The beverage from France that conquered the world

Without doubt, the history of champagne and sparkling wine is tied to France, and its origins to the northern French region of Champagne. England, however, was producing bottles strong enough to contain carbonated wines as early as the 17th century. In the interest of preserving trees, the use of wood in the process of making glass had been prohibited, and the glass resulting from the use of coal rendered dark, thick-walled bottles which naturally withstood greater internal pressure. Yet the starting point remains France, where the wine was most likely brought from and Champagne, from where it was later purposely ordered. Records remain of English-French wine trade. According to one plausible theory, the high sugar-contact wine was sealed and stored, after a noisy fermentation, in strong wooden barrels. When several years later the cork was removed, a sparkling, pleasantly-fragranced beverage was discovered. There is another legend, according to which the discovery of sparkling wine is connected with the late harvesting of the grapes. In the region near Johannesburg, a church belonging to, but located approximately 150 km from the archbishopric, had to wait for the bishop’s permission before harvesting. Riding on horseback, the messenger arrived three weeks late with the permission, but in the meantime, the grapes had over-ripened. Contrary to custom, the grapes were harvested anyway, producing a wonderful, bubbly wine-consumed as a magic elixir. It is likely that France has been storing and fermenting wine in barrels or bottles since the 16th century. These were then sealed, and the carbon dioxide produced during the ongoing fermentation process thus remained in the wine. These carbonated wines were marred, however, by the sediment they contained. The classic story of the discovery of champagne production is credited to Dom Pérignon, the first to produce a carbonated alcoholic beverage in the Champagne wine region. Dom Pérignon was born in 1638 in St. Mnehoulde. He was 23 years old when he entered the Benedictine order in the town of Hautvilliers, living there for 57 years until his death in 1715. At age of 29, Dom Pérignon was named cellar master of the abbey, and his well-nurtured wines soon became known even in Paris. He was considered the master of wine blending. He was the first to blend wines along the principle that those should be better than the base wines used. The wines were kept in thick-walled English bottles sealed with cork. The actual discovery of champagne happened by accident. The new and only partially fermented wines were bottled and corked early one spring. Therefore, the fermentation of the sugar remaining in the wine took place in the bottle itself. This wine was meant as a surprise for his friends, and when opened, he marvelled at its bubbly, effervescent qualities. The effervescent champagne produced at the monastery soon became known and loved throughout France. At the Reims Cathedral, where at that time French kings were coronated, the champagne was named the “Coronation Wine”. At the beginning of the 18th century, sediment was removed from champagne by decanting. This method was extremely difficult, costly, and inconsistent. Shaking the sediment to the neck of the bottle and discharging it became common practice only in the first quarter of the 19th century; A. Julien proliferated the method through his work entitled “Manuel du Sommelier”, published in 1813. The secret to creating champagne was leaked from the abbey in the first half of the 18th century, and it was the wine merchants of Champagne who first became involved in the commercial production of the wine. In the 18th century, the biggest problem for champagne producers was the cracking and breaking of bottles. At that time, the pressure produced by the carbon dioxide inside the bottle was purely a matter of chance; the amount of sugar remaining in the wine could be neither measure nor controlled. The solution came with a procedure developed by a famous French chemist, Jean-Antoine Chaptal. Head of Faculty at the Montpellier Agricultural University, Chaptal showed that there was a relationship between the sugar content and the resulting quantities of alcohol and carbonation. His procedure made it possible for champagne producers to regulate the amount of carbonation by using measurable portions of sugar. Another French chemist, Parmentier (1737-1813) called attention to the fact that must (juice) and concentrated must should be used in sweetening the wine, because it mixes better and more quickly than sugar. These discoveries (among others) made possible the development of consistent quality and the elimination of bad vintages. Methods of preparing champagne began to crystallize during the 19th century. The “classic” method encompasses all the fundamental processes, from grape production to completed champagne. The period from 1889-1906 is known as the golden middle age of champagne production in Champagne. During this period, 30 million bottles were sold, 10 million of them as export. The champagne inventory of cellars exceeded 100 million bottles. Following World War I, the quantity of champagne on the market approached that of earlier levels. The new golden age occurred between 1947 and 1960, when, within a few years, the amount of champagne sold doubled. By the second half of the 19th century, every country with a winemaking tradition was producing sparkling wines.

The secrets of Champagne and the most renowned champagne producers

Since the birth of champagne, from Dom Pérignon onwards, a kind of secret has surrounded French champagne and sparkling wines in general. For many, champagne (or sparkling wine) is merely a kind of carbonated wine, while wine connoisseurs, used to finding all they need to know about a wine on the label, in the case of champagne and sparkling wine learn practically nothing in this manner. The secret is multi-layered. It’s not just that it fizzes; it is the art of blending wines that is the decisive factor – the combination of grape varieties, soils, and vintages. With this manipulation of variables and the subsequent second fermentation of the wine, the Champagne vintners succeeded not only in creating a wonderful-tasting wine, but also in cheating nature. If the Pinot noir grapes don’t want to ripen, they can rely on the Pinot meunier. If frosts destroy the grape crops of the Reims hills, the grape varieties of the Marne valley can be used. If the 1997 vintage base wine wasn’t very good because September was rainy, they can mix in 20% from the 1996 and 10% from the excellent 1995 vintages. The various producers have for a long time used only the first pressings in champagne production, and in doing so, abandoned the practice of receiving and re-labelling bottled champagne. It is also in the interest of quality that, from 300 kg of grapes, only 200 kg may be used in “Champagne”; the rest loses the right to carry the AOC mark. According to the law created in France on November 5, 1984, the champagne-making process of wines labelled “Champagne” may not begin until January 1 of the year following the harvesting of the base wine. The process of producing and ageing champagne is required to last at least one year; for vintage champagnes, three years. The differences in the style of French champagne are often quite subtle, but wine experts discover them quickly. There is a wide variety of French champagnes, making it difficult to uncover the true French style. One might think, for example, that the Pinot noir used in producing most of the base wines would result in a wine with a stronger bouquet and more body (depending on the variety), but this isn’t noticeably the case with champagne. The effects of ageing, and of the mature Réserve wines which are blended with the base wine, leave their mark on French champagne more so than the characteristic of the grapes used. Bollinger and Louis Roeder are brands which exemplify how Réserve base wines strengthen champagne’s distinctive characteristic. The Réserves are mixed with the base wine a few months after harvesting, before bottling for the second fermentation. This is a critical point in the winemaking process; at this time, the cellar masters taste dozens (even hundreds) of row, fresh, still wines in order to determine the composition of the champagne wine blend. In the Krug family, for instance, it is a centuries-old tradition that the Krug siblings and their children complete this task and make their decision on Christmas Day. Bollinger uses Réserve wines (in small quantities) which are aged in magnum bottles, and which are no less than 15 years old. These have a mature quality which lends to Bollinger champagnes their smoky or nutty bouquet. The cellar master at Roederer, Michel Pansu, stresses the importance of using Réserve wines aged in new oak barrels. The producers of Champagne hold that Réserve wines derived from the more mature grapes of sunny regions assist in creating a harmonious balance in thinner, e.g. freshly-harvested, base wines. It is characteristic of French champagne producers that they do not put the entire stock of any particular vintage on the market, as is the custom with wines. Their products are produced in waves, and then spend another three to six months in the cellars prior to distribution. But who are the distributors? Nowadays, most champagne producers belong to consortia, preserving their own names and traditions. In brief, here are a few of the best-known. One of the giants is LVMH (Luis Vutton Moet Henessy). Members include Moёt & Chandon (since 1987), Mercier, Ruinart, Pommery, Cannard-Duchene, Veuve Clicquot, and Krug. The consortium accounts for 12% of Champagne wine production.

Moёt was founded in 1743 by Claude Moёt and has operated under the name Moёt & Chandon since 1832. According to them, at any given second, somewhere in the world a bottle of their champagne is being opened. The characteristic aroma of Dom Pérignon, Moёt & Chandon Prestige Cuvée, and Brut Imperial are due primarily to the black Pinot noir and Pinot meunier grape. Moёt offers a wide range of champagnes, in total 12 cuvées. Dom Pérignon, with its exclusive image, is at the top of the pyramid. Moёt produces more than 30 million bottles annually.

Nicolas Clicquot established one of Champagne’s oldest champagne companies in 1729. In 1805, it was made world-famous by the widow of one of his descendants, Nicole-Barbee Ponsardin. Today in the USA, for example, the “yellow label” Veuve Clicquot is the second largest champagne brand sold, behind the aforementioned Moёt & Chandon. The champagne’s base wine contains 50-55% Pinot noir, 30% Chardonnay, the remainder is Pinot meunier. The decisive element of every variety of the Veuve Clicquot, from the yellow label to the La Grande Dame prestige cuvée, is Pinot noir. An unusual feature of the Veuve Clicquot brut is that approximately one-third is composed of Réserve wines, resulting in a smooth final product.

The Krug champagne house was established in 1834, and is considered to this day to be one of the Rolls Royces of champagne. Its superior quality comes from the careful selection and composition of the base wines, precision technology, and at the same time, the careful maintenance of tradition. Nowadays, only Krug has its own independent cooperage, the oak barrels of which contribute to the success of the base wines aged in them. Their wines are characterized by an extremely rich flavour and bouquet and the light dancing of the champagne bubbles. They put 500 000 bottles a year on the market. According to official records, one of the first champagne cellars was Ruinart Pére et Fils, established in 1729. The company was bought in 1963 by Moёt & Chandon, and later merged into LVMH. The distinctive flavour of their base wines is characterised by Chardonnay. Also among the first champagne cellars is Pommery, today the largest champagne house in Champagne. Here too, the company’s success is tied to the widow’s name; she popularised the Pommery name, and in 1874 produced the first brut champagne. Nearly 30 million bottles of champagne are ageing in their cellars, of which approximately 6 million reach market annually. The family business of Heidsieck was established in 1785; nowadays Piper-Heidsieck and Charles Heidsieck are under the ownership of Rémy Cointreau, which distributes both the Bonnet Pére et Fils and Princesse de France labels. Though Piper and Charles are under the same ownership and share a cellar master (Daniel Thibault), the wines they handle are distinctly different. In particular, it is the freshness and “youngness” of the Piper brut, aged for just two years, which captivates consumers. The foundation of the Piper’s bouquet is Pinot noir (50%), to which 30% Pinot meunier and 20% Chardonnay are added. The base wine grapes for the Brut champagne come from the most southerly region of Champagne; despite this, the result is an excitingly refreshing champagne. The Charles Heidsieck Brut Réserve, on the other hand, is a fully-aged, sweet French champagne variety with a rich bouquet; it contains an exceptionally high percentage (40%) of older vintage Réserve wines. The company markets approximately 7 million bottles per annum.

In 1829, Lilly Bollinger founded a champagne company which was operated by the same branch of the family until 1977. Since1977, her nephew Claude d’Hautefeuille and Christian Bizot have run the company. Characteristic of their wines is a toasted, occasionally smoky aroma and a nutty, honey-like bouquet. Significantly, the champagne contains 65% Pinot noir and well- aged Réserve wines, appearing most characteristically in the Bollinger Special Cuvées. The family-held company stubbornly insists on traditional methods in the production of champagne. The majority of the base wines used in the bottling of a vintage is still aged in 200- 400 litre barrels. To this day, their vintage and Réserve wines are bottled and sealed with cork, rather than modern metal seals, and are allowed to age more than four years on the fermentation bed. Ageing of the Special Cuvée occurs in stainless steel containers, but the champagne itself profits from the blending of the Réserve wines which are aged in the bottle and are kept cork side down in the Bollinger cellars near Épernay for 15 years. Their annual production is approximately 1.5 million bottles.

In 1818 Nicholas François Billecart and his wife, Elisabeth Salmon, founded their Champagne House in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, where the Billecart family had been established since the 17th century. Some 200 years later, the Champagne House has remained loyal to Mareulil-sur- Aÿ. Currently the seventh generation runs the Champagne House, maintaining its independence. Beyond the name they bear, the share their ancestor’s love for their art and their land. Stringent quality has been the key motivating factor behind the Billecart-Salmon family. Distancing itself from passing fads, yet in tune with the present day, Billecart-Salmon has always valued the appreciation and loyalty shown by chefs, sommeliers, as well as other ambassadors of the house. Billecart-Salmon works some 30 hectares itself and has established long-term agreements with vine growers who bring the harvest of a further 140 hectares each year. Ninety percent of the grapes come from the 20 km radius around Épernay, where the greatest vineyards are concentrated. The Pinot noir and Chardonnay come from the Montagne re Reims and the Côte des Blancs, respectively. The Pinot meunier comes from the right bank of the Marne Valley near Épernay and Leuvrigni. On the strength of its tradition, Billecart-Salmon has chosen to ferment the “grand crus” selected by the cellar master, in small burgundy casks that have already seen several wines. The bottles are then aged in an extensive network of deep chalk cellars dating from the 17th and 19th centuries. Here, the temperature is constant, relatively low at around 12°C, encouraging the formation of a fine bubble. The wide palette of the Billecart-Salmon House assures the utmost quality for every taste. The Brut Reserve represents 70% of production. Its composition unchanging since 1945, it is a sturdy representation of unwavering quality. The grapes used are 40% Pinot noir, 30% Pinot meunier and 30% Chardonnay. The rich bouquet is the result of long ageing in the traditional cellars of the house.

Taittinger, established in 1931, is among the newest champagne producers. The company was founded by Claude Taittinger’s father; Claude began working at the company himself after World War II, and has managed it since 1960. The high Chardonnay content of their champagne contributes to the distinctive personality of Taittinger wines – especially the toasted quality, the aroma reminiscent of vanilla, and a lingering, refreshingly lemony flavour, as well as the champagne’s elegant appearance. The non-vintage style brut, with 45% Chardonnay, displays exceptional consistency. The Taittinger brut is aged in cellars for a lengthy 3-4 years, bringing forth from the Chardonnay the aforementioned toasty, smoky qualities. Their annual production is 4 million bottles.

Perrier-Jouёt was founded in 1811. Today, similar to the other large “champagne families”, the champagne house uses the harvest from a small part (161 acres) of its vineyards. This accounts for just 25% of the quantity needed, yet it is their own grapes with determine the quantities of Perrier-Jouёt champagne. Primarily Chardonnay is grown on their lands. Yearly production is 3 million bottles. In 1812, they established Laurent Perrier to which, nowadays, the Salon and the Delamotte brands belong. The company has been run since 1948 by Bernard de Nonancourt. In terms of their annual production, it is now the world’s 5th largest champagne house. De Nonancourt’s long experience has proven extremely effective in securing contracts with the best growers – strengthened by his personal relationships and attention. Ninety percent of the grapes used by the company are grown by independent producers. Brut L.P. is the company’s primary line. This champagne is always fresh, fruity, clean and well-balanced. No fewer than 200 different base wines are used in blending the Brut L.P. It is composed of 45% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot noir, and Pinot meunier. While most French champagne companies are located in Reims or in the smaller Épernay, the cellars of Laurent- Perrier are far from the city, in the small Tours-sur-Marne. The company produces 10 million bottles of champagne per annum. The atmosphere of traditions surrounds the cellars of Pol Roger in Épernay. The company is still owned and operated by the family that established it 1949. In the limestone cellars, skilled hands continue, in large part, to shake and turn the bottles manually. Their vineyards cover 75 hectares, accounting for 40% of their needs. In addition to the effect of the Pinot meunier, the special qualities of the brut non-vintage champagnes are due to the addition of an extra step in the fermentation process. The entire liquid mass is allowed to sit for a period of time at 43°F before fermenting begins. Pol Roger Brut ages an average of three years in the bottle, making it an exceptional champagne. Of the champagnes put on the market, 25% are vintage varieties. The company produces approximately 1,4 million bottles per year.

Sir Winston Churchill and Pol Roger Champagne

The art of winemaking at Pol Roger is still influenced by their most famous historical customer: Winston Churchill. Churchill began buying Pol Roger champagnes at a young age. According to Christian Pol Roger, a fourth generation member of the family, it was a staple of his diet! The family supported the British financially during World War II. In 1984, Pol Roger created a new vintage champagne in honour of the late prime minister: Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill. Visitors to London’s Cabinet War Rooms, deep under Whitehall, may be intrigued to find an imperial pint bottle of Pol Roger champagne, Vintage 1928 among the memorabilia on display. As one might expect, however, it is there for a particular purpose: to recall Sir Winston Churchill’s predilection for Pol Roger, of which the magnificent 1928 Vintage was a particular favourite of the wartime years. “Champagne”, said Sir Winston, “imparts a feeling of exhilaration. The nerves are braced, the imagination is equally stirred; the wits become more nimble”. Recalling the famous word of Napoleon, he was to say in times of trial: “I cannot live without champagne. In victory, I deserve it, and in defeat, I need it!” A perfectionist in all things (“I am easily satisfied with the best!”), Sir Winston praised Pol Roger above all other champagnes. It was an affection that embraced not only the wine, but also the Pol-Roger family, with whom he enjoyed a close friendship from his first meeting with Jacques and Odette Pol Roger at a lunch party in Paris in November 1944. Odette Pol Roger had served as a courier for the French Resistance during the years of occupation and it was doubtless her remarkable spirit of defiance, in addition to her beauty and charm, that aroused a lasting admiration in Sir Winston. It had been a byword in Épernay that Mme. Odette’s garden was always full of English flowers, that she proudly wore an RAF badge made no secret of her faith in an allied victory. Sir Winston was to reciprocate by naming a favourite racehorse “Pol Roger”, which won several races after the war, including the “Black Princes Stakes” at Kempton Park on the day of the Queen’s Coronation in June 1953. “44 Avenue de Champagne, Épernay”, the home of the Pol-Roger family, was described by Sir Winston as “the world’s most drinkable address”, to which he promised to come ”to tread the vintage with his bare feet”. It was a promise that his many engagements were to prevent him from keeping, but he was to send instead a set of his war memoirs inscribed thus:

“Cuvée de Réserve Mise en Bouteille á Chateau Chartwell”

At Chartwell, too, there are many memories of Sir Winston and Pol Roger. When the great gales of September 1987 destroyed many of Charwell’s magnificent trees, the Pol-Roger family were swift to contribute to the planting of new trees to replace them, and tulips of the variety Danielle Pol Roger bloom in the garden each spring. When Sir Winston died in 1965, the Pol-Roger family paid a lasting tribute to their most illustrious friend and devotee. All labels of Pol Roger champagne imports to Britain henceforward were to be bordered in black, and so they remains to this day. At Blenheim Palace (Sir Winston’s Birthplace) in 1984, Pol Roger launched their most prestigious Cuvée, “Sir Winston Churchill”. Drawn only from the finest vineyards and made only in classic vintage years, it is now a wine of international reputation and acclaim. Such is the deep and abiding connection between Sir Winston Churchill and Pol Roger champagne, to which the imperial pint of 1928 bears witness.

Source: The Champaign – 2014. Author: Miklós NISZKÁCS: Lector: Károly QUIRIN Visitors information: www.torley.hu