Many sources perpetuate the tripartite myth that Dom Perignon was the
blind inventor of champagne, whose senses of taste and smell were enha
nced by his loss of vision. This myth, however, is seemingly contradic
ted by historical fact. Not only do ancient references suggest that sp
arkling wine existed long before Perignon's time, but the making of ch
ampagne was a scientific process that required careful measuring, weig
hing, and record keeping, and it is unlikely that Perignon was blind w
hen he was perfecting champagne. While the truth regarding Dom Perigno
n's blindness has disappeared during the more than two and a half cent
uries since his death, it is interesting to speculate why he may have
lost vision at some stage of life. A brief history of Perignon's disco
very of the secret of champagne and the blindness myth is traced, and
a differential diagnosis is given, including cataracts, uncorrected re
fractive error, alcohol toxicity, and champagne-related ocular/cerebra
l trauma. (C) 1998 by Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.).