Have you ever wondered what the Stages of Champagne making
are? Fret no more. There are several
specific steps or phases in the making the sparkling wine of Champagne.These steps are governed by professional bodies and government agencies to adhere
to code. See them listed below.
Let’s begin…
HARVESTING AND PRESSING
Harvest time in Champagne takes place between mid-September
and early October depending on the year. The start dates of the harvests vary
according to the vineyard. They are determined by Champagne’s professional body
based on objective criteria that aim to ensure the wine produced is of optimal
quality.
FERMENTATION
After pressing, the musts are poured into vats where they
will be fermented twice (alcoholic and malolactic fermentation).
BLENDING
This consists of blending the wines produced from different
grape varieties, vineyards and years in varying proportions. Only millésimé or
‘vintage’ champagnes are blended with wines from a single year. These are only
made in good years.
TIRAGE
This is the name given to the moment when the wines are
bottled. The liqueur de tirage, containing yeast and sugar, are added to provoke
a second fermentation. The bottle is then closed with a small hollow plastic
seal (called a bidule in French) held in place by a metal crown cap.
THE PRISE DE MOUSSE
This is the second fermentation (literally the ‘foam
taking’) that lasts about eight weeks. As during the first fermentation, the
yeast consumes yeast and converts it into alcohol. It uses up all the oxygen in
the bottle and releases carbon dioxide. This time the gas stays in the wine,
making it sparkling.
AGEING
When the prise de mousse is complete, the yeast dies and
forms a deposit whose molecules interact with those of the wine. The ageing
period varies according to the blending type and the results sought, but
legislation has established fairly long minimum periods in the interests of
quality that set champagne apart from other sparkling wines: - 15 months
minimum after tirage, of which 12 on lees for non-vintage champagnes. - 3 years
for vintage champagnes.
RIDDLING
When the champagne is deemed to be sufficiently aged and
before it is shipped away in bottles, the deposit that makes the wine cloudy
needs to be removed. Riddling (or remuage in French) is a time-honored
practice of the traditional method in Champagne that consists of encouraging
the deposit to descend to the neck of the bottle so that it can be completely
removed. These movements help the heavy deposit to attract the lighter deposit
right down to the finest particles and therefore turn the champagne perfectly
clear.
DISGORGING
Disgorging consists of opening the bottle to remove the
deposit. This is done by freezing the neck. The bottles are first turned upside
down after riddling. The neck is plunged into a solution at -25°C that freezes
the deposit. The bottle is then up-ended and the crown cap taken off. The solid
pellet of ice flies out as a result of the pressure (6 bars inside the bottle).
DOSAGE AND LABELING
The small amount of wine lost is replaced by the liqueur de
dosage (mixture of wine and sugar syrup), produced by each vintner. The sugar
content has a bearing on the type of champagne desired: Brut or Demi-Sec. The
bottles are then stopped with a cork held in place by a wire muzzle. The
finished bottle will then be washed, dried and returned to the cellar for a
minimum of 2 to 3 months to ensure the liqueur and the wine are perfectly
blended. The bottles are then labelled and packaged.
Trade Unions :
Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (Champagne
Trade Organisation)
www.champagne.fr
Syndicat Général des Vignerons de la Champagne (Champagne
Winegrowers Trade Union)
www.champagne-vignerons.com
Union des Maisons de Champagne (Union of Champagne Houses)
www.maisons-champagne.com