Champagne
Champagne, produced in the northeastern Champagne region of France, is a type of sparkling wine available in several styles to suit different palates. Each type of champagne is named after the grape varieties and vintages, or years, from which it was created. Champagnes range in price and taste, depending on the vintage year and the variety of grapes used.
Vintage
Single vintage champagne
Vintage wine is made from grapes from a single vintage year. Vintage champagnes, like the 2000 Grande Année Bollinger, must be 39 months old before they can be sold, though champagne houses generally age them longer before distributing them.
Non-Vintage
Non-vintage champagnes
Grapes from several different vintages are used to produce non-vintage wines. The blend of grapes from multiple vintages, often between 30 and 40, strengthens the quality of the champagne. Once they are 15 months old, non-vintage champagnes, like the Pol Roger Brut Réserve, can be sold.
Blanc de Blancs
White grapes are used to create Blanc de Blancs
The "white of whites" or "wine from white grapes" is a sparkling wine made strictly from Chardonnay grapes. Chardonnay, the most famous type of white wine, is named after a village in the Macon region of Burgundy. Chardonnay grapes are light and flaxen-colored, and the grains of chardonnay grapes yield dry wines, with delicate apple or almond flavors. Blanc de blancs, such as Moët et Chandon Millésimé Blanc 2000, are lighter than their counterparts--those created from darker grape varieties.
Blanc de Noir
Black grapes used in Blanc de Noir
Considerably harder to find, "white of black" champagnes, such as the 2004 Dame Palmyre Blanc de Noir, are white champagnes created from black grapes, either Pinot Noir or Pinot Meunier. Pinot noir grapes are used to make Burgundy wines, spicy and rich in berry flavors. Skinless pinot noir grapes are used to make blanc de noir champagnes. Grown in the Marne Valley of the Champagne region, pinot meunier grapes are fruitier than the pinot noir grapes and are cultivated as a single varietal for champagne production.
Prestige Cuvée
A pour of prestige cuvée
These champagnes are considered the champagne producer's top of the line, and cost up to three times more than non-vintages, and double that of vintages. Often named after celebrated figures, for example, Pol Roger's Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill, prestige cuvées are the usual choice of the rich and famous. Moët and Chandon's Dom Perignon introduced the first prestige cuvée in 1936 from a 1921 vintage. The popular label Cristal was first produced for the Russian czar in 1876 by Louis Roederer, but was not made publicly available until 1945. Other famous prestige cuvée labels include Laurent-Perrier's Cuvée Alexandra rosé and Veuve Clicquot's La Grande Dame.
Rose Champagne
Pinkish hue of a rose champagne
Created from either chardonnay or pinot noir grapes, rose champagnes like the 1981 Champagne Rosé Giesler, are pinkish, with shades ranging from pale onionskin, to deeper salmon hues. The color depends on how much pinot noir a champagne house decides to add to the sparkling wine. Choosing an exact amount each year yields a consistent shade, though traditionalists prefer a process called saignée, whereby black grapes are pulverized during pressing, forcing the color out of the skins and into the white wine.
Styles of Champagne
Brut, the most common style
The style of champagne depends on the level of sugar found in each type. Although grape variety, vintage and production influence the sweetness of the wine, the presence of the liqueur d'expedition, which is used to top off the bottles, ultimately determines the style of each one.
Most common is Brut, with less than 15g of sugar per liter. Brut natural, or Brut zero, contains less than 3g and Extra Brut contains less than 6g of sugar. A less common style is the Sec, containing between 17 and 35g of sugar. The Extra-sec, contains between 12 and 20g of sugar, while the Demi-sec, ranges anywhere from 35 to 50g.
Doux is the most rare style of champagne. Closely resembling the earliest champagnes, Doux contains more than fifty grams of sugar.
Tags: grapes used, noir grapes, pinot noir, Blanc Noir, champagnes like, less than
