Champagne 101

What is Champagne? Champagne is both a region and a wine.

Region - The region is 90 miles northeast from Paris and is easily accessible by car, train, or bus. The region covers a vast area and is made of rolling hillsides and valleys. There are two main areas the Marne to the north and the Aube to the south. The areas can be further divided into the following subregions: Vallée de la Marne, Grand Vallée de la Marne, Montagne de Reims, Côte des Blancs, Côte de Sézanne, and the Côte des Bar. The area is just over 34,000 hectares or 84,000 acres and there are multiple rivers that run through the region the most notable being the Seine. The sunlight is most intense towards south, southeast and east facing slopes which helps ripen the grapes in such a northerly climate. The villages that make up these hillsides in the Marne are likely Grand Cru or Premier Cru vineyards.

Soils - The soils also play an important part in the quality and characteristics of the grapes. The main soils in Champagne are chalk, clay, limestone, sand, and marls. The topsoil in some areas is only a few inches thick and the two primary sub-soils are chalk and limestone rich marl. All chalk is limestone, but not all limestone is chalk. Chalk is able to absorb and hold onto water like a sponge and the chalk region is known as Dry Champagne. The areas where there are chalk soils include Reims, Epernay, Châlons-en-Champagne, Côte des Blancs, and the Grand Cru villages of Ay, Verzenay and Ambonnay. To the south in the Aube, the soils are Kimmeridgean marl and the area is referred to as wet Champagne. The Vallée de la Marne and the Val de Reims is composed of sand, marls and clay. Clay soils produce mineral rich wine whereas sandy soils produce fruit forward wines.

Climate - The average temperature in Champagne is 50 degrees Fahrenheit. There are 1650 hours of sunlight and grapes need 1400 hours to ripen. The winters in Champagne are very cold and there is likely to be frosts in both the spring and the fall which can destroy the harvest. There is also the risk of hail in the summertime.

Wine - Champagne is a sparkling wine from the Champagne region of France that undergoes two fermentations. The primary fermentation converts the grape juice to wine and the second fermentation takes place in the bottle that the champagne is sold and converts the still wine into sparkling wine. Sparkling wine from other areas cannot legally be called Champagne if it does not come from the Champagne Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC).

Winemaking -

The harvest has usually occurred in September, however in recent years due to global warming the harvest has taken place in August. The 2020 harvest was the earliest harvest to date and started on August 17. The harvest date is decided by the Comité interprofessionel du vin de Champagne commonly called the CIVC (a governmental body that controls and protects the region) and the harvest takes place over a two week period. All grapes that are to be used in champagne making must be picked over the legal dates. The grapes are picked by hand in the early morning to ensure quality and pressed as quickly as possible. Most champagne houses and growers have multiple presses set up across the region to ensure the grapes can be pressed as quickly as possible. This helps ensure the quality as well as the color as champagne is a clear wine even though red grapes are used. The grapes are pressed slowly in order to ensure the juice remains clear. After the grapes are pressed the vinification begins. This is the first fermentation which converts the grape juice into wine. The first fermentation can take place in stainless steel tanks, concrete eggs, wood barrels or barriques. This is all up to the winemaker to decide. Once the first fermentation is complete the winemaker can have the wine undergo malolactic fermentation or can block the malolactic fermentation depending on the style. Malolactic fermentation is a chemical process where malic acid think green apple converts to lactic acid which is a softer acid - think cream or milk. It is common for the chef de cave (winemaker) to utilize malo in order to bring down the acidity of the wine.

The next step of the process is to create the blend. This is known as assemblage. The chef de cave and the tasting committee will meet between January - March to determine which wines will make up each blend and will also determine if the wines are good enough to make a vintage champagne. Once the blend is created, it is placed in the bottle with the liquer de tirage which is a blend of yeast and sugar and then closed with a crown cap in most cases. The second fermentation is now ready to take place inside the bottle. The chemical reaction of the wine, yeast and sugar inside the bottle creates the sparkle! This is also called the prise de mousse or seizing of the foam. The champagne sits on its lees in the bottle after the second fermentation and this maturation process must last for a minimum of 15 months for nonvintage champagnes and 36 months for vintage champagnes although most winemakers keep the wine on the lees for much longer than the recommended time period. During this period of maturation, autolysis takes place and the dead yeast cells allow the champagne to have flavors of biscuit, bread, and brioche which is also referred to as the champagne bouquet.

Once the maturation is complete, remuage or riddling takes place. This process moves the dead yeast cells to the neck of the bottle which makes it easier to remove. Riddling used to be done by hand and it still is for larger format bottles or for the prestige cuvées. Once the dead yeast is gathered at the neck of the bottle it is frozen in an icy brine solution and removed by disgorgement. The liqueur d’expedition is then added to the bottle and this consists of sugar and wine. The amount of sugar that is used in known as the dosage and determines the final sweetness level of the champagne. The wine is then sealed with a cork and muselet and placed back in the cellars to allow the dosage to marry with the champagne. The champagne is then cleaned labeled and shipped to the distributors.