Why Do Balloonists celebrate with champagne post flight?
This is a tradition that dates back to the very first flight in France over 200 years ago. Farmers and land owners had never seen balloons before and often attacked then with pitchforks. It was a very rare occurrence to have a hot air balloon land in a paddock. The Pilots used champagne to pacify the farmers and land owners on landing. Modern aeronauts still thank land owners with champagne to this day.
