In no family the New Year is complete without a bottle of champagne. this tradition can be safely called age-old. She sees off the old year and greets the new one, watching with happy eyes how the elegantly sparkling liquid foams and sparkles in glasses.
Sales are skyrocketing these days and stores are overflowing with emerald glass. But do we all know about this drink, because it is more than easy to acquire a fake in our time. How to choose champagne, you will learn from our article.
In this article:
- A bit of history;
- Manufacturing rules;
- About grape varieties;
- Types of sparkling drink;
- Where is the real champagne produced?
- How to choose a quality champagne?
- How to choose a product from a domestic manufacturer?
- How to serve and drink champagne?
Interview. How much are you willing to spend on a bottle of sparkling drink?
- 250-300 RUB
- 300-500 p.
- 500-700 p.
- 1000-1500 p.
- More than 1500 rub.
View Results
Loading…
A bit of history
The history of winemaking is deeply rooted in the origins of the gods of ancient Greece and the vine of Dionysus. But the emergence of champagne occurred much later, but is closely related to winemaking. Every self-respecting farmer has skillfully handled this crop.
Directly in Champagne, both white and red wines were produced through the primary fermentation of berries. But often fermentation was repeated, due to improper storage, a sharp drop in temperature, or transportation of containers for its storage. The secondary fermentation was channeled along a Benedictine monk, French by birth, Dom Perignon. This man's ideas include mixing (blending) and placing the drink in bottles.
Manufacturing rules
The birthplace of Champagne is the Champagne wine-growing historical region of France, which gave it its name that plays with sounds. Today, many companies that make this low-alcohol drink use the beautiful name, which is why people do not know which champagne to choose after all. This course of things is wrong, because it is permissible to call champagne only that sparkling wine that is produced in the Champagne province in accordance with certain technologies in accordance with an international agreement.
The rules were created in order to distinguish a quality product from all others, with which the shops of liquor stores are lined. Today, many wineries follow an agreement, which includes the following points to help choose a natural product:
- a specific place for growing a crop;
- certain varieties suitable for making champagne;
- timely and correct pruning of the vine;
- the amount of harvest per season;
- special technology for pressing fruits;
- a certain holding time with and without sediment;
- a certain degree of angle at the bottle position;
- the standard for the alcohol content of the product.
This is only a small list of the conditions that allow the production of a magic elixir, therefore, at present, only one area, indicated above, is engaged in its production. The rest of the producers should refer to the product as "sparkling wine".
Grape varieties
To choose the right one, you should know that champagne is created from certain grape varieties, such as:
- Chardonnay
- Pinot noir
- Pinot meunier
These are the most expensive varieties, but in other countries the names sound different.
- Pinot noir:
- In France - Pineau, Franc Pinot, Noirien, Savagnin Noir, Salvagnin, Morillon, Auvernat, Plant dore, Vert dore or Petit Plant dore, Bourguignon Noir;
- In Germany it sounds like Spätburgunder, Blauburgunder;
- In Austria - Blauer Spatburgunder;
- In Italy - Blauburgunder, Pignola, Pinot Nero;
- In Croatia - Burgundac Crni;
- In Hungary - Nagyburgundi.
- Pinot Meunier:
- In France - Gris Meunier, Auvergnat gris in Loiret, Blanche feuille, Frineux, Morillon tacone in the Marne, Plant de Brie in the vicinity of Paris;
- In Germany - Müllerrebe, Shwarzries
- In Austria - Blaue Po
- In Australia -Miller's Burgu
Types of champagne and sparkling wine
The choice of sparkling wine is, above all, a matter of taste. Someone likes the tart, bitter taste of the drink, while others choose a more delicate one. To know what exactly to look at, let's see how it will be reflected on the label.
First of all, you need to choose the type of champagne. This drink, depending on the amount of sugar content, is divided into 6 types:
1. Less than 6 g sugar / 1 l:
- Ultra-brute (ultra brut / extremely dry);
- Extra-brut (extra brut / especially dry).
2. From 6 to 15 g sugar / 1 l:
- Brut (Brut / coarse dry).
3. From 15 to 20 g of sugar per 1 liter;
- Extra-dry (Extra dry / very dry).
4.Up to 35 g sugar / 1 l:
- Dry
5. From 33 to 55 g sugar / 1 l:
- Semi-dry
6. More than 50 g sugar / 1 l:
- Doux (Do / gentle).
The less sugar in champagne or sparkling wine, the more tart and dry the taste will be. The more sugar, the softer and softer the taste of the product. But you should be aware that the production of natural champagne excludes a large addition of sugar, so its taste will be more harsh.
Within the framework of the world standard, it was announced that this drink has a strictly golden color and cannot be either red or pink. Sparkling wine can be of any color and the sugar content in its composition is not limited by norms.
Production methods
Production is carried out using two technologies:
- in a bottled way, when the liquid is directly bottled and stored under certain conditions. The famous Madame Clicquot developed the position of the glass: it is placed with the cork down at an angle of 45 degrees, while being rotated daily, very neat, schematic. This process is called "remuage", and specially trained people turn the bottles, whose profession, so to speak, is called "remuor". He must have the precision of a watchmaker and the grace of a jeweler. This method removes sediment from champagne, on which the liquid is aged for at least 12 months. It is best to choose a product of this particular production, but the price will be higher.
- fermentation (acratophoric) method. The liquid is placed in an airtight container, where it ferments for a while under increasing pressure of carbon dioxide. As mentioned above, production is carried out from three grape varieties, one of which is white, two are red, which winemakers call black grapes. But in that, and in another case, the champagne turns out to be white, since the juice is removed from the pulp while the rind, which gives color, remains intact.
Basically, champagne is made from grape berries harvested at different times. Vintage is made exclusively from grapes harvested in one year, and it will still be marked with the "Vintage" quality mark. Exposure must be at least a year and a half. All this is indicated on the label.
There is also champagne millesime champagne. The synonym for the word is vintage. It is produced in a bright, sunny year, when they say about the harvest: "born successfully." In this case, the year of collection is also indicated.
Also, the manufacturer may not indicate the year of production, such a drink is usually cheaper.
Improper storage, defective tanks and temperature fluctuations lead to product deterioration. Bottling into glass is no less a responsible matter, and it depends entirely on the tightness of the packaging and proper transportation whether this elixir will get on the shelves of wine stores and, accordingly, on the New Year's or festive table.
But the quality of champagne depends not only on production, but also on raw materials. Some growers buy crops rather than grow their own. Others even save money, but this, of course, only applies to sparkling wine and by no means natural champagne.
The correct appearance of the drink
First of all, a product created precisely in Champagne will tell the buyer about it through its label. It will contain information about the manufacturer, about the crop, including the variety and the year it was harvested. It differs significantly in its cost from other products with the same name. In order not to be mistaken in the choice, it is best to purchase high-quality drinks in expensive, specialized stores. It makes sense to choose a bottle that is not upright.
The appearance of the product must correspond to its quality. The neat label and protection of natural cork (no plastic) should be flawless. An exception may be a collectible, rare bottle. By the way, champagne is always poured into dark glass, light transparent is unsuitable for such a case, since exposure to sunlight causes great harm to the quality of the drink. Most often, there are two types of bottles:
- Bouteille (bottle) - capacity 750 ml.
- Magnum (magnum) - capacity 1.5 liters.
In restaurants, there are also large containers from 3 to 30 liters, which are produced by some companies.
About famous brands of champagne
Today there are about 20 thousand registered producers in the region with the beautiful name Champagne. There are abbreviations by which the type is recognized, which should be paid attention to before choosing a low-alcohol product.
NM: Negociant manipulant. Wineries that purchase grapes and produce their own wine.
CM: Cooperative de manipulation. A wine made from a pooled, co-operative crop.
RM: Recoltant manipulant. Winemakers who themselves grow grapes for their products. They are allowed to buy no more than 5% of the required size of the grape berries.
SR: Societe de recoltants. Association of Agricultural Winegrowers, which grows table grapes for the production of co-champagne. Not to be confused with cooperative activities.
RC: Recoltant cooperateur. A member who is a member of a cooperative and offers for sale a drink produced by the cooperative itself, but under a private label.
MA: Marque auxiliaire or Marque d'acheteur. A brand that is not associated with either the producer or the suppliers of berries, but only with a store or an entrepreneur.
ND: Négociant distributeur. Wine sold under the seller's personal label.
How Do I Pick a Good Champagne?
As in the first case, the drink must be bought in specialized stores that work with trusted suppliers. Before choosing champagne and making a purchase, it is worth remembering about these three producers who use their own raw materials to make this New Year's nectar. Each plant has huge vineyards in stock.
Regardless of who was the manufacturer, the drink must be aged for at least one and a half years. And if we add to this the transportation and the location of the bottle on the counter of the store, then by the New Year's feast it will turn out to be at least 1.8-2 years. You should also pay attention to the cost. A quality product cannot be cheap. People who have decided to economically approach the issue of celebrating the New Year will receive on the table at best, "fizzy", and at worst, and poisoning with ethyl alcohol.
In addition to the above tips for choosing a drink, you can identify a few more points that are worth paying attention to.
- Champagne bottles should be free of sediment.
- The cork should not be plastic, only natural.
- There should be no traces of glue on the label placed exactly in the center.
- There should be no additional flavors, including natural fruit flavors.
- It is advisable to drink champagne after the indicated aging period for one to two years, otherwise it becomes stronger and more bitter in taste.
- It is worth paying attention to the cork, if it seems shriveled, the champagne may be spoiled.When stored properly at a certain angle, the cork is immersed in liquid and swells, thereby protecting the contents from the penetration of air and microbes.
- The bubbles in a glass of a good drink last for several hours.
- There may be no bubbles if glasses are washed and rinsed with alkaline products. If the owners insist on this cleaning method, but want to see bubbles in the glasses, they should be thoroughly wiped with a cotton napkin. Bubbles collect on fine dust particles and fibers.
Which wine producers do you prefer?
- Domestic.
- Manufacturers from other countries.
View Results
Loading…
Domestic manufacturers
One of the important aspects of checking the quality of a product is the reputation of this elixir. In this case, of course, we are talking about production. The most famous in our country are:
- Abrau-Dyurso.
- "New World".
- "Kuban-Vino".
Back in Soviet times, these companies acquired a patent for the technology of a drink in large tanks, and a little later they also patented the creation by a reservoir (fermentation) method. The most popular release of the domestic manufacturer is carried out under the brand name "Soviet Shampanskoe", which has become a household name rather than speaking about the state. Recently, sparkling wines, "Abrau-Durso" and "Russian champagne" have been in demand.
How to serve and drink champagne?
Over the centuries of the existence of champagne, the shape of the glasses in which it was served has changed. These were narrow, long and wide glasses.
Today, several types of glasses are used:
- at social events, this divine nectar is served in wide vessels;
- Gourmets use narrow, thin glass goblets, which were invented by the French in the 18th century, resembling a tulip in shape.
Also used:
- elongated conical;
- elongated;
- streamlined shape;
- broken shape;
- creative;
- crystal relief, inlaid.
Before drinking the selected champagne, you should enjoy the play of bubbles, inhale the aroma, and then just take a small sip.
As an appetizer, you can choose seafood, strawberries or caviar. Fresh hard cheese also works well.
Finally
Very often in the southern countryside you can see mini-entrepreneurs producing "quality" alcoholic products. They release their wares in small batches and distribute them in the surrounding area. Of course, their hands cannot reach the server territory, but for some time there have appeared entrepreneurs of a broader scale with their own small wineries. They prepare their products either on purchased raw materials, or on wine material, with the addition of various low-grade components.
That is why, when choosing champagne for the New Year, you should carefully read the product, read everything about the condition and who produces this sparkling nectar.
