Champagne: The Festive Beverage

It is used for toasts at weddings, anniversaries and New Year’s celebrations. It christens ships and airplanes and drenches the winners of automobile and motorcycle races. Champagne is synonymous with festive occasions, good times and moments of triumph and celebration.

Famous for its effervescent bubbles, Champagne is a sparkling wine crafted a scant 90 miles from Paris in the Champagne region of France. Although there are a multitude of sparkling wines, the only true Champagne is that made on the approximately 34,000 hectares comprising this region of France.

The rules for making real Champagne are very strict and were defined conclusively in 1927. The only grapes permitted in its production are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. These grapes all require warmer weather than what is typical in the Champagne region to ripen fully. This causes still wines produced to be acidic and poorly developed, a condition ideal for the production of Champagne. In addition the soil in the region is chalky, a type of soil that contributes favorably to sparkling wines.

Additional regulations limit the yields per acre, describe how vines may be pruned, set the height, space and density of vines and require that the grapes be harvested by hand. Non-vintage Champagne must now be aged fifteen months and vintage Champagnes three years.

The grapes used in making Champagne are rated on a scale of 80 to 100 percent. Of the 270 villages in the region only 17 have achieved the grand cru rating of 100 percent. The next level is premier cru and the wines in it are rated from 90 to 99 percent. The remaining villages are rated between 80 and 89 percent.

The traditional method for making Champagne, méthode champenoise, has remained the same since Champagne became popular in the early 19^th century. A first fermentation of a specially blended cuvée occurs in vats. The wine is then bottled and a liqueur de tirage (a small amount of wine, sugar and yeast) added and the bottled sealed. This precipitates a second fermentation that causes carbon dioxide bubbles to form in the bottle. The bottles are placed with the neck downward and are rotated periodically (remuage) so that sediments produced by the second fermentation will settle in the neck. The neck is then frozen and the bottle unsealed so a frozen plug of ice containing the sediments will pop out of the bottle. A small amount of wine and sugar is added – the liqueur d’expédition – and the bottle resealed. The amount of sugar added at this point determines whether the Champagne will be very dry (brut), medium dry (sec) or slightly sweet (demi-sec).

When buying Champagne, it is important to understand the label. A bottle with the phrase blanc de blancs on it is made only from Chardonnay grapes and will be light and delicate in flavor; the phrase blanc de noirs means the Champagne is only made from red grapes and will have more body than a blanc de blancs. Rosé Champagnes have a small amount of red wine added after the first fermentation. Rosés are fruitier in character than other Champagnes. Eighty percent of the grapes in vintage Champagnes must come from the year specified. Non-vintage Champagnes comprise over 80 percent of all Champagnes produced so vintage Champagnes sell at a considerable premium.

In their classic blends Champenois strive to produce consistently flavored Champagnes that are familiar to customers. This means they sometimes must blend up to 40 different wines to get the precise flavor they are seeking. If you are lucky enough to drink a lot of this bubbly beverage, you will probably soon find that you have a personal favorite.

At the other extreme are special or prestige cuvées that reflect the best a winemaker can offer. These are the crème de la crème of Champagnes and are meant to be feathers in the cap of the Champenois. They might reflect grapes from a particular vineyard or area and are usually from a single vintage. Special cuvees are usually aged for longer periods than the three years required for vintage Champagnes.

Champagne should always be served chilled, but care must be taken that it is not too cold as this will prevent it from releasing its aromas and flavours. It should never be chilled in the freezer. Three or four hours in the refrigerator will reduce its temperature to an appropriate level as will fifteen to twenty minutes in an ice bucket. Younger Champagne should be served at 8ºC and mature or vintage Champagne at 10ºC.

Opening a bottle of Champagne is easier than most people think. Simply remove the wire cage, grasp the cork in the palm of your hand and turn the bottle gently. The cork will then ease out on its own. Always keep the cork pointed away from your face and the faces of your guests.

In the 19^th century, a shallow Champagne saucer or coupe was the fashionable glass. This was unfortunate as the shape provided to much room and the aromas and bubbles were soon lost to the air. Today, most connoisseurs agree that a tulip‑shaped glass is preferable. These glasses allow the bubbles to dance around and provide enough room for the aromas to express themselves. Soap is deadly to the taste of Champagne and the formation of the bubbles so most Champagne lovers simply rinse the glasses in hot water and then let them dry thoroughly.

Although Champagne is almost obligatory for special occasions, it is also enjoyable under ordinary circumstances. The next time you are celebrating, or simply having dinner, don’t forget to pop open a bottle of Champagne. It is an extraordinary drink and bound to make any occasion special.