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Types of Champagne & Sparkling Wine
Champagne is sparkling wine, but sparkling wine is not champagne. Only wine from grapes grown in the Champagne region of France can be called champagne. All others grown and produced outside that region are called sparkling wines even though the process, "methode champenoise" (champagne method), is exactly the same. Add this to my Recipe Box.
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Champagne And Sparkling Wine Grapes
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Champagne and sparkling wine can be made from several grape varieties, such as chardonnay, called blanc de blanc, and pinot noir, the red grape of Burgundy. The color of champagne is not determined by the color of the grape juice, which is clear, but the color of the grape skin. Rose, or pink champagne, is made by allowing the skins of pinot noir grapes to remain in contact with the juice for a short time, giving it a pink color. Most of the finest champagnes come from the pinot noir grape, but the skins are not allowed to be in contact with the juice and add color to the champagne.
Classifications
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Champagne and sparkling wine are broken down into the following classifications: ultra brut or extra brut, which is the driest of all champagnes and sparking wines. Brut is next in dryness and the most common type, containing no more than 1.5 percent sugar. Extra dry is slightly sweeter, followed by demi-sec, which can contain up to 8 percent sugar. The sweetest is doux.
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Vintage Champagne
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The most expensive of all champagnes and sparkling wines, vintage champagne is made from grapes harvested in a particular year. When the grape crop from a year does not meet standards, no champagne is produced from that year. Two of the most expensive and well-known vintage champagnes are Dom Perignon and Louis Roederer Cristal. Most vintage champagnes are aged five to seven years for further development before release.
Non-Vintage Champagne and Sparkling Wine
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Most champagne and sparkling wine falls into this category. Non-vintage or blended champagne and sparkling wine is derived from a blend of grapes from different years or vintages. Some popular non-vintage champagnes are Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Brut Yellow Label, Moët & Chandon White Star and Louis Roederer Brut Premier. Iron Horse, Korbel and Gloria Ferrer are popular California sparkling wines. Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut and Martini & Rossi Asti Spumante are popular imports.
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References
- Photo Credit champagne cork image by Albo from Fotolia.com
