Buy Champagne
Champagne is a type of sparkling wine elaborated following the "champenoise" method in the region of Champagne, France. This method was discovered by the Benedictine monk Dom Perignon, and it is characterized by the second fermentation and... aging of the wine are taking place in the same bottle, which allows to acquire the bubbles in a natural way.
Production Zones
There are four big regions where the grapevine is concentrated, all of them located in the French region of Champagne: The Reims Mountain,The Marne Valley,The Côte des Blancs,The Côte of Bar.
Varieties
Since 1935, only 3 varieties are allowed to elaborate champagne: the Chardonnay, the Pinot Noir and the Pinot Meunier.
The Chardonnay is located principally to the south of the Côte des Blancs and represents 28,5 % of the vineyard.
It stands out for his its fineness, floral notes and mineral perfumes. Due to its slow evolution, it is particularly suitable for a long agings
The Pinot Noir covers the majority of the Reims Mountain and the whole Côte des Bar. It represents 38,4 % of the planted vineyard.
It displays red fruits aromas and offers body and power to the coupage.
The Pinot Meunier is located principally in the Marne Valley with a 32,8 % of the vineyard.
It provides supleness, fruitiness, intensity and roundness to the bouquet.
Types of champagne
The champagnes can qualify in diverse forms:
According to the used grapes:
Blanc de Blancs: the one obtained from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay Blanc grapes
Blanc de Noirs: the one obtained from Pinot Noir and / or Pinot Meunier
Rosé: of pink color, which is obtained by assemblage, or by maceration.
According to the type of assemblage:
No Vintage: they are the "non-millésimé", which, according to the tradition, are obtained from the assemblage of wines from different vintages, providing the perfect expression of the style in every brand.
With Vintage: they are the "millésimé", which are born from the assemblage of wines from the same Vintage ("crus" and / or vine-stocks) coming from exceptional vintages. These wines are characterized by the remarkable personality of a certain Vintage .
According to the amount of residual sugar:
Without dosage: also called "brut nature", "pas dosé" or "dosage zéro", these wines have less than 3 grams / liter of sugar.
Extra brut, between 0 and 6 grams.
Brut, less than 15 grams.
Extra Dry, between 12 and 20 grams.
Dry, between 17 and 35 grams.
Semidry, between 33 and 50 grams.
Sweet, more than 50 grams.
Finally we have the "cuvée prestige" or "cuvée spéciale", which are those exceptional wines coming from selected plots from old vineyards or from privileged hillsides.
The aging
It starts from 15 months up to 5 years. The "millésimé" must be 3 years old as minimum, but the majority exceeds them fully.
The Label
The champagne label is important, since a lot of relevant information is provided :
The Champagne Designation
The brand or the winemaker´s name
The expedition liquor: brut or semidry
The particularities: Blanc of blancs and sometimes Blanc de Noirs, millésimé, Rosé, cuvée spéciale
The second label provides some interesting information as the vine-stocks used for the assemblage, the ripeness, the aromas description as well as wine and food pairing suggestions.