Champagne

Understanding the World of Champagne

With almost 300 Champagne houses producing Champagne in the Champagne region, there is potential for a lot of bottles to be produced each year. 320 million to be exact! In this spirit, the choice of a bottle of champagne may seem a daunting task. But there is no need to fear. Once you know what to look for, the purchase decision is simple. In this article, we cover everything you need to know about Champagne, from types and styles through the bottle sizes. So once you've mastered your "Brut" from your "Balthazar", you will be picking bottles of champagne in no time.

Types of grapes

Three grape varieties are used to make Champagne - Black Pinot, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. Black Pinot Meunier and Pinot grapes are black, while the Chardonnay is a white grape. The amount that each grape is used varies according to the Champagne. If you encounter a Blanc de Blancs "is Champagne is made exclusively from Chardonnay grapes. Blanc de Noirs ", on the other hand, is made from red grapes of Champagne - Pinot Black and / or Pinot Meunier.

Champagne Styles

Champagne comes from a range of styles very dry to very sweet. The Normal style is called dry Brut. If you prefer a slightly drier than normal style, look for "Extra" and "Ultra Brut. "Dry" is slightly sweeter than normal, "Demi Sec is sweeter, while" Sweet "is a very sweet and very rare style of Champagne.

Types of Champagne

Type the cheapest champagne you will come across is "Not Vintage. This Champagne is a blend of wines from several years and, in doing so it ensures that an enduring style. Non-vintage Champagne is stored for at least a year before it was sold, and is considered the entry level or style of the Champagne house. The next level of champagne is known as a "Vintage". This is done to a mixture of wine a year, when wine quality is good enough to declare a vintage. In this case, the Champagne had been stored for at least three years. A very, very special bottle of product in one year harvest, is known as a "Prestige" or "vintage luxury. This is the premier producer of champagne and generally costs more than three times more than non-vintage and possibly double the price of a vintage champagne. The grapes have been hand selected and Champagne have been left to mature for five to seven years. Finally, if you like your champagne with a pink hue, choose a basic Rosed Champagne.

The size of bottles of Champagne

The most common champagne bottles that you will encounter are 75cl bottles and magnums (1.5 liters). However, it is also possible to find quarter (18.75 cl) and half-bottle (37,5 cl) and Jeroboam (3 liters), Rehoboam (4.5 liters), Methuselah (6 liters), Shalmaneser (9 liters), Balthazar (12 liters), and bottles Nebuchadnezzar (15 liters)!

Champagne Region

Champagne refers to the region where it was produced. The region of Champagne is the wine region further north in France and "Champagne" (all Champagne producers) are fiercely protective of its heritage. A bottle of Champagne must be produced in the Champagne region for it bears the label of Champagne. Thus, while all Champagne is classified as a sparkling wine, sparkling wine you come across that is not champagne. Spanish Cava and Italian Prosecco are good examples.