Situated to the east of the Paris Basin, Champagne produces wines that the whole world envies.
Currently, more than 300 million bottles are sold each year, a third of which are exported. Champagne is regularly associated with important events. They appear on all the wine lists. This is why the restaurant owner or cellar manager must know how to inform the customer if it is a grand cru or premier cru, how long a vintage champagne must remain in the cellar before being marketed (there is a minimum time to respect), is it possible to find an AOC Champagne from another region or country, the answer is no Champagne can only come from a strict area which is the Champagne region which extends over the departments of Marne (67% of production), Aube (22%), Aisne, Haute-Marne and Seine et Marne, for other regions or countries have used the thermal baths Cremant or sparkling and for example Prosecco for the Italian cremant. This vineyard covers about 34 000 hectares of planted vines.
Process of the base wine
Harvest : In principle, they take place at the end of September, beginning of October. The grapes are collected in containers called mannequins, once made of wicker, now made of plastic, in small quantities to prevent the grapes from being crushed. In most cases, the grapes are red, so any coloration must be avoided.
Rapid transport of the harvest always to avoid coloration and oxidation. Many houses have harvesters located directly in the vineyard.
Weighing of the grapes, A weight of 4 000 Kg of grapes constitutes a marc (not pronounce the "C") which is the content of a Champagne press in the vineyard.
Pressing This operation is carried out with presses that exert a moderate and very progressive pressure, always to avoid any coloration. Up until 1991, from one marc, 2050 L of cuvée wine (10 pieces), 410 L of first size (2 sizes), 206 L (1 piece) could be made, i.e. a total of 2,666. Beyond that, the wine could no longer qualify for the AOC. Why 2666L and not 2660 or 2670? Quite simply because each fraction corresponds to a multiple of a Champagne piece (barrel) which contains 205 L. Since 1992, in a qualitative concern, the Champenois have decided to pass from 150 to 160Kg of grapes to obtain one hectolitre of bottled wine. This means that the 4000Kg of grapes no longer gives, as before, 2666 Litres but only 2550L. The difference, 116L of second size is eliminated from the appellation.
Alcoholic fermentation, then malolactic fermentation, as well as all the classic operations of white wine making (settling, racking, ...).
At this point, we are in the presence of a still wine that will have to be made "effervescent".
The following operations will then take place:
Drawing and foaming
Elaboration of the cuvée
When a customer orders a wine from Bordeaux, he will ask for a Medoc or a Château (for example Château Margaux), the same thing for Burgundy (Pommard, Santenay...), for Alsace he will ask for a grape variety (Riesling, Sylvaner, ...) But in Champagne the customer will ask for a brand Ruinart, Pol Roger, Bollinger, Ayala... He expects to have a type of wine given by the style of the house in question. This is where the elaboration of the cuvée comes in. By blending wines from different parts of the AOC, from different grape varieties, even from different vintages, the person in charge of the cuvees will develop a champagne that is representative of the house.
These blends require a great deal of technical skill, a perfect mastery of tasting and can only be carried out by eminent specialists.
When the year is sufficient in itself, only wines from different origins are blended, possibly from different grape varieties but from a single year, in this case the champagne will be vintage.
Some people claim that 80% of wine from the same year is enough for a Champagne to be vintage; this is a mistake ! The origin of this error comes from the fact that the Champagne regulations require a producer to keep at least 20% of the wine in order to be able to blend non vintage vintages, which is totally different.
If the year is not sufficient on its own, there is the possibility of blending with wines from another vintage, always with the aim of obtaining a harmonious product. In this case the Champagne cannot be vintage.
This explains why some vintages are not on the market, and partly why a vintage Champagne, therefore from a good year, is sold more expensive than a non-vintage one.
Some houses blend wines from great vintages to produce a particular cuvée. In this case, of course, no vintage can appear on the label.
Addiction of tirage liqueur
When the cuvée is composed, the tirage liqueur is added. This is sugar and yeast (24g of sugar per litre for a Champagne Classique). Before Pasteur's work, this technique was poorly mastered, the sugar was added in a more or less empirical way; this sometimes resulted in significant breakage (up to 80% in 1828). It is true that at that time, mouth-blown bottles were not as consistent in quality as they are today.
Bottling
Deep and cool cellar descent, second fermentation in bottles :
The Champagne cellars, carved out of chalk, all have the qualities for a good catch of foam. Indeed, the temperature is constant and not very high (10 to 11°). This allows a very slow fermentation in bottles, and a good foaming. The bottles are then said to be "on slats".
Putting on racks and riddling
During the second fermentation, CO² is released, which remains trapped in the bottle. This is the purpose of the operation. There is also the production of little alcohol, about one and a half degrees. But a deposit (not a default) has formed in the bottle. They are placed in a sloping position with the neck downwards in the holes of the lecterns. These holes are shaped in such a way that the inclination can vary during the stirring process, which lasts from 6 weeks to two months. Each day, the "stirrer" turns the bottle with a flick of the wrist, turning it a quarter or an eighth of a turn to the right or to the left. At the end of the riddling, the bottle is almost vertical, the deposit has moved closer to the neck. It can then be stored "on tips". It is certainly a pity for the folklore, but manual riddling is more and more replaced by automatic lecterns, giropallets ... The giropallets are metal cages in which the bottles are placed. The system is connected to a computer which, according to the program, will make the whole thing oscillate to obtain the collection of the deposit in only a few days.
Storage of bottles on tips
It consists of expelling the entire deposit with deposit with minimal pressure loss. For a very long time, this operation was "on the fly". Nowadays, disgorging is carried out with artificial cold: the neck of the bottles passes through a cooling mixture, an ice cube forms, trapping the deposit and facilitating its expulsion.
This operation is facilitated by the use of "Bidule". These are very small plastic cups located just under the temporary stopper.
Addition of the shipping liquor
The vacuum caused by the disgorging is filled by the expedition liquor, composed of Champagne wines and sugar. Depending on the dosage, i.e. the quantity of sugar added, it is possible to make different types of Champagne: Extra dry, Brut, demi-sec ...
Definitive capping and covering
Champagne can only be sold after a minimum stay in the cellar.
Non-vintage Champagne: it must stay a minimum of 15 months after bottling, which cannot take place before January 1st following the harvest.
Vintage champagne: minimum stay of 3 years after bottling. Many houses keep their wine longer, but in any case, Champagne can be consumed as soon as it is put on the market.
Some prestigious vintage names
Dom Ruinart – Ruinart
Dom Pérignon – Moët & Chandon
Vielles vignes française – Bollinger
Bollinger R. D – Bollinger
Cuvée perle d’Ayala et Le Blanc de Blancs – Ayala
Some thermals to identify on the bottles:
N.M- Trader-Handler: Natural or legal person who buys grapes, must or wine and carries out the elaboration on his premises.
R.M- Harvester-Handler : He ensures in his premises, the elaboration of the only wines resulting from his harvest. Tolerance of purchases, but limited to 5% of its harvest.
R.C- Harvester-Cooperator : He takes over from his cooperative wines in the process of being made or ready to be marketed to customers.
C.M -Cooperative of Handling It elaborates, in its premises, wines coming from grapes of its members.
S.R. - Société de Récoltant (Harvesting Company) it produces wines from the harvest of members of the same family.
N.D. - Distributor Dealer he buys finished bottled wines on which he labels them on his premises.
M.A - Buyer's brand This is a brand that does not belong to the professional (e.g. to his customers) In this case, the initials to mention his M.A
There are different types of Champagne depending on their sugar content
Gross less than 15g of sugar per litre (90% of Champagne consumed in France belongs to this type).
Extra-Dry between 12 and 2Og of sugar per litre
Dry between 17 and 35g per litre
Half dry between 33 and 50g per litre
Mild more than 50g per litre
For a sugar content of less than 3 grams, the words 'brut nature', 'pas dosé' or 'dosage zéro' may be used.
The mention of AOC does not appear on the label. In France only two products are exempt Cognac and Champagne.
Now let's look at the main grape varieties:
Pinot noir: It represents 38% of the vineyard, perfect on the limestone and cool soils, it is the dominant grape variety in the mountains of Reims and the Côte des Bar. The wines made from it are distinguished by red fruit aromas and a marked structure. It is the grape variety that brings body and power to the blend.
Le Meunier This vigorous grape variety is particularly suited to more clayey terroirs, such as those of the Marne Valley, and is better adapted to more difficult climatic conditions for the vines. It gives supple and fruity wines that evolve a little faster over time and bring roundness to the blend.
Chardonnay occupies 30% of the vineyard. It is the grape variety of predilection of the Côte des blancs. Chardonnay wines are characterized by delicate aromas, floral, citrus and sometimes mineral notes. Slowly evolving, it is the ideal grape variety for ageing wines.
Contrary to what one can imagine, there are also non sparkling wines in Champagne
The Coteaux Champenois AOC
Mostly made into red wine, they are also available in white, and more rarely in rosé. They are light wines, very dry for the whites, to be drunk generally young except for a few reds in exceptional years. The A.O.C. Coteaux champenois can be followed by the name of the commune of origin; this is the case for the red wines in the communes of Bouzy, Ay, Sillery, Cumières, Vertus, and for the whites of Chouilly or Le Mesnil.
The geographical area or Champagne Viticole extends over five departments: Aisne, Aube, Haute-Marne, Marne, Seine-et-Marne and concerns a total of 635 communes. The Champagne Viticole defined by the law of 22 July 1927 is very important, the legislator has provided that the registered designation of origin "Champagne" can only be granted - among other conditions - to wines harvested and handled entirely within the limits of the Champagne Viticole.
The grape production area (or defined parcel area) is spread over 319 communes within the geographical area: 39 in Aisne, 63 in Aube, 2 in Haute-Marne, 212 in Marne, 3 in Seine et Marne. There is in particular the Côte aux enfants de Bollinger which is one of my favourites.
The Champagne vineyard includes 14 regions:
* The Massif of Saint-Thierry
* The Mound of Nogent the Abbess
* The Valley of the Vesle
* The Valley of the Ardre
* The Mountain of Reims
* The Epernay Region
* The Marne Valley and its tributary valleys
* The Surmelin Valley
* The White Coast
* The Region of Congy - Villevenard
* The Côte de Sézanne
* The Region of Vitry-le-François
* The Butte de Montgueux
* The Bar Coast
There are also rosé wines, the AOC rosé des Riceys, but they are very rare alongside the other appellations of the region.
The rosé-des-Riceys is a confidential quiet rosé produced in the south of the wine-growing Champagne region. Although more than 300 million bottles of champagne are produced each year, this appellation only delivers around 50,000 bottles, originating from the commune of Les Riceys alone, located south of the Aube. This village with its three bell towers is part of the Côte des Bar, a region close to Burgundy but included in the champagne appellation area. The vineyard is reminiscent of the Chablisien with its landscapes of hillsides crowned with woods and its marly limestone soils. Only the best plots of land, sloping, stony, well oriented and planted with old pinot noir vines, are able to produce grapes rich enough in sugar to be vinified as rosé-des-Riceys. Original, this rosé of bleeding offers such a specific taste that it is called "goût des Riceys". Vinified in vats, it can be drunk within three years. Aged one to two years in the woods, it is close to a red wine in terms of its aromas, texture and ageing potential.
Now let's talk about tourism in Champagne.
It is absolutely necessary to visit Reims and its famous cathedral which looks like Notre de Dame de Paris, then you have to go to Verzenay to observe the magnificent period mill, and finally to Aÿ to see the Maison Bollinger which has the particularity of having one of the very rare plots of land in the region not affected by phylloxera!
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