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Champagne and Sparkling Wine
By Mike Casey
“All champagne is sparkling wine but not all sparkling wine is champagne”
I wanted to take the time to talk about sparkling wines of the world. Over the past couple of months we have talked about various wines of summer but I never really touched on sparkling wines. Champagnes/sparkling wines are usually overlooked but are also one of the most food friendly wines available. Its crisp acidity allows it to cut through fatty game, cream sauces and match acidic dishes. Sparkling wines also are delicate enough in flavor to match the most supreme dishes such as caviar, oyster and most seafood. French Champagnes also have noticeable tannins which help them cope with heavier dishes. Within sparkling wine there are several different styles, which I will attempt to list and describe. Champagne started in the region of Champagne, France. The French defined how quality sparkling is made today. It is because of the rich history that no other wine can be labeled Champagne. Some U.S. bulk producers use the term frivolously but their wine is not allowed to be exported. The wine is usually made from a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Harvest to bottling is also part of the procedure
Methode Champenoise – aka Method Traditional, The best sparkling wines in the world will list the previous terms on their label. If the bottle states “Champagne” then we can assume it was produced correctly. Grapes are harvested, crushed, fermented and then blended to the desire of the winemaker. The wine is then bottled, dosed with the liquer de triage and allowed to have a secondary fermentation in bottle. This forms the bubble/effervesence. The wine is aged, in France this is usually from 18 to 30 months. The wine then undergoes a process called remuage to precipitate sediment. Disgorgement then occurs; this discharges the any dead yeast and sediment. The wine is then given the liquer d’expedition and then corked. All quality sparkling wines will use this production method. However, the grapes sometimes vary due to regional constraints.
Liquer de triage – dosage of still champagne, yeast, yeast nutrients and sugar. This allows a second fermentation that creates the effervescence of the wine.
Remuage – Process of slowly moving the bottles into an upside down position to precipitate the dead yeast and any other sediment.
Disgorgement – The bottle neck is dipped in a cold solution to semi-freeze the sediment and wine. Then wine is uncapped, disgorging the sediment, topped off and corked for sale.
Liquer d’Expedtion – Right after the wine is disgorged a dosage of sparkling wine is used to top off the bottle. At this time the sweetness is adjusted to the desired level.
Non – Vintage – These wines are the most common and are a blend of multiple vintages. Most wines fall into this category as sparkling wine producers try to produce a consistent house style.
Brut – 0-15 grams/liter residual sugar. Even though anything above 8 g/l is technically noticeably sweet, these wines have high acidity that will persevere. This is the most popular style.
Extra Dry – 12-20 g/l residual sugar. A touch more sweetness brings the tanginess down.
Demi – Sec – 35-50 g/l residual sugar. Noticeably sweet, yet it still possesses a good level of acidity. Great for aperitifs or with dessert.
Blanc de Blanc – “White from White.” This is used for sparkling wine produce from white grapes only. Usually Chardonnay but in some countries such as Spain local varieties are used.
Blanc de Noir – “White from Black.” This is sparkling wine produce only from black grapes. Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier are the classic varieties. Outside of France it tends to usually be just Pinot Noir. When the grapes are crushed the juice is not allowed to macerate on the skins. Therefore, no color is absorbed, giving us white wine from black grapes.
Brut Rose – This is similar to Blanc de noir. However, the juice is allowed a short maceration on the grape skins. This allows for a pink color to develop. Also, more flavor and tannin is absorbed.
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