{"id":98392,"date":"2024-11-26T06:00:31","date_gmt":"2024-11-26T06:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/?p=98392"},"modified":"2024-11-18T09:45:25","modified_gmt":"2024-11-18T09:45:25","slug":"everything-you-need-to-know-about-champagne","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-champagne\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything you Need to Know About Champagne"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/b>There\u2019s a reason Dom P\u00e9rignon said, “Come quickly, I am tasting the stars,” the first time he tried Champagne. From the sound of the cork popping to the heady complexity to the sensation of bubbles, Champagne is captivating, but not all are made equal. Learn everything you need to know about this bubbly beverage with our comprehensive Champagne guide.<\/p>\n

\"Champagne<\/p>\n

Much like still wine (non-sparkling), Champagne has different varietals like Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, meaning they result in different styles with varying tasting notes.<\/p>\n

To help guide you through the world of Champagne, we explain the difference between Blanc de Blancs and Blanc de Noirs, as well as the difference between vintage and non-vintage Champagnes, and everything in between \u2013 like what people actually mean when they say it tastes \u2018dry.’<\/p>\n

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Champagne Guide<\/h3>\n

Tasting notes for each Champagne type depends on certain factors \u2013 like the vintage year, vineyard classification, and sweetness \u2013 but there are usually common tasting notes.<\/p>\n

\"Champagne<\/div>
\"Champagne<\/div><\/div>\n

Blanc de Blancs: <\/strong>Translates to \u2018white from whites\u2019 in French, meaning that white wine is made from white grape varietals. Chardonnay grapes are used to make Blanc de Blancs.<\/p>\n

Blanc de Noirs: <\/strong>Wine connoisseurs will know that \u2018blanc\u2019 usually refers to white wines (Chenin Blanc), whereas \u2018noir\u2019 refers to red wine (Pinot Noir), but Champagne or Cap Classique are classified as \u2018Blanc de Noirs\u2019 or \u2018white from black\u2019, meaning that white wine is made using red or black grapes.<\/p>\n

During the fermentation process, red grapes are pressed, but the juice remains clear. If a winemaker wants colour, it would be derived from contact with the grape skins. In the case of a Blanc de Noir, there is no skin contact \u2013 therefore, a clear\/white wine is produced from red grapes, hence the ‘white from black’ reference in the name.<\/p>\n

Did you know?<\/strong> Because Champagne has a specific set of requirements, only Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes can be used to make a Blanc de Noirs Champagne. Blanc de Noirs are usually full-bodied and fruity. If made with Pinot Noir grapes, flavours of apple, lemon and honey present on the palate. Pinot Meunier grapes often produce more acidic, light and fruity-tasting Champagnes.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Ros\u00e9 Champagne<\/strong>, the prettiest of them all, has a distinct pink hue and is either made by blending red and white wine, or the Champagne maker could allow white grape juice to ferment along with red grape skins to produce a Ros\u00e9. Tasting notes differ depending on the type of white grape varietal and the red grape skins used during blending, but Ros\u00e9 Champagne typically has berry\/red fruit, citrus and cherry-like notes.<\/p>\n

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The Difference Between Vintage and Non-vintage Champagne<\/h3>\n

Champagne is sourced from one of three grape varietals \u2013 Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, or Pinot Meunier (a red grape varietal<\/a>) grown in Champagne, France. They can be either vintage or non-vintage depending on harvesting methods. While ‘vintage’ usually refers to the age of something in the general, with Champagne, it refers to the source of the grapes.<\/p>\n

\"Champagne<\/p>\n

Vintage Champagnes<\/strong> are made from grapes harvested within a specific year; the year stamp should be clearly labelled on the bottle. Another requirement is that the harvested grapes need to be of exceptional quality \u2013 the French refer to this as \u2018Millesime\u2019 or \u2018a great vintage\u2019. Vintage Champagnes must also be aged for a minimum of three years; sometimes the length of maturation is extended.<\/p>\n

Non-vintage Champagnes<\/strong> are created from specific grape varietals from more than one year and harvest. The blended wine must be aged for a minimum of 15 months. Non-vintage variations account for 90% of most Champagne Houses\u2019 profits, as it has a higher yield than vintage versions.<\/p>\n

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Vineyard Classifications<\/h3>\n

Champagne is an AOC or Appellation d’Origine Contr\u00f4l\u00e9e, meaning that for sparkling wine to be classified as ‘Champagne,’ it needs to meet standard rules controlled by its origin. In this case, it needs to originate from the Champagne region of France. The standard or status is further judged based on the growth (cru) standards of the respective vineyards, according to the quality of soil and growth conditions.<\/p>\n

\"Champagne<\/p>\n

Did you know?<\/strong> There are three main vineyard types within Champagne, namely Grand Cru \u2013 venerated for producing the highest quality of Champagne \u2013 followed by Premier Cru. The last is Autre Cru, and though these vineyards are capable of producing good-quality Champagnes (some at the level of Premier Cru), Autre Cru is thought to have the lowest quality of the three.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Sweetness\/ Dryness<\/h4>\n

The final factor is the level of sweetness. When tasting wine or Champagne, people often refer to it as \u2018dry\u2019. If you\u2019ve ever wondered how a liquid could taste \u2018dry\u2019, they aren\u2019t referring to the moisture content, but rather the level of sweetness.<\/p>\n

This actually refers to the process of fermentation, during which the sugar is converted into alcohol, resulting in the \u2018dry taste.\u2019 The less residual sugar present, the ‘drier’ the taste \u2013 but this also depends on the type of Champagne.<\/p>\n

Brut:<\/strong> Brut means \u2018raw\u2019 or \u2018unrefined\u2019 in French, and has less than 12 grams of sugar. While Champagne Brut is one of the drier types, it does retain a slight sweetness.
\nBrut Nature<\/strong> has the least amount of sugar (0\u20133 grams); making it the driest.
\nExtra Brut<\/strong> is extra dry and contains between 0 and 6 grams of residual sugar.
\nExtra Dry Champagne<\/strong> is also called ‘Extra Sec’, meaning \u2018off-dry\u2019 and can contain anywhere between 12 and 17 grams of residual sugar.
\nDemi-Sec Champagne<\/strong> is one of the sweeter Champagnes or sparkling wines and contains between 32 and 50 grams of residual sugar.
\nChampagne Dry<\/strong>: Although dry, this isn\u2019t the driest type, as it contains 17\u201332 grams of residual sugar.
\nChampagne Doux: <\/strong>If you\u2019re looking for a dessert wine, Doux is the sweetest type of Champagne, ranking with a high of over 50 grams of residual sugar.<\/p>\n

Learn about the difference between Champagne and <\/i>Cap Classique<\/i><\/a>. Want more? Follow us on Instagram<\/a> for more food and wine content.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s a reason Dom P\u00e9rignon said, “Come quickly, I am tasting the stars,” the first time he tried Champagne. From the sound of the cork popping to the heady complexity to the sensation of bubbles, Champagne is captivating, but not all are made equal. Learn everything you need to know about this bubbly beverage with our comprehensive Champagne guide. Much like still wine (non-sparkling), Champagne has different varietals like Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, meaning they result in different styles with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4098],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-98392","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"acf":[],"brand_slug":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98392","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98392"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98392\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":117505,"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98392\/revisions\/117505"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98392"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98392"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98392"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}