Méthode Champenoise & Dom Pérignon
With the likes of German Sekt, Italian Prosecco, Spanish Cava and Portuguese Espumante, not least the various Crémants in France, Champagne is far from being the only sparkling wine in the world. In fact, it is not even the oldest. Invented by Benedictine monks at Abbaye de Saint-Hilaire near Carcasonne in 1531, Blanquette de Limoux of the Languedoc-Roussillon region holds the title for the world’s oldest sparkling wine. Neither did Dom Pérignon, another Benedictine monk, invent Champagne. Charged by his superiors to eradicate the bubbles in Champagne, then perceived as a wine fault, he discovered the cause of carbon dioxide, and instead embraced it as a distinctive style. In short, the technique for making Champagne involves standard vinification, after which a solution of sugar and yeast is added, initiating a secondary fermentation in bottle, hence the bubbles. The lees, yeast sediments, are left in the barrels to mature with the wine, then isolated by the process of riddling (remuage) and removed (dégorgement). Finally, a sugar solution (dosage) is added to top up the wine, which also determines its sweetness level.
Classification & Style
In part due to the technique, time and effort required of the 15,000 growers in Champagne, there are only around 290 maisons, but the trend of grower champagne (récoltant-manipulant) is on the rise. In addition to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, Champagne may – although rarely – use Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Petit Meslier and Arbane. There are four styles of Champagne: standard (using Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier), blanc de blancs (“white from whites”; using only white grapes), blanc de noirs (“white from blacks”; using only red grapes) and rosé (usually a combination of white and red grapes). Curiously, before his moment of eureka, Dom Pérignon used to recommend the use of red grapes, especially Pinot Noir, as they were less prone to secondary fermentation, indeed the source of the bubble problem.
Échelle des Crus (“ladder of growth”) constitutes Champagne’s Grand Cru and Premier Cru system, under which ranking applies to villages. The top percentile is designated as Grand Cru, whereas the 90th to 99th percentile is Premier Cru. A non-vintage Champagne allows blending of various vintages, but a vintage Champagne must be composed of at least 85% of grapes from that particular year.
The Great Rivalry: Champagne vs Burgundy
Champagne and Burgundy used to be as similar as twins. Located in the historic capital of Champagne, Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Reims is where French Kings were traditionally anointed since the coronation of Hugues Capet in 987. It is also where Clovis I, the first Christian King of France, was baptised by Bishop Saint Rémi. Champagne hence became the wine for celebration, and a firm favourite of the aristocracy and bourgeoisie. Mainly due to its northerly climate, Champagne used to produce greyish-pinkish wine. Even if Pope Urban II, himself a Champenois, opined that wines from Aÿ were the best in the world, Burgundy wines remained highly regarded. The regional rivalry reached boiling point with Roi-Soleil Louis XIV’s ailing health. His Most Christian Majesty, on Royal Doctor Antoine d’Aquin’s advice, used to drink only Champagne. As Guy-Crescent Fagon was appointed the king’s personal physician, Burgundy – especially from Nuits-Saint-Georges – was prescribed. Over the following century, proponents of Champagne and Burgundy alike continued their struggle, until Champagne left the feud by moving from still wines to specialising in sparkling wines.
Madame Veuve Clicquot
As well as monks in Burgundy and merchants in Bordeaux, women also played an essential role in Champagne. Established in 1772 by Philippe Clicquot-Muiron, the maison that came to be known as Veuve Clicquot is a name as important as Dom Pérignon. Veuve Clicquot is considered the first to produce Rosé Champagne in 1775 as well as modern Champagne using méthode champenoise in 1811. Phillipe’s son, François Clicquot, married Nicole-Barbe Clicquot in 1798. Upon his death in 1805, Madame Clicquot (‘veuve’ means widow in French) became the first woman to be in charge of a maison. During the Napoleonic Wars from 1803 to 1815, she worked tirelessly to establish Champagne as a de rigueur drink for European aristocracy. She also gave Champagne to soldiers, who began the tradition of sabring Champagne (opening the bottle with a sabre). Madame Clicquot’s timeless contribution was discovering how to make Champagne clear, by isolating (remuage) and removing (dégorgement) the yeast sediment or lees. Bottles were placed on specially designed racks that held them at an angle, with the bottleneck pointing downwards. Every other day, the bottles were given a gentle shake and twist, allowing lees to settle in the neck. Carefully removing the cork, the sediments were ejected, and a sugar solution (dosage) were added to top up the wine.
Facts on Bubbly
- The region of Champagne exports 300 million bottles of Champagne annually.
- Early Champagne glasses were always made of cut crystal to disguise the fact that it was actually quite cloudy. Champagne bottles have a distinctive rut around the base which was used to collect the sediment of the yeast. Some sediment ended up in the glass however so the aristocracy used to drink their Champagne in one gulp, and then leave their glasses upside down so the sediment could run out before the glass was refilled.
- Beneath Champagne lie the Crayère or chalk pits where wine is stored. Many of the caves were dug out by the Romans 2000 years ago. The house of Dom Pérignon alone has 18 miles of caves. Many caves were used by the French Resistance in WWII to hide munitions and stranded allied pilots from the Nazis. Hitler didn’t like to drink Champagne, but he did value it. He hoped to use revenue from sales of Champagne to fund his war campaign.
- Cristal Champagne was first created in 1876 for Alexander II of Russia. The Tsar feared assassination and ordered that Champagne bottles be made clear so that he could see the bubbles and also to prevent hiding a bomb within them. The Champagne has since become known as “Cristal”. In the mid 1990s and early 2000s, the brand became increasingly associated with rap and hip-hop culture, with several rap artists referencing the drink in song lyrics including 50 Cent, Puff Daddy and Jay-Z.
- The process of riddling or remuage involves putting the Champagne into a special wine rack slanted at a 45 degree angle with the cork pointed down and rotating the bottle everyday for around three months, placing it back on the rack at a slightly higher angle until the bottle is upside-down at a 90 degree angle for the lees, yeast sediment, to settle in the bottleneck. Professional riddlers can turn up to 50,000 bottles in eight hours.
- The most expensive Champagneis Heidsieck Monopole Champagne 1907 priced at US$35,000 a bottle.
- Early producers of Champagne did not understand the secondary fermentation process that took place inside the bottles producing carbonic gas that caused many bottles to spontaneously explode. In the early 18th century, cellar workers had to wear heavy iron masks to prevent injury, and Champagne was often referred to as “The Devil’s Wine”.
