Christmas week is finally here and the time has come to discuss the most famous of all sparkling wines. Champagne!
Let us be clear, we are not speaking of those cheap California bubbles labeled California Champagne, we are speaking of the granddaddy of ‘em all from the north of France in the Champagne region. Wines from actual Champagne are made following a very strict set of rules that dictates what grapes are allowed, how long it must age, harvest yields, even the pressure used in the presses for the grapes. The California bubblies come with no guarantee of anything.
Champagne is often a blend of over 50 different base wines from different villages and vintages which is why the vast majority of Champagnes are “non-vintage” meaning they don’t have a harvest date on the label. These blends are then aged on the lees (dead yeast) for a minimum of 15 months with most houses aging much longer than this. Once the yeast is removed, then a mixture of wine and sugar to achieve the final level of sweetness desired.
I could go on and on about what is arguably one of my favorite styles of wine, but you have better things to do like drink some!! Here is a handy cheat sheet with all kinds of information to help you decode the mysteries of Champagne. Cheers and have a fantastic holiday season.
Randy Freeland
Bubbles Wine Director