Champagne represents the ultimate in celebratory drinks. It is frequently used to applaud achievement, toast newlyweds, and acknowledge various milestones.
A sizable part of the appeal is the bubbles that spill forth upon uncorking a bottle. The bubbles are created by very small drops of liquid which is disturbed by either carbonic acid gas or carbon dioxide as it escapes. These gases are a natural by-product that hails from the double fermentation process which is quite unique to champagne.
These days, finer champagnes are considered to be a mark of sophistication. That, however, was not always the case.
Initially, the connoisseurs of wine were quite disdainful of sparkling wines. Further, Dom Perignon, the French monk who has become synonymous with fine vintages ever since his early works in 1668, labored to reduce the bubbles that came from the wine he produced. Perignon was the Cellarer of the Benedictine Abbey in Haut-Villers in the region of Champagne.
Quite ironically, his efforts at decreasing the bubbles were hampered, given that his penchant was for fermenting wine within bottles as opposed to the traditional casks.
Champagne Province and Wine Production
The province of Champagne is among the most northern wine-producing regions. It stretches from Flanders to the north to Burgundy in the South, and from Ile de France in the west to Lorraine in the east.
For many years, the region aimed to compete with Burgundy in terms of producing the best red table wines. Nevertheless, red grape production requires an abundance of sunshine, and this is not something that Champagne’s vineyards are in copious supply of, given the regions locale in the northeast.
When Perignon originally took over the cellars in the Abbey in 1668, his aim was to perfect how the Pinot Noire grape was harvested, so as to produce a white wine with quality.
Climate plays a principle role in the production of wine and this is more apparent in terms of champagne production than in any other wine. The shortened and inconsistent summers in the region persistently lead to many an inconsistent harvest.
As such, it is customary to save a supply of wine that is generated throughout the better years, after which, it is then blended with the juice from grapes which have been harvested from poorer seasons. It will only ferment during the warmer months, at which time extra sugar is added. The wine is then bottled and corked.
If the wine were to be stored in casks, the carbonic acid would escape. However, in the bottle, it builds up, and is released whenever the bottle is opened.
This volatility posed a problem in the earlier days of champagne-production. Half of the bottles exploded, which gave rise to the exercise of wearing iron face masks whenever walking in one of the cellars.
Nevertheless, by 1735, regulations were established by way of a royal ordinance which governed the weight, size, and shape of the champagne bottle. It was ordered that corks would be 1.5 inches in length and secured to the bottle’s collar together with strong pack thread. The bottles were to be stored in deep cellars where the temperatures were constant, thus very much reducing their propensity for exploding.
After Perignon’s Death
Some three years after Perignon’s death in 1715, Canon Godinot made a record of the specifications for champagne production in accordance with Perignon’s findings:
- Pinot Noire grapes must be used.
- The vines are to be pruned aggressively, and must reach no higher than three feet.
- The grapes must be harvested with care so as to maintain an intact skin, and they must be kept as cool as possible without freezing.
- The fields should be worked early morning or on showery days to avoid high temperatures.
- The press must be set up close to the fields. Should the grapes be transported, only slow pack animals – mules or donkeys – are to be used to prevent jostling of the grapes.
- The grapes should not be tread, nor should the skins be allowed to enter the juice.
Modern champagne vintners now have the technology in order to streamline the production of champagne. All the same, the steps in general have changed little over the previous three centuries.
The most expensive champagnes reach prices in excess of $1,000 for a single bottle. Nevertheless, cheaper champagne options are still a very attractive proposition to many a connoisseur of fine wine.
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