Which 1728 French royal decree allowed Champagne wine to be transported in bottles?

The decree of 1728 allowed Champagne wine to be transported in bottles rather than only in barrels.

Before this change, transporting wine in bottles was restricted, and wine commonly moved in wooden casks. The royal decree issued under Louis XV permitted Champagne producers to bottle wine for transport in limited quantities. This was an important commercial step in the development of the region’s bottle-based sparkling-wine trade.

The decree did not by itself create modern Champagne. Reliable sparkling production, stronger bottles, cork closures, blending, and controlled cellar practices developed over time. However, transport in bottles made it possible for producers to preserve and market the wine in a form much closer to the finished product.

The measure is sometimes confused with later advances in sparkling-wine technology. It concerned legal transport and packaging, not the invention of riddling or the modern dosage system.