Wine Tales: The champagne

The champagne is an effervescent french wine inherent of the Champagne region situated in the Nord-East of the France.

It's important to know that the elaboration of the champagne incluse certains specificities:

- The harvest is done manually to not damage the grape
- Pressing is performed on traditional presses
- The assembly must marry different grapes and vintages of different years
- The champagne must be created following a double fermentation ( first of all in tank and the second time in a cylinder)
- The champagne must be a effervescent wine kept under pressure by a mushroom-shaped plug.
- Champagne must comes from a official bran.

Mushroom-shaped plug

The champagne is made out of three grapes :

- The pinot noir is used to make strong wines with low acidity.

- The pinot meunier is a grape variety that make the wine fruity with low acidity. When it assembled with the other grape to make champagne, it brings suppleness and coherence.

- The chardonnay brings finesse and freshness during the blend.

Vineyard in Champagne

You can fin different types of champagne in the world that decompose in six categories:

- The champagne brut, extra-brut, dry or semi-dry which designates wines with more or less proportion of liqueurs.

- Blanc de Blancs which designates some champagnes exclusively makes with chardonnay white grapes.

- Blanc de Noirs designates champagnes exclusively makes with pinot noir and/or pinot meunier.

- Grand Cru or Premier Cru mention champagne make from classed vineyard. (100% of the vineyard for the first mention and 90% to 99% of the vineyard to the second mention).

- Millesimé means that the champagne is from a single year.

- The champagne rosé

Otherwise, the champagne became a luxury product and celebration beverage consuming in special occasion. This wine is famous around the world because of its protected appellation.

We say that a quality champagne owns "Nonaggressive fine bubbles that rise in continuous column".