Champagne
is a sparking French wine made following a strictly defined method from
specific grapes grown in vineyards in France’s Champagne region. It has
long enjoyed a reputation associating it with luxury, starting with its
role in the coronation ceremonies of French kings from the seventeenth
century. Its leading winemakers have exerted considerable effort to
preserving and extending that reputation, ensuring that it became de
rigueur for festivities and celebrations amongst the nineteenth
century’s emergent status-conscious middle class, and retaining that
position ever since.
History
Benedictine monks created the first sparkling wine in the region in the
sixteenth century. Glass-making and bottling techniques at the time,
however, meant that pressure from its effervescence frequently resulted
in exploding bottles and prematurely popped corks, with vintners
consequently often losing 20% to 90% of their cellar. In the seventeenth
century English glass-makers developed bottles that were equal to the
job. In 1844 someone invented the wire muselet that holds the cork in
place, and by 1850 winemakers were producing 20 million bottles
annually.
What It Is
Champagne is now made mostly by blending multiple grape varieties from
multiple vintages. Producing non-vintage wine ensures brand consistency.
The blending of varieties, usually chardonnay, pinot noir, and pinot
meunier, is part of the art of this form of French wine making. Although
pinot noir and pinot meunier are red-wine grapes, méthode
champenoise avoids contact with the skin during fermentation,
thereby producing white wines. These red-skinned grapes add backbone and
length to the blend, while the chardonnay provides it with its biscuity
flavour and acidity.
Special Types
A prestige cuvée is a proprietary French wine that its producer
presents as the top of its range – and prices accordingly. The original
one was probably Dom Pérignon by Moët & Chandon in 1936. Blanc de
noirs, meaning white of blacks, are white wines made entirely from
red-skinned, or black, grapes. They are often pale yellow in colour.
Blanc de blancs, meaning white of whites, are made from
Chardonnay grapes blended from different vineyards. Rosés, also called
pink Champagne, are usually made by adding a bit of still pinot noir
wine to the blend.
Champagne Culture
Champagne is best enjoyed from a glass called a flute, which has a
long, thin stem supporting a narrow, tall bowl that helps to maintain
the bubbles. The optimum temperature for serving it is from 7° to 9° C,
and sommeliers usually chill it in a specialised ice bucket, preferably
silver, before serving. It’s best to open the bottle by gripping the
cork and slowly rotating the bottle to prevent the cork from shooting
across the room and wasting wine, and to pour slowly down the side of a
tilted flute to preserve the bubbles.
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