HOLIDAY CHEER! DECEMBER 6 TH, 2013 Champagne & Sparkling Wines from around the world By Hilary Barsby, Intern at Young s Market Company
HISTORY OF CHAMPAGNE The history of Champagne has seen the wine transform from a pale, pinkish still wine to the sparkling wine we know and love today. The Romans were the first to plant vines in this region the area was cultivated by 5 AD Due to the far north location, wine makers in this region had difficulty getting their grapes to fully mature, resulting with a grape that had low sugar levels & high acidity. Cold winter temperatures halted fermentation in the cellars, leaving dormant yeast cells that would awaken in the spring and begin fermenting again. This in turn would cause bottles to begin exploding causing a chain reaction in the cellar! If a bottle did survive the wine makers thought the bubbles were a fault!
DOM PERIGNON 1688 Young Monk Pierre Perignon takes office as the cellarer and procurator of the Benedictine abbey of Hautvillers on the northern slopes of the Marne, in the heart of Champagne. Dom Perignon invents, perfects and passes on the enhanced techniques to create a wine whose reputation is second to none. September 29, 1694: quoted as saying his ambitions were to create the best wine in the world.
WHAT MAKES CHAMPAGNE, CHAMPAGNE? For a sparkling wine to be labeled Champagne it must be produced using the method champenoise (Champagne Method). It is the presence of these bubbles, or stored carbon dioxide, that make the pop heard when opening a bottle. The sparkling wine must be produced with the grapes of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir or Pinot Meunier. Must be produced in the Champagne region of France.
TYPES OF CHAMPAGNE & SPARKLING WINES Champagnes made with Chardonnay grapes are called Blanc de Blancs. Champagnes made with Pinot Noir or Pinot Meunier grapes are called Blanc de Noirs. Rose Champagne, also known as Pink Champagne are produced by leaving the clear juice of black grapes to macerate on it s skins for a brief time, or more commonly by adding a small amount of still Pinot Noir red wine to the sparkling cuvee. A Champagne s sweetness will vary: Extra Brut Very Dry, very little remaining sugars. Brut Nearly dry, contains no more than 1.5% sugar. Extra Dry Slightly sweet, can contain up to 2% sugar. Sec up to 4 % sugar Demi- Sec up to 8 % sugar Doux sweet, can contain up to 10 % Sugar
PRODUCTION METHODS Methode Champenoise: is the traditional method used in the Champagne region of France, it is also used in Spain to produce Cava. After primary fermentation, blending and bottling, a small amount of yeast and sugar are added and the bottle is topped with a crown cap, and stored in a wine cellar horizontally for a second fermentation. During this time, the carbon dioxide (bubbles) are trapped in the wine. The added amount of sugar determines the pressure of the bottle After the Champagne has aged, the lees must be consolidated for removal and disgorged. The crown cap and lees are removed without loosing much liquid. Before the final corking, the bottle is topped off with a dosage, which is a mixture of yeast, sugar and more wine. The amount of sugar added in the dosage determines how sweet the final product will be, as all other sugars were eaten during the second fermentation. A cork is then inserted, with a capsule and wire cage securing it in place.
PRODUCTION METHODS The Charmat Method: The wine base is placed in a vat for the first alcoholic fermentation, then is moved to an Autoclave for the second fermentation. An autoclave is a vessel with controlled pressure and temperature. In this method carbonation occurs biologically due to the decomposition of sugar by yeasts and as a result the natural fragrances of the grapes are better preserved The sparkling wine is then bottled under pressure. Many grape varietals including Prosecco are best suited for fermentation in tanks. Sparkling wines produced using this method can be produced at a slightly lower cost than wines using the Champagne method.
VINTAGE VS. NON-VINTAGE Non Vintage: Blended from wines of several years to achieve a constant house style. This blend will depend on the art and history behind the producer. Many non-vintage champagnes are a blend of thirty or 40 different wines. A non-vintage bottle cannot be sold until it is 15 months old, although many producers will age it for longer. Vintage: Is a blend of wines from a particular year, when the quality of the harvest was sufficient to declare a Vintage. It is up to the producer to decide which years warrant a Vintage distinction. A vintage bottle must be ages for 39 months before it is sold. Prestige Cuvees: A special bottle produced during a vintage year. The most famous is Moet s Cuvee Dom Perignon. Prestige cuvees represent the best of the best. They cost around 3 times as much as a non-vintage, and double a vintage.
PROSECCO Prosecco is an Italian Sparkling Wine generally a Dry or Extra Dry wine. Normally made from Glera (Prosecco) Grapes The name is derived from that of an Italian Village where the grapes may have originated, although today it is produced in several regions in Italy. Produced using the Charmat method. There are two types of Prosecco: Spumante fully sparkling. Has undergone a second fermentation and is the more expensive variant. Frizzante lightly sparkling, lighter wine.
AMERICAN SPARKLING WINES Sparkling wines produced in America can be made using either production method. Lower cost bubbles, such as Andres or Cooks often use the Charmat method. More premium bubbles such as Korbel generally will use Methode Champenoise. The history of sparkling wine in California can be traced to Sonoma County where in 1892 the Korbel brothers began producing bubbles.
SPANISH CAVA Cava is a Spanish white or pink sparkling wine, produced mainly in the Penedes region using the method champenoise but using different grape varieties than what is used in France. Was created in 1872 by Josep Raventos. Has varied levels of dryness, similar to the champagne. Made from a selection of Macabeu, Parellada, Xarel-lo, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Subirat grapes. Despite being a traditional Champagne grape, Chardonnay was not using in the production of Cava until the 1980 s.
PRICES Prosecco : Prices range from $12 to $25. Cava : from $12 to $25. American Sparkling : from $10 to $50. Champagne : from $30 to $500+.
FOOD PAIRINGS Try to think outside the box when pairing foods with Champagne or other types of sparkling wines! Fruit does not go well with the bubbles to debunk the common pairing of strawberries and champagne. Sparkling wines go well with savory foods, and believe it or not fried foods. Try pairing a bottle of champagne with a dish such as roasted butternut squash with brown-butter sage sauce, or with fried mushrooms. A bottle of cava can go well with BBQ food items with a smoky sauce that isn t too spicy. A bottle of Prosecco would go nicely with an arugula, pear, and candied pecan salad with parmesan cheese.