champagne club cave of wonders
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Base Champagne Knowledge
Villages: Champagne is a big region in northern France (it’s one of the northernmost and coldest wine regions in the world!) broken down into five (or sometimes, depending on who you ask, seven!) primary sub-regions, each of which has multiple villages that were historically classified in the Échelle des Crus by the general perceived quality of grapes grown there. Altogether there are over 300 villages whose name you may (or may not) see listed on Champagne labels.
Grapes: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier are the main three; Arbane, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Petit Meslier are rare but also permitted.
Process: The “traditional” or Champagne method involves first fermenting grape juice into what’s known here as the “base wine” or wines. Blending of these base wines sometimes occurs, and then a secondary fermentation is initiated by adding more yeast and sugar to the wine in bottle. (A secondary fermentation happening in a tank or barrel would not qualify as true Champagne!) This secondary fermentation traps carbon dioxide in the bottle, resulting in your sparkling wine. After the second fermentation is finished, extended aging of the wine on its spent yeast cells contributes further texture, flavor and complexity. Finally, the lees (dead yeast cells) are disgorged, or popped out of the bottle, and the wine is topped up with a last splash of wine—and sometimes sugar—to round out the final product. Whew!
Glossary
Blanc de Blancs: Literally “white from whites” or a white wine made entirely from Chardonnay.
Blanc de Noirs: Literally “white from blacks” or a white wine made by pressing the clear juice from the red (black) grapes Pinot Noir and/or Pinot Meunier and immediately separating off the skins so no skin-contact and bleeding of red color into white wine occurs.
Cépage: The specific blend of grapes used in the Champagne (e.g. 70% Pinot Noir; 30% Chardonnay).
Disgorgement: The removal of the spent yeast cells from the bottle after extended aging.
Dosage: The amount of sugar, measured in grams per liter, added to the final Champagne to balance its naturally very high acidity. 0-3g/l = Brut Nature (aka Non-Dosé or Brut Zéro); 0-6g/l qualifies as Extra Brut; Brut is defined as 0-12g/l. There are almost no Champagnes currently released today that are sweeter than “Brut,” but the next levels of sweetness are Extra Dry, then Sec, Demi-Sec, and finally Doux as the sweetest.
Sur lie: On the lees. The lees are the spent or dead yeast cells leftover after fermentation. Champagnes traditionally age sur lie for a minimum of 12 months for non-vintage Champagne and 36 months for vintage Champagne.