Champagne

I think that we have all had a glass of sparkling wine at one time or another. Generally it is brought out at special occasions, like weddings or New Years Eve events, but I enjoy sparkling wine year round. Actually, next to Pinot Noir it probably tops my list of favorite wines.

 There are several types of sparkling wine made throughout the world, but the most widely recognized is Champagne. Champagne is actually a region in Northwestern France where grapes are grown to produce this bubbly concoction. It is governed by law as to the way the grapes are grown, how large the harvest can be, what type of grape varieties can be used, the fermentation process, and aging recommendations. First of all, Champagne can only be legally called Champagne if it comes from this delineated area of France. If sparkling wine is made outside of this area in France, it is simply known as cremánt, followed by the region from where it is produced. Example Cremánt d'Alsace, which is another region in France.

Sparkling wine is known by different names in other countries such as Sekt in Germany, Prosecco or Franciacorta in Italy, Cava in Spain, and simply Sparkling wine here in the United States. All have their own styles and types of grapes that are used.

Champagne can only use three different grape varieties by law, they are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. These grapes are also only permitted to grow in the five districts of Montagne de Reims,   Valle de la Marne, Cote des Blancs, Cote de Sézanne, and Cote des Bars (Aube district). The grapes grown from these three regions are further classified into different status levels, based on the best land for growing conditions. This can also be part of the determining factor on the price that you pay for a finished bottle of wine. 

Bubbles are created in wine by trapping the by products of alcoholic fermentation, which are carbon dioxide and ethanol, in a closed atmopshere. The carbon dioxide is then forced to integrate into the wine.There are also different ways in creating the bubbles in Champagne and Sparkling wines that are relevant to quality. The first and most tedious is known as Traditional Method. This is where a secondary alcoholic fermentation takes place in the same bottle in which it is sold as a final product. Other production methods are secondary fermentation taking place in a pressurized tank, and simple carbonation injection. The Traditional Method wines are always more developed and complex due to extended aging, and bottle fermentation, allowing the carbon dioxide to dissolve more thoroughly into the wine. This is also an obviously more expensive process than simple tank fermentation. Your most inexpensive bottles will generally employ the tank method, and the really cheap wines that you may see are more than likely simply carbonated, just like soda.

All sparkling wine is made in one of these general categories with a few exceptions such as Transversage, which is used for different bottle formats, Partial Fermentation Method for low- alcohol, sweet sparkling wines such as Moscato d' Asti (this is also tank method), and lastly, the Ancestral Method which is rarely encountered.

Sparkling wine is also made in a variety of sweetness levels to enjoy:

Brut- dry

Extra Dry- off dry

Sec- slightly sweet

demi-sec- sweet

Doux- very sweet

The next time you reach for a beverage try something sparkling- it has a way of bringing a special occasion to any day!