Viiniklubin Luksussamppanjat jyväskylä Contents 1 Champagne (wine region) 1 1.1 Geography and climate ........................................ 1 1.2 History ................................................. 2 1.2.1 Military conflicts ....................................... 2 1.2.2 History of wine production .................................. 2 1.3 Classifications and vineyard regulations ................................ 4 1.3.1 Revision of the Champagne region .............................. 5 1.4 Production other than sparkling wine ................................. 5 1.5 See also ................................................ 6 1.6 References .............................................. 6 2 Champagne 7 2.1 Origins ................................................. 7 2.2 Right to the name Champagne .................................... 8 2.2.1 Use of the word Champagne ................................. 9 2.3 Production ............................................... 10 2.3.1 Bubbles ............................................ 10 2.3.2 Champagne producers .................................... 11 2.3.3 Marketing Champagne .................................... 11 2.4 Grape varieties and styles ....................................... 12 2.4.1 Types of Champagne ..................................... 12 2.4.2 Sweetness ........................................... 14 2.5 Champagne bottles .......................................... 14 2.5.1 Champagne corks ....................................... 15 2.6 Champagne etiquette ......................................... 15 2.6.1 Opening Champagne bottles ................................. 16 2.6.2 Pouring Champagne ..................................... 16 2.6.3 Spraying Champagne ..................................... 16 2.7 Health effects ............................................. 16 2.8 See also ................................................ 17 2.9 References ............................................... 17 2.10 Further reading ............................................ 19 2.11 External links ............................................. 19 i ii CONTENTS 3 Dom Pérignon (monk) 20 3.1 Biography ............................................... 20 3.2 Influence on champagne production ................................. 20 3.3 Misconceptions and myths ...................................... 21 3.4 See also ................................................ 21 3.5 References .............................................. 21 3.6 Notes ................................................. 22 4 Dom Pérignon (wine) 23 4.1 History ................................................. 23 4.2 Vintages ................................................ 24 4.3 Style .................................................. 24 4.4 Current production .......................................... 24 4.5 Auction market ............................................ 24 4.6 References ............................................... 25 4.7 Footnotes ............................................... 25 4.8 External links ............................................. 25 5 Moët & Chandon 26 5.1 History ................................................. 26 5.2 Dom Perignon ............................................. 26 5.2.1 Current production ...................................... 27 5.3 Domaine Chandon ........................................... 27 5.4 Sponsorships .............................................. 27 5.5 Pronunciation ............................................. 27 5.6 Culture ................................................ 27 5.7 See also ................................................ 27 5.8 References ............................................... 27 5.9 External links ............................................. 28 6 Champagne Krug 29 6.1 History ................................................. 29 6.2 Champagnes .............................................. 30 6.3 Winemaking .............................................. 31 6.3.1 Pressing and initial fermentation ............................... 31 6.3.2 The tasting committee and the assemblage .......................... 31 6.3.3 The cellars .......................................... 32 6.4 Vineyards ............................................... 32 6.4.1 Clos du Mesnil ........................................ 32 6.4.2 Clos d’Ambonnay ....................................... 32 6.5 Marketing ............................................... 32 6.5.1 Krug Lovers .......................................... 32 CONTENTS iii 6.5.2 Krug ID ............................................ 33 6.6 Burning Man controversy ....................................... 33 6.7 Further reading ............................................ 33 6.8 References .............................................. 33 6.9 External links ............................................. 34 7 Champagne Lanson 35 7.1 See also ................................................ 35 7.2 References ............................................... 35 7.3 External links ............................................. 35 8 Champagne Besserat de Bellefon 36 8.1 See also ................................................ 36 8.2 References ............................................... 36 9 Bollinger 37 9.1 History ................................................. 37 9.1.1 Expansion under Lilly Bollinger ............................... 37 9.1.2 Modern day .......................................... 37 9.2 Wines ................................................. 38 9.2.1 Reserve wines ......................................... 39 9.3 Production ............................................... 39 9.3.1 Grape supply ......................................... 40 9.4 Corporate structure .......................................... 40 9.5 See also ................................................ 40 9.6 References ............................................... 40 9.7 External links ............................................. 40 9.8 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses .......................... 41 9.8.1 Text .............................................. 41 9.8.2 Images ............................................ 42 9.8.3 Content license ........................................ 44 Chapter 1 Champagne (wine region) de la Marne. The towns of Reims and Épernay are the commercial centers of the area. Located at the northern edges of France, the history of the Champagne wine region has had a significant role in the development of this unique terroir. The area’s prox- imity to Paris promoted the region’s economic success in its wine trade but also put the villages and vineyards in the path of marching armies on their way to the French capital. Despite the frequency of these military conflicts, the region developed a reputation for quality wine pro- duction in the early Middle Ages and was able to con- tinue that reputation as the region’s producers began mak- ing sparkling wine with the advent of the great Cham- pagne houses in the 17th and 18th centuries. The princi- Viticultural zones in the Champagne region pal grapes grown in the region include Chardonnay, Pinot noir, and Pinot Meunier. Pinot noir is the most widely planted grape in the Aube region and grows very well in Montagne de Reims. Pinot Meunier is the dominant grape in the Vallée de la Marne region. The Côte des Blancs is dedicated almost exclusively to Chardonnay.[1] 1.1 Geography and climate The Champagne province is located near the northern limits of the wine world along the 49th parallel. The high altitude and mean annual temperature of 10 °C (50 °F) creates a difficult environment for wine grapes to fully ripen. Ripening is aided by the presence of forests which helps to stabilize temperatures and maintain moisture in Champagne vineyards in Verzenay in the Montagne de Reims the soil. The cool temperatures serve to produce high subregion levels of acidity in the resulting grape which is ideal for sparkling wine.[2] The French (archaic English: Champany) is a historic province within the administrative province of Cham- During the growing season, the mean July temperature pagne in the northeast of France. The area is best known is 18 °C (66 °F). The average annual rainfall is 630 mm for the production of the sparkling white wine that bears (25 inches), with 45 mm (1.8 inches) falling during the the region’s name. EU law and the laws of most countries harvest month of September. Throughout the year, grow- ers must be mindful of the hazards of fungal disease and reserve the term “Champagne” exclusively for wines that [3] come from this region located about 100 miles (160 km) early spring frost. east of Paris. The viticultural boundaries of Champagne Ancient oceans left behind chalk subsoil deposits when are legally defined and split into five wine producing dis- they receded 70 million years ago. Earthquakes that tricts within the administrative province: Aube, Côte des rocked the region over 10 million years ago pushed the Blancs, Côte de Sézanne, Montagne de Reims, and Vallée marine sediments of belemnite fossils up to the surface 1 2 CHAPTER 1. CHAMPAGNE (WINE REGION) to create the belemnite chalk terrain. The belemnite in 1.2.1 Military conflicts the soil allows it to absorb heat from the sun and gradu- ally release it during the night as well as providing good The location of Champagne played a large role in its his- drainage. This soil contributes to the lightness and finesse torical prominence as it served as a “crossroads” for both that is characteristic of