Kaustuv Roy
Champagne is synonymous with the spirit of success and romance worldwide. If it is time to celebrate, you pop the bubbly! ‘Pop!’ and you hear the sound of a million bubbles filling a flute. Poured from a bottle that is every bit as unique and mesmerizing as the liquid life inside it.
Yes, Champagne is the very statement of celebrations and the crown jewel of the wine world.
The French connection
Champagne (pronounced ‘Shampayne’) is a region in France. It is from some very special regions in this country that the beverage we call Champagne has originated. Indeed so popular and unique was the product of this region that it became generic and came to signify a style of wine making. The typeor style is called Sparkling Wine.
For the record, a Sparkling Wine from this region in France is called Champagne. It holds a geographic indicator, somewhat like a trademark for sparkling wines made at the Champagne region. Anywhere else in the world a wine made in the same style is simply called a Sparkling Wine. Similar sparkling wines made within France, but outside the Champagne region are called Crémant. Sparkling Wines made in other countries are some such as Spumante in Italy, American Sparkling Wine and Cava in Spain.

The Grape
Sparkling Wine or Champagne is generally made from three Grapes – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. The latter two are red grape varieties. White Wine, which is what sparkling wines are essentially, can also be made from red Grapes. It is the skin of the red grape that gives the wine its colour during the steeping process. While Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are the primary grapes, secondary grapes are those like Pinot Meunier, and sometimes other grapes like Riesling, Pinot Blanc or Muscat. Their content in the wine is comparatively lesser in quantity than the primary grapes. However, it is sufficiently important to ensure that they lend character to the Sparkling wine.
Champagne is made by a method called Methode Champenoise or Methode Traditionelle.

Production
In process, it is similar to making a wine, where the Grape is picked, pressed sans skins and allowed to ferment. After bottling, Champagne or Sparkling wine goes through a secondary fermentation which happens due the introduction of yeast into the wine. At this time carbonation also takes place and carbon dioxide is formed as a result of the secondary fermentation.  This is the cause of the ‘bubbles’ in Champagne.

Regions and types of Champagne
Champagne producing regions are few in numbers and among them the notable ones are Reims, Ay, Epernay and Côte des Blancs.
There many different types of Champagne.
Non Vintage or Multi Vintage, which are blends of reserve wines from various different years to maintain a quality and consistency.
Vintage Champagne comes from a single year. The vintage should be one of outstanding quality and the wines used would be from superior vineyards. An example is the Bollinger Grand Année.
Some classic Vintages are 1929, 1959, 1975, 1989, 1996 and 2002.
Rosé Champagnes are those created by Maceration or by blending. Maceration is the process of steeping the red grape skins in the wine wherein it imparts colour to the wine. Blending involves the blending of white wine (Chardonnay grape) and red wine (Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes).
Blanc de Blanc is Champagne made only from Chardonnay Grapes. But, Blanc de Noir is Champagne made entirely from a Pinot Noir (red) grape. This Champagne, though, is white and not Rosé.
Single Vineyard Champagnes are those drawn from wines of only one vineyard rather than blends of many. The best example may be of Krug, one of France’s biggest names in Champagne.
Cuvee de Prestige or Tete du Cuvee is a blended wine, which is the top of a producer’s range and becomes synonymous with a producer’s name. They may contain blends from more than a single year. Top names are Moet et Chandon Dom Perignon (named after a 16th century Benedictine monk who made important contributions towards the beverage of Champagne).
Other top labels are Louis Roederer Cristal, Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill, Bollinger Vieille Vignes Françaises, Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle, Veuve Cliquot Ponsardin La Grand Dame, Pommery Cuvée Louise, Krug Clos du Mesnil, Bollinger Grand Année.

Levels of Sweetness
Champagne need not necessarily be dry. There are different Champagnes with differing degrees of sweetness. And they are specified on the label.
Brut, means dry.
Extra Dry, unlike what the name seems to suggest is not as dry as Brut, but rather off dry.
Sec, is mildly sweet.
Demi Sec, sweet.
Doux, very Sweet.

(The author is Assistant Food & Beverage Manager, Taj Coromandel)