How Champagne Is Made
You may think that sparkling wine is Champagne, but you would be wrong. All sparkling wine is not Champagne. There’s sparkling wine from California, New York State, and Washington State; there’s Spain’s Cava and Italy’s Prosecco; and there’s sparkling wine from Alsace, southern France and Germany. But none of these compare with Champagne, even when they’re made in the “mèthode Champenoise” style.
Real Champagne is made only in France’s controlled Champagne appellation and has never been successfully imitated anywhere else in the world. Here’s how Champagne is made:
Vin Clairette
Champagne is France’s coldest winegrowing region. Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay—the principal grapes of the Champagne region — do not fully ripen here. That’s why there is no still wine from Champagne region. These underripe wines are called “vins clairettes.” They are thin and acidic compared to wines designed for the table wine market. But they are perfect for Champagne production.
Fermentation of Champagne
A few Champagne houses ferment their clairettes in oak barrels; most today use stainless steel tanks. When the wine is bottled, a “tirage” of sugar and yeast is added to induce a secondary fermentation inside the sealed bottle.
Riddling and Disgorgement
The aged Champagne wines are placed in a neck-down position so the spent yeast cells can collect in the neck of the bottle. The necks are frozen, uncorked, and the solids removed. This process is still performed by hand in fine Champagne houses. The process has been automated in Spain and elsewhere.
Dosage
The Champagne is topped off with a mixture of wine and sugar before being permanently sealed with a Champagne cork, cage, and foil. The amount of sugar added, called the “dosage,” determines whether the finished wine will be Brut, Extra Dry, Demi-sec, or Doux.
Aging Champagne
A Champagne that is Non-vintage is designed for immediate consumption. Vintage Champagne will improve over years, even decades.
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