My mom introduced me to champagne at an early age as a special treat. I got to take a sip from her glass and I remembered being amazed by how alive it felt in my mouth. But at the time, I didn’t care much for the taste. Over the years that changed though, and now I don’t save it for special occasions. Every day is a special occasion, so that’s a good enough reason to drink it whenever possible!

This week was the conclusion of my wine class. For five weeks, we studied the famous French regions – Loire, Rhone, Bordeaux, Burgundy and Alsace. On the sixth night, we paid a virtual visit to Champagne, a mere hour and a half outside of Paris. I was truly amazed by what we learned.

The Law
By law, champagne can only be called champagne if it comes from the Champagne region in France. There are hundreds of other locations that create similar products, but they can’t carry the same name. It’s a very old law that wine producers around the world tend to respect. There of course have been violators who happily slapped the champagne word on their bottles in hopes of higher sales, but evidently the French government managed to change their minds.

Grape Varieties
Most champagne is made from red grapes – a surprising fact that few people realize. Because the juice never comes in contact with the grape skins (unless it’s a rose), the juice remains white. Three grape varieties are authorized in Champagne: pinot noir, pinot meunier, and chardonnay. Pinot noir gives champagne its body and structure. Pinot meunier lends fruit and flavor. Chardonnay brings elegance and finesse. Most champagnes are a distinct blend of the three varieties.

Vintage
Champagnes are labeled either vintage or non -intage. Before my class, I had no idea what this meant. If you buy a bottle of non-vintage champagne, you are drinking a blend of up to three grape varieties (listed above) grown in different areas from multiple years. If your bottle states vintage champagne, you’re still drinking a blend of grapes from different regions, but the grapes were all grown in the same year. A champagne producer will use the word vintage when it’s been a particularly good year.

Regions
The champagne region produces 310 million bottles per year, yet the land area is relatively small. By French law, all villages are classified with a  percentage, indicating the grape quality. 17 have been given 100% and are considered Grand Cru grapes. 48 villages are 90 – 99% and considered Premier Cru. The remaining are 80 – 89% and are still good, but not as good.

The percentage rating is very important when a producer goes to buy his grapes. If the price per kilo, like it was last year, is 5 Euros and he wants to buy grapes from villages with the 100% rating, he will pay 100% of 5 Euros. If he buys grapes from a village that is 92%, he’ll pay 92% of 5 Euros.

The Process
The complexity of the champagne making process is mind boggling. Once a producer has purchased his grapes in September/October, he makes a still wine by fermenting the grapes and then filtering the juice. At this point, grape varieties and regions are kept separate. Around January or February, the producer tastes each wine and begins to blend. This takes a phenomenal amount of finesse to get the right balance of flavors. The wine at this point is only 9.5% alcohol.

Once the wine has been blended, the producer adds liqueur de triage – a syrupy mixture of sugar and yeast. The wine is put into bottles and undergoes a second fermentation. This increases the alcohol content to 11 or 12%. As the sugar turns to alcohol, the wine gives off carbon dioxide. Since there’s nowhere for the gas to go, it dissolved into the wine and produces those famous bubbles.

And now it’s time to wait. For non-vintage champagnes, the bottles sit for at least 15 months after the liqueur de triage is added. For vintage champagne, it is left for three years or longer.

During the resting period, the bottle isn’t corked. Instead, the producer uses something like a beer cap to keep the contents inside. During the second fermentation, the yeast eventually dies and leaves tiny deposits in the bottom of the bottle. When the producer is ready to sell his wine, he must remove those deposits before sending his champagne out the door.

Since the bottles are stored on their sides, the deposits much reach the bottle’s neck. Over the course of eight days (and usually by machine), the bottles are slowly lifted a few degrees each hour until finally they are upside down. The yeast deposits settle in the neck where they can be easily removed.

But how do they remove them you ask? It’s quite ingenious actually. The very tip of the bottle neck is frozen to -28 degrees, which takes about 2 to 3 minutes. The bottle cap is removed, the bottles turned upright, and the pressure from inside the bottle pops off the frozen cap. Only a little bit of champagne is lost in this process, but since there is a loss, the producer must replenish it.

Now comes the fun part. To replace the amount lost, the producer adds liqueur d’expedition. This is a carefully guarded mixture of old wines and sugar. Each producer has his own proprietary blend and the nature of the liqueur determines the final taste (and ultimately the type) of the champagne.

You’ve all seen champagne labeled extra brut, brut, extra dry, dry, etc. But did you know what that meant? The type of champagne relates to the liqueur d’expedition. If no liqueur is added, then the champagne is extra brut. If the producer adds7-15 grams per bottle, the champagne is brut. 15 – 24 grams is extra dry. 24 – 30 grams is dry. Rarely can you find a demi-sec (30 – 40 grams) or doux (40+).

Now it’s time for the final cork. The cork is screwed into the bottle and the bottle descends into the cave (cellar) for another resting period – usually three to six months. This allows the liqueur to mix into the champagne before it’s sold.

Serving
Champagne should be served between 42 – 46 degrees, although older champagnes (8 to 10 years old), can be served a couple degrees higher.

Aging
Contrary to what I believed, champagne should not be kept too long. A non-vintage will keep for two years while a vintage can go four. Grand Crus like Dom Perignon can be cellared for eight to ten years. When I heard this, I gasped. I have a 1989 Dom Perignon sitting in my cellar at home. Guess I better drink it when I go home next month. Oh darn!

When you pop open a bottle of champagne, look at the cork. If it’s wide at the bottom, it means the bottle spent less than a year resting after the final liqueur was added. If the cork has straight sides, it’s been kept for longer.

Pairing
On of the most common mistakes we make is thinking champagne should be served with dessert. Who can resist a glass of champagne and a slice of cake at a wedding? Sugar does not actually enhance the flavor of champagne. It’s quite the opposite. Instead, champagne should be enjoyed as an aperitif, served with an appetizer or paired with a main dish.

Blanc de Blancs, made with 100% chardonnay grapes, can be served before dinner or with an appetizer. It usually has more effervescent bubbles and the light, delicate flavor compliments lighter dishes. Champagnes made with more pinot noir grapes can accompany you through dinner.

Conclusion
Do me a favor. On your next trip to the wine store, pick up a bottle. Don’t wait for that special occasion or monumental moment. Chill it and enjoy it with friends over your next meal. Take a sip and let the bubbles have a party in your mouth.

One of my favorite quotes is as follows:

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the number of moments that take our breath away.”
- Anonymous

Let that next moment that takes your breath away be golden yellow in color with tiny, shiny bubbles!

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