The effervescent charm of Champagne has seduced the world. Nowadays, whenever a celebration takes place you can be sure that the sound of champagne corks popping will be nearby. Weddings, births, anniversaries and success of any nature call for a bottle of the world's best bubbly.
The province of Champagne is in northeastern France, which lies just 100 miles east of Paris. There are five major wine-producing districts within the province: the highly acclaimed Vallee de la Marne, Cote des Blancs and Montagne de Reims; the recently developed Cote de Sezanne; and the controversial Aube. Most Champagne related activity centres on the towns of Reims and Epernay, where most of the champagne houses are based. This region has been producing wine for hundreds of years, but it was only relatively recently, in the seventeenth century that the natural process that gives rise to the bubbles began to be understood. It was later still, in the nineteenth century, that sparkling wine became the regions' most important produce. Over the centuries the procedure for making Champagne has evolved and these days a strict set of rules apply.
The first inclination towards sparkling wine was found in England. Following the Restoration in 1660 demand for the bubbling wines of Champagne grew. Ironically, at that time wine producers in France were struggling to prevent the process that caused the wines to fizz. Barrels of wine were shipped to England during the winter, the cold weather arresting the fermentation process. Once spring came the yeast found new life and restarted the fermentation, causing carbonic gas to be produced after the wine had been bottled. The French had found this too in the cold northerly climes of Champagne, but their bottles had burst while the stronger English glass withstood the pressure. So it was that the English became fond of a side effect that the French were attempting to stamp out.
In later years the famous viticulturalist Madame Clicquot helped to develop a process whereby sparkling wine could be created while controlling its sweetness. These days Champagne is rated from brut (very dry) through extra sec (dry), sec (semisweet) and demisec (sweet) to doux (very sweet).
The top villages in Champagne are ranked as either Grand Cru or Premier Cru. These classifications derive from a system known as the echelle des crus (cru ladder), which was introduced in 1919. This system rates villages according to the quality of their produce, with the very finest deemed to be Grand Cru and awarded an echelle of 100 percent. Premier Cru villages receive an echelle of between 90 and 99 percent. Other ratings go as low as 80 percent but these are not rated as Cru.
Only three kinds of grape variety are permitted in Champagne: Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. Pinot noir is the most widely cultivated. It gives champagne structure, weight, power and backbone as well as an upfront richness of flavour. Pinot Meunier is considered the mutt of the three but although they may deny it Meunier is used throughout the region. Its reliability and rapid ripening make it a safe bet for blending. Chardonnay is the only white grape cultivated for Champagne and doesn't need to be separated from its skins like the two Pinots. At its best, Chardonnay has a subtle, fresh crisp flavour which gives Champagne its class.
Quality Champagnes to watch for include: Krug Vintage, Moet et Chandon Cuvee Dom Perignon and Perrier-Jouet Blason de France. Other high class bubbly does exist, but I have a personal preference for these wines. With Champagne there is always the cost to consider. Rarely will you find true Champagne that is both good and cheap, however some excellent budget wines to look for include Billecart-Salmon Rose, Bollinger Grande Annee and Drappier Carte d'Or Brut.
There is nothing like the feel of great bubbly in your mouth and it's worth it on those special occasions when toasts abound and you have something to celebrate. However there are more sanely priced sparkling wines on the market, and I'll be dealing with them in a later article. For now, remember to always turn the bottle, not the cork, and make sure you aim the cork away from the windows!
March Rogers
Bottle of the Week: Canard Duchêne Vintage Pinot Noir Blend, AC, France - Champagne 1990. Approx. £33.99
A fine, light gold coloured wine which has a lovely balance of acidity and sweetness. A fruity bite leads to a long, languorous finish.
Clever thing to say: The dawn of the twentieth century saw unrest amongst growers from the Aube district. They had been excluded from Champagne by government decree in 1908 after protests by growers from the Marne region who considered the Aube grapes to be inferior. Simmering discontent erupted in 1911 when 5,000 Aube growers marched on Champagne. Violence ensued and troops had to be called in to restore order. The matter was eventually resolved in 1927 when the Aube was incorporated into the region of Champagne.
