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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!
Kimberley
Lovato is a freelance writer based in Brussels, Belgium. Her culinary
travel book about the Dordogne region of France will be released by
Running Press in April 2010. www.abroadinbelgium.com
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