Champagne is really a fantastic alcohol beverage that actually brings a sparkle to any special occasion, however when it comes to selecting one brand or another most individuals do not know where to start, so here’s a quick guide to exactly what makes all champagne brands various which will help you discover all types of new options.
When they buy champagne people often do 1 of 3 points:
· Stick with a brand that they have tried and liked before.
· Try someone’s else’s recommendation
· Purchase what’s on the wine list in front of them
If you always drink the same manufacturer you will most likely never be disappointed, but you may well get a little bit tired with the exact same old thing. If you try what somebody else suggests you may, or may not, be pleasantly surprised but do not forget that we all have different tastes so a champagne manufacturer that another individual thinks is the most wonderful thing they’ve ever tasted may just not be your cup of tea. Unfortunately when you take whatever is about the wine list you’re letting somebody else make the choice for you. That’s the way a lot of the big brands get to be large. They are distributed everywhere and so, in the absence of a deliberate selection by a consumer, they get to sell an awful lot of bottles.
There is another way and all it takes would be to learn several of the basics about champagne. Here’s the first one – ask what grapes the champagne is created from. Sounds very basic doesn’t it. After all, when you buy a bottle of wine you’d usually want to know which grape varietal was utilized, wouldn’t you? Well you can and should do the exact same with champagne.
Champagne is made from three types of grape: a white grape – Chardonnay and two black grapes – Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier (really you will find others but let’s not over-complicate things. If you know these 3 that will cover 99% of all champagne that is created.) If you are wondering how you are able to make white champagne from black grapes don’t forget that when the grape is pressed, the juice is usually colourless, even if the grape skin is black.
As a wine drinker you’ll know that various grape varieties have different characteristics and produce wine with different tastes and flavours; champagne is absolutely no exception. A champagne maker can mix the three grapes in whatever proportions he/she wants just so long as they get the final flavor they are looking for. Consequently the combinations that are possible are virtually infinite and it is this blending of the three different grapes that’s one of the key things that makes 1 champagne brand various from an additional.
Chardonnay brings flavours and aromas which are often described as being floral, or like citrus fruit. When wine writers talk of elegance, freshness and finesse, more often than not they are talking about Chardonnay. Another way of describing Chardonnay which I find useful would be to use an analogy from music and to say that Chardonnay provides the ‘ Treble’ notes. Chardonnay-based champagnes then often be light, refreshing, clean and frequently quite dry. They are excellent as an aperitif and with delicate food such as sushi and shellfish.
Pinot Noir on the other hand brings fullness, power and body to the champagne. Typical aromas associated with Pinot Noir are red-colored fruits such as strawberries and blackcurrants. Champagnes having a high proportion of Pinot Noir are a great match with full-flavoured food. If we use the same musical analogy as above, Pinot Noir provides the ‘ Bass ‘ notes within the composition. The third grape variety permitted in champagne is Pinot Meunier and whilst the other 2 are well-known outside the Champagne region, Pinot Meunier is almost unheard of elsewhere.
Utilized in a champagne Pinot Meunier can bring intense fruitiness with aromas of white-fleshed fruit for example apples or pears. It is simple to drink and difficult to dislike. So prior to you buy your next bottle of champagne ask the retailer, or waiter, what the blend of grapes is and which will give you a good indication with the style. Should you really want to impress then ask to know what the ‘assemblage’ is ( pronounced assomblarge). That’s the French word for blend.
If you’re about to say that this isn’t a fool-proof method, you’re right. This is a generalisation and the whole story is much more complicated, but it’s a useful begin and a tip that can be useful to everybody. Plus you don’t have to become a champagne expert to use it. To make points a little clearer, let’s take several examples:
Ruinart makes champagnes that use a lot of Chardonnay so they’re bright, light and fresh
Veuve Clicquot tends to have a great deal much more black grapes in it so it is fuller and rounder in flavour and I would say ‘ heavier’
Bollinger is even more this way and is definitely a champagne for individuals who love large, bold tastes.
Moët & Chandon is much more middle-of-the-road with roughly even amounts of all three grapes. It is a classic taste that appeals to a really wide range of people; that’s 1 of the reasons why it is the world’s best-selling champagne.
Canard Duchêne is usually a manufacturer having a high proportion of Pinot Meunier which make it fruity and simple to drink.
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