Champagne, July 2013

On a drive back from Paris earlier this summer, we took a detour to the Champagne region of France. We spent an afternoon in Epernay and overnighted in Reims. During the weekend we had time to tour a champagne cave and go do a tasting. The tour we chose to go on was located at Champagne GH Martle which included the caves and a look at antique equipment for champagne production. Many of the caves in the region were a result of the Romans mining chalk form the region. The caves provide the proper temperature for champagne production. Champagne is a relatively newer wine making production method. What I found most interesting in the antique equipment were the stoves that were put out in the fields in case of frost and the safety shields used in the event of exploding bottles. I guess it didn’t occur to me that there were so many hazards back in the old days! And to top it off, that evening there was a fantastic laser light show on the front of the historic Notre Dame Cathedral in Reims. The history of the region fascinated me, so I had to write it down to remember later when I enjoy a few bubbles.

Champagne is a region in France about 100 miles north east of Paris at the most northern edge of the wine growing region of France. The Romans planted wine grapes in this region between the 3rd and 5th centuries, but given the climate, the wines produced were different and more difficult to manage than many others French varieties. With the relatively high altitudes, northern latitudes and erratic sunshine the grapes do not fully ripen so are highly acidic at harvest. Cold temperatures over the winter halt the wines fermentation. When the temperatures rise again in the spring, fermentation starts again. If the wine was bottled before this secondary fermentation, the wine might contain bubbles and the glass bottles had the tendency to explode. Despite this, wines from this region were well liked by many, and highly acclaimed. Red wines were the popular wines of the day and the Burgundy region nearby produced a spectacular wine. This started a rivalry between to two regions. This rivalry between Champagne and Burgundy continued for centuries. At various points in time one region seemed to have an edge over the other. During different phases of the wine battles the regions employed physicians to write scientific papers that touted the benefits of one wine over the other. Pamphlets were developed from these papers and distributed among the people. The tensions were so high between the regions that civil war almost resulted. Finally, many wine producers in the Champagne region stopped trying to make full bodied red wines and concentrate on the production of sparkling wines. The doctors then switched to writing about the health benefits of bubbles and thought that perhaps the bubbles cured malaria.

Reims was the early capital of France. Clovis the King of the Franks was baptized by the Bishop of Reims and a dove brought holy oil from heaven for the anointing. For the next 8 centuries the Kings of France were crowned in the cathedral at Reims and local wines were served. The tradition was to export wines from this region to give to the kings of other countries to celebrate when a new king of France was crowned. As a result, many foreigners liked the wines of this region. But the volatility and fragility of the wines were problematic. At first, cellar masters tried to figure out methods to keep the bubbles out of the wines, and later on, the goal became to make more bubbles.

One of the pioneering cellar masters was Dom Perignon, a Benedictine monk at the abbey in Hautvillers who lived between 1638- and 1715. Although not the inventor of Champagne as we know it today, he was instrumental in improving winemaking and moved wine production towards a sparkling wine. Dom Perignon was the first to blend the wines to improve their quality and improved the method of producing white wine from black grapes by manipulating the presses. He enhanced the wine’s ability to retain natural sugar to induce secondary fermentation. He also used a thicker bottle, a cork instead of wood and tied oiled hemp string around the cork to prevent popping. The English, due to the wine’s great popularity in England, were instrumental in improving production methods and understanding the science behind the secondary fermentation.  

Why is champagne champagne and not just any sparkling wine champagne? In 1927 the boundaries of the Champagne region were set and limited to an area covering 33,500 hectares. In 1942 the CIVC (Comite Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne) was created to protect the reputation and marketing of champagne. No other wine except that produced in these specific vineyards, under very specific conditions for growing grapes, pruning, harvesting, pressing and fermenting can be called champagne.

There are 5 wine producing regions using just 3 kinds of grapes grown in well-draining chalky belemite marine fossil subsoil. The regions are Aube, Cote des Blancs, Cote de Sezanne, Montagne de Reims and Vallee de la Marne. The grapes grown are Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. Pinot Noir is primarily grown in Aube and Montagne de Reims and adds the aroma of red fruits while giving champagne its strength and body. Pinot Meunier is the primary grape of Vallee de la Marne providing champagne with roundness and fragrance. Cotes des Blancs region is devoted to Chardonnay production and this grape provides finesse, floral aromas along with mineral overtones.  

There are strict guidelines for pruning and harvest as well as the rest of the champagne production. Harvest and sorting are done by hand. Pressing quickly follows often there is a press in the vineyards to limit the possibility of accidentally crushing the grapes. Pressing is vital to the process. Generally, there are 4 to 5 pressings of the grapes; juice form each press is separated from each other. The first press yields the highest quality of champagne, followed by second and third pressings. Fourth and fifth pressings are not used in champagne production; rather the wine produced from these pressings is often distilled into cognac.  

After the primary fermentation occurs, the cellar master decides if and how to do the blending. At this point several things can occur. If the cellar master determines that a wine is of the most excellent quality, no blending will occur and this wine will be used to make vintage champagne. Often there is no vintage year declared. When this happens, the cellar master is responsible for blending wines that the house has produced over the past several years to match the house style of champagne. There may be up to 70 blending wines to choose from. Once the blending has occurred the wine is put in the bottle along with “liqueur de triage”, a mixture of yeast and sugar to induce secondary fermentation. The bottle is capped with a crown type cap and laid horizontal for a minimum of 15 months.

The next stage is called “Riddling”. The yeast and sugar added in the second stage has built up on the side of the bottle where it has been laid. The process of “Riddling” moves the sediment to the neck of the bottle as it is slowly turned to bottoms up position. In the olden days, this process was done by hand over the course of 8 weeks. Now mechanical processing is completed in 8 days. Of note though, large format bottles the “Jeroboam”-equal to 4 bottles and the “Nebuchadnezzar”-equal to 20 bottles are still “riddled” by hand.

Once the yeast debris is in the neck of the bottle, the “Disgorgement” process happens. The neck of the bottle is frozen and the sediment is removed. The final step, “Dosage” occurs. This step determines the final type of champagne produced by the amount of wine and sugar mixture is added to top off the bottle and the cork inserted.

Sweetness levels are as follows:
Brut: the driest type with less than 1.5% sugar
Extra Sec: extra dry with 1.2-2.0% sugar
Sec: medium sweet with 1.7-3.5% sugar
Demi-Sec: sweet with 3.5-5% sugar (dessert champagne)
Doux: very sweet over 5% sugar (dessert champagne)

Other descriptors of champagne are used:
Blanc de Blanc: made from 100% Chardonnay-light and usually dry, popular as an aperitif or with soups and seafood.
Blanc de Noir: made from Pinot Noir and/or Pinot Meunier-full bodied and a deeper yellow gold color, often served with full flavored foods including meats and cheese.
Pink or Rose: only accounts for 5% of all champagne production made by the addition of a little red wine or exposing the juice to the skins longer during the press.
Non-vintage: accounts for 85-90% of champagne produced, multiple years of wine used in the blending.
Vintage: single harvest year-a decision by each champagne house.
Cuvees de Prestige: blends that make a top end champagne.

Once you bring your bottle home, treat it well by storing it in the dark at 40-60 degrees F. Champagne should not be shaken nor should it spout everywhere upon serving. Properly opened champagne should sigh with the release of the cork, not shower all of your guests!