Facts Champagne Lovers Should Know

                            A private dinner will be held at the producer of Dom Perignon

Wine-Knows will be taking its last group to Champagne (there are currently 5 spots available on this tour that will also visit Burgundy).  Below is important information that any serious wine lover should know about this oh-so-special bubbly.

Nomenclature

• Only sparkling wine made in the demarcated Champagne region of France can be called Champagne.

• Wineries are call "houses."  The Veuve Clicquot company is referred to as the House of Veueve Clicquot.

Grapes

Most Champagnes are a blend of these grapes

• Champagne may only be made from the above three grapes (from left to right):  (1) Pinot Noir  (2) Pinot Meunier  (3) Chardonnay.

• If a Champagne is Blanc de Blanc (white Champagne made from white grapes) it is 100% Chardonnay as this is the only white varietal of the three.  The often very slight greenish hue in these Blanc de Blancs is characteristic of Chardonnay wines. 

• If it's a Rose Champagne, the wine can be made from either or both of the two red grapes allowed.  Rose, however, also can have Chardonnay added.

Taste Profiles

                The entire Champagne region millenniums ago was covered by an inland sea

• Champagne's limestone is composed of chalky layers, remnants of ancient sea creatures.  These highly porous limestone soils are easily penetrated by root systems of vines heading downward to seek water.  While water is brought up into the plant, so are minerals from the fossilized remains of sea shells.  Due to this, Champagnes offer mineral nuances.
• Yeasts also play a critical role in the taste profile of Champagne.  Unlike non-sparkling wine, Champagne undergoes a secondary fermentation in the bottle.  Yeasts and a small amount of sugar to "feed" the yeasts are added after the initial fermentation has been completed and the wine has been placed in bottles.  Carbon dioxide is given off during this process but is trapped by the cork in the bottle, thus creating the wine's famous bubbles.   The spent yeast cells add flavors to the Champagne which are described as "bread dough,"  "freshly baked cake," or "brioche."

Land Ownership

Unlike most wine districts where the land is owned by wineries, 90% of Champagne is owned by grape growers.  Only 10% of the land is controlled by actual wineries.

Best Glass

                  Glasses popular in Champagne have tapered tops to enhance the aromas

In the Champagne region of France you rarely see the typical flute glass.  While flutes do help with the visual effect of the bubbles, its narrow top does not fully allow the aromas of Champagne to be appreciated.  While there are many variations, all  glasses in Champagne have the same tulip shape---wider bowls taper (but not near as narrow as the typical flute), allowing one to both swirl and capture the aromas. 

Changing Climate is Problematic

Temperatures in the Champagne region have risen 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit in the last 20 years.  This is especially an issue with fickle Pinot Noir which has a narrow band of cooler temperatures in which it grows.  Moreover, shifting rainfall patterns are posing further problems.

At the same time, England’s climate is also changing, with warmer summer and milder winters.  England is now experiencing a boom in the production of high quality sparkling wine.  More unnerving is the fact that several of France’s famous Champagne houses have purchased land in the south of England.  The country’s southern limestone soil is very similar to that of the Champagne region.


Protecting the Champagne Brand

            Many, from famous perfume producers to lingerie makers, have been successfully sued

An army of attorneys around the globe are employed by the Champagne professional association to protect the Champagne brand.  They’ve done battle with a variety of companies who made the mistake of naming their product Champagne.  A big no-no.

Have a bubbly kind of weekend.

Champagne Trivia for 2017

                                         One of the many Wine-Knows' trips to Champagne

Here are 10 facts that the Champagne-lover needs to keep close at hand for cocktail trivia in the New Year:

1.      The classic Champagne coupe glass (rarely used now) was modeled from a mold that was supposedly made from the breast of Marie Antoinette.

2.     A regular serving of Champagne produces about 100 million bubbles before it goes flat.

3.     Champagne was not “discovered” by Dom Perignon…this monk actually tried to remove the bubbles in a batch of wine that had “gone bad.”

4.     The Champagne region, France’s most northerly wine district, lies at the northern edge of the world’s grape growing latitude.

5.     Only the following 3 grapes can be used to produce Champagne:  Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.

6.     Veuve Clicquot is named after the widow of a winery owner ("veuve" means widow).

7.     The biggest bottle of Champagne is 40 times the normal sized bottle and is called a Melchizedek.  The second largest bottle is a Nebuchadnessar which is half the size of the Melchizedek.

8.     Your chances of dying from a flying Champagne cork (which can reach a velocity of 40 miles per hour) is greater than the chance of death by the bite of a poisonous spider.

9.     Only sparkling wines produced in the Champagne region can be called Champagne (one exception is California’s Korbel which was grandfathered-in).

10.     Two English sparkling wines beat out some of France’s most prestigious Champagnes in a blind tasting in Paris (refer to last week’s Blog).

Happy New Year!