Champagne is the aristocracy of French wines, the best among sparkling wines, often accompanied by joy and romance, it is the creator of various activities, full of mystery.
The word "champagne" comes from the abbreviation of its place of origin, "champagne-ardenne". "champagne" itself has two meanings, one is the place name "champagne", and the other refers to a high-grade sparkling wine produced in France, "champagne". But in everyone's impression, the name of "Champagne" is far better than the name of the place of origin.
Located in the north-eastern part of France, champagne has a unique terroir, a long history, special brewing processes, strict regulatory standards and regulations. Under such perfect conditions of timing, location and people, the locals create the world-famous sparkling wine "champagne".
"Champagne" is a term for geographical indications protected by international law. The French Authority for the Naming of Origins (inao) stipulates that only sparkling wines made in the Champagne region according to the corresponding standards using the specified grape varieties produced in the Champagne legal appellation are eligible to be called "champagne". Sparkling wines that use the same grape varieties, the same craftsmanship, imitations or reproductions in other regions or any other country cannot self-style as "champagne". In short, "Champagne is sparkling wine, but sparkling wine is not necessarily champagne." "Champagne is therefore an exclusive term for sparkling wines in the Champagne region of France.
In the 5th century AD, the Champagne region began to produce wine on a large scale. At the beginning of the 17th century, wines that naturally produce carbon dioxide gas appeared. In 1670, the winemaker "dom perignon" of the abbey of hautvillers in the Champagne region improved the original secondary fermentation technique and invented the method of reinforcing the cork with barbed wire, thereby improving the quality and life cycle of sparkling wine, which is the birth of "champagne". Developed into the 18th century, it became one of the most favored alcoholic beverages by dignitaries and eunuchs in many countries.
In 1927, the aoc system of the Champagne region was established, and a series of legal provisions were drawn up for the production of Champagne, which stipulated that Champagne could only be made from chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier (before that the traditional varieties had other regulations), and that viticulture, pruning, tree height, spacing, density, harvesting, A series of production processes, such as fermentation and aging, are clearly regulated.
The French government signed the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks in 1891, after which the term "champagne" has been protected under international law.
Champagne (champagne) belongs to a kind of high-grade sparkling wine (vins effervescents), with fruity aroma, delicate and long-lasting bubbles, exquisite and elegant taste, pure and soft taste, good for health and other characteristics. Six of the world's top 100 wines are champagne, which fully reflects its quality status.
According to scientific analysis, the higher the protein content of sparkling wine, the greater the number of bubbles. Bollinger, a well-known producer in the Champagne region, learned through scientific analysis and calculation that the number of bubbles per standard bottle of champagne is about 56 million, and when champagne comes into contact with the dry bottom of the glass, the bubbles will erupt, which is the nucleation phenomenon that occurs after the scratches at the bottom of the glass or the residual fibers during cleaning meet carbon dioxide.
According to French aop regulations, champagne is allowed to be made with chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier. In fact, there are 9 legal grape varieties for Champagne, of which the first 3 varieties are planted in vineyards accounting for about 99.8% of the total area of the region. The other 6 varieties are all ancient native varieties, cultivated on only 0.2% of the total area, and rarely used, almost ignored. The 6 varieties are "pinot blanc, pinot gris, pinot de juillet, arbane, petit meslier and gamay".
According to inato's wine law amended in 1929, the above 6 varieties of plants must have been planted before 1938 before Champagne production, after which vines planted are prohibited from being used in champagne. Today, as some varieties of old vines continue to die and gradually withdraw from the stage of history, most champagnes are made by a mixture of the noble chardonnay and pinot noir in a 6:4 ratio. It states that the "blanc de blanc" champagne is made from chardonnay. Champagne labeled "blancs de blancs" refers to white champagne made after peeling red grapes.
Grape picking → Grape pressing → Fermentation → Low temperature treatment / Inverted barrel clarification → Blending and bottling → Secondary fermentation and aging → Aging Adsorption → Bottle removal → Packaging and sales.
The champagne brewing process (méthode champenoise) refers to the traditional production method of champagne wine. The first fermentation of Champagne is the same as that of white wine, when the grape juice is fermented into white wine, then the barrel is poured, clarified and mixed, and then the mixed wine is sealed in the champagne bottle with yeast and sugar, and then the second fermentation is carried out.
Secondary fermentation takes place in the bottle, where sugar is converted into alcohol under the action of yeast and produces carbon dioxide gas, at which time the released carbon dioxide gas dissolves in wine.
The traditional method of descusing Champagne: immersing the neck in low-temperature brine at -30 ° C, waiting for the wine and sludge in the neck to freeze before opening the cork or cap, and using the gas pressure in the bottle to push out the frozen mud, this process is called "degorgement".
● Classified according to wine quality
Millésime champagne: refers to champagne with the grape harvest year indicated on the bottle body or label, called vintage champagne in English. Champagne vintages differ from other wines in that they are not vintages when they are not in good grades or when they encounter normal vintages, and are only made in vintages where the grape harvest is particularly good (big year). Vintage Champagne was almost perfectly ripe, with 100% grapes harvested in the same year. Therefore, vintage champagne is the symbol of high-grade champagne, and the average selling price is 3 to 5 times that of non-vintage champagne. The production of this type of wine only accounts for about 4% of the total production of Champagne.
Sans annee champagne :refers to champagne with no grape harvest year on the label or bottle on the bottle, known in English as non-vintage champagne, referred to as nv for short. Champagne without vintage is made by blending grapes from different vintages and vineyards. Therefore, the year is not recorded. This type of wine is the mainstream product of Champagne, accounting for more than 96% of the total Champagne production.
● Sort by color
White Champagne: The body is not white, mostly pale yellow or golden yellow. Most white champagnes are made from a mixture of chardonnay and pinot noir and pinot meunier. If the label label says "blancs de blancs", it indicates that it is made with 100% chardonnay, characterized by high acidity, rich floral and fruity aromas, fresh and elegant taste, and excellent aging potential of vintage wines. If the label says "blancs de noirs", it indicates a white champagne made from pinot noir or pinot meunier red grapes. This type of wine is characterized by a rich fruity aroma, a soft taste, a relatively rapid ripening, and a wine quality and aging potential that is not as good as the blancs de blancs.
Red Champagne: Also known as Rosé Champagne or Rosé Champagne. Most of these wines are made from a mixture of pinot noir and pinot meunier. It is characterized by balanced structure, soft taste, low acidity, red fruit aroma, and should not be aged. Traditionally, champagnes are only available in white and pink. In recent years, however, red or other types of champagne have emerged, all of which are products of modern commercialization.
● Classification of champagne grades and qualities
In addition to the aop control system, the Champagne region also has a set of folk traditional grading methods, which is one of the important bases for identifying the quality of wine. Champagne grading is assessed by the Professional Council of Champagne (CIVC), which is based on vineyard terroir, price index and grape quality in a single vineyard. Grades are expressed as percentages: Grand crus = 100%; 1er cru = 90%-99%; Cru normal= 80%-90%. If the label is marked with the term grand crus or premier crus (1er crus), this only represents the terroir level of the village. The quality of Champagne is complex to identify, based on the grade of the vineyard, the type of wine (vintage or non-vintage), the sugar content, the type of producer and the time of defoiling.
The quality of Champagne wine is mainly identified as follows:
1. At the top of the legal level is the Grand Crus, followed by the First Class Garden (1er Cru) and the Ordinary Garden.
2. Among champagnes in the same category, vintage champagne is the best, followed by special champagne.
3. In the same type of champagne, the lower the sugar content, the higher the quality.
4. Champagne produced by small winegrowers is superior to Champagne produced by large winemakers.
5. Vintage Champagne is superior to non-Vintage Champagne.
6. Single grape variety vintage Champagne is superior to mixed vintage Champagne.
8. White (blancs de blancs) is better than black white (blancs de noirs).
7. Champagne that removes mud in the evening is better than champagne that removes champagne early.
● The type of champagne flavor
brut zero / brut natural original wine: sugar content between 0% and 0.4% (≤ 3 g/l)
extra brut extra dry: Sugar content between 0.4% and 0.8% (≤ 6 g/l)
brut extremely dry: sugar content between 0.8% and 1.6% (≤ 12 g/l)
extra sec is particularly dry: sugar content between 1.6% and 2.3% (> 12 g/l ~ 17 g/l)
SEC Dry: Sugar content between 2.3% and 4.3% (> 17 g/l ~ 32 g/l)
demi sec semi-dry: sugar content between 4.3% and 6.7% (> 32 g/l ~ 50 g/l)
doux sweet: more than 6.7% sugar (> 50 g/l)
Champagne bottles differ from other red and white wine bottles in that they reflect not only the appearance, but also the degree of pressure resistance. The characteristics of champagne bottles: flowing shoulders, concave bottom, heavy weight, this unique design is to ensure the safety of champagne during secondary fermentation and transportation in the bottle. Theoretically, champagne can produce a pressure of 5 to 6 atmospheres in the bottle. For this reason, champagne bottles are designed to withstand pressures of more than 10 atmospheres. In addition, among the popular champagne bottles today are high-end bottles made of metal.
Traditionally, champagne bottles come in 14 to 15 sizes, each with its own name. The standard bottle of Champagne, like red and white wines, is 750ml, the smallest bottle has a capacity of 187.5ml, and the largest is 30l (30000ml), which is equivalent to 40 standard bottles. However, these large specifications are particularly rare special bottles, and most of their names come from biblical figures.
The common champagne bottles on the market are 750ml standard bottles, 375ml bottles and 1.5l large bottles. Most consumers believe that large bottles of Champagne are of higher quality than regular bottles of Champagne, but there is no evidence of this. In fact, large bottles of champagne are also changed after the fermentation in ordinary bottles is completed, but the capacity is more, there is no difference in wine quality, due to the large capacity, it may be slightly better in circulation and storage.
Champagne is an excellent aperitif, casual drink and event celebration wine. In addition, it is also a good wine to accompany meals. Dry white champagne is suitable for drinking with a variety of rich seafood, the best paired with caviar and lobster. Dry pink champagne is best paired with light meat dishes or seafood. Sweet champagnes are best paired with foie gras, after-dinner desserts and spicy dishes.