All about Champagne

1. Champagne

2. Champagne is a sparkling wine produced exclusively within the Champagne
region of France, from which it takes its name.
On the other hand, sparkling wines produced from other areas are named:
Germany – Sekt
Italy – Asti and Proseco
Spain – Cava
In other regions of France – Cremant
Rest of the World – Sparkling wine
What is champagne?

3. Where is Champagne?
Europe

4. Champagne producing regions
Climate
• Continental, cool winter, sunny summer
Soil
• Chalk; usually in the shape of a
crayon.
SUB-DISTRICTS
• Montagne de Reims
• Pinot Noir
• Pinot Meunier
• Vallee de la Marne
• Pinot Meunier & Others
• Cote des Blancs
• Chardonnay

5. Grape varieties
Chardonnay
- provides
freshness and
elegance
Pinot Meunier
- brings fruitiness
and aromas
Pinot Noir
- gives body and
structure

6. History of Champagne
•Oldest sparkling wine in record is
Blanquette de Limoux invented by
Benedictine monks in 1531
•English scientist recorded the discovery that addition of
sugar and yeast start the second fermentation in finished
wine in1652
•"verre anglais”, the English made bottles
were needed to produce the first
champagne by Dom Perignon

7. History of Champagne
• Dom Perignon developed blending grapes,
harvesting the grapes earlier stage, and
pressing the grapes three times (third press is now
banned).
• Madam Clicqout invented riddling or pupitre and
proper dossage.

8. How is it made?
WHITE WINE RED & ROSE WINES
White Grapes Red Grapes
Crusher Crusher
Fermentation
Vat
Grape Skins
Press Juice absorbs
colour from
grape skins
Juice run off
after a few
hours to
produce Rose Wines
Press
Fermentation
Vats
Maturation Maturation
Maturation
Bottling
YEAST
SUGAR
ALCOHOL
CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2)

9. What are the types of sparkling?
• The Méthode Champenoise (Traditional)
- in the bottle in which the champagne is sold
• Transfer Method - the second
fermentation is done in large bottles emptied
into tank, filtered and re-bottled in regular
bottles
• Tank method - the sugar and yeast is
added in the tank to the wine. This process
creates coarser, larger bubbles and simpler
flavours than bottle fermentation.

10. Methode Champenoise – the traditional method of producing Champagne
• Pressing
• First Fermentation
• Assemblage
• Addition of Liqueur de tirage
• Second Fermentation
• Maturation
• Remuage
• Degorgement
• Dosage
• Corking and dressing
Methode Champenoise

11. Other Sparkling Grape varieties
• Champagne:
• Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Chardonnay
• Loire:
• Chenin Blanc (AC), Chardonnay,(Cremant)
• Alsace:
• Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Chardonnay
• Burgundy:
• Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Aligote
• Cava:
• Parellada, Xarel-lo, Macabeo (the viura of Rioja), Chardonnay, Pinot noir
• Asti:
• Moscato
• Deutscher Sekt:
• Muller-Thurgau, Riesling
• New world: best quality, Chardonnay & Pinot Noir

12. THE STILL CHAMPAGNE
ASSEMBLAGE”
• This is a process of blending wines. About 40-45
wines can be blended together.
• Ensures consistent quality ( proportion of previous
wine used in the process)
• The wine again undergoes cold stabilisation & is
clarified & racked for the third time

13. THE METHODE CHAMPENOISE
Liqueur de Tirage” …….STAGE I
• a mixture of reserve wine,sugar & selected yeast
culture
• used to engender a second alcoholic fermentation
• sugar, because the base wine is dry
• type & amount of yeast will vary according to the
type of the champagne

14. Remouage”
Remouage”………STAGE II
– removal of the sediments of the secondary
fermentation
– bottles transferred to racks called “ Pupitre”
– allows the movement of the bottles from a
horizontal to a vertical position
– done by”remueurs”
– attributed to the Widow Cliquot c.1800

15. Riddling Racks

16. MATURING
MATURING
up to 5 years
flavours enhanced by contact with the lees
disgorgement delayed as long as possible

17. DISGORGING & DOSAGE….STAGE III
the neck of the bottle is immersed in chilled brine & the
frozen plug removed by pressure
Loss of liquid needs to be topped up.
Acidity needs to be neutralised .
Done with the “Liqueur d’expedition”(wine &
sugar)
Amount added is called the “ dosage

19. FINISHING
Corking
Shaking
Labeling

20. OTHER SPARKLING WINES
Spanish- Cava wines largest producers are
Cordoniu & Friexenet
Italian- Asti Spumante
German Sekt
French Sparkling wines: Burgundy & Alsace
make Cremants , also in the Loire Valley

21. SERVICE OF CHAMPAGNE
When…..For celebrations any time,as an aperitif, very
occasionally with light meals,with dessert( sweet
‘demi-sec’ only)
How…..7 to 10 degrees centigrade for inexpensive
types & up to 13 degrees for fine mature ones
InWhat …….In a tulip or a flute. Pour slowly into a
slightly tilted glass
How much…..3/4th of a glass
What to Look For……Plenty of pressure behind
the cork, total clarity & indefinite “mousse”

22. Bottle sizes
• Split 160ml
• Half 375ml
• Bottle 750 ml
• Magnum 1.5lit
• Jeroboam 3 lit
• Methuselah 6 lit
• Salmanazar 9 lit
• Balthazar 12 lit
• Nebuchadnezzar 15lit

23. Labels
Blanc de blanc
100% chardonnay
Vintage – 90% of wine comes
from a Particular year
Blanc de noir
made with black grapes
Non Vintage – blend of reserve
wines from different years

24. Champagne and Food Pairing
Champagne can be paired with all kind of food from aperitif to the dessert,
but classic partners are luxury foods like oysters, caviar, foie gras and
chocolate.

25. Opening a Champagne Bottle
•Present the bottle to the host
•Remove the foil
•Hold the bottle 45o angle from your body
•keep the cork pointed away from the guest
•keep the thump firmly on the cork & untwist the wire
•Enclose the cork and wire together hold the bottle firmly with
other hand twist it in opposite directions
•Mark of a professional is release the cork with a sigh not a bang