Pouf Decisions
By Brett Chappell
What makes Champagne Champagne
Certain conditions must be met to make Champagne. The grapes must be
grown on the poor chalky soils of Champagne and made in that same region
northwest of Paris. This, perhaps, is the most important qualification for the
wine.
Champagne shouldn’t be possible. The region is at the northernmost reaches
of grape-growing latitudes. The winters are cold with late frosts that endanger
the budding vine. The sun shines in Champagne a mere 1,650 hours per growing
season, compared to Bordeaux’s 2,069. With these conditions, the grapes—char-
donnay, pinot noir, and pinot meunier—struggle to ripen and, even when they
do, make rather acidic wines. This acid, though, is key to a base wine.
The base wine must then be made sparkling in the bottle by a secondary
fermentation. The bubbles of Champagne are created by adding a bit of yeast
and sugar syrup, or liqueur de tirage, to the still wine in a bottle, and the bottle is
capped. The yeast eats the sugar and produces a bit of alcohol and much carbon
dioxide. Because of the closed environment, the gas cannot escape and dissolves
into the wine.
The carbonation, combined with the acid, heightens the crisp nature of the
Champagne. This sharpness is counterbalanced by mandatory lees aging. After
the yeasts of the secondary fermentation have done their work creating bubbles,
they die. Their bodies, or cells, remain in the wine and disintegrate in self-cre
ated enzymes. This autolytic action makes chemicals that soften the wine’s harsh
acids and creates a bready, yeasty creaminess.
Champagnes are classified by various attributes. Most are non-vintaged,
shortened on the label to NV, since consistency of product in a difficult growing
environment is important. (A better term would be multi-vintaged since a num
ber of vintages are blended to achieve an established flavor style.) In good years,
producers may vintage date some of their product, but these wines come at a
premium. Champagne classification is based on the grapes used. Blanc de Blancs
(white of whites) refers to Champagne made exclusively from white grapes and
almost always Chafdonnay. Blanc de Noirs (white of blacks) is made from pinot
noir and pinot meunier only. Rose is most often made by blending a bit of dry,
still red wine into the finished Champagne. Contrary to popular belief, few rose
Champagnes are sweet.
Producers always note sweetness levels on Champagne. In order from least
sweet (driest) to sweetest, they are Brut Nature, Extra Brut, Brut, Extra Sec (extra
dry). Sec, Demi-Sec, and Doux. Even though these categories overlap in exact
sweetness, any wine that has the word brut on it will be dry. The sweeter styles
are great with foods, yet they are hard to find on a store shelf since they are not a
la mode.
How do you know if it’s true Champagne? Most directly, the label will state
Champagne (capitalized) followed by the words appellation dbrigine controlee
or letters AOC. While the name Champagne is protected by law in France, and
the law is voluntarily followed by most wineries world-round, there are a few
producers that skirt the rule. Korbel’s California Champagne comes to mind;
the word California is a giveaway that the wine is not truly Champagne, though.
Since 1994, the term methode champenoise, which refers to the secondary
fermentation in the bottle, can no longer be used on European wines not hail
ing from Champagne. Allowed terms to describe the same process are methode
traditionelle or methode classique.
There are other terms to describe other sparkling wines, since not all that
bubbles is Champagne. Cremant is a term for sparkling wines from other
regions of France. The word Cremant is followed by the area of production,
e.g. Cremant d’ Alsace. Methode traditionelle is employed. Cava is a Spanish
sparkling wine made mainly from Xarel-lo, Parellada, and Macabeo grapes.
Like Champagne and cremants, methode traditionelle is used. The Italian wine
Franciacorta from Lombardy is made in the same way from chardonnay and
pinot noir.
Prosecco, the Italian sparkling wine, is from Northeast Italy near Venice. The
grape is glera and the method of bubble production is a secondary fermenta
tion in vats. This is known as methode Charmat, or tank method. The process is
less expensive and creates a coarser bubble than methode traditionelle. Flavors
of tank method wines are fruit driven and lack the toasty, yeasty, complex notes
of Champagne. Fully sparkling Asti DOCG wines are also made in a tank from
moscato grapes. There is a time and place for each of these wines on the table.
Champagne will see you from soup to nuts. Try a crisp Blanc de Blancs to get
the party started and pique the appetite. A burly Blanc de Noirs will handle a
steak, roast or game birds with aplomb. Berry-driven rose pairs well with fresh
fruit and simple unfrosted cakes. And when and why to drink Champagne?
Drink it all the time—drawing breath in the morning is reason enough.
Brett Chappell is a Erench Wine Scholar, Certified Sommelier and Wine
Educator. He and his wife, Jen, a Wine and Spirits Education Trust Level Two, own
ME Chappell Wine Merchant in Atlantic Beach. Their website is MEChappellWine.
com, and the phone number is 252-773-4016. They offer gourmet goods, cigars,
wine tastings, and virtual wine classes along with their wine.
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