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Champagne and Sparkling Wine

Table of Contents
  1. From Still to Sparkling Wine in Champagne
  2. Viticulture and Climate in Champagne
  3. The Regions of Champagne
  4. The CIVC and Échelle de Crus
  5. Types of Champagne Producers
  6. The Méthode Champenoise
  7. Styles of Champagne
  8. Still wines of Champagne
  9. Other Traditional Method Sparkling Wines
  10. Other Sparkling Winemaking Methods
  11. Review Quizzes

From Still to Sparkling Wine in Champagne

The techniques of sparkling winemaking did not originate with the Benedictine monk Dom Pérignon, nor was the first purposely sparkling wine produced in the region of Champagne. Regardless, through centuries of refinement Champagne has become the world’s leading sparkling wine and the vinous embodiment of luxury and celebration.

The méthode Champenoise, a complicated process involving secondary fermentation in the bottle, is at the heart of Champagne’s character and has been adopted by sparkling winemakers worldwide. The term, like “Champagne” itself, is protected by the EU, and may only be applied to sparkling wines produced according to the prescribed method within the Champagne AOP. Wines made in the fashion of Champagne but produced elsewhere may be labeled as traditional method (méthode traditionnelle) or classic method (méthode classique). Some producers, particularly in the US, continue to label their sparkling wines as Champagne, but such wines are banned from the EU.

Dom Pérignon’s lasting contributions to modern Champagne lie in the techniques of assemblage (blending) and viticulture, despite the persistent myth that anoints him as the inventor of sparkling winemaking. As cellar master at the Abbey of Hautvillers from 1668 until his death in 1715, Pérignon struggled with the problem of natural refermentation. The irrepressibly cold winters of the region created a danger: as the weather cooled off in the autumn and the yeasts became dormant, fermentation would sometimes prematurely stop, and the wines
Comments
Anonymous
  • over 3 years ago

    Massive Change Proposed for Champagne | Wine-Searcher News & Features

  • over 3 years ago in reply to Ivan Arangelov

    With Charmat, yes, they are filtering under pressure. I'm not totally sure, but I'd imagine that there are bottling machines that help transfer the wine from bottle back to tank without too much loss of pressure. With ancestral method, there is a wide range of practices, some disgorged, some not, etc.

  • over 3 years ago in reply to Jennifer Angelosante

    So, I guess I have learned there is a press yield and harvest yield! Thank you Jennifer for clarifying.

  • over 3 years ago

    I am also curious how do they filter the wines after disgorgement during the ancestral method? Aren't they losing the bubbles during this procedure? The Charmat I guess is under pressure! Any further reads about this.

  • over 3 years ago in reply to Ivan Arangelov

    Hi Ivan, in France, it's quite typical to express yields in volume per area units. This accounts not only for the actual yields, but also the limits on pressing volumes. In Champagne, the limit for pressing is 2550 liters per 4000 kilograms, so doing the math, 100 hl/ha is equivalent to about 15,700 kg/ha. This exceeds the rendement butoir (the absolute maximum yield) of 15,500 kg/ha. My understanding is that the actual yields in the vineyard may be higher than this, but anything exceeding this limit may not be made into wine.

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