SPARKLING WINE

History and Introduction: -

The most popular wine in the world is undoubtedly Champagne.
Champagne is the best sparkling wine of France made from specific
grapes grown in the district/region called Champagne. The wine
Champagne is characterized by the property of creaming & frothing or
effervescing or bubbles. The creaming of sparkling Champagne is highly
valued by Connoisseur (Wine expert). Before the later part of the 17 th
century, the much-admired wines of Champagne had been still. In 1650,
the Abbey of Hautvillers (Haut Ville) appointed a new cellar master
named Pierre Pérignon. (Perino)
Dom Pérignon appears to have been the first person to exploit the idea of
trapping the gas of fermentation in a wine, thereby creating a sparkle. He
was also the first person to develop the blending system still used today.
Whereby the wines from the different areas of Champagne & made from
the different grape varieties are blended together. Dom Pérignon was
assisted in the development of sparkling wine by two other factors. For
the first time it was possible to obtain glass bottles strong enough to
withstand the pressure. It was also possible to seal the bottles completely
by using tighter corks (later to be wired) so that the gas could not
escape. It appears that he had created the first fully sparkling wine by
1690, although its growth in popularly was not to start until about 30 yrs
later.
Dom Pérignon, however, had no method for clearing the sediments from
the bottle. The system of Remuage & Désgorgement was developed in
the early 19th century by widow-Veuve Clicquot, thus completing the
system that is still used today.

There are many sparkling wines made by the same method as

Champagne and sometimes from the same grape varieties. But, there is
however only one true Champagne.
Location

France

Climate

Continental Climate

Soil

Chalky soil covered by a thin layer of rich topsoil

Principal Grape Varieties

Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Chardonnay

Main Sub Regions which produce Champagne

France

1. Vallèe de la Marne (Marn),

2. Montage de Reims (Mon-tain-the-Rim),
3. Côte des blancs
4. Côte de Sézanne (Say-zan)
5. Aube (UB)

CHAMPAGNE MAP
Champagne is made in the department of Marne with the Reims & the
Épernay (E-pernay) as center of manufacture & distribution. The wines of
similar kind can also be made elsewhere which are sparkling but are not
called as Champagne because of no of reasons. Hence, the statement -
“All Champagnes Are Sparkling Wines but All Sparkling Wines Are
Not Champagnes”

The Production/Making Of Champagne

About 80% of grapes used in making of Champagne are black. This

blending is done to combine the virtues of various wines, thereby
enhancing the quality of the blend as a whole. The grapes are not pressed
in single operation rather are pressed in a number of pressings. The first
pressing (Cuvée) is used to manufactures good quality Champagne, while
next two (1st Taille, 2nd Taille) produce must of deeper color which is
sold to shippers to make less quality wines & marked as Buyer’s Own
Brand or Buyer’s Own Blend (B.O.B)
After the harvest in mid-October, the prolonged fermentation takes place.
There is nothing mysterious about the initial fermentation of Champagne,
which results in a dry still wine. To turn this still wine into Champagne, it
undergoes a sequence of operations.
Harvest:

In Champagne, the harvesting of grapes is typically conducted earlier

than many other grape growing areas. When grapes are picked earlier in
their development process (typically in late September), they maintain a
great level of acidity.

Pressing:

The process of pressing grapes quickly after the harvest is vital to

maintaining the quality of finishing wine. Once the grapes have been hand
harvested, which ensures utmost care of the delicate fruit, and sorted,
they are pressed gently with a wide device to prevent the juice taking
excess time travelling through skins and limit the juice and skin contact
and then stored in stainless steel tanks for the initial fermentation.
First Fermentation:

During the first fermentation, maintain a cool temperature throughout the

process is essential to preserve the youthful, crisp and acidic nature of
wine.

The first fermentation creates a base dry wine (known as vin clair) and
nearly 10-11% alcohol.

All Champagnes and high quality sparkling wine producers reserve some
of this base wine for future vintage of their house style in the non-
vintage wine that is produced each year.

Cuvee Assemblage:

The Blending of Cuvee Assemblage is one of the most complicated phases

of the production process. It requires winemakers to blend dozens of
wines from various vats or tanks and vineyards.

The blending strives to achieve some level of consistency, aroma/flavor

and structural components from year to year. Once wines are blended,
they may rest or age for a period in stainless steel tanks or wood barrels,
prior to undergoes for secondary fermentation.

Secondary Fermentation & Liqueur de Tirage

It promotes sparkle in the wine. A mixture of still wine, cane sugar &
yeast called Liqueur de Tirage is added to the blended wine. The
amount of sugar added depends on the degree of effervescence required
& the amount of natural sugar in the wine. Dosed with a suitable amount
of liquor, the wines are bottled & capped with a temporary closure. This
used to be a cork secured by a metal cap called an Agrafe, but a crown
cap is now in common use & this holds in place a small plastic pot to
catch the sediments produced by secondary fermentation.

The secondary fermentation slowly takes place after the bottles are laid
down to rest after adding liquor de Tirage. When the fermentation
completes the pressure created by the gas in the bottle is about 6 times
of normal atmospheric pressure.

Ageing

Once the secondary fermentation is complete, the wines are left to

mature. By law the total period of ageing must be a minimum of 15
months for non-vintage wines & 3 years for vintage wines. As a result,
the wine will gain aroma & flavor.

Riddling or Remuage

When the secondary fermentation is over, the bottles are transferred to

“Pupitres”, two-hinged heavy, rectangular wooden boards containing 60
holes, each allowing a bottle to be held by the neck in any position from
horizontal, through 90º, to vertical. Remuage, a method of shaking &
twisting the bottles to loosen the sediment & encourage it to move to the
neck of the bottle, then takes place. By hand this takes about eight
weeks. But now a days many Champagne makers use riddling machines,
made up of steel, which can hold 500 bottles at a time. The computerized
programs complete the Remuage process in just 8 days.

Désgorgement (Digorge-mo)

This is the removal of the sediment, which was collected in the plastic pot
held in place by the crown cap. The Désgorgement process involves the
immersion of the neck of the bottle in a shallow bath of freezing brine.
This causes the sediment to adhere to the base of the plastic pot attached
to the crown cap, enabling the bottle to be turned upright without
disturbing the sediments. Then the crown cap is removed & the internal
pressure of the bottle ejects the sediments. Only a little wine is lost, as
the freezing brine reduces the pressure.

Dosage or Liqueur d’expédition (Liqueur Dexpi-desiyon)

Before corking & after dégorgement, the bottles are topped up with
liqueur d’expédition, which is a mixture of old wine & small amount of
sugar. This liqueur fills the empty space left by the removal of sediments.
The amount of sugar in the liqueur depends upon the desired taste-Brut,
extra brut, sec, demi sec, doux, etc..

Levels of Dosage & Sweetness of Wine

Bottling & Corking

The final step in the champagne process is the bottling and corking of the
wine. A wire muzzle secures the cork to the bottle by machines, which is
automatically shaken up to homogenize the wine & liqueur d’expédition.
Champagnes are legally required to be closed with a cork. Then the bottle
is returned to the cellars for several months before being labeled for
shipping.

Categories of Champagne

1. Super Champagne or Tête (Tet) de Cuvée or Prestige Cuvée

A wine of supreme merit, made up of the great grapes of the exceptional
year & put under a special label. These wines are very hard to combine
and very expensive.
Dom Pérignon, one of the most famous brands of champagne, is named
after the 18th century Benedictine monk. The monk is known to have
perfected the blending of different grapes and created a durable bottle to
withstand the carbonation present in sparkling wine. As a brand Dom
Pérignon was launched in 1921 by Moet et Chandon as their premium
level champagne. It is an single vineyard wine made only from grapes in
a single, exceptional year and its typically aged for six to eight years prior
to release.
2. Vintage Champagne
The wine of the single year, excellent in a quality and prices high. Vintage
champagne indicates that a minimum of 95% of the grapes from the
current year’s harvest are within the bottle, though not every year is
declared a vintage. The wine is released at least three years after harvest,
after it has gained depth and complexity through the ageing process.

3. Non-Vintage Champagne
It is a blend of different years’ wine. These are relatively low priced than
Vintage Champagne. Non-vintage sparkling wine will not indicate a year
on the label since it is made from a blend of several wines from different
years.

Styles of Champagne
1. Rosé Champagne
These are made either by allowing the skin of black grapes to remain in
the must to acquire the desired color. Adding a little quantity of red wine
to the Cuvée can also make it.

2. Blanc de Blanc
Blanc de Blanc translates to white from white and is made 100%
Chardonnay.

3. Blanc de Noir
Blanc de Noir translates to White from Black. This wine is made from
100% Pinot Noir or Pinot Meunier Grapes.
4. B.O.B
A wine made up of blend of various pressings f various years. It is an
ordinary wine

Storage

Champagne and sparkling wines are ideally should be stored between 10°
-13° C. The storage area must be ventilated & away from strong light &
odour. The bottles must be kept horizontally to make sure that wine is in
contact with the cork at all the time.

Shippers of Champagne

Moet et Chandon Perrier Jouet J.Bollinger.

Pol Roger & Co Mercier Runiart Père et Fils

Lançon Père et Fils Piper Heidsieck Louis Roederer

Pommery & Greno G.H. Mumm & Co Krug & Co