Popping the Cork on Champagne

We love Champagne! There is no doubt about it; if we could drink it daily, we would. We don’t wait for celebrations; if it is Tuesday, it is a great day for champagne. But we are a bit of a snob regarding how the bubbles are created in champagne or sparkling wine.

Champagne comes from the Champagne region of France and can only be produced one way using three traditional grapes: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. Sparkling wines produced outside the Champagne region are called by many names, but none should be called Champagne. Once you understand the time-honored tradition and handcrafting that goes into the making of Champagne, you understand why you pay more for it.

There is indeed a difference between hand-crafted winemaking using méthode champenoise to make the wine bubbles and the cheapest way—injecting carbon dioxide into the wine (or gassing it to produce the bubbles), much like you would add carbonation to soda pop. Yes, we are picky when it comes to bubbles!

The méthode champenoise process involves gently pressing the grapes to ensure the grapes’ skins do not impart color. The juice is fermented usually in stainless steel tanks. Once fermentation is complete, “assemblage” occurs, where the different wines are blended to determine the appropriate winery’s style. Then the wine is bottled, and a combination of yeast and sugar (known as “liqueur de tirage” is added, and the bottle is capped, similar to a beer bottle cap. At this point, secondary fermentation begins in the bottle, and because of the cap, the naturally-created carbon dioxide cannot escape. It is reabsorbed into the wine. It usually stays for a minimum of two years, aging on tirage. Once the second fermentation is completed, the dead yeast cells (called “lees”) are removed. Riddling is the process of removing the sediment from the bottle, done today by machines instead of by hand. The Grande Dame herself, Madame Veuve Clicquot, developed this process of turning and inclining the bottle every 24 hours until the sediment is in the bottleneck. The neck is then submerged to freeze or solidify the sediment. The crown cap is removed, and the bottle's pressure ejects the sediment plug (“disgorgement”), leaving the clear wine behind. The bottle is topped off with a dosage or wine mixture, corked, caged, and labeled for your enjoyment.

A Cremant is a sparkling wine made in the méthode champenoise style but outside France’s Champagne region. The same goes for the Spanish sparkling wine called Cava or Italy’s Franciacorta. You may have enjoyed a Prosecco, Asti, or Moscato d’Asti from Italy, which are similar, but the first and second fermentation occur in a pressurized tank. This process is fast, cheaper, and not as labor intensive, though the bubbles and taste are less refined.

To us, it all comes down to the bubbles. The traditional method produces the finest, most delicate bubbles that don’t dissipate immediately. Injected wine produces large bubbles that dissipate quickly and can cause a headache.