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Vive la France – Part Deux!!

            We’ll stay in France another week to avoid the ash cloud (OK, the ash cloud has dispersed, but who wouldn’t want to spend another week tasting French wines).  However, we will move to Champagne and sparkling wines.  As with all French wines, the use of the word Champagne is highly regulated in Europe.  Only true Champagne (coming from grapes grown in Champagne, France) may be sold under the name “Champagne.”  However, the U.S. does not adhere to these regulations and, thus, many of its sparkling wines are designated Champagne.

            The champagne-making technique is essentially a second fermentation in the bottle in which the wine is subsequently sold.  This adds the “sparkle.”  While the French support the “myth” that the Benedictine monk Dom Perignon invented Champagne in the late 1690s, there is little evidence to support this theory.  However, it does appear that sparkling wines became mainstream around the late 1600s.  Prior to that time, any effervescence was considered a fault in the wine.

            One of the most interesting conundrums with regard to sparkling wines is the oft-asked question – “which is drier, brut or extra dry?”  The answer is completely counter-intuitive.  Brut is the drier style of champagne, extra dry in this instance means “not as dry.”  If you are looking for a sweeter style, try a demi-sec.  Asti Spumante, which uses the Moscato grape, is another sweet alternative.  Asti is the place where the grapes are grown in Italy.  If not Asti, the sparkling wine will simply be designated Spumante, and is generally less expensive than its Asti conterpart.

            A few more sparkling wine terms that may come in handy:  Bland de Blanc means “white of whites” and is produces entirely from Chardonnay grapes.  These tend to age well.  Blanc de Noir means “white of blacks” and are made entirely from black grapes – either Pinot Noir or Pinot Meunier.  Rose sparkling wines are produced by macerating the skins and juice to extract pigments.

            A few tidbits and fun facts:  1.  There are 250 million bubbles in a bottle of Champagne; 2. The pressure inside a Champagne bottle is the same as that inside a double-decker bus tire; and 3. There are more than 12,500 different brands of Champagne (try them all!!!).  I think we have once again come to the end and it is time to stop.  If you have any questions, feel free to ask me or your local wine shop.  Cheers!!!