French champagne: types and names

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

In ancient times, French champagne was present on our tables only on special holidays. However, now in any supermarket you can safely, without any difficulty, find several bottles of this champagne, and various brands: from little-known to powerful trading companies that have been providing their services in the alcoholic beverages market for more than a decade.

In general, nowadays any champagne has ceased to be a luxury item. Now it is often purchased for Sunday family feasts or about the premiere of a concert. In a word, the use of French champagne has ceased to be something solemn and has become more of a kind of "festive" routine.

But in any case, it would be useful for all lovers of this noble drink to get acquainted with the types of French champagne, its brands, as well as other equally important criteria for its evaluation and selection.

A bit of theory

The main feature of champagne, which distinguishes it from other wines (that is, wines that are not called sparkling), is the processrelease of bubbles of carbon dioxide present in the drink. Therefore, the wine seems to "hiss". In general, the carbon dioxide produced during fermentation is not dangerous as it is formed naturally.

Probably, many wondered why "French champagne". The names of these drinks are a direct reference to the place of production. Everyone has ever heard of the very famous province of Champagne, located in France and famous for its sparkling wine called champagne.

Champagne production: how and from what?

The method of champagne is the dominant process in obtaining champagne of any sort and type. A distinctive feature of this method is the passage of the fermentation process directly in the bottle. The rest of the sparkling wines go through this stage by the classical method - in barrels. And only then does the process of bottling such wines take place.

Today, the main product for French champagne is the following blend of grape varieties: Chardonnay (white) and Pinot Noir (black).

In view of all of the above, we can conclude that only sparkling wine obtained in the province of Champagne, during the production of which the champagne method was used, should be called champagne.

However, if gas bubbles form in a barrel, then the wine obtained in this way can be called sparkling. But if carbon dioxide was added, then such wine is called carbonated.

Classification of French sparkling wines

"Types of French champagne" is not the most unambiguous statement that could be used, as it would be problematic to separate such a large group of drinks of different types and tastes using only one criterion.

Based on this, a basic sorting can be done according to the following qualities:

• by the amount of sugar in the drink;
• by grape harvest year;
• by grape variety;
• by manufacturer type;
• by type of bottle used.

Separation of French champagne by sugar content

Brut nature - natural brut is one of the most expensive varieties of sparkling French wines, as the highest quality grape varieties are used to create such a drink. The amount of sugar in such wine is incredibly small and amounts to only 6 grams / liter.

Brut - brut. French brut champagne is considered one of the most popular. This wine contains about 15 grams of sugar per liter of drink.

Extra sec - Very dry, is a sparkling French wine, the sugar content of which does not exceed 20 grams per liter. However, the production of wines of this variety is limited due to lack of demand from buyers.

Sec - dry champagne. French semi-sweet sparkling wine is the second name of this drink. And the amount of sugar in it is from 17 to 35 grams per liter.

Demi sec - semi-sweet. Enougha sweet type of champagne that only lovers can taste. In such a wine, from 33 to 50 grams of sugar per liter.

Doux - sweet champagne. This type of sparkling wine is a category of dessert wines, that is, wines containing a large amount of sugar (at least 50 grams per liter).

Separation of French champagne by grape year

Non-vintage (non-vintage) - Champagne that does not have a specific release year. For example, when making cuvee, wines from different vintages are used. And a prerequisite for the release of such champagne is its mandatory exposure after replication, not less than 12 months. This type of French champagne perfectly characterizes the style and level of the champagne house.

Vintage (vintage) champagne. It is also called millesime. This is a French sparkling wine that has a specific vintage and is released only in a favorable year for wine production. The addition of extraneous "reserves" is acceptable, but the percentage of such impurities should not exceed 20%. The minimum exposure of such champagne is 3 years.

Cuvee de prestige - the prestige of the cuvee. It is characterized by the use of only those grape crops that were lucky enough to be born in the best "grape" years. In addition, this champagne is made from a grape harvest of one year and is aged for at least five years. The prestige cuvée usually gets its own name, as this champagne is the best in all champagne. Home.

Separation of French champagne according to grape varieties used

Blanc de blancs - “from white to white”. This inscription on the bottle indicates that the champagne sold in this bottle is made only from Chardonnay (white grape variety).

Blanc de noirs - "from black to white". This label refers to wine made from grapes with dark skins and light flesh.

Rose - French rose champagne. It got its color from a short amount of time spent in the must of the skins of a classic red grape. More rarely, this color is obtained by mixing white and red sparkling wines.

Collection - collectible champagne. A characteristic feature of this sparkling wine was the amount of its release. This champagne is limited to several tens of thousands of bottles.

Cuvee - cuvee. This is champagne made from the juice of grapes obtained after the first, weakest press on the berries.

Taille - taye. This is a champagne, the production of which took the next 500 liters of grape juice after its outflow for the cuvée variety.

Grand Crus - grand cru - champagne from grapes grown in the best vineyards of Champagne.

Premiere Crus - premier cru - champagne from grapes harvested in the second-best quality vineyards after Grand Cru.

French champagne storage

All bottles of sparkling wine must be kept indoorsat a temperature of 8-16 degrees Celsius. Exposure to direct sunlight is unacceptable.

Champagne bottles are best stored horizontally, whether they have been opened or not.

The best French champagne and its brands

• "Dom Perignon". It is one of the most prestigious brands of French champagne. Today, Moet and Chandon have taken control of the production of this champagne.
• "Prince of Champagne", presented by "Tatinger", brought to a new level people's idea of such an exquisite drink as French champagne. The brands also represented by this company are appreciated by buyers all over the world. However, true connoisseurs with a certain amount of finance prefer the "Prince of Champagne".
• "Veuve Clicquot" ("Madame Clicquot") is the world-famous French champagne. The brands represented by this company have no analogues in the world market due to the patented production features.