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CHAPTER 9 – CHAMPAGNE

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CHAPTER 9 – CHAMPAGNE
Contents
• Overview
• Geography
• Terroir
• Harvest & Pressing
• Fermentation
• Blending & Ageing
• Riddling & Disgorgement

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CHAPTER 9 – CHAMPAGNE
Grapes Must• Harvest
• Pressing
Wine
• Fermentation (s)
Champagne
• Blending
• Maturation
Bottle
• Riddling
• Disgorgement
Overview - producing champagne

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EQUATOR
49th
parallel South
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........... ... ... ...
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49th
parallel North
Geographical position

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CHAPTER 9 – CHAMPAGNE
Château
Thierry
Épernay
Reims
Pinot Noir
Pinot Meunier
Chardonnay
Bar/Aube
Map of Champagne

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CHAPTER 9 – CHAMPAGNE
Chalk - regulates water cycle and temperature
- offers optimum minerality for local grape varieties
Champagne Terroir: the soil

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•East or South-East aspect (exposure)
•Canopy management optimising sunshine exposure
Champagne Terroir: Aspect

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Continental climate with oceanic influence
Average yearly temperature : 10.5 °C (54°F), frequent frost periods,
low rainfalls, favourable summer and fall
Champagne Terroir: the climate

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CHAPTER 9 – CHAMPAGNE
Pinot Noir
Black Grape, Clear Pulp
Montagne de Reims
Pinot Meunier
Black Grape, Clear Pulp
Vallée de la Marne and
Montagne Ouest
Chardonnay
White Grape, Clear Pulp
Côte des Blancs
Grape varieties

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Grape varieties, Crus and even blocks are kept
separate
Grapes are all hand-harvested
Harvest

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Minimum time between harvesting and pressing
Juice fractions : "cuvée" and "taille" are kept separate
Limited extraction : 2550 litres/4000 kgs ("marc"), or 1,2 kg for 1 bottle
Pressing

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Sugar + Yeast = Alcohol
From the grape
juice
Selected strains
added
The must turns
into wine
+ CO2
Escapes in the
air
Alcoholic fermentation

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Malic Acid + Bacteria
s
= Lactic Acid
Strong Acid from
the grape juice
Selected strains
added
Milder acid
Malo-lactic Fermentation

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CHAPTER 9 – CHAMPAGNE
Blending different grape varieties,
Pinot Meunier for fruitiness, roundness,
Pinot Noir for body, structure, length,
Chardonnay for freshness, finesse, delicacy
coming from different crus and several vintages.
Blending

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Daily tastings from November to January
Several hundreds of wines tasted to create the different "cuvées"
Blending

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Once the blends have been made, wines are bottled
for the 2nd alcoholic fermentation
Ageing

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Allows to eliminate the dead yeast sediment
Riddling

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Ejection of the dead yeast sediment
Disgorgement

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Brut nature
Extra Brut
Brut
Extra Dry
Dry ou Sec
Demi Sec
Doux
Grammes of added sugar per liter
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
The Final Touch for a Champagne
Dosage

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Corking and muzzling

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From Quarter bottle to … Nebucchadnezzar (20 bottles)
Quarterbottle
Halfbottle
Magnum
Bottle
Jeroboam
Mathuselem
Salmanazar
Nebuchadnezzor
Balthazar
Labelling

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Recommended temperatures :
- Brut NV : 8 to 10°C (46/50 °F)
- Vintages : 10 to 12°C (50/54°F)
Tasting and serving champagne

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• The style is defined by the fundamental elements
that characterize all the different champagnes made
by a given House, and which recur year after year.
• It is perceptible through:
– Effervescence & foam
– Colour
– Structure on the palate
– Texture
– Taste
Style

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CHAPTER 9 – CHAMPAGNE
`In victory, you deserve Champagne,
in defeat, you need it.`
Napoleon Bonaparte