13 December 2007 by Sandy Hemphill
Champagne – Taste the Stars
“Ah! I have tasted the stars.”
These sublimely poetic words are attributed to a French monk of the late 17th century who is often cited as being the inventor of Champagne itself. Alas, the good friar himself was blind and could not see the stars.
Dom Pérignon, however, did not actually invent Champagne. He did spend an exhaustive amount of time learning how to harness the bubble-making aspects of the natural fermentation process. And the sparkling brew that bears his name today is considered some of the very best by Champagne aficionados everywhere.
The fermentation of wine takes a long time and, when done in a cold climate, carbon dioxide bubbles form as a natural part of the process. People enjoyed the bubbly wine so Dom Pérignon set about learning all he could about controlling and perfecting the process.
The good friar’s efforts are known today as the Champagne method (méthode champenoise, officially) and this method is much more complicated than making still (non-bubbly) wines.
Blending the right grapes is as crucial to Champagne as to all other fine wines. Most Champagnes are a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier grapes.
Different vineyards use different proprietary blends but these three grapes always figure predominantly in the finished product.
The most notable exception to this blend is in the extremely refreshing blanc de blanc Champagnes, made strictly from Chardonnay grapes.
The first step of the process, first fermentation, takes place from harvest (late summer) until the following spring.
Assemblage comes next, when the fermented wine is tasted and the flavors tweaked to meet the style of the house. Sugar and yeast are added to the fermented wine, the mixture is bottled, and second fermentation begins.
During second fermentation, the alcohol content of the wine becomes a bit stronger, bubbles are born, and the pressure inside the bottle increases significantly, to as much as 75 pounds per square inch. If properly inflated, the tires on your car are pressurized at a rate of about 28 to 32 pounds per square inch.
Also during the second fermentation, which is required by law to be no less than two months long, solid residue (lees) from the yeast will settle in the bottom of the bottle.
Lees leave an undesirable cloudiness in the bottle so, during second fermentation, all bottles are stored upside down, so the lees will “fall” to the top of the bottle and collect just under the cap (not a cork just yet) used to seal the bottle.
Riddling is done during second fermentation to ensure all lees are collected in one mass. Riddling is a lift and turn technique. Each bottle is lifted and given a 1/8 turn every few days, so the lees form one plug of sediment just under the cap.
The next step, ageing on lees, is when the wine develops its full flavor potential. Less expensive wines are aged for a few months; finer, more expensive wines may be aged for several years.
Disgorgement comes next. The still-inverted bottle is submerged a few inches in a sub-zero solution to partly freeze the lees sediment just below the bottle’s cap. When the cap is removed, the pressure in the bottle ejects the sediment plug, leaving only clear, sparkling wine in the bottle.
Dosage and corking, the final stage in méthode champenoise, is when the wine gets a final dose of cane sugar to adjust the flavor and the distinctive Champagne cork is inserted and wired shut.
Other methods – less time consuming, labor intensive, and expensive – are used to make sparkling wines around the world.
In the tank method, the second fermentation takes place in large, highly pressurized tanks. The wine is then filtered and bottled under pressure directly from the tank.
The carbonation method involves chilling the wine in large tanks to below freezing and injecting it with carbon dioxide. The final product is bottled under pressure.
Champagne is a specific geographic region in France. Only wines made in this location can legally be called Champagne. Similar wines made elsewhere are officially sparkling wines and must always be labeled as such.
When sparkling wine is made using the steps developed by the good friar, Dom Pérignon, the label can bear the designation méthode champenoise or “Made in the method of Champagne.”
Aside from price and flavor, there are some bubbly reasons why you may want to choose the more expensive Champagne or sparkling wines made in the method.
The less expensive wines develop very large, explosive bubbles that fizz fast and then disappear from the glass. Use these for mixing Mimosas or other fruity cocktails. The added ingredients dissipate the bubbles quickly anyway.
Wines made in the more traditional méthode champenoise delight the senses with smaller bubbles of finer texture, imparting a creamier feel. These bubbles tickle the nose no matter how long you linger till indulging in that very last delicious drop of liquid stars.