Capturing
The Sparkle
By Kimberley Lovato
Dom Pérignon, champagne's inventor, said, when he took a first
sip of the magic elixir. "I am drinking stars!" It?s true.
Champagne is sparkly and stellar. A happy drink synonymous with celebrations---Weddings,
New Years, Birthdays, or for me Friday! Heck, any day is a champagne
day in my house!
In honor of the arrival of 2009, I thought it appropriate to
discuss my beverage of choice. Below are some bubbly facts you can toast
to at your next celebration.
The story goes that a monk named Dom Pérignon (recognize the
name?), from the Abbey of Hautvillers in the Champagne region of France,
bottled and corked several lots of wine without allowing the fermentation
process to finish. During the winter months the wine remained dormant
but in spring, when the contents of the sealed bottles heated up, fermentation
resumed and carbon dioxide built up in the corked bottles. Eventually,
the bottles exploded. Curious, Perignon tasted the contents and beckoned
to his fellow friars, "Come quickly. I am drinking stars!"
The use of the name champagne has been a source of controversy
in wine circles but today ONLY wine produced in the Champagne region
of France can rightfully be called champagne. Not even sparkling wines
produced in other parts of France can use the moniker. Rather, they
must be designated "sparkling wine." If made in the traditional
French manner, the wine may be labeled with the words "Méthode
Champenoise". Spanish wines produced in the Méthode Champenoise
are called "Cava." In Italy, "Prosecco". (a key
ingredient to a good bellini cocktail, in case you are wondering).
If you haven't visited a champagne house, I highly recommend it. It's
only 3 hours from Brussels, tops, by car, to Reims---the effervescent
epicenter of the region. Although it might be appealing to visit the
big names and see the high volume operations, like those at Pommery
and Mumms, a tour of a small champagne house like Ployez-Jacquemart,
a small family run operation since 1930, is very educational and personal.
It's like taking a tour of a favorite aunt's house culminating in a
tasting in the living room. (www.ployez-jacquemart.fr)
Making sparkling wine in the French tradition Méthode
Champenoise is very labor-intensive. Here are the basic steps.
CUVÉE - The cuvée is the base wine selected to make champagne.
Cuvées can be produced from grape varietals such as Chardonnay
or Pinot Noir, or can be a mixture of several varieties. Chardonnay
is a white grape with white juice, Pinot Noir a red grape with white
juice. Pinot Meunier is a black wine grape and relative of Pinot Noir,
and often used in making champagne. If a champagne is made exclusively
from Chardonnay, it is called "Blanc de Blancs". Most champagne
is made from mixed cuvées.
TIRAGE - After the cuvée is selected, a mixture of sugar
and yeast, called "liqueur de tirage," is added. The wine
is then bottled temporarily capped.
PRISE DE MOUSSE - The key process in producing champagne is a second
fermentation that occurs in the sealed bottle. The bottles are placed
in a cool cellar and the wine is allowed to ferment slowly, for at least
three months. This process is sometimes referred to as the "prise
de mousse," or "capturing the sparkle," (I love that!)
which is the formation of the tiny bubbles we love so much.
LE REMUAGE (Riddling) - After the secondary fermentation, the
bottle is placed upside down in a holder at about a 75° angle. Each
day a "riddler" (no not the batman character) turns the bottles
an eighth of a turn, while keeping it upside down. In some of the smaller
cellars you'll visit, there is still a riddler who turns each bottle
by hand. Major houses now do this by machine.
DÉGORGEMENT (Disgorging) - The champagne bottle is kept upside
down while the neck is frozen. This results in the formation of a clump
of frozen wine in the bottle neck containing the dead yeast cells (gross)
that have gathered during the riddling process. The bottle cap is then
removed (disgorged), and the pressure of the carbon dioxide in the bottle
forces out the frozen wine. At this point sugar is added to adjust the
sweetness level and wine is added to top off the bottle. It is then
corked and wired down to secure the pressure.
We know the rest of this story: chill, pop, pour, Salut!
