Somm—O—Logue 1: Champagne Comes From Champagne! (A Somm—O—Logue is like Psalms from the Bible, but by a Sommelier)

Wedding season is upon us…

1. Champagne Comes From Champagne!

This sommelier will argue that Champagne growers and producers are the most passionate vignerons in the world. Their vineyards have been the battlefields for many wars, including a pair of worldly ones. Napoleon even had a mountain top leveled there to have a banquet at Vertus. Champagne is actually a village or region about 90 minutes northeast of Paris. The sparkling wines from Champagne are highly regulated by the French Government. They are very protective of the secondary fermentation that occurs in the bottle giving Champagne its famous bubbles!

Methode Champenoise, or Champagne Method, is very arduous and labor intensive. Champagne can only be made from three grapes chardonnay, pinot noir, and pinot meunier. Chardonnay is a white varietal and the pinots are red varietals. There are many styles but two common ones are “Blanc de Blanc”and “Blanc de Noirs.” Blanc de blanc literally means white from white and is made exclusively from Chardonnay. Blanc de noirs literally means white from red and is made from the red varietals.

Most Champagnes are blends and the grapes come from multiple vintages, hence NV or non-vintage. Chardonnay brings a crisp acidity to the blend. Pinot Noir brings richness and texture. Vintage Champagnes, like Cuvee Dom Perignon, are declared usually three times per decade and the grapes all come from the same year. Most Champagnes in America are labeled brut, which are dry, and there are dessert Champagnes, which are labeled demi-sec or doux.

Sommelier Humor—I did not come up with the following, but stole it from a sommelier I use to work with/trained me how to be technical. My favorite Grand Cru Village is Bouzy—and—my Favorite Premier Cru Village is Dizy! Yes, these are actually classified wine growing villages of Champagne. What Champagne do Sommeliers drink? Krug! Krug does make the greatest Champagne in the World.

There are many cost effective alternatives to Champagne like Spanish Cava or Italian Prosecco. Many traditional Champagne Houses have purchased vineyard land in California and built wineries. They are producing sparkling wines using Method Champenoise, but at half the cost. Mass produced sparkling wines are essentially still wines pumped with CO2 gas and bottled. (Just like Coke—Yikes!) So remember—Champagne comes from Champagne!