Photo via Flickr by Olivier Duquesne
The name “Champagne” evokes many feelings and memories for people, usually tied to a special occasion such as a wedding or graduation. Do you ever drink champagne just because? If not, you should!
Champagne (and other sparklers) are great, food friendly wines and don’t need to cost a fortune. The high acid levels and a little bit of residual sugar allow champagne to be enjoyed with many foods.
You can pick up a 1/2 bottle so you can try just a glass or two.
By any other name
A wine is allowed to be labeled as champagne only when it meets certain very specific criteria. There are three grapes that are allowed to be used: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and the lesser known Pinot Meunier.
True champagne comes from the same named region of France, located about 90 miles northeast of Paris and must be made in the traditional méthode champenois. Wines made by this same method in France but outside of Champagne are called crémant.
There are some winemakers outside of France that call their wines champagne, such as “California Champagne.” As these wines are not made in Champagne, there are movements to prevent the name from being used.
Vintage? Nonvintage? Picking champagne
Some champagne producers will make vintage champagnes in exceptional years. Most of the champagne that you see, about 90%, is nonvintage (NV). For these wines, producers carefully mix still wine from different years to achieve the distinct style that they are looking for in a process called assemblage.
Blanc de blancs champagne is made with only Chardonnay grapes, resulting in a lighter wine perfect for seafood.
Blanc de noir champagne is made with one or both of the Pinot grapes, creating a more full bodied wine to match with heavier fare such as cheese or meat.
Opening a bottle of Champagne
While it may be fun and exciting to pop open the cork and see champagne flowing out, if you don’t want to waste your wine and want to keep your kitchen clean (I once had to repaint my ceiling after a party guest vigorously opened up a bottle), try this method:
- Remove the foil and wire cage which is also called the musulet. Keep a thumb on the cork just in case it starts to come out, although this is unlikely I feel better holding it down.
- Keeping one hand on the cork, grasp the bottle with your other hand and twist it away from the cork.
- The cork will slide out with a sighing sound rather than a pop and you won’t lose any champagne!
Serving and drinking champagne
Tall, tulip shaped glasses direct the bubbles upwards, allowing you to detect the aromas. Avoid the wide mouth saucer that you often see sparkling wine served out of – the bubbles and aromas will escape too easily, taking the flavor with them.
Serve champagne chilled by putting in an ice bucket for 20 minutes prior to opening, or in a refrigerator for about 3 hours.
Champagne fun facts
According to the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC), in 2010 the top importer of champagne was the UK, at almost 36 million bottles. The US was second at almost 17 million bottles. Germany, Belgium and Italy round out the top 5.
Most exports (86%) are from the large champagne houses, while inside of France, 44% of shipments are from growers or cooperatives. The 15,000 growers own about 90% of the vineyards, and sell a lot of their grapes to the large champagne houses.
For champagne recommendations …
Jancis Robinson’s recommendations: Top 25+ fizzes
Dave McIntyre recommends a few others: Recommended champagnes
Photo via Flickr by Michael McKechnie
What an education in icewine we all received from Michelle Bosc from Chateau des Charmes and Debi Pratt and Del Rollo from Inniskillin on #winechat last week!
Icewine is made from grapes which have been left on the vine and allowed to freeze. The grapes are left on the vines for a long time, sometime between December and March in Canada.
The frozen grapes don’t release as much water as unfrozen grapes, leading to a higher sugar content similar to Sauternes. The secret to icewine is balancing the sweetness and acidity.
Most icewine comes from Germany (eiswein) or Canada, primarily the Ontario area, where freezing is fairly consistent from year to year.
Typical grapes used for icewine include highly acidic grapes such as Cabernet Franc, Vidal, Riesling and Gewurztraminer.
Vidal is popular for icewine for many reasons, not least of which is its winter hardiness and high acid. These grapes have thicker skins which help to prevent rot and mold formation. Because Vidal has floral notes, it is best consumed young.
Riesling has thinner skins, so the weather dictates how well these grape do. Because Riesling is riskier to make into icewine, the Rieslings can be harder to find and more expensive but may be more age worthy than Vidal.
What makes icewine so expensive?
- Grapes are typically harvested by hand (brrr … ) and must be processed quickly after picking – just picture picking grapes at night in the whipping cold wind!
- Each grape only yields about one fifth what an unfrozen grape would give when pressed.
- Vineyards take an enormous risk by leaving their grapes out so long – these grapes can be decimated before they can be harvested. Birds and other animals eat the still hanging grapes from the vine. If a freeze doesn’t come, the grapes can rot, and if a hard freeze comes too quickly, the juice can be impossible to extract from the grapes.
- Because of the very high sugar level, fermentation can take a very long time – even months – to complete. Because of the high sugar levels and cold must, special yeast is required.
Does icewine age well?
The sugar in icewine acts as a preservative so these wines do age, but lose their fruitiness over time. If you prefer a fruitier wine, drink young. If you like to see what happens with age, I bet you’ll find some interesting flavors develop. According to our great winechat guests, a smoky caramel flavor develops.
Icewine can hold in the refrigerator for days after opening.
Drinking icewine
Icewine can be enjoyed on its own, as a sweet dessert by itself or with some fresh fruit to bring out the fruit flavors in the wine.
Recommendations for drinking included an “icewine martini” which has a 2:1 icewine:vodka ratio. Also popular is making “icewine popsicles” – think of how refreshing.
A few last words …
Remember it’s “icewine” not “ice wine!” Fake icewines are common, especially in certain parts of the world (such as China) so make sure to look for the one word label.
Love Ice Wine? Maybe a trip to Niagara’s Ice Wine Festival is in order!
A special thanks to Tyler Philp for gathering all of our Canadian friends to a wonderful discussion! I learned so much and am having such a great time introducing friends and family to icewine!
Let me know if I missed anything or if you’ve had a great icewine experience!
It’s holiday season! Looking for a last minute gift for a wine lover? Below are a few suggestions:
For the wine scholar: Karen MacNeil’s Wine Bible. A hefty book, even in paperback form, full of great information on just about everything.
For the gadget lover: A Soiree Decanter. Not only does it look cool when you dump the bottle upside down to decant, but it really works to soften up reds.
For the reader: A subscription to a popular magazine such as Wine Spectator or Wine Enthusiast. It’s a gift that keeps on coming.
For the entertainer: A set of Riedel Vinum wine glasses. The Burgundy and Bordeaux shapes are the most versatile.
For the sentimentalist: A bottle of wine from a special year – the year the person was born, was married, had a baby, etc. Sure to bring a smile to their face.
And last but not least … a gift certificate to a favorite wine store is always usable and never the wrong size!
Cheers and Happy Holidays!
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