champagne

About Champagne

Champagne origin

Champagne is the world's most famous and popular sparkling wine. It is the epitome of sophisticated French wine culture. It originates from the Champagne wine-growing region, about 150 kilometers northeast of Paris – the northernmost and therefore coolest wine-growing region in France. Only there can it be called champagne, provided it was produced using the traditional bottle fermentation method, also known as the méthode d'art (traditional method) or méthode classique (classical method).

The sub-regions of Champagne

• Reims Mountain
• Marne Valley
• Côte des Blancs
• Côte des Bar

Champagne production

For champagne production, white wine is fermented a second time by bottling the finished wine and adding a small amount (24 grams per liter) of what is known as tirage dosage. This dosage is a mixture of wine, sugar, and special champagne yeasts, known in French as liqueur de tirage. The yeasts ferment the sugar in the bottle, and after one to two months fermentation is complete. The wine then contains around 1.2% more alcohol by volume than before. During fermentation, carbon dioxide (CO2) is produced, which cannot escape because the bottle is tightly sealed with a crown cork. This way, the CO2 remains dissolved in the wine as carbonic acid, creating the pleasant fizz.

The bottles are then stacked horizontally in the cellar, where the dead yeast sinks to the bottom and settles in the belly of the bottle. Depending on the type, the sparkling wine rests immobile on the lees for between 15 months and several years. This lees storage keeps the wine fresh and gives it typical yeast notes. Before the lees are removed, the bottles are placed upside down in a so-called riddling table and shaken slightly every day for 21 days so that the yeast collects in the bottle neck. To remove the yeast (“disgorging”), the bottle is immersed by the neck in an ice bath for around 40 seconds. The yeast freezes into an icy lump and shoots out of the bottle as soon as the crown cap is removed. The champagne is now ready for the final corking.

However, there is one important step before the cork and clasp are placed on the bottle: the so-called "dosage," a small amount of wine mixed with sugar syrup. The addition of the dosage refills the bottles, whose fill level has dropped slightly due to the ejection of the lees. It also sweetens the champagne. Depending on the style, this dosage can be sweeter or drier. High-quality vintage champagnes or sparkling wines that have been aged on the lees for a long time are usually corked without dosage. They are called Brut Nature or Dosage Zéro.

Grape varieties & styles

Not only is the work in the Champagne cellar subject to strict guidelines, but so is the production of the so-called base wines. These always come from the chalky and limestone soils of Champagne. Three grape varieties are considered: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. Pinot Noir and Meunier are vinified into white wine by fermenting without the skins. Since acidity is a key element in all sparkling wines, the base wines are also more acidic than normal wines, which is why Champagne grapes are always harvested somewhat earlier. Bringing the wines of the three grape varieties together in beautiful harmony at a young stage is the most important skill of a cellar master. After all, quality champagne is created not only in the vineyard, but also in the cellar. The perfect balance of perlage, structure, and aroma is the result of many small adjustments in the production process.

About 80 percent of all champagnes are released without a vintage statement. They are blended from wines from two or more vintages. The blending of different base wines into a homogeneous, harmonious wine is an art. The three different grape varieties are primarily blended. The cellar master is responsible for selecting the right batches to precisely capture the style represented by the respective champagne house. Older vintages that have been stored in the cellars for two or three years are also often included: the reserve wines. Each year, a greater or lesser portion of the wine is set aside for future blending.

In recent years, bottlings from winemakers have increased significantly, yet they still account for only a small portion of the overall market. Well-made winemakers' champagnes have more character than the big-name brands. They are often made from only one grape variety. If the wine is based solely on Chardonnay, it is called a Blanc de Blancs, and in the case of Pinot Noir or Pinot Meunier, it is called a Blanc de Noirs. Rosé champagnes are almost always a blend of red wine (10 to 20 percent) and white wine.