The Queen of Wines - Champagne - How is it Made?

Women, particularly ones attached to royal courts, deserve much of the credit for Champagne's international fame. Madame de Pompadour said that Champagne was the only drink that left a woman still beautiful after drinking it. Madame de Parabère once said that Champagne was the only wine to give brilliance to the eyes without flushing the face.

It is rumored that Marilyn Monroe once took a bath in 350 bottles of Champagne. Her biographer George Barris said that she drank and breathed Champagne "as if it were oxygen."

How is Champagne made?

Champagne is made by a process called Méthode Champenoise. When a similar method is used outside La Champagne, it is called Méthode Traditionnelle or Classic Method or Método Tradicional, etc. The use of the expression Méthode Champenoise is not allowed in the European Union outside of Champagne

MÉTHODE CHAMPENOISE

Harvest - The normal harvest usually takes place in late September or early October.

Pressing the Grapes - Only two pressings of the grapes are permitted. Prestige cuvée Champagnes are usually made exclusively from the first pressing. The second pressing, called the taille, is generally blended with the cuvée to make vintage and non-vintage Champagnes.

Fermentation - All Champagnes undergo a first fermentation when the grape juice is converted into wine. Remember the formula: Sugar + Yeast = Alcohol + CO2. The carbon dioxide dissipates. The first fermentation takes two to three weeks and produces still wines.

Blending - The most important step in Champagne production is the blending of the still wines. Each of these still wines is made from a single grape variety froma single village of origin. The winemaker has to make many decisions here. Three of the most important ones are:

1. Which grapes to blend - how much Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier?
2. From which vineyards should the grapes come?
3. Which years or vintages should be blended? Should the blend be made from only the wines of the harvest, or should several vintages be blended together?

Liqueur de Tirage - After the blending process, the winemaker adds Liqueur de Tirage (a blend of sugar and yeast), which will begin the wine's second fermentation. At this point, the wine is placed in its permanent bottle with a temporary bottle cap.

Second Fermentation - During this fermentation, the carbon dioxide stays in the bottle. This is where the bubbles come from. The second fermentation also leaves natural sediments in the bottle. Now the problems begin. How do you get rid of the sediments without losing the carbon dioxide? Go on to the next steps.

Aging - The amount of time the wine spends aging on its sediments is one of the most important factors in determining the quality of the wine.

Riddling - The wine bottles are now placed in A-frame racks, necks down. The remueur, or riddler, goes through the racks of Champagne bottles and gives each bottle a slight turn while gradually tipping the bottle farther downward. After six to eight weeks, the bottle stands almost completely upside down, with the sediments resting in the neck of the bottle.

Dégorgement - The top of the bottle is dipped into a brine solution to freeze it, and then the temporary bottle cap is removed and out fly the frozen sediments, propelled by the carbon dioxide.

Dosage - A combination of wine and cane sugar is added to the bottle after dégorgement. At this point, the winemaker can determine whether he wants a sweeter or a drier Champagne.

Recorking - The wine is recorked with real cork instead of a bottle cap.

There you have it! If you haven't already, head over to this post. Until Friday January 23rd, 2009, you can enter for a chance to win one of ten copies of the 2009 edition of the Windows on the World Complete Wine Course. Cheers!

The above post appears in the 2009 edition of the Windows on the World Complete Wine Course by Kevin Zraly, available in bookstores now. Look for the 25th anniversary edition in Fall of 2009. The Windows on the World Complete Wine Course is the world's best-selling, most highly praised wine book.