Hello, everyone!

I apologize for been MIA for quite some time after the contest, but that’s because I’ve been crazy busy with events for the past couple of months!

Before the year closes, I wanted to share a timely post for all of you who will be ringing in the new year with some bubbly.   This fall, I had the pleasure of taking a wine course with Philippe Newlin, former Tasting Director at Wine & Spirits Magazine.  Philippe is incredibly knowledgeable about all things wine … and makes the course anything but stuffy.

I wanted to blog about the 8 “Classic Regions” we went through for this course — and I will — but I am going to start at the end (Champagne) since it’s New Year’s Eve!

(Image source)

CHAMPAGNE

The ultimate celebratory beverage … perfect for weddings and of course, today’s festivities!  True champagne is only made in the Champagne appellation (region) of France.  Other sparkling wines may come from other regions of the world, such as Italy (prosecco), Spain (cava), and California (sparkling wine).

The Grapes & Types of Champagne

Champagne consists primarily of three varieties of grapes: Chardonnay (white), Pinot Meunier (black), and Pinot Noir (black).  Now, 2/3 of those are black grapes — but champagne is normally white!  The reason for this is that wine producers typically do not allow the skins of the grapes to make contact with the wine since the tannins (which come from the skin and are the source of red color) are even more pronounced with the effervescence.

Most champagnes are made from a combination of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (about 60:40 ratio).  There are also some that are called blanc de blancs (white of whites) which are made from 100% Chardonnay .. and blanc de noirs (white of blacks) which are made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes.  The blanc de noirs are generally considered to be more refined (and are often more expensive).  Rose champagne is as the name suggests has a coppery-tinge of color, most commonly from adding a small amount of still Pinot Noir to the base blend.

Production

The process of producing champagne is fascinating … to get all those delicious bubbles inside each bottle, the base wine is produced just like all other (flat) wines.  Then, the magic begins… the traditional method (méthode champenoise aka Champagne method) of production follows these steps:

1. BASE: The base wine, which usually consists of a blend across vintages (hence the “NV” – non vintage – found on many bottles of champagne), is produced.  If a vintage year is declared, it means that that particular year’s harvest was exceptional in quality!
2. BOTTLING: After primary fermentation of the base wine, the wines are bottled individually.
3. BUBBLES: A small amount of yeast and sugar is added to each bottle to induce a second alcoholic fermentation.  Regulations stipulate that it takes a minimum of 1.5 years to completely develop the flavor.
4. REMUAGE: After the aging process, each bottle must be cleansed of the lees (yeast-remnants) that are still inside.  Through a process called remuage, bottles are turned upside down to force the lees to settle to the neck of the bottle:
   
   (Image source)

   Then… they freeze the tops, so that the lees are contained within this frozen section.  When the cap of the bottle is removed, the pressure from the bubbles forces the frozen “yeast-sicle” (as Philippe called it) to pop out.  Finally, each bottle is topped off with a mixture of additional base wine or syrup, called the “dosage.”

Sweetness

Often on the label, you will see “Brut” or “Extra Brut” — which simply indicates the level of sugar added in the dosage.  The most common today is brut:

• Brut Natural or Brut Zéro (less than 3 grams of sugar per liter)
• Extra Brut (less than 6 grams of sugar per liter)
• Brut (less than 15 grams of sugar per liter)
• Extra Sec or Extra Dry (12 to 20 grams of sugar per liter)
• Sec (17 to 35 grams of sugar per liter)
• Demi-sec (33 to 50 grams of sugar per liter)
• Doux (more than 50 grams of sugar per liter)

Brands/Producers

(Image source)

During the tasting, we sampled seven different champagnes.  Here are some notes on each of them:

• Veuve Clicquot Orange Label (NV; $75 for magnum)
  • Probably the most famous and widely recognized, thanks to LVMH’s mass marketing campaigns and strategic alliances with popular night clubs.
  • After tasting this first … and then tasting the other champagnes, you will see that the quality of this champagne pales in comparison. The flavor is more flatter and even has a tinge of sourness.
• Chartogne-Taillet Brut Cuvee St-Anne (NV; $58)
  • Produced by a family-owned vineyard
  • Tastes of toasty almonds; light-medium body; fresh, light fruits such as pears and apples
• Bruno Paillard Rose (NV; $55)
  • Beautiful, coppery rose
  • Lush flavors of apple, vanilla
• Diebolt-Vallois Cuvee Tradition Blanc de Blancs (NV; $49)
  • Rich, medium-bodied
  • Toasty, good acidity, some yeast flavor from being left on the lees
• Paillard Blanc de Blancs Reserve (NV; $85)
  • Elegant, light-bodied wine
  • Tastes fresh and bright on the nose; flavors of green apple, white peach, grapefruit, almond, and pastry
• Philipponnat Clos des Goisses (1997; $135)
  • Very complex flavor; more earthy and hints of toast, with hints of citrus/orange
• Krug (1998; $270)
  • Krug is another ‘famous’ champagne (owned by LVMH)
  • 1998 is the third and last vintage declared by Krug in the 1990’s
  • Rich aromas – buttery, peach, toast, spices, and smokey minerals

Out of these champagnes, my favorites were the Paillard Blanc de Blancs Reserve and the Philipponnat Clos des Goisses.

I hope you’ve found this useful!  Time to pick up a bottle and head out to celebrate… cheers to 2010!