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Sparkling Wine Production
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Champagne vs. Sparkling Wine:
Champagne is sparkling wine produced in a delimited viticultural area northeast
of Paris, France, and is made expressly from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot
Meunier. Champagne's effervescence is achieved by inducing a second fermentation
in the bottle itself. This process is called "Methode Champenoise" (MC) or the
traditional method.
In France, this process is strictly controlled -- from the techniques used in
the vineyard to the wording of the labels on finished bottles. Any other
sparkling wine produced in Europe (even if produced by the same method) may not
be called Champagne.
The term "Champagne" is sometimes used by producers of domestic sparkling wines,
but the bottle must indicate that the product was produced outside of the
Champagne region of France (i.e., California Champagne). However, many American
producers do not call their product Champagne out of respect to the French.
The Champagne Method
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The traditional method used to produce Champagne, (Methode Champenoise), has
evolved over many centuries; Initially, the secondary fermentation occurred by
accident due to the winemaking and wine transport and storage proactices of the
day. Although there is evidence to show that sparkling wines were produced as
early as the year 1531, it was not until the 17th century that winemakers began
to intentionally produce sparkling Champagne (until then the region produced
mediocre still wines).
The making of Champagne starts in the vineyards, where the varietals, the
cultural practices and the maximum yields per hectare (2.5 acre) are closely
regulated. The Inter-Professional Committee of Champagne Wines (CIVC), is the
authority that declares the date when harvest begins. Once harvest is declared,
the grapes are hand-picked and delivered to the press-houses. The Pinot Meunier
is normally the first variety to be picked, followed by Pinot Noir and
Chardonnay. Due to the cold climate of the region, the sugar levels are often
low and the acid levels always high. However, since the grapes spend a long time
on the vines they possess a distinctive (if delicate) character.
Processing the Grapes
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Traditionally, a press-load of grapes (4000 Kg, called a marc) will be pressed
to yield the 2,666 liters of must allowed for the production of Champagne (about
160 gallons per ton). The juice is divided into fractions, according to a
tradition based on the holding capacity of the Champagne barrel -- one barrel
(piece champenoise) holds 205 liters (54 gallons). One marc will thus produce
enough juice to fill thirteen barrels.
The first ten barrels hold the cuvée (free run)
The next two barrels hold the premiere taille (first press fraction).
The last barrel holds the deuxieme taille (the second press fraction).
Any juice extracted beyond this point is called rebeche and is not allowed for
use in the production of Champagne. Some Champagne houses take the first juice
to come out of the press and combine it with the press fraction in order to keep
the dust (and other possible contaminants) away from the cuvée wine.
The traditional Champagne press, the Coquard press, is a shallow, vertical
basket press, whose design results in even and relatively low pressure on the
mass of grapes. The grapes are pressed whole (they are not crushed or destemmed).
This, together with the press design, allows the winemaker to extract juices
that are low in color and phenolic content, which is necessary for the
production of premium Champagne. Since the capacity of the traditional press is
small, and the loading and unloading of grapes into it is a long and laborious
manual process, many Champagne houses are currently using large-capacity
membrane presses for their high-volume operations.
Fermentation
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Once the grapes are pressed, the musts are cold-settled and racked off the heavy
lees. The alcoholic fermentation takes place in cool temperatures and produces
base wines of about 11% alcohol. The different lots are fermented and kept
separate. During this stage of processing, winemakers begin to layer their
wines, much like painters choose colors off their palettes in order to achieve a
particular shade.
Blending
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After all the year's wine has fermented, the process of assemblage or blending
begins. Several weeks of tastings and experimentation with various blends
culminate in the final decision as to the composition of this year's cuvée(s).
Not only do the winemakers have to identify the best wine lots, they must also
predict how well they will age after the second fermentation takes place. This
process is made difficult by the fact that the wines at this stage are extremely
tart and "green". Many people consider the base wines for Champagne as neutral,
this is not true of quality sparkling wines; a good base wine will show
distinctive character in both aroma and flavor but this character will not be as
robust as with a young Cabernet Sauvignon, for example. Any person with
experience will be able to readily tell a great base wine from a mediocre one.
Bottling
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Once the cuvée is blended, it is cold-stabilized and filtered. The wine is now
ready for tirage, the process of bottling the wine with the addition of sugar
and yeast. The sugar addition (22 to 26 grams per liter) is calculated so that
when fermented to dryness the bottles will contain a pressure of 5 to 6
atmospheres at 10 degrees C (90 psi at 50 degress F). A cup-shaped plastic
insert (known as a bidule) and a metal crown cap are used to seal the bottles
which will then be stacked in bins or along the walls of underground caves for
what is known as the prise de mousse (the setting of the sparkle). Fermentation
will occur in the following 4 to 6 weeks at the cool cellar temperature. Once
fermentation is complete, the yeast and riddling aids will form a deposit inside
the horizontally placed bottles.
In France, Non-Vintage (NV) Champagnes have to spend at least one year in the
bottle before release while Vintage Dated Champagnes (millesime) cannot be
released before they are three years old. In practice, most Vintage Champagnes
are older than the required three years. During the period of aging on the lees,
the wines become softer and increase in complexity due to the process of yeast
autolysis (the degradation and break down of yeast cells). The complex chemical
and biological reactions that take place during this time are yet to be fully
understood. It is known, however, that they give rise to a plethora of aromas
and flavors that can be categorized as "nutty", "toasty", or "yeasty".
Riddling
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After the wine has aged on the lees, it is ready for the final stages of
processing. Riddling, or remuage, is the operation designed to gather the
sediment in the bottle and deposit it in the bidule near the mouth of the
bottle. Traditionally, the operation was done manually by placing the bottles in
specially designed racks (pupitres). These racks have holes cut in them at a 45
degree angle, thus allowing the riddler to spin the bottles as well as gradually
change their position from horizontal to vertical. It takes about one month to
riddle a batch of champagne this way; the results, however, are excellent since
the riddler can follow the effect of every move and adjust accordingly. Modern
technology has now made life a little easier for Champagne houses; instead of
the manual process, most producers use automatic riddling machines that cut the
average riddling time to about one week. These machines hold anywhere from one
to four bins of 504 bottles and riddle them at the same time following the
instructions from a computer program. The art of hand riddling is still with us,
however -- since some wines prove to be hard to riddle on machines (when the
deposits are light and fluffy for example). Also, it is not economical for small
producers to invest in the expensive riddling machines.
After the wine has been riddled, it sits in the neck-down position in bins, and
is ready for the last steps of processing. The bottles are now placed (neck
down) in a freezing solution for several minues, so that the liquid in their
necks freeze. Once an ice plug has formed in the necks of the bottles, they will
be placed (upright) on the conveyor line, and will continue to the disgourging
machine; this machine will removes the crown caps from the bottles. As a result,
the pressure within the bottles will shoot out (disgorge) the ice plug (with the
frozen sediment trapped in it), leaving a wine that is clear and brilliant. Not
all the pressure in the bottle is lost during this operation because the carbon
dioxide gas is held in a dissolved form in the very cold wine.
Dosage
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Next is the "dosage" operation; an addition of a small amount of sugar solution
(roughly two parts sugar to one part wine) to the disgorged bottles. This sugar
addition is done in order to balance the high acidity of the dry wine and will
determine the category under which the wine will be sold (non-dosée, brut, extra
sec, sec, demi-sec and doux). The sugar solution (known as the liqueur
d'expedition or the "dosage liqueur") is the last opportunity for the winemaker
to add to the quality of the finished product, a last "brush stroke" in the
painting. Therefore, Champagne houses will differ in the composition of their
liqueurs; some will add brandy to the solution while others will use a special
reserve wine to dissolve the sugar in. Antioxidants (sulfur dioxide, ascorbic
acid) will sometimes be added at this point in order to keep the wine fresh for
market.
After the dosage addition is made, all that is left to do is to top the bottle
to its final level (using disgorged bottles with no dosage), insert a champagne
cork, fasten it with a wire hood, add the foil and labels and package the wine.
Most Champagnes will spend some time in a warehouse (or time in the distribution
chain) so that when it is bought by the consumer the dosage addition would be
well blended into the wine (it is said the sugar and the wine have to "marry").
Most Champagnes are meant to be consumed within the year after release; however,
some will actually improve with some more ageing (especially the Vintage dated
prestige cuvées).
At this time, much research and development is going into two inventions that
will allow production of Champagnes without the long and expensive riddling
process. One invention fixes yeast in small capsules that are supposed to
immediately sink to the mouth of the bottle once it is placed vertically, the
other uses a membrane insert that is held by the crown cap of the bottle - thus
preventing the yeast from diffusing into the bottle (while allowing them to
ferment). As history shows, changes will continue to occur in the methods used
to produce Champagnes but the basic process will remain intact.
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