Which grapes are used in champagne?
You probably know that the three main grapes used for champagne are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. The latter are the only two red grapes in the region. The three varieties account for about 99% of the plantings in Champagne.
But did you know that there are actually seven authorized varieties that can be grown in Champagne? The other four are Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Petit Meslier and Arbane, all white varieties that make up less than 0.3% of plantings.
Chardonnay
With the amount of Blanc de Blancs champagne found in wine stores and on restaurant menus, it would not be wrong to think that Chardonnay is widely planted. But of the three main ones, it is the least planted grape variety in Champagne, covering just over 25,000 hectares. Champagnes based on Chardonnay make up even less than 5% of the category.
Because of its mild flavor profile, Chardonnay can be quite easily influenced by winemaking decisions. Its inclusion can add acidity, structure and freshness.
Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir is a staple of champagne blends and the most widely planted variety in the region, covering more than 32,000 hectares. It is one of only two permitted red grapes in the region, along with Pinot Meunier. They are responsible for Blanc de Noirs champagnes, or white wines made from black-skinned grapes. Pinot Noir, often described as delicate, gives the wine body, that mouth-filling, structural texture. It also adds delicious aromas to the blend.
Pinot Meunier
Although Pinot Meunier is traditionally a blending grape, in recent years it has become a star in its own right, with 100% Meunier champagnes becoming increasingly popular. Excellent examples include bottlings from José Michel, Moussé Fils and Salmon, all of which bet most of their production on Meunier. Pinot Meunier brings out those coveted flavors of red berries, but it also balances the overall blend. About 26,000 acres of Meunier are planted in the region.
Pinot Blanc
Pinot Blanc is a white grape variety, but it is related to Pinot Noir. A color mutation inactivates certain genes that produce pigment, creating this white version of Pinot Noir. Its berry size and leaf shape are often confused with Chardonnay, a distant cousin of Pinot Blanc. Pinot Blanc has always been grown in Burgundy and Champagne, but Alsace has the largest planting in France, with nearly 8,300 acres. Pinot Blanc lends a strong floral profile to the wine's bouquet and tangy acidity on the palate.
Pinot Gris
This pink-skinned grape, also known by its historical name, Fromenteau, is well known in still wine, but it is also one of seven varieties allowed in champagne. It is also a color mutation of Pinot Noir. When blended, Pinot Gris offers fruit and richness.
Petit Meslier
Petit Meslier, one of the most obscure varieties in Champagne, has a burning acidity that prevails even in the hottest years. Like Pinot Blanc, it is a relative of Chardonnay. One of its "parents" is Gouais Blanc, also a parent of Chardonnay crossed with another little-known variety, Savagnin. The flavors in Petit Meslier are often vegetal and can be reminiscent of Sauvignon Blanc. A big bonus is that it resists frost, the main enemy of Champagne vineyards.
Arbane
Arbane is perhaps the rarest Champagne grape of all, with only 2.5 hectares planted in France in 2006. It is a pale yellow, very late-ripening grape with predominant acidity that often requires a lot of attention due to the low yields it produces. The flavors are often spicy or green.
Where are the "forgotten four" now?
In 1986, the champagne house L. Aubry Fils prepared for the 1991 bicentennial by recreating wines that would have been made in the early days. The idea was to use varieties such as Arbane that had fallen out of favor.
But it takes time for grapes to grow and produce viable fruit. It wasn't until 1994 that Aubry was able to harvest all seven authorized varieties. From those plantings came Le Nombre d'Or.
Champagne grapes and climate change
Champagne's ever-warming climate is indicative of a global problem. Champagne houses like Bollinger have begun planting more of the four lesser-used varieties because of their naturally high acidity. That helps balance ripe fruit, the other structural component needed for Champagne to ripen.
Other producers balance sweeter fruit by reducing the dosage, or the sugar mixture added to Champagne after disgorgement. A Brut Champagne has less than 12 grams per liter of dosage, but as the temperature continues to rise, dosage levels are reduced or even eliminated. These zero-dosage bottlings are now incredibly popular with global Champagne cognoscenti.
Some producers, such as AR Lenoble, block malolactic conversion to preserve acidity. Malolactic conversion, affectionately known as "malo," is a process in which the sharp malic acid found in grapes is converted to a creamier-feeling lactic acid.
Many champagnes use this because of the abundance of acidity in the wine, but rising temperatures reduce acidity. These are just some of the methods producers experiment with to preserve the history and taste of champagne. But they certainly won't be the only ones.
What types of champagne are there?
Champagne is a sparkling wine produced in the region of the same name in France. White champagne is the best known, but there is also rosé champagne. Only sparkling wine from this region, made according to the méthode traditionnelle (before 1994 known as méthode champenoise) may bear the name "champagne.
From brut to doux
The designation of champagne depends on the amount of sugar per liter.
- Brut, a very dry champagne with a dosage of less than 15 grams per liter
- Extra Sec, with a dosage of less than 20 and more than 12 grams per liter
- Sec, with a dosage of less than 35 and more than 17 grams per liter
- Demi-Sec, with a dosage of less than 50 and more than 35 grams per liter
- Doux, a sweet champagne with a dosage of more than 50 grams per liter
- "Brut nature", "pas dosé" or "dosage zéro" contains less than 3 grams of sugar per liter
Composition of champagne
Only three different types of grapes are used for champagne, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier or a combination of them.
- Blanc de Blancs are made from 100% Chardonnay grapes. They are light in color and taste and have high acidity. In the taste you will find notes of citrus and apple.
- Blanc des Noirs is made from the blue grapes of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier or both. These champagnes are rich and full-bodied with lots of dark fruit.
- Rosé champagne; for rosé champagne, 8 to 20% red wine is added to the champagne to give it a pink color and fruity taste.
Whether or not a year on the bottle
The champagnes without vintage have a constant character of taste and quality. These champagnes mature for about 15 months in the cellars, making it the simplest and most common type of champagne.
Champagne millésime are champagnes with a year. These champagnes are often brut and differ per year in character. These champagnes are often kept in the cellars for at least three years. Generally, this is why these champagnes are more expensive.
Cava and Prosecco
Cava is a Spanish sparkling wine produced mainly in the Penedès, the wine region southwest of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain.
Prosecco is both the name of an Italian sparkling wine and the white grape variety from which it is made.
Cava and Prosecco are not champagne!
The right serving temperature
The best serving temperature for champagne is between 8 and 10° C. Light champagnes are generally served slightly cooler and complex champagnes slightly less cool. If you serve champagne too cold, you won't taste the real flavor properly.
Opening the bottle
When you open a bottle of champagne, the cork should not pop. Also, when opening, you should not twist the cork, but the bottle.
A fantastic aperitif
Champagne is a fantastic aperitif. Its many acids will whet the appetite.
A good meal companion
Champagne is a full-bodied, complex and versatile wine, so it goes well with meals. As with sparkling water, the bubbles will enhance the flavor of the dish even more.
Harmonie or contrast?
There is such a thing as a basic principle: neither the dish nor the drink should overshadow each other. This also applies to champagne. They must reinforce each other. But for every rule there is an exception; you can also go for contrast!
Source: WineEnthusiast
