Aaahh Champagne, j’adore! *sighs in bubbles* Is there anything more fab than a bottle of Champagne? Well, 2, 3 or 5 bottles of course! There’s something about bubbles that bring joy to people… And if we talk about joy, what better way to increase serotonin levels than with the ultimate queen of bubbles? Champagne.
Let’s start from the beginning. How much do you know about champagne?
If you enjoy champagne and want to be savvier but don’t have the time or energy to do the research and studying, I got you. I’ve distilled the knowledge to save you hours of research and questions. Take this as a guide to understanding the fundamentals of champagne, it’s filled with nuggets of knowledge and tips to help you get by.
It is extensive so I've created a useful index of everything covered, feel free to jump between topics based on your core interests, just click on the topic of your choice.
Lots to cover so let’s get cracking! If you only know a few essentials about champagne, make them these ones:
TOP 5 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT CHAMPAGNE
1. Champagne is both a place and a type of wine
The place: In wine lingo, we call it ‘appellation’ and it comprises a region in France with a particular climate, soil and specific regulations.
The type of wine: the sparkling wine that is created in this appellation following strict rules, and methods plus uses only specific grapes is called ‘champagne’.
2. Which grapes can you find in champagne?
Most champagne is made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir & Pinot Meunier and these varietals amount to 99% of the grapes grown in the Champagne region. Officially, there are 8 grape varietals allowed to be grown in Champagne. Considering that the most grown varietals are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir & Pinot Meunier, you are almost guaranteed to find champagne made from any of these. Important to know, champagnes can be created with blends of all 3 of these grapes, with 2 varietals or it can even be crafted with a single type of grape.
3. The grapes are picked by hand
Machine picking is forbidden in Champagne. Manual picking ensures better care of the grapes to preserve the juice. It also helps achieve a more precise selection of top-tier grapes. You are getting the best of the best here!
4. Champagne is made with a method called traditionnelle or champenoise.
The creation of sparkling wine requires 2 fermentations. In the method traditionnelle or champenoise, the second fermentation must take place inside the bottle. More about this method in the section How is champagne made?
5. Only sparkling wines created in the appellation of Champagne can be called champagne It is not a generic term. You can only drink champagne if it was made in Champagne, France. Outside the appellation of Champagne, there are other sparkling wines that are also made using the traditional method (think Franciacorta in Italy, Cava in Catalunya, Crémant in other French appellations, etc). All of them use different grape varietals and have diverse regulations. Despite using the same method champenoise, none of these is champagne. Remember, calling any sparkling wine champagne is super cringy, so just don’t.
CHAMPAGNE JARGON - ESSENTIAL MUST-KNOW TERMS
When you read a label on a bottle of champagne, it includes terms that can be confusing or daunting. Here is a list of the essential champagne words that will be your basic go-to cheat sheet for champagne jargon.
Terroir: refers to the geographical area, climate, soil, winemaking rules, tradition and knowledge of the region.
Brut: refers to the sugar content in the champagne. Brut champagne is dry (not sweet) with high acidity and lively bubbles.
Demi-sec: champagne with medium sweetness, it has more sugar than a Brut.
Vintage: is champagne made with grapes harvested in a single year -the year on the label- and it’s only made when the conditions in the terroir were extraordinary. In French is called millésime. Not every year produces a millésime champagne. This is why vintage champagne is so precious.
Blanc de Blancs: the literal translation is "white of whites". So this champagne is made by using white grapes only, meaning chardonnay.
Blanc de Noirs: the translation here is "white of blacks". This champagne is made using black skin grapes only: pinot noir and pinot meunier.
Cru: means village. There are several villages in the Champagne appellation. Some grow a specific grape, others grow all 3. There are 256 villages or crus within the 'village' category.
Premier Cru: same as above, but there are 44 villages with this status. In terms of prestige, Premier Cru will be slightly under Grand Cru.
Grand Cru: this term means that this champagne was produced exclusively from vineyards that are in one of the 17 villages that boast a Grand Cru status. The name of the village will be in the bottle (for example Äy) along with the Grand Cru legend.
Champagne without the mention of Grand or Premier Cru on the label can be equally good as one with these statuses. It depends on the producers, their grapes and the winemaking. The Grand or Premier Cru is a historical status and it’s likely that will impact the price you pay for your champagne.
HOW IS CHAMPAGNE MADE? - THE 10 ESSENTIAL STEPS TO MAKE CHAMPAGNE
The method to create champagne is complex and captivating. In a high-level and summarised manner, here are the 10 steps of the traditional method for the creation of champagne:
The first step is creating a base wine -the first alcoholic fermentation happens during the creation of this base wine that will be bottled later.
This base wine is added to each glass bottle along with yeast and sugar and it gets sealed with a crown cap. The bottle is stored horizontally and not moved.
Inside the bottle, the second fermentation begins -this creates bubbles because the CO2 released from the fermentation gets trapped in the bottle.
Once the second fermentation is completed, it creates a sediment that is called ‘lees’. The lees break down further and when in contact with the wine, add notes of bread and biscuit. The winemaker decides the duration of the lees contact depending on the style of champagne they want to create. The bottle continues to be stored horizontally without being moved.
The lees sediment needs to be removed via the neck of the bottle so we can have a clear, bright wine. But we cannot just flip the bottle! *gasps at the thought of it*. The sediment needs to be moved down towards the neck of the bottle slowly. This is achieved via short, calculated, rotation movements or Riddling. The movements are spaced over several days or weeks depending on the riddling method and the bottle is stored at a different angle each time is rotated.
There are 2 riddling methods, manual and automated. For very special champagnes, the riddling is made by hand and the process can take six weeks or more. The automated method uses a machine called a gyropalette that does the riddling of several bottles at a time. This process can take 1 week approx. since the gyropalette works 24 hours because, you know, machines.
Once the bottle is upside down (via hand riddling or with the gyropalette) with the sediment down, the neck of the bottle is frozen. The crown cap is removed and it ejects a chunk of ice that is made by the sediment and wine. This process is called Disgorgement.
As some wine was ejected along with the sediment, the bottle needs to be topped up, this is called Dosage. The dosage determines the sweetness of the champagne: extra brut, brut, demi-sec.
Afterwards, the bottle is resealed with a cork and a wire cage.
The bottle is stored in the cellar -the time depends on the style of champagne that is made, regulations of the appellation, etc.
There are many technical things happening during the 10 steps. Since we want to keep things as easy to understand as possible, this is a good summary of the method champenoise. Let me know in the comments if you want to know more.
There are other methods to make sparkling wine. Some are simpler, where the second fermentation takes place inside a sealed tank (Prosecco is made this way) instead of individual glass bottles. Champagne is always created by using the traditional method with the second fermentation happening inside the bottle. This method is more expensive, and complex and has an impact on the flavours and quality of the bubbles.
First Photo: Gyropalette for riddling bottles. Second Photo: Bottles stored at an angle after being riddled. Both at Mercier Cellar.
CHAMPAGNE BOTTLE NAMES & SIZES
Champagne is a precious elixir with stylish packaging. Champagne bottles are organised in a range of different sizes and each one has a special name. To make things better, I've included information on how many glasses of champagne you will get out of each bottle (very important information). And of course bestie, you can download this infographic.
Here is a summary that also includes the equivalent in standard bottles:
-Quart || 200ml || 2 glasses
-Demi or Half bottle || 375ml || 3 glasses
-Standard || 750ml || 6 glasses
-Magnum || 1.5L || 2 standard bottles || 12 glasses
-Jeroboam || 3 L || 4 standard bottles || 24 glasses
-Methusalah || 6L || 8 standard bottles || 48 glasses
-Salmanasar || 9L || 12 standard bottles || 72 glasses
-Balthazar || 12L || 16 standard bottles || 96 glasses
-Nebuchadnezzar || 15L || 20 standard bottles || 120 glasses
There are other bottle sizes but are not that common, hence the list above. It is important to note that not all bottle sizes are widely available. Some sizes need to be specially ordered directly from the Maison.
CHAMPAGNE AROMAS & FLAVOURS
Well, we find ourselves in a pickle here.
There is so much that can influence the notes of champagne. From the blend to the specific winemaking decisions, conditions in the vineyard and of course the maturation. It all depends on the style of champagne the winemaker wants to create.
In general, you can expect almond and toast notes with fine bubbles that linger in your mouth. The fruit notes are influenced by the grape varietal and blend and other notes come from winemaking decisions, chemical processes and maturation.
The Comité Champagne is the trade organisation that represents the interest of champagne producers and houses -top-level knowledge here. The Comité describes the notes found in champagne depending on the age and the varietal used. I've compiled a list below:
Young champagne (between 2-3 years old), is likely to present the following characteristics based on the grape varietal:
Chardonnay. It is lively with good minerality. Notes of white flowers and citrus (grapefruit), yellow apple, pear, white bread...
Pinot Meunier. Fruity character and roundness of flavour. Notes of red apple, strawberry, peach, mandarin, yellow fruits, vanilla...
Pinot Noir. Body & structure. Red fruits (strawberry, raspberry, red cherry) rose, violet, black fruits (blueberry, blackberry), mango, cinnamon...
For a matured champagne, aged from 3 to 7 years approx, the notes expected are related to the winemaking and maturation process:
Champagne that is aged for 7 years or more, will likely present notes of extended maturation and evolution in the bottle:
Complex notes of gingerbread, quince jelly, walnuts, cocoa, coffee, raisins...
Again, this is only a guide, several factors influence the aromas and flavours in a bottle of champagne. If you want to get the specific notes of a particular champagne, my advice is to taste it! I’m happy to help and taste some on your behalf, send the bottles to my house and I'll give you my notes. *cheeky wink* .
If you want to get some examples of different styles of champagne and their notes, read this post that includes information on cuvées from famous champagne maisons and also from artisan producers.
PAIRING CHAMPAGNE & FOOD
Champagne is super versatile, so you can pair a whole dinner with it, from appetiser to dessert! It will all depend on the style of champagne you are drinking (blanc de noirs? Vintage?) and the way the food is cooked (grilled? Sauce?)
There are some infallible champagne pairings. Yes, they might be bougie but we are talking about champagne, so let's embrace the vibes:
Appetisers: foie gras, caviar...
Shellfish: think crab, lobster, prawns, sea urchin...
Molluscs: oysters, clams, scallops...
Cheese: nutty like comté or gruyere; salty like parmesan or pecorino; creamy like èpoisses, camembert, brie...
Truffles: personal favourite yumm, just try it.
Experiment the next time you open a bottle of champagne, you know, it's all in the name of knowledge.
BEING A (MORE) KNOWLEDGEABLE CHAMPAGNE DRINKER
If you made it all the way to this paragraph, congratulations, you are now a more knowledgeable champagne drinker. No, Karen, I’m not saying you will be an expert after reading this, but you will certainly be ahead of the curve knowing some fundamentals of champagne.
By now you understand terms like vintage and distinguish your blanc de noirs from your blanc de blancs. Most importantly, you won’t be one of those who call ANY type of sparkling wine ‘champagne’. *pearl clutching*, Please don’t.
CORRECT PRONUNCIATION OF CHAMPAGNE
To feel even more glam when sipping your next champagne, here is a video with the French pronunciation so you can sound like a native. Spoiler alert: is not me (obviously), I’m Mexican and I don’t speak French (yet).
Now that you have this fab knowledge of champagne -well done you!- what’s next? Well… tasting of course! And the best place to do so is in the 2 cities at the heart of the Champagne region: Reims and Épernay.
Read this post to discover the best champagne experiences in Reims, trust me, you won't be disappointed!
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