Champagne

Champagne was originally coined as the taste of stars by its attributed creator, Dom Perignon, back in the middle ages when this style of wine was invented. The Benedictine monk sparked the first of many descriptions of this revered wine, and Champagne has become the hallmark of celebration from New Year's Eve to business deals, birthdays and sporting events. Practically anyone with means to celebrate is often urged to break out the bubbly.

However, you don't need to celebrate as an excuse to enjoy this fine wine, and there are some basic Champagne tips to observe to fully appreciate this type of wine. Firstly, if you are not already painfully aware, only sparkling wine from the French Champagne region should be known as such. All other examples are meant to be known as sparkling wines and not Champagne.

The Champagne region enforces these rules by law, along with rules of quality and production, to preserve the traditional value of Champagne. However, wine makers around the world produce sparkling white using the traditional method of making Champagne, which is otherwise known as the mthod champenoise.

The good news is that Australia, the United States, Italy, Spain and many other wine-producing regions have produced fantastic quality sparkling wines that are also usually much more affordable than the French varieties. Moet and Chandon, Laurent Perrier and Bollinger may be household names, but there are plenty of other sparklers that will no doubt please.

Producing Champagne and Sparkling Whites

Most sparkling whites are produced from Chardonnay grapes, Pinot Noir grapes and various other Pinot varieties. However, there are exceptions, and other sparkling wines such as Ross are popular among wine drinkers. A base wine of three different grape varieties is typical to create a colourful array of flavour.

A second fermentation then occurs, and this is where the wine gets its bubbly characteristic. The combination of yeast and sugar combines to create carbon dioxide and alcohol. The carbon dioxide cannot escape until someone opens the bottle, which should then see the release of gas in the form of small bubbles. Traditionally, the second fermentation occurs in the bottle, but there are other methods also. Cheap sparkling wine may have its carbon dioxide blasted into the wine.

Finally, after the second fermentation is completed, a sediment known as lees will settle in the bottle. Depending on the method, the lees is filtered from a tank or flash frozen and removed (traditional method), more sugar is added and the bottles are treated to a strong cork for further ageing and sale.

Champagne Essentials

With a grasp on the basic procedures that go into making a bottle of Champagne or sparkling wine, what can you expect to taste from a glass of sparkling white and how do choose a bottle worthy of the occasion? Choosing champagne is relatively easy with the correct knowledge, and the first thing to understand is the following flavour classifications:

• Extra Brut - This is the driest of all sparkling wine. Remember, in wine terms, dry is the opposite of sweet.
• Brut - The most popular style of sparkling wine and Champagne, Brut is paired well with a wide range of cuisine.
• Extra Dry - Not as dry as Brut, but perfect for an aperitif or with a light meal.
• Sec - Sweeter variety of sparkling wine and Champagne.
• Demi - Sweeter still, and best paired with fruits, desserts and related sweet foods.
• Doux - The sweetest variety of Champagne and sparkling wine.

With that in mind, you will find flavours and aromas in Champagnes that range from fruits such as apples, pears, citrus, creamy flavours, baked breads, nuts and yeast. It depends on a range of conditions from the grapes to the producer, and most would agree the symphony of flavours abounding in Champagne is unique to this type of wine.

Champagne Vintages

Most Champagne and sparkling wine produced is classified as Non Vintage or NV. This means it is produced from base wines using grapes of several years, and don't worry, this is not a bad thing. It allows winemakers to produce a house style, and as many as 30 to 40 different base wines may be used. Champagnes are bottled for at least 15 months and often longer depending on the producer. NV sparkling wines and Champagnes are almost always ready to consume upon purchase.

Vintage Champagne is mostly produced from the grapes of a single year's harvest when the winemakers have had particularly favourable conditions. Not every year is a vintage year, and a winery typically won't declare a vintage year unless they are sure the wine will be of the highest quality. Champagne must be 39 months old before being declared a vintage, but winemakers typically govern vintage bottle themselves.

Lastly, a prestige cuvee is a special bottle in a vintage year that should represent the pinnacle of a particular producers achievement. These are typically left to age five to seven years, and like many red wines, the best Champagnes and sparkling wines will normally improve with age. Prestige cuvees are often presented in special bottles, and in some cases, Champagne can be cellared for many years before consumption.

The Guinness World Record for the oldest Champagne to be consumed featured a bottle from 1825, and the experts that were lucky enough to taste the bottle reported that its flavours and characteristics will still apparent. That is an extreme example, and Champagne older than 25 years is considered rare. Without the appropriate quality, Champagne or sparkling wine will deteriorate if cellared for too long or cellared improperly.

At wine.com.au, we think opening a bottle of Champagne is a celebration in itself, and enjoying sparkling wine is a part of most wine lover's finer enjoyments. Find out more about wine right here, and discover the best Champagne and sparkling wines with wine.com.au.