close Video This American helped save the Champagne industry — here's his fascinating story Charles Valentine Riley of Missouri played a key role in saving the French wine industry — check out his amazing life story. Bye-bye, bubbly?... " This is critical for the French economy." Grapes are harvested in a champagne vineyard in Montgueux( northern France), in Aug.... " So it will represent a rebalancing." French wine accounts for$ 9.6 billion in exports, equaling 16% of all global wine sales, a