Champagne demystified

June 30, 3:50 PMSeattle Wine ExaminerKelly Barry

Previous Next

2 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Seattle Wine Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

 

Sparkling wine is made in nearly all the wine regions of the world, and most of it is not Champagne! I was surprised last evening at Ray's Boathouse in Shilshole, where the Lucien Albrecht was listed as Champagne, when in fact, it is decidely not a Champagne, but a perfectly pleasant Crémant from the Alsace region of France.  I explained this to the bartender (our server insisted it was Champagne), who was also surprised that it was not actually Champagne, but realized the error and vowed to have the list corrected.  Since a restaurant got it wrong, I thought I'd share a few tidbits of information to ponder over your next sips.

Champagne is a sparkling wine from the Champagne region of northeast France, where the combination of climate and chalky soil are perfect for certain grape varietals, i.e, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. Champagne is made in the traditional method (also known as methode traditionelle or methode champenoise), where primary fermentation occurs first, and then secondary fermentation takes place in the bottle (due to the addition of a little extra yeast and sugar). Vintage Champagne must be aged a minimum of three years, non-vintage a minimum of 15 months, but producers may age the wines for much longer than that, often from 6 - 8 years. Crémants are sparkling wines made in the traditional method, but from regions outside the Champagne region, such as our friend Lucien Albrecht from Alsace.  In fact, this Alsatian crémant is not made from traditional Champagne varietals at all, but from the traditional Alsatian varietals of Auxerrois Blanc and Pinot Blanc.

Blanc des Blancs on a sparkling wine label means that it is 100% (light-skinned) Chardonnay, and Blanc des Noirs means 100% (dark-skinned) Pinot Noir and/or Pinot Meunier. Rose Champagnes have a bit of vinified Pinot Noir or Pinot Meunier added for color. Extra-Brut is the driest style, followed by Brut (near driest), Extra Dry (dryish), Sec (noticeable sweetness), Demi-sec (sweet), and Doux (sweetest).

Most importantly - when opening any sparkling wine, be sure to always have control over the cork, by grasping the neck of the bottle and placing your thumb on the cork. Holding the bottle at an angle, and also such that it is not pointing at anyone, gently twist the bottle out, keeping pressure on the cork until a slight hiss is heard on release. Pour gently into the glasses of friends, and finally some for yourself, and Salud! A sante!