Sparkling Wines

| Champagne

Champagne

Description:

Champagne is a sparkling white wine made, for the most part, from the Pinot Noir and, to a lesser degree the Pinot Meunier grape. For the champagnes labeled blanc de blanc the Chardonnay grape is used. The skin of the Pinot Noir or black grape, is actually not black, but blue on the outside and red on the inside. When first pressed, the juice is "white”, that is, clear.

It has been argued that, technically, the word “Champagne” is not a generic term and that true champagnes are made only in certain carefully-defined districts of the province of Champagne which is located in Northeast France about 90 miles east of Paris. Nevertheless, other areas of the world, notably California and New York State, also produce high-quality sparkling white wines and often label them as “Champagne”.

In contrast to non-vintage Champagnes which blend the vintages of two or more years, “Vintage champagnes” are produced from the harvest of a single year and this year is noted on the label. Vintage champagnes are produced only in the best years. In years when the harvest lacks great quality, vintage Champagnes are not created.

The three districts within the Champagne region of France that produce the finest wines are the Montagne de Reims, the Vallée de la Marne, and the Côte des Blancs. The soils from all three of these districts are unusually high in chalk content. The first two districts from which we get, respectively, the “wines of the Mountain” and the “wines of the River” employ mostly the Pinot grape in the champagne-making process. The Côte des Blancs district, however, relies almost exclusively on the Chardonnay grape and produces the lighter and drier Champagne called Blanc de Blancs. Some “champagne nature,” that is “still” or “natural” non-sparkling wines are also made in the Champagne region, but these are rarely found in the United States as their export is discouraged by the French government.

Basically, Champagne is made by allowing wine to ferment a second time. This creates the carbonation or bubbles that distinguish it from still or natural wines. Unlike the modern “bulk process” where the wine is fermented in great sealed tanks and then transferred under pressure into bottles, the more traditional methode champenoise or champagne-making process requires that the second fermentation take place within each bottle. Naturally, the methode champenoise is a much more laborious and costly procedure than the bulk process. A bottle of fine champagnes may take seven years before reaching market during which time it may be handled as many as 200 times.

The origins of the methode champenoise process date back to the 17th century. A Benedictine monk named Dom Perignon, (who did not, as it is claimed, actually invent champagne,) was one of the first to experiment with and perfect champagne making. Another innovator named Francoise invented the densimétre, a 1 9th-century instrument used at the time of bottling to measure the sugar content of the “must”, that is the juice of the grapes. Prior to the invention of the densimétre, there was no scientific method of determining the sugar content. Estimates were made solely by tasting and precision was difficult to achieve. If too much sugar were added, the bottles exploded. (In 1833, one out of three bottles in the Moet cellars exploded.) If too little sugar were added, the “champagne” came out flat. Today, thanks to numerous technical innovations, including the fabrication of stronger bottles, explosions that occur during processing and cellar storage average only one or two percent.

The methode champenoise is a rather elaborate process and only the highlights will be covered here. After the harvest which is usually in mid-October, each cluster or bunch of grapes is carefully examined. Grapes that lack the proper ripeness or are unsuitable because of mildew or for other reasons are removed. The remaining grapes are put in deep, wide baskets known as caques or mannequins, loaded into trucks, and hurried to the vendangeoir or press-house.

The grapes are pressed immediately in apressoir that accommodates about four tons. The Cuvée (i.e., the grape juice or must) from this first pressing is then collected in 450-gallon vats and allowed to ferment for about 24 to 36 hours. This “shortvatting”, as it is called, assures the proper amount of coloration and also allows time for the “head”, that is the dust and other impurities that rise to the surface, to be drawn off. The Cuvée is then transferred to 44-gallon oak casks, treated with a small amount of sulfur to halt fermentation, and shipped to the cellars of various local wine-making firms.

Here the wine is tested. In order to assure that the alcohol content of the finished product reaches 10 to 12 percent, sugar is added in those years when the grapes do not have enough natural sweetness. This process is calledchaptalisation. (Under exceptional circumstances, citric or tartaric acid might also be added. This practice, however, is not viewed as desirable.)

The addition of sugar causes a continuation of the fermentation that usually lasts anywhere from 18 to 30 days, after which the wine is allowed to settle and clarify for eight to ten weeks.

In December, the wine is racked. Racking entails the transfeer of the wine into new casks in order to remove the sediments or dregs and also to expose the wine to fresh air. After four or five weeks, the Chef de Caves supervises the blending orassemblage of the wines from different vineyards and towns in order to create a quality champagne. The wines are blended in huge vats calledfoudres. Sometimes, wines from older vintages are added in. Although there are a few vms de cru, that is wines that come from one town only, most champagnes are a blend or cuvée of wines.

By spring and early summer, the wines are put in bottles. At this time, a liquid sugar mixed with wine called liqueur de tirage is added. The addition of the liqueur de tirage, which is at the heart of the methode champenoise, not only raises the alcohol content slightly but also, most importantly, causes the bottled wine to ferment a second time. This second fermentation creates the carbon dioxide that gives champagne its sparkle. When the amount of liqueur de tirage added is deliberately kept to a minimum, a champagne with less pressure and less sparkle termed “crémant” is produced. During the second fermentation, the extra-heavy cork in each bottle is held in place by a sturdy clamp.

The wine is then stacked horizontally in the cellars and allowed to “ripen” for several years. About twice a year, the bottles are moved. Bottles in the middle of the stack, where the heat of the fermentation is concentrated, are moved to the outside and vice-versa so that the output is consistent.

The bottles are also shaken to free up any sediment that may have formed. This shaking process is referred to as rémuage and the person who shakes and turns the bottle is called a rémueur. Later, the stacked bottles are placed in special turning racks called pup itres where they are regularly turned. These racks hold the bottles by their necks and allow them to be gradually maneuvered by arémueur from a horizontal to a completely upside-down position in order that all the sediment sink and rest close to the cork. It is said that it takes five years to fully train arémueur. Estimates of the number of bottles that the best of them can turn range from 32,000 to 70,000 a day.

The next step is the dégorgement which entails the removal of the particles of the sediment. This process is performed by a specialist called a’Jégorgeur. The trick is to remove the cork in such a way that the sediment is extracted with as little loss as possible of either the wine or carbonation. The modem method of accomplishing this involves freezing the necks of the bottles thus allowing for the easy removal of the sediment. The next process called the dosage involves replacing the small amount of wine that has been lost. A champagne that has been held in reserve (vin de reserve) is combined with sugar and a little brandy to create the sweetener called liqueur d’expédition.

Different champagnes are sweetened to different degrees. Less than two percent of the sweet liqueur d’expédition is added to Brut, the driest champagne. Two to three percent is added to the Extra-Sec or Extra Dry; three to six percent to the Sec or Dry; six to eight percent to the Demi-Sec or Semi-dry; and eight to ten percent to the Doux or Sweet.

After the “dose” of liqueur d’expédition has been added, the final corking takes place. The wine is then stored for another year or two before being sold. During this time, the bottles are checked for the presence of a third and unwanted fermentation.

The person who drives the water-softened cork into the bottle is called the boucheur. The one who then secures the cork with wire to the ring of the bottle neck is called the ficeleur. While some champagnes are corked with plastic stoppers, the best champagnes use corks from Portugal and Spain. According to French law, the word “Champagne” must appear on all corks.

Although corks and stoppers may change, the bottles usually do not. Champagne is almost always sold in the same bottle in which it was processed. The only exception are champagnes that are transferred from their original bottles into different-sized ones.

The names and content in fluid ounces of champagne bottles are as follows: The standard bottle or bouteille (which in France is referred to as a “Quart”) holds 25.4 ounces; the “Pint” holds half that amount or 12.7 ounces; the “Split” holds six ounces. The “Magnum” (50.7 oz.) is made up of two 25.2 ounce bottles; The “Jeroboam” (101.4 oz.) is a double magnum. The “Rehoboam” (152.1 oz.) contains six bottles; The “Methuselah” or “Methuselem” (202.8 oz.) contains eight bottles; The “Salmanasar” (304.2 oz.) contains 12 bottles; The “Balthazar” (405.6 oz.) contains 16 bottles; and the “Nebuchadnezzar” (507.1 oz.) contains 20 bottles.

Many experts believe that champagne should be uncorked very gently so as to preserve as much of the carbonation as possible. For the same reason, it is recommended that champagne be served in fluted or tulip-shaped glasses that are relatively tall rather than in the popular shallow and open-bowled ones.

Finally, certain purists propose that champagne is best served by itself or as an aperitif. Since this would preclude one from enjoying champagne with such complementary delicacies as caviar, oysters, and strawberries, for instance, such counsel should not be taken too seriously.

Type:

Sparkling, White Regional

Regions:

France

Temp:

43-46.

Optimal Age:

2-5

Characteristics:

Dry to slightly sweet. The driest, labled Brut, is considered the best by some.

Appropriate Foods:

Oysters, smoked fish, caviar, light breakfast fare.

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