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Champagne
About Champagne
The Champagne region is home to some of the world's most iconic brands, including Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, Taittinger, Perrier-Jouet, Piper-Heidsieck, Bollinger and Dom Pérignon. These wines are known for their delicate flavors and aromas, with a crisp acidity and a fine mousse. Champagne is often associated with celebrations and special occasions, and the wines from this region are sure to impress.
Geography
Located in northeastern France, the Champagne wine region is 90 miles east of Paris and is characterized by its rolling hills covered in vineyards; there are over 86,000 classified, planted acres in Champagne, which accounts for 4% of France’s total vineyard area. The climate in Champagne is typically cool and continental, with short, mild summers and long, cold winters. The region’s soils are chalky and limestone-based, which absorb heat during the day and provide good drainage. This chalk also creates ideal storage conditions in the underground caves where producers age their wines.History
Champagne is derived from the Latin word Campania, meaning “land of plains,” a nod to the Roman origins of winemaking in the area. Roman winemaking, which focused on still wines, grew substantially from the fifth to ninth centuries with religious orders cultivating vines for use in Christian services. In the sixth century, Clovis of Riems converted from Paganism to Christianity and united the numerous Frankish tribes and sub-kingdoms into the Kingdom of France. Subsequently, all French kings were crowned in Reims, with Champagne flowing freely at coronation banquets. Hence, wine from Champagne became known as “the wine of kings and the king of wines.” Envious of the viticultural reputation of their southern neighbors, the Champenois struggled to accept that their colder geography made Burgundy-style still wines impossible to produce. In Champagne, colder temperatures leave some yeast cells dormant in the cellared wines. After they awaken in spring, these yeast cells create carbon dioxide and pressure, leading to a second fermentation. While the English were developing a taste for sparkling wine, the Champenois were still trying to rid their wines of bubbles and considered the carbonation a fault. It was Philippe II, in the early 18th century, that flipped the script. He promoted the sparkling wine of Champagne among the French nobility, who loved it. This newfound popularity sparked the establishment of the region’s first sparkling wine house, Ruinart, in 1729. The 19th century saw a series of technical advancements in wine production. During this period, more chateaus embraced sparkling wine because of its profitability and growing global stature. In 1845, the use of the name “Champagne” as a generic label for sparkling wines was banned. By 1887 that term was reserved for wines exclusively produced in—and sourced from—the province of Champagne. The Champagne AOC was officially created in 1936.Grapes
Eight grape varieties are authorized to be grown in Champagne, but the big three are Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier; the rest are Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Petit Meslier, Arbanne and Voltis, which all together account for less than 1% of total plantings. In a Champagne blend, Pinot Noir, which accounts for 38% of the region’s vineyard plantings, adds body and structure; Chardonnay, which accounts for 31% of plantings, provides elegance, finesse and citrus fruits aromas; Pinot Meunier, which accounts for nearly 31% of plantings, buds late, protecting it from spring frosts, and adds roundness and floral, herbal and meaty notes.Wine Production Practices and Styles
Winemaking in Champagne is a complex process that involves several stages. The “méthode Champenoise,” or traditional method, involves first making a base wine that is low in alcohol and high in acidity. The grapes are handpicked and carefully sorted before being pressed to extract their juice. The first liquid to come off the press is called the “cuvée” and the remainder is the “taille.” The best Champagne will be made from cuvée. The juice is fermented in stainless-steel tanks or oak barrels, and a blend of wines from different vineyards and vintages is created in the house style. Next, it is bottled with yeast and sugar, sealed with a cap and stored on its side for the second fermentation, which takes place in the bottle. Once complete, the yeast forms a type of sediment called “lees.” The lees break down over time (the technical term is yeast autolysis) and impart biscuit and bread flavors and aromas to the wine. Before the sparkling wine is sold, the lees must be removed. They are gently moved to the neck of the bottle through a process called “riddling,” which involves slowly rotating the bottle and gradually tilting it downward. This step can be performed manually using a wood frame called a pupitre or with a machine called a gyropalette. After all of the sediment collects in the neck, the neck is dipped into a very cold liquid, which freezes the sediment. When the crown cap is removed, the pressure created by the CO2 inside forces out the ice (and lees frozen into it) in a step called “disgorgement.” Next, the bottle is topped up with a mixture of wine and sugar—also known as “liqueur d’expedition”—and is re-sealed. The process of adding this mixture is called “dosage.” It determines the final sweetness of the wine. Finally, the bottle is sealed with a thick cork and wire cage, ready to be sold. The styles of sparkling Champagne wines are classified based on their sweetness level, which corresponds to the amount of sugar added during dosage:- Brut Zéro/Brut Nature zero to three grams of sugar added.
- Extra Brut: zero to six grams added, very dry.
- Brut: zero to 12 grams, dry.
- Extra Sec/Dry: 12 to 17 grams, still on the dry side.
- Sec/Dry: 17 to 32 grams, medium-sweet.
- Demi-Sec: 32 to 50 grams
- Doux: more than 50 grams, very sweet; best served with or for dessert.
Classification/Labeling
The Champagne AOC—with its five sub-regions of Montagne de Reims, Valée de la Marne, Côte des Blancs, Côte de Sézanne and Côte des Bar—contains 350 chateaus. Besides having to be sourced and made in this region to be called “Champagne,” other legal restrictions apply. For a sparkling wine from Champagne to be labeled “non-vintage,” it must be aged for a minimum of 15 months, 12 of these on lees. These wines are lighter in body and fruitier. “Vintage” wines must be aged for at least 36 months. Other labeling terms are:- Cuvée: Red and white grapes may be used, but generally there is no skin contact with the red grapes beyond the initial pressing. This label is most often used for non-vintage proprietary house blends.
- Prestige Cuvée: Red and white grapes may be used; usually reserved for the finest single vintages.
- Non-vintage Champagne: Red and white grapes may be used and the blend is almost always non-vintage (meaning it comes from different harvests); most sparkling wine uses this term.
- Vintage Champagne: Red and white grapes may be used, but only from a single year’s particularly special harvest.
- Blanc de Blanc: Only white grapes are used, resulting in a light- to medium- bodied wine, with primary citrus aromas and flavors.
- Blanc de Noir: Only red grapes are used (Pinot Noir or Meunier), producing a more full- bodied wine, with more red fruit flavors.
- Rosé: Minimal skin contact is used to tint the wine before fermentation, or a chateau can add still Pinot Noir to tint a blend before blending. This is one of the only wines in the world where this process is legally accepted.
Recent Trends
In 2003, Champagne was the first wine region in France to develop and implement a series of sustainability initiatives. They often involve reducing the carbon footprint generated per bottle. Large houses such as Ruinart, Veuve Clicquot and Perrier-Jouët have already adopted sustainable packaging initiatives. Champagne AOC hopes to stop using herbicides altogether by 2025. Currently, 20% of Champagne has earned environmental certification; the region is hoping to reach 100% certified by 2030. About 90% of industrial waste is already treated and recycled. In terms of wine, interest is growing for Brut Nature, single-grape Champagnes, rosé and special cuvées. There is also a rising movement for Champagne’s sparkling wine to be served with an entire meal, not just on special occasions.Wine Tourism
The Champagne region’s winemaking traditions are uniquely intertwined with its geography, history and religion. Visiting the region is the best way to understand how they all intersect. Champagne hosts several annual wine-related celebrations. In September, two spectacular end-of-harvest parties are Le Cochelet, which takes place in Marne, and Le Chien, which happens in Aube. In October, the Champagne et Vous festival, in Aisne, is an immersive wine experience. The fourth Friday of October is recognized as Global Champagne Day. Taking place in December, the Les Habits de Lumière food and art festival transforms chateaus into scintillating light installations. On January 22, the Feast of St. Vincent, the patron saint of winegrowers, brings together wine lovers from all around the world. In 2015, the organization designated the hillsides, houses and cellars of Champagne a World Heritage Site. The cathedral of Reims, once the epicenter of Christianity in Europe, is one of the greatest examples of Gothic architecture in France. Other sites steeped in history are the Tau Palace and the Saint-Rémi Basilica and museum.Also Take a look at...
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