Someone once asked me, when was the first time I knew about "Champagne"? Looking back slowly, I'm afraid it goes back to childhood. Now I vaguely remember the champagne after shaking, with a loud noise, sprayed out. The sound of "touching" left a deep impression on me as a young man. Such scenes have appeared repeatedly in many film and television works, promotions and salary increases, birthday parties, New Year's Eve dinners... As long as it is something worth celebrating, it must have its presence.
At a foreign friend's birthday party, I drank my first sip of "champagne" and excitedly said to my friend: "This champagne is so delicious!" I saw my friend say slightly embarrassed: "Honey, this is not 'champagne'." I was stunned to hear this, this wine with a loud sound when opened, full of bubbles, is not the "champagne" I see repeatedly on TV? If it's not champagne, what is it?
First, not all "champagne" is called champagne
The popularity of "Champagne" is inseparable from the United Kingdom, because it is their fascination with Champagne that has pushed this sparkling wine into the world. After becoming famous, it is natural to have imitators. In addition to the Champagne regions, many appellations have a tradition of making sparkling wines. Many consumers are accustomed to calling sparkling wine "champagne.".
Therefore, in order to protect the good name of Champagne, France has long registered trademarks and legislated for it, which clearly stipulates that only sparkling wines that use legal grape varieties and legal traditional crafts in Champagne regions in accordance with the french Champagne region regulations can be called "Champagne".
1. Who invented Champagne?
If you ask someone who knows a little bit about champagne, who invented champagne? Most likely he will answer you very firmly: Dom Perignon, of course!
But you're wrong! The famous wine writer Tom Stevenson, in his book Christie's World Encyclopedia of Champagne & Sparkling Wine, tells us with verified historical documents that the first to discover champagne were the British!
Don Pérignon
While we can be sure that Don Pérignon was not the inventor of Champagne, his contribution to the Champagne region should not be underestimated. He spent his life studying how to control the in-bottle fermentation of wine. In the process of research, he not only skillfully controlled the production of bubbles; mastered how to press to obtain better color and quality; and most importantly, he studied the blending and pressing of grapes from different vineyards in a certain proportion to produce a sparkling wine of balanced quality and stable quality.
2. Champagne brewing method: strict production area regulations
In fact, the "champagne brewing method" is what we often call "secondary fermentation in the bottle". It is just that the regulations of the Champagne region impose strict requirements on every link. Just as sparkling wines in other regions cannot use the name "Champagne", except for Champagne regions, even if the brewing process is more stringent than the Champagne brewing method, it can only be said that it is "secondary fermentation in the bottle", not "Champagne brewing method". Of course, it is also called "classic brewing method" or "traditional brewing method".
So, where exactly is the Champagne brewing method?
It must be harvested by hand and pressed while the grapes are at their freshest.
The artesian juice must be obtained using a very light pressing process, rather than forced pressing by external force. In pursuit of perfection, the Champagne method has strict rules for the grading of grape juice: 150-160 kg of grapes, up to 102 liters of grape juice are pressed.
Since the contact of the wine with the dead yeast precipitate is the main reason for enhancing the flavor of champagne, this process will be completed during the aging of the bottle. Most appellations stipulate that the age in the bottle must not be less than 9 months, while the strict Champagne law stipulates that the age of the bottle without vintage champagne must not be less than 15 months, and the vintage Champagne must not be less than 3 years.
The preciousness of this kind of "secondary fermentation in the bottle" method is that it is cumbersome, land-consuming, time-consuming, labor-intensive and cost-consuming. Because all the bubbles are produced during secondary fermentation after bottling, a larger cellar is required to store them. Although there are now large machines for the transfer of bottles, many wineries maintain the tradition of using human labor to insert bottles into sloping planks and turning bottles by hand.
Any grape variety can be used to make sparkling wines, and even the Champagne region allows the use of multiple grape varieties. What really affects the quality of sparkling wine is its brewing method. In addition to the "secondary fermentation in the bottle", there are many simpler, more economical and labor-saving methods, such as the secondary fermentation in the tank, the bottle tank conversion method, the carbon dioxide injection method, etc.
Second, an excellent alternative to champagne
Such a cumbersome and expensive process, its cost is bound to be not low. The Champagne region is famous overseas, making its price a horse, far exceeding other sparkling wine producing areas. But we need champagne, and many of life's highlight moments need the sound of "touching" as a witness! Then, Xiaobian will introduce several kinds of super cost-effective sparkling wines with excellent quality and high price but no champagne. These can be a great alternative to champagne at your party!
1. French Clément sparkling wine
Burning
Today, the French word "Clement" refers to the sparkling wine that is made in France by the traditional method except for the Champagne region. In detail, there are 10 regions in France that produce sparkling wine to a greater or lesser extent. Among them, the quality of Champagne can be compared to the following appellations:
Crémant de Loire, Loire Valley
Known as the second largest sparkling wine producing region in France, it mainly produces sparkling wines with different sweetnesses based on the local unique Chenin Blanc white grape variety. Among them, the white tuff unique to the Saumur appellation is similar to the chalk soil of the Champagne region and produces high-quality sparkling wines. Loire Valley sparkling wines are often rich in fruity and floral notes, and sweet sparkling wines can be stored for more than 20 years and are well worth collecting.
Representative winery and wine offering:
Ekman Winery Maison Ackerman
Founded in 1811 in the Saumur appellation, Château Eckmann is the oldest and largest sparkling winery in the Loire Valley. Jean Baptiste Ackerman, the founder of the winery, realized that the Loire Valley had great potential for growth because of its chalky soil and valley topography similar to that of the Champagne region.
In 1810, it returned immediately after studying don Pérignon's "secret book" in the Champagne region, buying the best 7 kilometers of the 1,000-kilometer underground gallery. It became the only producer in the region to produce high-quality sparkling wine for the next 40 years.
Apart from a small number of vineyards of its own, most of the vineyards are cooperative, which allows the winery to obtain a larger number of high-quality wine grapes from different regions of the Loire Valley. Vineyards with different terroirs and grape varieties with different characteristics are blended in different proportions to form a varied product line of Château Eckmann.
At present, Château Eckman's products are divided into 4 main categories: the "Nouvel Esprit" series of Château Eckman," which uses organic methods to grow and brew, the Cuvee series, which focuses on the terroir and is made with selected grape head juices, the "Royal" series, which shows the traditional vinification method of the founders, and the "X" series, which uses modern technology to remove alcohol while preserving flavor. Among them, Ackerman Saumur 1811 Blanc Brut NV has won many awards such as the concours des Vins de Saumur gold medal .)
Aikman Winery sparkling wine
Limouc Rayman Cremant de Limoux
As early as 1531, in the Limoux region, a Benedictine monk found in the cellar that 1 bottle of wine was still fermenting and recorded it. This became the first record of fermented sparkling wine in a bottle found in France, a record that predates Don Pérignon by a century. However, in-bottle fermentation was considered a mistake at the time, so Limoux did not carry it forward.
Even so, Limoux is still the representative appellation of today's excellent sparkling wines. The sparkling wine here is usually blended with Mauzac with a moderate amount of Chardonnay and Shinan Bai, with a fresh green apple scent.
Yongting Winery Maison Antech
Founded more than 100 years ago by Edmond Antech, Château Edmond Antech is one of the oldest sparkling wineries in France and has been passed down for 6 generations and still operates as a family.
The Antech Family adheres to the traditional, simple and ecological environment winemaking technology, grows and brews in a sustainable way, and integrates ancestral craftsmanship with advanced technology, so that the wine produced is closer to the pure personality of the variety and the local high-quality terroir.
The winery's current products consist of 6 series, namely the "Cremant de Limoux Blanc" series , which pays great attention to the terroir and vintage of the vineyard , the Cremant de Limoux Rose series , the "Blanquette de Limoux" series, which uses more than 90% of Mozac grapes, and the "ancestral white juice" that follows the local traditional brewing method and presents the flavors of the past. The Blanquette Methode Ancestrale series and the Brut Nature series without human intervention.
Yongting Winery sparkling wine
Cremant de Bourgogne
Experts have mentioned that if the dry wines produced in this region are not so outstanding, then Burgundy, which produces sparkling wines, will be the only region that can make the Champagne region feel competitive pressure. In other words, the quality of Burgundy sparkling wine is comparable to that of Champagne.
Compared to champagne, sparkling wines are not produced much in Burgundy and have a less important status. But its unique terroir, and the variety of wines produced here are otherworldly. Today, the best regions for sparkling wines from Burgundy are in the area of Auxerrois, where white and rosé wines are also famous.
Les Caves Bailly Lapierre
Located in the Auxerre appellation, The Paragon Winery was founded in 1972. The land was originally excavated by humans for its rocks and gradually developed into a quarry. In the Middle Ages, the glory of quarrying was ended by being purchased by the monastery. Mushrooms were grown here for a long time before being purchased as vineyards by the winery.
This 5-hectare cellar, once a quarry, is located 50 meters underground, ideal for the production of sparkling wines. It maintains a cool temperature of 12 degrees all year round which is ideal for aging, the natural high humidity (up to 80% in the center) reduces the evaporation of the wine in the bottle, and the soft scattered light helps maintain flavor and color.
The winery has excellent Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vineyards, as well as a small number of Gamay and Aligote, all hand-picked, using a gentle airbag press, brewed using the traditional method, perfectly preserving the flavor of the grapes.
Currently, Paragon winery produces 12 sparkling wines from 4 series, with the most popular wine being Bailly Lapierre Resrve Brut NV, a blend of its 4 grapes. Other wines include the usual "Bailly Lapierre Chardonnay Brut NV", "White in White" (Bailly Lapierre Pinot Noir Brut NV), Bailly Lapierre Rose Brut NV and Bailly Lapierre Vive-la-Joie Blanc( made from older sparkling wines Brut NV) and pink sparkling wine (Bailly Lapierre Vive-la-Joie Rose Brut NV), etc.
Paragon Winery has a yearless collection of dry sparkling wines
2. Spanish kava
QUARRY
More than 90% of the sparkling wine in Spain comes from the province of Catalonia, close to the French border. In the past, the sparkling wines brewed in Catalonia using the Champagne method were called "Champana", which means "champagne" in Spanish. However, in order to defend the reputation of Champagne, French Champagne has constantly fought lawsuits with other appellations. Thus, "Champana" was renamed "Cava" in 1970, meaning Catalan wine cellar.
According to records, the first bottle of Spanish sparkling wine was born in the Penedes region, and the creator Jose Raventos went to the Champagne region with 1872 to study, and after returning home, he brewed Spain's own sparkling wines from the local varieties of Macabeo, Parellada and Xarello.
Spanish sparkling wines are brewed in a way that is no less than champagne, producing sparkling wines that are more vibrant than champagne, with pleasing fruity, floral and creamy flavors, soft and delicate.
Friesnet Winery Freixenet
Château Fiesnet is the largest sparkling wine group in Spain and the world's largest producer using the "in-bottle secondary fermentation" method of winemaking. In Spain, Fisnette has become almost synonymous with Spanish sparkling wine and is the #1 wine exporter in Spain. Currently, Château Fisnett's wineries cover 3 continents, 18 wineries and have a large distribution network in 150 countries.
The winery's own vineyards are still located in Sant Sadurni d'Anoia, the birthplace of the winery, but with such a huge production, these grapes are not enough. Therefore, Château Fisnet, like the Champagne region, works with the grape growers, with the winery's experts guiding and managing the growing process of the collaborators.
Château Fisnet humbly adheres to the family's winemaking philosophy in the face of praise, producing high-quality sparkling wines. Unlike the art of champagne blending, Spanish sparkling wines pay more attention to the study of yeast, and the yeast used by Château Fisnette is all cultivated by itself.
Two of Château Füsnet's extensive offerings are considered classics and have been the hallmarks of Château Fisnet since its birth in the 1840s, with an annual production of nearly 100 million bottles. They are: Freixenet Carta Nevada NV and Freixenet Cordon Negro NV.
Château Fisnet sparkling wine
3. Italian traditional sparkling wine
Classic Method
Italy is a country where the whole country is a wine region. After all, they have had a tradition of winemaking since Roman times. Due to the complex terrain, the numerous appellations and the wines produced vary in style. The same is true of sparkling wines in Italy, where there are almost vineyards, but the method of making, the grape variety and the type of sparkling wine vary. However, most of the sparkling wines here choose to use the method of secondary fermentation in the tank, and the number of sparkling wines brewed by the traditional in-bottle secondary fermentation is not large.
Franciacorta
As italy's first DOCG appellation for in-bottle secondary fermentation winemaking, the quality of sparkling wines produced here is by no means worse than champagne. The regulations here stipulate that only secondary fermentation winemaking can be used, and non-vintage sparkling wines need to be aged in the bottle for at least 18 months, and vintage sparkling wines need to be aged in the bottle for at least 30 months. Chardonnay, Pinot Nero and Pinot Bianco are commonly used here.
Ca'del Bosco
Chateau Gardi is a hill castle surrounded by chestnut trees. Built in the 1760s, the castle is owned by the Zanella family. In 1970, Maurizio Zanella, a descendant of the family, discovered the potential of sparkling wines on the site of the winery and decided to transform the family castle into a winery and start the family's wine business.
Maurizio, who once lived in the Champagne region, was inspired by the Champagne brewing method and was determined to develop a finely controlled and nurtured work of art in this ancient land that best reflects the local terroir, with the characteristics of local quality varieties.
He re-established the vineyards, rigorously selecting the grape varieties suitable for each vineyard, and each vineyard was divided into harvesting and fermentation, among other things. These methods may be commonplace in modern times, but for the very casual Italians of the time, they were undoubtedly critical and overturned the traditional methods. However, it was his dedication that upgraded the then Fronzia Kodak DOC production area to the current DOCG production area.
Chateau Gardeni also produces dry red and dry white wines, but is best known for its Francia Cordé sparkling wines. It includes the cuvee prestige collection, the Vintage Collection collection, and the Annamaria Clementi collection, which is a selection of high-quality grapes from good vintages for the owner's mother and aged in a 7-year bottle.
Chateau Gardene sparkling wine
Trento Trento
In northeastern Italy, there is also a DOC legal region with secondary fermentation in vial as the winemaking method – Trento. Regulations here require that the age in the bottle of unaltered sparkling wine must not be less than 15 months, and the age of vintage sparkling wine in the bottle should be at least 30 months. Although it is only a DOC-grade region, the quality of the high-quality sparkling wines is also quite high, usually well balanced, with delicate aromas of roasted hazelnuts.
Ferrari winery Ferrari
Before Enzo Ferrari founded Ferrari in 1947, Giulio Ferrari founded The Ferrari in 1920. It was the heyday of the French Renaissance in Europe, and the wonderful champagne amazed the world. Giulio Ferrari's dream is to brew the best "champagne" in Italy.
For 100 years, the winery has been working on the excellent in-bottle secondary fermentation method, from yeast to sugar adders, all of which are ancestral secret recipes and become the soul of Ferrari. The vineyards of Chateau Ferrari are located on the edge of a cliff at a high altitude, in the famous Chardonnay appellation of Trento. That's why the winery uses 100% Chardonnay in addition to the addition of Pinot Noir to the winery's sparkling pink wines.
The Ferrari winery offers a wide range of wines, from the entry-level Classic Line, the Maximum Line, which uses the founder's traditional methods, to The Perle Line, which uses the finest grapes and best represents the Ferrari style, the Reserve Line and the high-volume Gran Cuvee Line.
Chateau Ferrari sparkling wine
4. New World Sparkling Wine
South Africa
South Africa, as a wine region of the New World, has a history of just over 300 years. The traditional in-bottle secondary fermentation brewing method was introduced to South Africa in the 1980s and is known as the Method Cap Classique (MCC). South Africa mainly uses Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, but also Riesling and South Africa's most distinctive Chenin Blanc.
United States
Although the first bottle of sparkling wine made in the United States by the in-bottle secondary fermentation method was in the Ohio River on the east bank, most of the premium wine regions are now concentrated on the West Bank. The favorable climate on the West Bank has allowed the wine industry to develop rapidly and produce many excellent sparkling wines.
Many of the vineyards in the Washington appellation are located in high-altitude desert lands, and due to the northern dimension, the summer is long, hot and dry, the temperature difference between day and night is large, and the winter is cold and dry. Extreme climatic conditions produce grapes with unique personalities. Most of the sparkling wines produced here have delicate aromas, abundant acidity and crisp taste, and become the stars of tomorrow.
Australia
Australia's first bottle of sparkling wine was born in 1878 by the Victorian Champagne Company, where the winemaker is an expert from the Champagne region. However, Australian sparkling wines were developing rapidly in the late 20th century through investment in famous French champagne factories. Tasmania in the south is a premium producer of modern Australian sparkling wine, most of which is made using in-bottle secondary fermentation.
Although the status of Champagne in sparkling wine cannot be shaken, but today, each sparkling wine region is looking for its own characteristics, the quality is also improving, no one cares whether they are similar to Champagne, or can become its perfect alternative. You may also find that you prefer other types of sparkling wine to champagne! What are you waiting for? Try a different flavor of the bubble bar!