What does this label tell you about the Champagne inside the bottle?

Most people are familiar with the fact that a bottle of “Champagne” cannot have this word on the label unless it is from the actual Champagne region.  Beyond that, for the novice, deciding what to spend on a bottle of Champagne can be intimidating if not plain confusing. Understanding a few key facts about the region and knowing how to decode a label (house, varietal, style and classification) can give you confidence to choose the perfect bottle for your taste and budget.

 
It is important to start with a basic overview of the most Northern and coldest wine producing region in France - just 100 miles northeast of Paris. The chalky-soil Champagne area produces three different types of grapes across 5 principle wine growing areas called the Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne, Côte des Blancs, Côte de Sézanne and Aube – with a total of 300+ individual properties there making wine.

Why is this significant? Because it is not always well-known that Champagne starts out as a ‘still’ wine first, without bubbles, made from both white and black grapes from these regions.

The bottom line is that Champagne is the result of a blend of all three, two or just one of white and black grapes before bubbles and sugar are added later - depending on the type and percentage of “varietals” and "classification" used to make the “style” of the “house.”

Now that is a mouthful I know, so let’s break that paragraph down!

What does “varietal” mean?

In wine speak, “varietal” simply means the type of grape(s) used. The 3 grape varietals used to make the still wine are the white-skinned Chardonnay and the black-skinned Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.  I refer to them as white or black “skinned” because interestingly, these differently colored grapes are actually all white juice. Black grapes do not produce red juice.

• The white Chardonnay grape gives the wine elegance and finesse - mostly grown in the
  Côte des Blancs area.
• The black Pinot Noir grape, also known as the grape that gives body to Burgundy wines, 
   is grown primarily in the Montagne de Reims.
• The “other relative” of Pinot Noir is the black grape Pinot Meunier, lesser known but
   important as its softness balances the strength of the Pinot Noir; largely grown in the
   Vallée de la Marne.
• Bottles labeled "Blanc de Blanc” are all-Chardonnay, and bottles labeled
  “Blanc de Noirs" are full-bodied, made from either or both of the black grapes.
• Rosé is traditionally the pink color from the short “maceration” of the black Pinot 
  Noir and Pinot Meunier skins with the juice. (What? We’ll be discussing the “process”
  of making Champagne in the next post where this will make more sense.)

What is “style”?

In addition to the percentage used to blend of grapes (i.e. 60% Chardonnay/40% Pinot Noir), the style is also how they are “classified” by the amount of sugar added to the blend.

Side note: Dry doesn't necessarily mean dry, but merely the opposite of sweet – or amount of sugar that is added.

• Extra Brut - "extra" dry (minimal sugar)
• Brut – dry (most popular style and food-friendly)
• Extra dry – not as dry as Brut (great as an aperitif)
• Demi-sec – medium dry (great for parties or my personal favorite, breakfast!)

Champagne "styles" are also classified as “vintage” or “non-vintage/NV” - meaning they either come from a single year or are a blend of several different years. The "vintage" Champagnes made from the best grapes harvested during a specific year are generally more complex and expensive than the non-vintage Champagnes which are the majority of the market. 

Side Note:  Not every year is assigned a “vintage.” Only years deemed with exceptional wine growing conditions are applied to the wines, which are then aged a bit longer than NV Champagne. However, a single house might have a "vintage" year but the entire region might not.

• Non-vintage/NV - a blend of 2 or 3 vintages (years)
• Vintage - made from a single harvest. Great Champagne
  vintages have been 1999, 1996, 1995, 1990, 1989, 1988,
  1985, 1983, 1982 and 1979. 2002 was exceptional!

What is a “house”?

A Champagne “house” is the name on the label such as Taittinger, Veuve Clicquot or Charles Heidsieck and wine growers sell their grapes to the house. Some, not all, "houses" have their own vines or a combination of both. Each houses’ oenologue is responsible for blending different wines from these growers to create a particular house “style.”

Side note: There are also small producers who do not sell their grapes to larger houses but grow and blend their own grapes with their "house" name on the label.

Based on this information, let’s have a look at the wine label again…

This is a "Champagne" from the Charles Heidsieck "house", the "style" is Blanc des Blancs made with 100% Chardonnay grapes, is classified as “Brut” (dry, good for savory foods) from a single "vintage" harvest in 1995...considered an exceptionally good year.

Et voila, you're an expert already!

Stay tuned for the next two posts which will wrap up The Paris Kitchen's Guide to Understanding Champagne.

Up next is how Champagne is made, proper technique for opening and serving suggestions and then, TPK takes you behind-the-scenes with my friend Christian Conley Holthausen (International House Communications Director, Champagnes Piper-Heidsieck & Charles Heidsieck) who invited me out to Reims to a private VIP tasting of a dozen 2009 vin clairs (the base wine used to make Champagne before the bubbles are added.)