Champagne production

Champagne is an alcoholic sparkling wine that is obtained by adding a little yeast and sugar to a young - typically white - base wine. With this, a second fermentation takes place (takes place in the bottle) which produces carbonic acid. When the bottle is later opened, the carbonation in the form of small pearls rises through the wine and forms the famous effervescence and foam.

The sparkling drink is named after the French province of Champagne.

Champagne was already known at the end of the 15th century, when the wine was drunk for the coronation of the French kings in the city of Reims, which is located in the Champagne region. The kings spread the wine by bringing it as gifts to other monarchs in Europe.

Today, the name "Champagne" is trademark protected in the EU as well as a number of other countries, which means that only sparkling wine produced in the Champagne region may be marketed under the designation Champagne .

Many champagne-like products are produced today, both in France and in other countries. Here, the sparkling wine is marketed under each their own name, e.g. Crémant in Alsace and Burgundy; Cava in Spain; Spumante and Asti in Italy and Sekt in Germany.

The actual production of the sparkling wine takes place according to the Methode Traditionelle. This method was formerly known as the Methôde Champenoise (Champagne method), but this term is no longer used, for fear of confusion between Champagne and other sparkling wines.

That is why the expression "Methode Traditionelle" is today on all champagnes and the above-mentioned sparkling wines.

The Comité Interprofessionel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC), which is the association of champagne producers, has developed a set of rules for all champagnes coming from the region in order to protect their economic interests. It contains i.a. a regulation on which grape varieties may be used (almost all champagne is produced from a single grape variety or a blend of up to three varieties; chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier). In addition, a large number of other regulations apply, such as ripening of the grapes; the quantity produced; the pre-treatment of the grapes and the time the wine must remain in casks before it is poured into bottles. The CIVC can also limit the amount of champagne released on the market to maintain prices. Only producers who comply with all these specifications and regulations are allowed to produce "Champagne".

So the main rule is that all Champagnes are sparkling wines, but not all sparkling wines are Champagne !!

The production of champagne starts as the production of ordinary wine. When the grapes have been picked and pressed, the wine is finished fermenting, each grape, municipality and even field separately. Fermentation takes place mainly in steel tanks at temperatures between 18-22 degrees, primarily to ensure a non-aromatic base wine. Cooler temperatures will produce a fruitier wine, which is not desired in this case. This fermentation process typically takes 2-3 weeks.

After this, you often choose to carry out a so-called malolactic fermentation, which is a process where bacteria convert the malic acid in the wine into lactic acid. Again to ensure a more pleasant and softer wine, which also loses some of its original fruity character.

When the fermentation is over, the winemaker steps in to blend the wine. Often the big champagne houses choose to make a champagne with a uniform house style and it is therefore the winemaker's task to mix the wine from the different grape varieties, fields and - often - vintages so that it matches the house's style. The finished mixture is called the house cuvée.

When the cuvée is mixed, the 2nd fermentation is started. The special thing about this fermentation and what makes the process called Methode Traditionelle is that the fermentation takes place in the bottle, which later goes out to the consumer.

2. the fermentation takes place by adding sugar and yeast to the mixture. 4 grams of sugar are needed for every liter of cuvée to produce 1 bar of carbon dioxide pressure and since champagne has a pressure of 6 bars (3 times as much as in a car tyre), exactly 24 grams of sugar must be added to one liter of cuvée.

It is because of the pressure of 6 bar that the champagne bottles are extra strong and designed to withstand the pressure. It is also not straightforward to find a closure mechanism that prevents the champagne from leaving the bottle prematurely :-)

The bottle is closed with a capsule and now placed in the cellar, where the sugar is slowly converted into alcohol and carbon dioxide is thereby formed. The process here takes about 6-8 weeks.

The bottles are now placed in so-called desks, which are racks where the bottles are placed at an angle with the bottom in the air, in order to cause the sediment (the lees) to collect in the neck of the bottle.

Every day, Homme de la Remuage goes around the cellars and rotates each individual bottle approx. 1/8 round in order to force the dead yeast cells down into the neck of the bottle, where they must subsequently be removed. This process is called Remuage - hence the name of the remuage man.

The wine must now be stored for a minimum of 15 months, of which 12 months before the sediment/ lees is removed. For vintage wines, they must be stored for a minimum of 36 months before the lees are removed. In general, the wines age quite a bit longer than this.

The precipitate is now collected in the bottle neck and must be removed from here, which is not an easy task. This is done by freezing the neck of the bottle to -27 degrees, whereby the precipitate freezes into a lump, which is then shot out like a projectile when you briefly remove the capsule from the bottle. The finest and purest Champagne is now left behind in the bottle. The method is called Dégorgement.

At first, all the yeast remains were still in the champagne when served and crunched between the teeth when it was drunk. The anecdote goes that Madam Clicquot (The Yellow Widow) drilled a hole in her kitchen table and turned the bottle upside down to collect the yeast there, and opened the bottle with the bottom in the air so that all the yeast disappeared with the first sip.

The opening of the bottle has meant that some Champagne is now missing in the bottle, and this is managed with the so-called "dosage", which is a mixture of white wine, alcohol and sugar, which fills up and at the same time adjusts the degree of sweetness. The cork is then inserted, and the cork gets a coat of steel mesh around it, so that the champagne cork is held in place.

So think about - the next time you buy a bottle of champagne and think it's just too much money - that the production of the delicious drink is extremely complicated, but that the result is worth all the effort - and all the money.

CHEERS !!!!!!