Champagne
Champagne is the ultimate celebration drink. Where does champagne come from?
The Champagne region is the most northerly wine producing area in France. The vineyards are located on chalky hills south of the city of Reims and production is carried out mainly in Reims and the small town of Epernay.
What grapes go into champagne?
Champagne is normally made from a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes. The various champagne producers use different proportions of the three grapes in their wines, depending on their own experiences and local traditions. Typically, champagne contains about three parts Pinot Noir to one part Chardonnay. The higher the proportion of Pinot Noir then the more body, color, bouquet and alcohol content can be expected. If a higher proportion of chardonnay is included then the wine becomes lighter in both body and color. In the area south of Epernay, Blanc de Blancs champagne, made entirely of white chardonnay grapes, is produced.
Pink champagne is produced by leaving the black grape skins (Pinot Noir or Pinot Meunier), in the wine for a short period, during the vinification process. Although pink champagne may look classy, wine experts tend to consider that its flavor is inferior to that of most white varieties.
The champagne method
Originally, champagne was a still wine. It was made sparkling following a discovery traditionally associated with Dom Perignon, a 17th century cellar master at the Abbey of Hautvillers, who by chance discovered the sparkling variety. He realized that the addition of a certain amount of sugar to the still wine caused a secondary fermentation in the bottle, resulting in the creation of a sparkling wine, because of the additional carbon dioxide and alcohol produced.
Champagne today is made using a process called 'methode champenoise' which can take up to six years for the best quality champagnes. The 'methode champenoise' is used in other wine producing areas but the name champagne can only be used legally for the wines from the Champagne region of France. The champagne producers have been to court in many countries, over the years, in order to protect their brand.
Some sediment is also formed. In order to remove this deposit, the bottles are stored neck downwards in special racks. Skilled operatives then gently shake and twist the bottles regularly to make the sediment slide down on to the cork. Eventually, after freezing the neck of the bottle, it is possible to remove the sediment when the cork is extracted. The bottle is then topped up with wine of equal quality. A syrup-like substance is sometimes added to the wine to increase the sweetness. Champagne may contain up to 8% sugar.
Champagne varies considerably from brut (very dry), at one end of the spectrum to doux (rich) at the other. The final cork is then inserted and a wire assembly attached to hold it in place. The champagne is then cellared where the bottles are monitored for varying periods of time, until they are ready to be shipped to customers, worldwide.