 My
only regret in life is that I did not drink more Champagne
John Maynard Keynes
Perhaps
the quintessential celebratory drink, sparkling wine is created when a
yeast and sugar solution is added to dry table wine. The resulting fermentation
creates tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide in the bottle.
The terms "Champagne" and
"sparkling wine" are often used interchangeably, but only those wines
produced in the Champagne region of France can be truly called
Champagnes. Those made elsewhere are sparkling wines, although
many are produced using "methode Champenoise" and
are labelled accordingly.
Champagne was "discovered" accidentally by
French monk Dom Pérignon. In his management of wine
cellars, he discovered that the bubbles were the result of
an incomplete fermentation process, which stopped during the
cooler months and resumed when the weather began to warm.
At the time, the bubbles were the mark of bad wine-making,
but after some experimentation with grape blends, Pérignon
-- and those around him -- came to realize that the resulting
wine was actually quite pleasant.
The main two grapes used are the Chardonnay
and the Pinot Noir, and sparkling wine can be made from each
separately or both together.
Sparkling wine can be:
- Brut (very
dry),
- Extra Sec or Extra Dry (dry),
- Sec (semi-sweet), or
- Demi
Sec (sweet). Champage is best drunk chilled, and typically does
not improve with age.
Types of
sparkling wine:
- Blanc
de Noir-- This version is made from the dark Pinot
Noir grape, but the skins are removed before the color is
extracted. Its color varies from gold to bright pink, and
its flavour is full-bodied and complex.
- Blanc de Blanc -- Made entirely
from all green (white) grapes -- usually the Chardonnay and
Pinot Gris --the version is light and fruity.
- Champagne -- Made from Pinot Noir
and/or Chardonnay grapes, this version contains little residual
sugar, just enough to balance the acidity.
- Spumante -- "Sparkling" in Italian, spumante has a
hint of honey. Brut is dry, Asti Spumante is sweet.
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