Champagne
Read best with: “Champagne Problems” by Taylor Swift
I am going to say this right off the bat and rip the band aid off…champagne, sparkling wine, and prosecco are completely different things, and your chances of having legitimate champagne are probably a lot lower than you think. Real champagne is traditionally made out of three white varietals: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier grapes. Furthermore, champagne can only be considered champagne if it came directly from the Champagne region of France, located just outside of Paris. So, historically, champagne is French.
Prosecco is Italian.
And sparkling wine is considered French, but it does not have to be from France, or of a specific varietal to be considered sparkling wine.
Champagne got its origin later than traditional still wines, but it has been around a fair amount of time. Romans introduced grapevines to northern Gaul in the 1st century CE. At the time, northern Gaul consisted of present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy, and Germany west of the Rhine river. The Romans were already expert viticulturists with already having knowledge about pruning, grafting, and training vines, as well as knowing all the benefits of maximizing climate and soil conditions in order to grow the best quality grapes within the cool northern soils of Champagne, France. But, it wasn’t until the 9th century that champagne gained traction in popularity, and the 13th century where it was being traded. However, the champagne at the time was nowhere near the champagne we know today. It still had that cloudy residue and little bubbles, but, it was specific to Champagne, France nonetheless. It wasn’t until the 17th century that winemakers began experimenting with white grapes and working with the clarity and the bubbles produced due to fermentation. Traditionally, carbonation was considered a bad thing in winemaking as it would pop corks off and explode bottles, thus ruining the wine. This happened when winemakers would bottle their wines before fermentation has been completed, adding a lot of pressure within the bottle with no escape aside from either popping the cork or popping the bottle. But, with advancing techniques, winemakers were able to work with the pressure and carbonation to keep the corks and bottle from popping open, which in turn kept the wine from turning sour.
As I mentioned above, champagne can only be considered champagne if it derives from the Champagne region of France. This region is roughly twice the size of San Francisco, California or about 84,000 acres in total. The region is furthermore separated into four sub-regions: Vallee de la Marne, Cote des Blancs, Cote des Bar, and Montagne de Reims. These sub-regions are important because some wineries within their respective regions will use those terms rather than the broader term of “champagne”, but it is still the bubbly, sparkling drink we all know. Champagne, France is also a $5 billion industry, hence why their products are so expensive and so sought after.
One of the main reasons why legitimate champagne is so expensive, aside from being only from a specific place in the world, is the process on making the wine. With still wines, the fruit juice is fermented, then racked off the lees (the solids (lees) are removed (racked) from the clearing liquid), then bottled and allowed to rest for however long the winemaker deems necessary. Champagne, however, has a multistep fermentation process that takes time and is expensive. There are two ways of making champagne: methode champenoise or methode traditionelle. Firstly, the juice is primarily fermented and creates wine. Then, a secondary fermentation process happens within the bottle once a triage is added, which is a mix of yeast and sugar. A cap is then added to the bottle. We then have to wait anywhere between 15 to 36 months for the wine to sit on the lees (the solids, or dead yeast cells) before they are removed in a lengthy process bottle by bottle. This is what makes champagne so expensive—it’s handcrafted, time taken, patience used to make a delicate wine within one specific region found only one place in the world. Given that the average champagne is released around three years post harvest, some vineyards won’t bottle their champagne right away. Instead they will sit in cellars for years, decades even. Some grapes harvested in the 1990s are just now being released. Wines like those can be considered Prestige Cuvee and not all vineyards offer it.
Sparkling wines are made all in the tanks, bottled, and sold relatively quickly. The can be made from any wine varietal, with any additional flavors added, and can be produced anywhere in the world, thus why they’re prices are so much lower.
There are six most commonly known champagne types:
Brut Nature: This is the driest type of champagne you can get. Zero sugar is added, thus considered the most ‘natural’ champagne.
Brut Extra: This is considered one of the driest champagnes. With hardly any sugar content, the most sugar added would only be no more than six grams.
Brut: This is the most common champagne known. There is a hint of sweetness, with no more than 12 grams of sugar added.
Dry: While this champagne is called dry, it is considered more of a mid-range and nearing a sweeter champagne. There will be anywhere between 12 to 32 grams of sugar within this champagne.
Demi-Sec: This champagne has found its way into the sweeter side while still being considered a medium-sweet champagne. There are 33 to 50 grams of sugar added.
Doux: Doux is considered one of the sweetest champagnes you can find with 50 or more grams of sugar found within this champagne type.
So, the next time you find yourself looking at a winery, or in a grocery or a liquor store for champagne, check the region. If it is anything other than Champagne, France, and the label says champagne, they’re lying to you and it’s sparkling wine. Still delicious, and a great substitute if you’re not trying to break your bank and hear your wallet cry.
Santé!
Sara :)
