Russia banning the importation of French wine in bottles, Louis Bohne, lead sales agent for Veuve Clicquot, was able to smuggle a large quantity of the 1811 Cuvée de la Comète into Königsberg.

"[2] In the 1992 romantic comedy Year of the Comet, a bottle of 1811 Château Lafite is central to the story line.

[9] In The Uncommercial Traveller Charles Dickens refers to a clergyman as one "acquainted with 'Twenty port and comet vintages".

The Great Comet of 1811 , as drawn by William Henry Smyth
Despite officially banning the importation of bottled French wines, such as Champagne, Tsar Alexander I was said to have sought out the Veuve Clicquot Cuvée de la Comète
During its 1986 return Halley's Comet was visible in late 1985 which has been called a "comet vintage"