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when I lose, to console myself” – Napoleon Bonaparte.
“Remember gentleman, it’s not just France we are fighting for, it’s
champagne!” – Winston S. Churchill during World War I in 1918.
Ah! Champagne…the drink of celebration and the indulgence of stars
and celebrities! Champagne should come with a warning label that says
“Caution! This beverage may cause smiles and giggles!” We tend to
have a romanticized image when we think of the world’s most glamorous
and famous beverage. The pity is that we feel that champagne should
only be consumed during celebrations and not for every day enjoyment.
I can hardly imagine or dream of a beverage that so perfectly
complements such a wide array of food. Literally!
It is widely believed that champagne was invented in the town of Ay on
August 4th, 1693 by a Benedictine Monk named Dom Perignon in the
heart of what is the Champagne region in France. The largest
Champagne and Sparkling Wine producer in the world, Moet &
Chandon, pay tribute to him by naming their most prestigious
Champagne that they offer, Dom Perignon. This claim, however, is
heavily disputed by wine authorities throughout the world, including our
very own, Ian Hastie. Some of these wine professionals maintain that it
was invented earlier in England. Whatever legend you choose to
believe, the fact remains that it came to be known throughout the world
originating from France.
Now the French being the French, chose to make sure no’ one could ever
copy their beloved trademark and thus barge in on their illustrious
bounty of glory for the world’s greatest Sparkling Wines. They did so by
making it illegal for any region, country, place or product to put the name
Champagne on their product unless it specifically comes from the
Champagne region in France. At the time it was invented and indeed all
the way up to today, Champagne has been viewed as a luxury of the rich
and famous. Champagne after all is…well…expensive! Fortunately for
us paupers, the rest of the wine-producing world, put off by this blatant
French arrogance, decided to make some very delicious Sparkling Wines
for themselves. In many cases, these wines are made in the same manor
and on par in quality with Champagne, but with the added benefit of
being far cheaper. Yeah!
So just how are these lovely effervescent wines made? Well, the
traditional method used, or the “methode traditionnelle” as the French
call it, involves a second fermentation that takes place inside the bottle
instead of a steel tank or wooden barrel. Once the winemaker has
decided upon a blend of wines that have been fermented just like every
other wine we consume, they prepare it for this second fermentation.
The winemaker takes these wine blends, typically of one or two different
grape varieties like Chardonnay or Pinot Noir, and adds some more
sugar and yeast to the bottle of wine. This mixture is called the dosage.
Then the bottle is sealed. Very soon afterwards, the wine inside starts to
react with the yeast and sugar by turning it into more alcohol, but this
time, the carbonation has nowhere to escape and thus the gas is retained
in the form of bubbles in the wine.
Now the winemaker turns these wines upside down in a 90 degree angle
and continues to rotate the bottle (remuage) for a period of time, that in
some cases can quite literally be years, until all of that excess yeast and
sediment settles in the neck of the bottle. During this time the bottles of
champagne are usually stored in a dark and damp underground cellar
called a “cave” throughout this whole process, which is known as
“remuage”. Now we finicky consumers would not dare dream of
drinking a wine with this icky wad of yeast floating around in the bottle,
so the winemaker has to remove it. They do this by dipping the neck of
the bottle in a freezing brine liquid that freezes the wine. Once they pop
the cap open, the frozen sediment shoots out at a high rate of speed
leaving only the wine in the bottle. Then the Champagne or Sparkling
Wine is topped off with a little bit of wine and sugar. How much sugar is
added at this point determines the sweetness of the sparkling wine.
There are other methods used to make sparkling wines, but make no
mistake, this one’s the best.
If you’re like me, you probably find that shopping for Champagne can be
one of the most frustrating and confusing experiences of your life. If you
don’t know anything about the labels, then you are dead in the water.
Here are some terms to keep in mind when you are shopping for your
next bottle of Champagne or Sparkling Wine:
Extra Brut – This is the driest of all the Champagne styles.
Brut – The next driest style.
Extra Dry – This is slightly sweet. Ah, just a bit miss-leading, huh?
Sec – or “off-dry”, means that it is a touch sweeter than “Extra Dry”.
Demi-Sec – This style is medium sweet.
Doux – Very sweet.
Martini & Rossi Asti Spumante – Ewe, yuck!
But wait, there is still more terms you need to know:
Blanc de Blanc – This means made from white grapes only and if the
wine comes from Champagne, France, that means Chardonnay.
Rose’ – This means it is made with mostly red grapes to give it that
reddish pink tint and again, if it comes from Champagne, France, then
those grapes would likely be either Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier or both!
Cuvee – This is a blend of several different grapes styles and it is
somewhat misleading in that almost all sparkling wines are a blend of
some sorts. However, a cuvee can also be a blend of several vintages
(different years) of wine. When you see “Cuvee” on the bottle, it
generally means that this is the best Champagne or Sparkling Wine that
the Winery or Domaine has to offer.
Vintage – These Champagnes and Sparkling Wines come from just one
distinct vintage and in Champagne, France, that is only when the Vintage
or growing season was fantastic. If you think about it, this makes sense.
If you make extremely great wine one year, why blend it with lesser
quality vintages?
Blanc de Blanc wines can be somewhat expensive, the good rose’s will
set you back a little more, Vintage wines are very pricey and some of the
Cuvee’s out there can cost $500.00 and up! Are you feeling rich?
This is very important! Champagne and Sparkling Wines should be kept
in a Dark and Cool place where there will be very little to no vibrations
or exposure to light. The cooler the better. Another thing you need to
be aware of is that most Champagnes or Sparkling Wines should be
consumed within the first few months that you purchase them in. Some
of those expensive Cuvee’s would be the exception, however, I would
highly recommend that you ask your salesman for a recommendation if
you do not plan on consuming them for a while.
Varietal/Wine
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