No Better Way to Celebrate, Champagne Sparkling Wines Anyone?
In the mid 1600s a monk in France created "stars" and Champagne was born.
Dom Perignon was a monk who was plagued with the wine he was creating. He could not get rid of the bubbles. After years of trying, he finally realized that maybe they were a good thing and continued to perfect this beautiful sparkler.
These sparklers are also incredibly clear and we have Madame Clicquot to thank for this. She discovered in the 1700s that if the neck of the bottle was frozen, that the lees could be purged from the bottle. After adding a little bit of wine to top off the bottle, it was recorked.
These two methods combined to create what is known today as la methode champenoise or la methode traditionelle, outside of the region. Because the name of the region, is controlled by the AOC, any other wine claiming to be Champagne, or a la methode champenoise is really an impostor.
This region's wines are made from Chardonnay grapes , Pinot Meunier, and Pinot Noir, leading to a blushing wine.
The bubbles are littler than other sparklers like a Prosecco, because this is a bottle conditioned wine. This means that a yeast is added in the second fermentation and the wines are stored in bottles for a minimum of one and a half years. This causes the wine to become pressurized, creating small beautiful bubbles.
This region has very specific rules that this type of sparkling wine must follow according to the AOC. It may only contain Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, grown in the region. In order for one of these wines to be vintage, it must be bottle fermented in contact with the lees for a minimum of 3 years and all of the grapes used must be from the vintage year, one and a half for non vintage wines.
Many winegrowers will blend this wine with grapes of different years. These cuvees are common and they help to maintain the quality of a Champagne's taste from year to year.
This is a great wine to celebrate with. It can start any meal, go with one, or finish it. And yes, that's right any meal. Champagne is a no brainer for food pairing. It just depends on your preference. The price tag of these wines though make it more of a special occasion wine.
But if you're willing to pay the price, you'll want to know how to open these wines. Here's a video we devoted ton just that. Why? Because I always thought you were supposed to pop the cork, turns out I was wrong! Oh no!
