The 5 Things You Absolutely Need to Know about Champagne
Editor’s note: Don’t wait until New Year’s Eve to pop a bottle of Champagne. October 22nd 2021 is Champagne Day, head to the Champagne Day event listings to find where you can celebrate.
Serving Champagne photo credit Comité Champagne
In Karen MacNeil’s The Wine Bible she says, “Champagne is not simply a wine; it is also a state of mind. Handed a glass, we simply abandon ourselves to its dizzying pleasures” It’s hard to overstate the mystique around Champagne. Winston Churchill said during World War II, “Remember gentlemen, it’s not just France we are fighting for, it’s Champagne!”
Champagne is not only the name of a region and the name of a wine from that region, it is a synonym for luxury and celebration or as Tira Johnson, wine buyer at Brooklyn Wine Exchange puts it, “Champagne is always champion.”
It’s not uncommon to hear Champagne used to describe any sparkling wine at all—a slight faux pas that can annoy wine snobs but is also a nod to the iconic nature of this bubbly wine from northern France. “For me,” says MacNeil in The Wine Bible, “A great Champagne possesses the contrapuntal tension of opposites—like a sword enveloped in whipped cream. The sword is the Champagne’s dramatic acidity. The whipped cream is the hedonic texture that comes from sur lie aging.”
reims photo by MustangJoe from Pixabay
Champagne Grapes
Champagne is always a blended wine, whether it’s of different grapes, different vintages, or both. The primary grapes in Champagne are chardonnay, pinot noir, and pinot meunier. While those three receive top billing, less common varieties fromenteau, pinot blanc, petit meslier and petit arbanne are also allowed, in small proportions.
Blancs de Blancs (White from white) means that a wine is primarily made from white grapes. These wines tend to have more flavors of orchard fruits and citrus. Blancs de Noirs (White from black) means that your Champagne was primarily made from red grapes and will have more berry notes. There’s also rosé Champagne, which can be a blend of any of the above. Rosé Champagne tends to have vibrant fruit character, especially of fresh red berries.
Sweetness Levels
The making process for Champagne is unique. First, still, wine is made. Then, the wine is placed in bottles and a second fermentation is initiated. Trapped C02 from that process becomes the effervescence we know and love in Champagne. Then, the wine is disgorged, meaning the leftover yeast is removed from the bottle. Through this process, some liquid is also lost, so a winemaker usually adds dosage or a sweet liquid. Depending on how much sugar is added in the dosage, the wine will range in sweetness. If a wine is labeled Brut Zero, there was no dosage added.
Styles of Champagne photo credit Comité Champagne
0-3 grams per liter of residual sugar
Extra Brut
0-6 grams per liter of residual sugar
Brut
0-12 grams per liter of residual sugar
Extra Dry
12-17 grams per liter of residual sugar
Dry
17-32 grams per liter of residual sugar
Demi-Sec
32-50 grams per liter of residual sugar
Doux
50+ grams per liter of residual sugar
Aging photo credit Comité Champagne
Aging
It’s easiest to find non-vintage (NV) Champagnes, which are a blend of various vintages. NV Champagne tends to be less expensive, but that does not make it a lower quality product by any means. NV Champagne can be more fruit-driven, whereas Vintage Champagnes often develop much more complexity and may have more nutty, honeyed notes that deepen with age.
Sur lie aging, the practice of keeping wine in contact with the lees (or dead yeast cells leftover from the fermentation process), creates roundness and depth. Non-vintage Champagne must be aged on the lees for at least 12 months, and vintage cuvees must require three years.
Pairing
Renee Reneau of the Comité Champagne explains, “There are no set rules to pair food and Champagne.” The best way to see if a pairing will work for you is to try it.
Champagne, in general, pairs nicely with food. But, the world of Champagne offers a range of sweetness levels, aromatic notes, body, and flavor, and therefore pairing success may vary. Reneau suggests, “The heavier the food, the more acidic the Champagne should be.” Try Brut Nature with macaroni and cheese and try Brut styles with chicken dishes. Sweeter styles pair well with blue cheese and with desserts.
Don’t be afraid to pair Champagne with dishes that don’t feel like a traditional pairing. Johnson recommends pairing Brut styles with French toast or eggs benedict. Thanks to its low ABV, Johnson calls it “the perfect morning beverage.”
Have Fun!
Grower producer Champagnes or wines made by those who grow the grapes instead of the big houses who source grapes but do not grow them (such as Taittinger or the vintage only house Dom Perignon) often provide a great value, and are more character-driven. Because they don’t conform to a “house style” and are not striving for consistency, they often vary greatly from vintage to vintage. Ready to pop a bottle? Discover how to make Champagne part of everyday celebrations.