The secret of Champagne: the soil
Located on the 50th latitude Champagne is not the easiest place to grow wines. The secret of the Champagne region is not the climate, but the soil. A thick layer of chalk and limestone of up to 200 meters gives this sparkling wine its special character. The carved out cellars provide optimum ripening conditions because of the constant temperature and humidity.
Champagne Grapes
Three types of grapes flourish in Champagne:
- Pinot Noir (37% of the area)
- Pinot Meunier (37% of the area)
- Chardonnay (26% of the area)
Subregions of Champagne
- Montagne de Reims, directly south of Reims, the capital of the area. Pinot Noir for which the village of Bouzy is known, is the most cultivated grape here.
- Vallée de la Marne, situated between Reims and Epernay. The River Marne flows down in the valley of the 300-metre high hill. Pinot Meunier is the predominant grape variety grown in this subregion.
- Cote des Blancs, south of the city of Epernay. Chardonnay is the only white grape variety grown here. Mesnil and Avize (including Champagne de Sousa et fils) in particular are renowned for their Chardonnay vineyards, where their delicious Champagne Blanc des blancs come from.
- Aube. A few areas east of the textile town of Troyes also have an appellation. Despite the grapes having the name to be inferior, it is surely possible to find a nice Champagne at an attractive price.
Champagne quality
Quality and consequently the price of Champagne is linked to the grape.
- Grand Cru. 17 villages have a Champagne Grand Cru status, including Bouzy, Mailly, Aÿ, Tours-sur-marne, Avize, and Cramant Chouilly.
- Premier Cru; there are 44 Premier Cru villages
Champagne language
| Cuvée |
First, light press (skin and flesh) |
| Taille |
Second, stronger pressing of the grapes (skin and flesh) |
| Non-vintage |
Always a blend of wines from a variety of grapes, vineyards and years of harvest. Therefore you won't find a year on the label. |
| Méthode champenoise |
Second fermentation of Champagne over a minumum period of 15 months. The longer it is allowed to mature, the finer the bubbles and the better the quality. This term is distinct for the Champagne region. Other sparkling wine regions use the term ‘méthode traditionelle’. |
| Vintage/Millésimé |
Champagne made entirely from one year's harvest. The wine has sto mature for at least 3 years, but often this period is extended to even 6 years or more. After 8 or 10 years the Vintage wines are at their best. |
| Prestige |
This can be a vintage but this is not a requirement. They often have distinctive names like 'The Grande Dame' or Dom Perignon's 'Belle Epoque'. |
| Rosé |
A blend of white and red grapes. In contrast, white and red grapes are not allowed to be blended for other Rose wine |
| Blanc de blancs |
Champagne made solely from white grapes, in case of Champagne the Chardonnay variety. |
| Blanc de noirs |
Champagne made from only Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes |
| Muselet |
The net of iron that keeps the cork in place. The iron wireis always twisted 6 times. |
| Dégorgement |
The neck section of the bottle is plunged into frozen nitrogen. At the final stages of the fermentation, just before the cork is banged in, the yeast need to be removed from the neck section of the bottle. The solution freezes the yeastsediment and captures it in an ice cube. When the bottle is now opened the ice cube is released and what remains is a dry clear sparkling wine, Champagne. |
| Liqueur d’expédition |
A small amount of wine is always lost during the process of 'dégorgement.' The wine maker uses a homemade sweet liquid mixture following a secret recipe to top the bottle up |
| Brut |
The liqueur d’expédition used is a sweet mixture for dry champagne |
| Demi sec |
The liqueur d’expédition used is a sweet mixture for sweeter Chammpagne |
Wine and food combinations Champagne
Champagne should be served in flutes. This maintains the flavour and retain the bubbles best. Champagne makes an excellent aperitif, but is also delicious when drunk with smoked salmon, oysters, various other fish and shellfish, and veal. and various other fish. A big Millesime can even accompany pheasant.
