Champagne

Unit 4

• Champagne is a sparkling wine which originated from the champagne region of France.

• Actually the word Champagne is derived from the Latin word ‘Campania’ originally used to describe the country side just north of Rome.

• Champagne is one of the most legendry wine regions in France, indeed the entire world.

• Champagne is considered to be the most luxurious of wines. It is one of the finest and famous wines of France.

• It’s the wine of love, weddings, birthdays, festivals etc. Champagne region is located about 100 miles northeast of Paris,

• Champagne is a sparkling wine produced by inducing the in-bottle secondary fermentation of the wine to effect carbonation.

• The primary grapes used in the production of Champagne are Pinot noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier.

• Through international treaty, national law or quality-control/consumer protection related local regulations, most countries limit the use of the term to only those wines that come from the Champagne appellation.

• In Europe, this principle is enshrined in the European Union by Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status.

• Other countries, such as the United States, have recognized the exclusive nature of this name, yet maintain a legal structure that allows certain domestic producers of sparkling wine to continue to use the term "champagne" under limited circumstances.

• The majority of US-produced sparkling wines do not use the term "champagne" on their labels and some states, such as Oregon, ban producers in their states from using the term as it can be confusing to consumers.

• Champagne first gained world renown because of its association with the anointment of French kings.

• Royalty from throughout Europe spread the message of the unique sparkling wine from Champagne and its association with luxury and power in the 17th, 18th and 19th century.

• The leading manufacturers devoted considerable energy to creating a history and identity for their wine, associating it and themselves with nobility and royalty.

• Through advertising and packaging they sought to associate Champagne with high luxury, festivities, and rites of passage.

• Their efforts coincided with the emergence of a middle class that was looking for ways to spend its money on symbols of upward mobility.

• Champagne was made in 17th century by a monk called Dom Perignon.

• Dom Perignon was born in Jan 1638 at St. Mee houlde and become a Benedic monk at the age of 19.

• He was appointed wine master. In 19th century champagne was given a new name that is ‘sparkling wine’.

• Basically any wine can be made into a sparkling wine by the addition of carbondioxide under pressure.

• Sparkling wines are usually made from fermentation.

• The already fermented wines are made to ferment by the addition of yeast and sugar with resulting carbondioxide trape instead of release.

• A laborious and exacting process which accounts for the high price of best champagne.

• Only three grape varieties can be used to make champagne.

• CHARDONAY a white variety giving lightness, elegance and fine.

• The PINOT NOIR (RED) giving the body strength and fullness of flavor .

• and the PINOT MEUNIER (RED) giving freshness and youth.

• If champagne is made from the white grapes, it is called blanc de blance (literally white from white). If it’s made from red grapes, it’s called ‘Blanc de NOIR’ (literally white from black).

• Since almost all the champagne wines are white in color, skin has to be removes before fermentation.

• Here the grapes are picked before

maturity because there’s more acidity that gives refreshing taste and 1.5 kilos of grapes will produce 1 bottle of champagne.

• Champagne is made from the blend of 70% red grapes and 30% white grapes.

There are main three districts in champagne region:-Montagne de ReinsVall’e de MarneCotes de Blancs

Types of Champagne

Types of champagne are determined by the color, degree of sweetness, aging period and alcoholic strength produced champagne region in France.

1. According to color

Champagne is white and pink in color. White champagne is made from white grapes and pink from red white or red grapes.

2.According to the sugar present

In making of champagne, sugar is added before putting cork. The local amount of sugar added in the champagne wine decides which type of champagne it is. Amount of sugar that is present determines the types of champagne.

Brut: - it’s less dry, 15gm sugar per liter.Extra Brut: - It’s driest one. Less than 6 gm of sugar per liter.Extra Sec (Tres Sec): - It means some dryness, a bit sweeter than Brut. 12-20 gm of sugar per liter.Sec: - Slight sweetness. It contains 17-35gms of sugar per liter.Demi sec: - It means sweet 35-50gms of sugar per liter.Doux: - It means rich or very sweet. More than 50gms of sugar per liter.

3. Alcoholic strength

When champagne is finally made majority of alcoholic strength is 12.5% but some have even 2-5%.

4. According to the Aging Period

Vintage: - Aged for maximum 5 years and Minimum 3 years.Non-vintage: - Aged for maximum 3 years and Minimum 1 year.Prestige Cuvee: - Aged for 8-9 years.

Areas for Production and Climatic Condition

Champagne has come from the champagne region of France which is famous for producing “Sparkling Wine.”

The area is about 62,500 acres and it has 350 villages. Champagne region is about 100 miles north east of Paris. The region permitted to call its wine. “Champagne” was strictly defines by the INAO in 1972.

The wine grapes like to grow in a temperature area not too hot nor too cold. It grows poorly if the temperature is below 10°C and up to 32°C.

Method of Production

There are four methods of production of champagne.1. Methode Champenoise/ Traditional Method2. Transfer Method3. Charmat Method/ Bulk Method/ Tank Method4. Carbonation Method i.e Carbonation of Still Wines

by Forcing Carbondioxide in the Wine.

Methode Champenoise: -

Process: -

1. Harvesting2. Pressing and Fermentation3. Blending4. Bottling and Corking Secondary Fermentation5. Remuge6. Degorgement7. Dosage8. Dressing9. Labeling and Aging

1. Pressing and Fermentation• Grapes are mashed and pressed to

extract a juice called ‘MUST’. Skin of red grapes is removed but the skin of white grape is not removed.

• Fermentation takes place by the addition of wine yeast to fresh grape juice to convert the natural sugar in the grape to ethyl alcohol.

Yeast + Sugar ethyl alcohol + Co₂

2. Blending• Champagne is always blended before

bottling. In this process wine from different years are mixed.

• At least 30 different varieties are blended. Different manufacturers have their own formula for blending. They taste for the quality of the wine. When the quality is correct, then there is the process of bottling.

• A true champagne is always made from a blend of wines sometimes from different growers/ wine makers, often from different years almost always from more than one of three specified grape varieties.

3. Bottling and Corking

The wine is then bottled. But before bottling the tasting is done for the flavors.

Sugar and yeast is added in the wine in the bottle so that secondary fermentation takes place inside the bottle. This particular process is called ‘le tirage.’

The bottle is the corked i.e. bottle is closed by the use of cork.

Now the bottles are taken for the storing in cellar particularly made by chalk. Temperature is maintained between 10°C to 13°C. Carbondioxide is produced and it is forces to the wine so the wine becomes sparkling.

Fine quality champagne when poured in the glass, the bubbles comes for long time. During this, the bottles are stored in slanting A-shaped frames called les pupitres with the bottle necks down so the yeast and the other sediments collect there.

French law insists that the wine should be allowed to undergo secondary fermentation for at least a year, but most firms keep the bottles for three years before remuge.

4. RemugeAll the dead yeast and sediments are collected on the cork and this should be removes. To encourage this collection of sediments a process called remuge occurs which is done by professionals (remueurs). They hold/grab the base of the each bottle, giving it a slight shake and turn. Gradually, this action causes a plug of sediments to form in the neck of the bottle. So it can be removed later in the disgorgement process. This is an immediate process after storage. Remuge can be done mechanically by large machines processing over 4,000 bottles at a time.

5. DegorgementIn this process, the sediments which settle on the neck of the bottle are removed. For this, a special chemical solution is prepared which is known as ‘cols brine solution’. The neck of the bottle is dipped into the solution which helps the sediments to freeze. This process involves the freezing of sediments in the neck of the bottle by dipping the neck of the bottle into cold brine solution. Then with a quick motion, an expert removes the cork along with its plug and the clear wine is left in the bottle. In this process, small amount of wine goes out which is regained by ‘Dosage’.

6. Dosage

The lost volume is now made up with additional is called ‘le dosage’. The amount of sugar in the dosage determines the relative dryness or sweetness of the wine.

7. DressingAfter dosage, the wine is quickly corked. A wire cage called an agraffe or muselet is put over the cork to hold it in the bottle, and a foil placed over both. This whole process is called dressing.

8. Labeling and AgingThe bottled champagne is then put into chalk cave to age. From one to five year of aging is required depending on the quality of wine but produces usually exceeds this requirement.

Transfer Method: -• In this method secondary

fermentation is done in bottle. This method is less expensive than ‘methode champenoise. It is especially practiced in North America. Fermented in the bottle is written in the label of bottle to make difference between “method Champenoise” and ‘Transfer Method.’

Charmat Method or Bulk: -It’s cheap method of wine making and also of low quality and price. Here, the wines are put into a pressurized tank that is specially made up of wood. In that tank, sugar and yeast is added and secondary fermentation takes place. During secondary fermentation, Co₂ is produced and not allowed to escape but is forced into the bottle. The wines made from this method has got good flavor of grapes.

Carbonation Method: -• Carbonation method is the

cheapest method and lower in quality. It’s the quickest method of producing sparkling wine. Co₂ gas is pumped into the bottle of white wine to make it sparkling wine but by this method Co₂ remains only on the top layer of the wine and escaped out as soon as the cork is opened. So, the bubbles don’t remain for a long time after it is poured.

Brand Names of Champagne: -Champagnes are named after the housed or shippers and the best known champagnes are:•Moet et Chandan•Dam perignan•Tattitinger•Pol Rogers•Piper Hiedsieck•Veauve Cliquot