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 Champagne

Champagne

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 Champagne

Champagne
sham-PAYN

~ A unique, renowned and protected name

~ The hardwork of 15,000 growers & 300 houses

~ 12,000 brands

~ 300 million bottles (€3.5 billion)

 Champagne

Champagne

Vines with almost 2000 years of

history
 Champagne

Dom
Pérignon

Vines with almost 2000 years of

history

Champagne

The caves (28 km of tunnel) – Maturation (=2 to -2 degree)

 Champagne

Became fashionable and a

favourite in the courts of
France and Europe.

Champagne

1811-70, 21 houses founded Conquered new markets, US and Russia

In the 19th century, 1-30 million bottles
 Champagne
First half of 2oth Century, a particularly critical period

▪ The phylloxera epidemic

▪ The first world war.

▪ The loss of Russian market

▪ The great economic depression

▪ The second world war.

Champagne - Today
❑ With over 12,000 Brands Of Champagne to choose from,
there is certainly no lack of variety in the marketplace.

❑ You may be making your decision of what brand to choose

based upon the price, the occasion, and the type of Champagne
you are looking for.

❑ Whatever the criteria may be in choosing a particular brand of

Champagne, there is certainly a tremendous selection available
 Champagne - Today

❑ Champagne is specifically a sparkling white wine, and the

word champagne is actually in reference to the region in France
where the wine is produced.

❑ Champagne is created by blending specific wines together to

give the wine its superior flavor.

Champagne

❑ The oldest and most traditional

way to make sparkling wine was
supposedly developed by Dom
Perignon.

❑ A Benedictine monk in the

Champagne region of France,
born in 1638, and is known as
Méthode Champenoise
 Champagne Type “non-vintage”

❑ There are four primary types of

champagne.

Non Vintage (N.V.) is what is known as

"house style" or "style de maison."

This type of champagne is usually a

blend of thirty or forty different kinds of
wine and cannot be purchased until it is
at least 15 months old.

Champagne Type “vintage”

❑ The second type of champagne is known as
Vintage.

Vintage champagnes are also a blend of different

wines; however, the wines used in this blend are
from a specific year.

Vintage champagne cannot be purchased until it is

36 months old.
 Champagne Type “rosé”
❑ The third type is known as Rosé.

This is defined by the red tint or hue

added to the champagne. This hue
is achieved by either adding a small
amount of red wine to the
champagne, or by saturating black
grapes during the pressing process,
allowing the skin of the grapes to
give the champagne its color.

Champagne Type “blanc de blanc”

Champagne Type “blanc de noir”

Appellation d’Origine Controlée

Champagne Crus

Total communes: 319

Premier cru: 44 Grand cru: 17

Appellation d’Origine Controlée

The main Champagne AOC rules

- A delimited area

- Three grape varieties :

Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier

- Other champagne grapes :

Arbanne, Marsanne, Petite Meslier

- All hand harvested

Appellation d’Origine Controlée

The main Champagne AOC rules
- Limited yields of grapes per hectare : 10,500 kg

- About 8000 vine plants are planted per hectare.

- Planted at 1.5m distance between rows and vine stock in row

- Quality vine plant should bear only 12 to 15 grape bunches.

- Yields defined for pressing of grapes :102 litres from 160 kg

- Minimum potential alcohol level of grapes harvested

- Second fermentation in the bottle

- Ageing on lees (Sediment) for a min 15 months (NV) and 36 months (V)
 Appellation d’Origine Controlée

▪ July 22, 1927 : a law was

passed defining the delimited

area of Champagne production
of 34,000 hectares.

▪ In June 1936 Champagne was

declared an AOC.

The CIVC
Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin
de Champagne

CIVC formed in 1941

❑ Association of the Champagne

growers & houses

❑ Nodal body in Champagne to define

policies

❑ Mandate of
- quality control
- research and development
- protection & promotion of the
appellation
Defence of the Appellation

Defence of the Appellation

Gallery of Horrors

Protection
 Terroir

A cold climate…

Terroir

With warm
summers ..
 Terroir

A semi-continental climate

Terroir

With regular
rainfalls ……
 Terroir

Chalky subsoil …..

Terroir

Gently Slopping
vineyards
 The Vineyards

15,000 « vine gardeners »

The Vineyards
Grape varieties

Pinot Noir : 38% Chardonnay : 28% Pinot Meunier : 34%

Structure and power Finesse, floral and Roundness. Supple,
to the blend, and mineral aromas fruity, intense bouquet
aromas of red fruits Develops quickly over
time
 Méthode Champenoise
Harvesting Pressing 1st Fermentation Wine
Yeast
ASSEMBLAGE
Adding of red wine to become rose
Bottling 2nd Fermentation Ageing
Yeast + Sugar + Wine Non-Vintage : 15 Months
(liquer de tirage) Vintage : 3 Years

Riddling Disgorging(Removal
(Sharp turn) of frozen sediment)
Addition of Sugar,
wine & then Dressing
Sealing, Dressing & Bottling • Cork Driven
• Secured with Wire

The Vineyards – Harvesting

All grapes are picked by hand……

 Pressing
Traditional pressing..

Modern pressing…

1st Fermentation
First fermentation

In vats

In casks
 The Art of Blending

Secondary Fermentation

In bottle secondary fermentation gives champagne its bubbles….

 Ageing

Riddling
Riddling

Riddling
Disgorgement

Dosage
 Dosage
CLASSIFICATION AMOUNT OF SUGAR

Sweet  more than 50 grams/litre

Demi -Sec 32-50 grams/litre

Sec  17-32 grams/ litre

Extra Dry 12-17 grams/ litre

Brut  less than 12 grams/ litre

Extra Brut 0-6 grams/ litre

Brut Nature less than 3 grams/ litre (NO added sugar)

Bottles
 Bottles

Bottles
Number of
Type Capacity
bottles
Quarter 180 ml 1/4
Half-Bottle 375 ml 1/2
Imperial Pint 600 ml ~
Bottle 750 ml 1
Magnum 1.5 Liter 2
Jeroboam 3 Liter 4
Rehoboam 4.5 Liter 6
Methuselah 6 Liter 8
Salmanazar 9 Liter 12
Balthazar 12 Liter 16
Nebuchadnezzar (38 kg) 15 Liter 20
Closures

Muzzles
 Storage

❑ 10-15° Celcius.

❑ Horizantally or Vertically makes little difference.

❑ Away from light, both natural & artificial.

❑ No vibration.

❑ Cellar must be well ventilated and away from bad odours.

❑ Humidity in the room, maintained in between 60 to 75%.

❑ Always rotate stock - FIFO

Service

The ideal temperature : 8-10°C (46-50°F))

 Service

Service

❑ Plunge the bottle into a bucket filled with water and ice for half an hour.
❑ Or place the bottle on its side in the bottom of the refrigerator for four hours.
❑ Never cool a bottle of Champagne in the freezer.
Not advisable to cool the glasses beforehand, spoils the bubbles.
•Pressure & Handling

Pressure

• 90 PSI ( Kind of weapon)

• In Car Tyre: 30 PSI

Handling

• Like a baby

The Champagne to know.. WHITE

AYALA
❖ Nonvintage brut
❖ Apporimately 65% Pinot Noir, 30%
Chardonnay, & 5% Pinot Meunier.

❖ Ayala may be less well known in many

champagne houses, but it is solid winner.

❖ Gorgeous straw, lemon, green apple, pear &

gingery flavor that ride on a stream of little
bubbles.
The Champagne to know.. WHITE

BOLINGER
❖ Special Cuvée
❖ Nonvintage brut
❖ 60% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay, & 15% Pinot
Meunier.

❖ Founded in 1829.
❖ Disgorged when there is a market demand.
❖ Wonderful yeastiness and citrusy.
❖ Altogether very satisfying.

The Champagne to know.. WHITE

DELAMOTTE
❖ Blanc de blancs
❖ Nonvintage brut
❖ 100% Chardonnay.

❖ Appealing, rich and totally satisfying.

❖ The flavour lean towards lemon tart, crème
anglaise and ginger with acidity.
❖ Delamotte is not very well known, but this small
house is completely focused on quality.
❖The Champagne to know.. WHITE

KRUG
❖ Grand Cuvée
❖ Nonvintage brut
❖ 50% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot
Meunier.

❖ Expensive, not for everyone.

❖ One of the most legendry Champagnes.
❖ Every molecule aches with density and intensity.

The Champagne to know.. WHITE

VEUVE CLICQUOT PONSARDIN

❖ Nonvintage brut
❖ 55% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot
Meunier.

❖ Have a elegance and a richness on the palate.

❖ Consistently one of the best brut made.
The Champagne to know.. Rosé

TAITTINGER

❖ Vintage brut
❖ Mostly Pinot Noir with a small amount of
Chardonnay.

❖ The Wine’s delicious berry flavors explode in the

mouth then linger endlessly.
❖ A powerhouse of a rosé, yet perfectly elegant.