No celebration is complete without the evocative sound of the Champagne cork popping. For over a century, France’s premier sparkling wine has been considered the ultimate celebratory tipple, promoted by a group of very skilled marketeers.

Yet Champagne is far more diverse and complex than this image would suggest. There are many different styles: light; full-bodied; white; rosé; lavishly expensive; and relatively affordable. Certain producers, such as Bollinger, favour maturation in oak barrels, creating a rich and full-bodied style of fizz. Others chase lighter styles, with the emphasis on finesse and minerality. It is the point of origin that unites these divergent categories.

To be labelled as Champagne, the bottle must do more than sparkle. It must be produced in the Champagne region in northeast France.

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How Champagne is made

You can make sparkling wine all over the world, using a variety of different methods. Prosecco gains its effervescence from a production process referred to as charmat; wines undergo a secondary fermentation in tanks and are subsequently bottled under pressure. But all Champagne must be produced using the traditional method. It involves bottling still wines with the addition of yeast and a sweetened wine solution, a concoction known as liqueur de tirage.

This kickstarts the secondary fermentation in the bottle, releasing carbon dioxide as a natural by-product; creating the characteristic bubbles. Champagne is then aged on the lees, a term for the dead yeast cells that remain in the bottle. It is widely agreed that the interaction between the wine and lees is highly beneficial, enhancing the texture, complexity and mouthfeel of the finished product.

However, these tangible remnants of the secondary fermentation must be removed before the wine can be marketed. The iconic Champagne house Veuve Clicquot pioneered the solution, using a method called remuage. Firstly, the bottles are placed in racks. Machines will then slowly twist and upend them so that the yeast cells eventually collect in the bottle neck. This process is called ‘riddling’. Finally, the neck is typically frozen and the seal is quickly removed—the pressure inside the bottle rapidly ejects the lees sediment.

A small volume of normally sweetened wine, called dosage, is added before resealing. Dosage is used to balance the bracing acidity of good Champagne, making it more pleasant to drink. Nine grams of sugar per litre usually does the trick. Brut Champagne designates a maximum of 12 grams of sugar per litre and occasionally, winemakers use even more if they wish to market a sweeter style.

Grape varieties and assemblage

Before secondary fermentation can begin, the winemaker faces a series of important decisions. The majority of Champagne relies on a signature blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Pinot Noir contributes structure and body to the wine, while Chardonnay is used to bolster freshness, finesse and acidity. Pinot Meunier brings potent spicy/flowery aromas and fruitiness to the mid-palate.

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Of course, the percentages used can vary wildly, depending on the vintage and preferences of the Champagne brand. The appellation rules also permit growers to use Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Arbane and Petit Meslier in their wines. In practice, a tiny amount of producers market Champagnes based on one, or more, of these esoteric grape varieties.

This decision-making process is called assemblage. It is the most critical stage for any Champagne brand. The region’s signature export is non-vintage (NV) cuvées, produced every year and aged for a minimum period of 15 months before release. Assemblage is used to create a consistent product, and to achieve a quality that is greater than the sum of its parts. The major brands, when finalising their NV, will often blend reserve wines from across Champagne. The reserved wine from the best years of production is blended with new vintage wines. This helps the winemaker create a consistent blend that perfectly balances the palate each time.

NV Champagne also reaches into the past. To complete the process, winemakers incorporate a percentage of ‘reserve’ wines, held back from previous vintages. They are used during the assemblage, and often in the liqueur de tirage/dosage wine. Reserve wines help to enhance complexity and mouthfeel. In a particularly ripe year, brands look to older wines with more acidity, to maintain freshness and poise in their NV cuvées.

In addition, certain producers release a label based on just one grape variety. There are typically 100% Chardonnay or Pinot Noir sparkling wines. Assemblage is still relevant here, as the winemaker will usually blend wines from different sources, even if the variety remains the same. However, there are some single-vineyard expressions being made today.

Geography and terroir

Exploring the Champagne region is delightfully easy. The vineyards (35,000 hectares in total) are situated just 90 miles northeast of Paris, cultivated in an undulating landscape that is both pretty and gloriously tranquil. Here, you’ll find a set of growing conditions that are unique in western Europe, although certain vineyards in southern England offer a close facsimile.

Nevertheless, Champagne’s mix of calcareous terroir and cool climate is ideal for producing world-class fizz. This is not simply a marketing gimmick; all the best sparkling wines have high levels of acidity, a vital ingredient in producing balanced and refreshing bubbly. Due to the region’s combination of northerly latitude and moderating influence of the Atlantic, Champagne enjoys a maritime climate, with cold winters and relatively mild summers. Grapes ripen slowly and maintain enviably high levels of acidity; the diurnal temperature variation between day and night is another important factor.

Champagne has another secret weapon: chalk. Throughout the region, there are deep subsoils (up to 300 metres) that contain this sedimentary rock, prized for several reasons. Carbonate-rich chalk is both porous and permeable, providing a ready supply of water that is essential to vine growth. Yet it will allow moisture to pass through the soil, preventing the roots from becoming waterlogged (vines do not like ‘wet feet’). In addition, chalk terroir is rich is lime, which is another hot commodity in Champagne. This is because lime soils tend to encourage a low pH in the grapes and consequently high levels of natural acidity in the wines.

That said, growing conditions are far from uniform. The area is divided into five sub-regions, each of which produces a distinct style of base wine. This is due to variances in elevation, aspect, soil structure, and latitude. Winemakers continue to harness this diversity, blending different wines from various terroir to create a signature brand style. The five sub-regions are:

Montagne de Reims

For many, this is the greatest terroir in Champagne. Situated between Reims and Epernay, the wooded ‘mountains’ of Reims are said to produce Pinot Noir wines of unrivalled structure and finesse. Famous wine villages include Ay, Ambonnay, Bouzy, Verzy and Verzenay.

Vallée de la Marne

Situated to the west of Epernay, this sub-region is celebrated for its abundance of south-facing slopes, responsible for some of the most generous base wines in Champagne. Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier are heavily planted, although the volume of Chardonnay has increased in recent years.

Côte de Blancs

Head south from Epernay, and you’ll soon discover the Côte de Blancs. It is famous for producing exceptional Chardonnay wines, either used to add freshness and acidity to blends, or marketed as a mono-varietal Champagne style. The most iconic villages are huddled together in the centre of the zone: Avize, Cramant, Oger, and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger.

Côte de Sezanne

Some growers regard the Côte de Sezanne as a less exalted southerly extension of the Côte de Blancs. However, this is to do the sub-region a disservice; high-quality grapes are cultivated across the Cote de Sezanne, used to add weighty and richness to the blends.

Côte des Bar

The most southern vineyards of Champagne are closer to Chablis than Epernay. They tend to yield ripe (by local standards) and fruity base wines, particularly the racy and elegant Chardonnays of Montegueux.

Understanding the Champagne label

Every Champagne label sold in the UK will communicate important buying cues, particularly regarding wine style. The most basic of these are, of course, the word ‘Champagne’ and producer name, adorned to the front label. However, some of the jargon needs demystifying:

Brut

A very common sight on Champagne labels. Brut refers to the level of dosage (sugar) added to the wine before release. It is a dry style, as less than 12 grams of sugar per litre (enforced by law) is used to balance out the acidity, rather than add sweetness. There are different levels of dosage in Brut Champagne. For instance, Brut Nature contains less than two grams of sugar per litre, so it is very dry. While, Extra Brut contains less than six grams so it is a little sweeter than Brut Nature but dryer than Brut.

Rosé wine

Pink Champagne has become enormously popular of late. Winemakers typically add a dash of Pinot Noir, fermented to extract colour from the skins to the blend before secondary fermentation begins. This brings another welcome dimension to the wine.

Vintage

If the label states the word vintage, and/or references a particular year, then this is not an NV Champagne. Vintage Champagne does not contain reserves—just the wines of one harvest. Vintage cuvées are typically aged for at least five to six years on the lees, to enhance complexity and depth. They are only made in select years.

Blanc de Blancs

Champagne that is made from just white grape varieties. Typically 100% Chardonnay (but not always).

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