Editing Champagne (section)

==Wine districts, grape varieties and styles==

=== Wine-producing districts of Champagne ===
Champagne is a single ''{{lang|fr|[[appellation d'origine contrôlée]]}}'' but the territory is divided into next sub-regions, known as wine-producing districts, and each of them has distinct characteristics. The main wine-producing districts of the Champagne wine region: Reims, Marne Valley, Côte des Blancs, Côtes des Bar, Côtes de Sezzane.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Champagne travel guide for wine lovers |url=https://www.winetourism.com/wine-region/champagne/ |access-date=2022-07-27 |website=www.winetourism.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

As a general rule, grapes used must be the white Chardonnay, or the dark-skinned "red wine grapes" Pinot noir or Pinot meunier, which, due to the gentle [[pressing (wine)|pressing]] of the grapes and absence of skin contact during fermentation, usually also yield a white base wine. Most Champagnes, including Rosé wines, are made from a blend of all three grapes, although ''{{lang|fr|blanc de blancs}}'' ("white from whites") Champagnes are made from 100% Chardonnay and ''{{lang|fr|blanc de noirs}}'' ("white from blacks") Champagnes are made solely from Pinot noir, Pinot meunier or a mix of the two.<ref name="Stevenson pp. 169–178" />

Four other grape varieties are permitted, mostly for historical reasons, as they are rare in current usage. The 2010 version of the appellation regulations lists seven varieties as allowed, [[Arbane]], Chardonnay, [[Petit Meslier]], [[Pinot blanc]], [[Pinot gris]], Pinot meunier, and Pinot noir.<ref name="AOC 2010">{{cite web |url=http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do;jsessionid=?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000023126020&dateTexte=&oldAction=rechJO&categorieLien=id |title=Décret n° 2010-1441 du 22 novembre 2010 relatif à l'appellation d'origine contrôlée " Champagne " |publisher=[[Journal officiel de la République française]] number 273, text number 8 |date=25 November 2010 |page=21013 |trans-title=Decree number 2010-1441 of 22 November 2010, relating to the ''Appellation d'Origine Contôlée'' of 'Champagne' |language=fr}}</ref> The sparsely cultivated varieties (0.02% of the total vines planted in Champagne) of Arbanne, Petit Meslier, and Pinot blanc can still be found in modern cuvées from a few producers.<ref name="deca-ch6">{{cite web |last=Rosen |first=Maggie |work=Decanter.com |title=Champagne house launches '6 grape' cuvée |url=http://www.decanter.com/wine-news/champagne-house-launches-6-grape-cuvee-103313/ |date=8 January 2004 }}</ref> Previous directives of [[Institut National des Appellations d'Origine|INAO]] make conditional allowances according to the complex laws of 1927 and 1929, and plantings made before 1938.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité]] (INAO) |title=AOC Champagne – Conditions de production |url=http://www.inao.gouv.fr/public/produits/showTexte.php?comiteNat=1&id_txt=18 |language=fr }}</ref> Before the 2010 regulations, the complete list of the actual and theoretical varieties also included {{lang|fr|[[Pinot de Juillet]]}} and [[Pinot Rosé]].<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Les Maisons de Champagne |title=AOC Champagne: Définition et loi |trans-title=AOC Champagne: Definition and law |url=http://www.maisons-champagne.com/bonal/pages/06/06-01_1.htm |language=fr }}</ref> The [[Gamay]] vines of the region were scheduled to be uprooted by 1942, but due to [[World War II]], this was postponed until 1962,<ref name="ALEch">{{Cite book |author=Alexis Lichine |title=Encyclopedia of Wines and Spirits |publisher=Cassell & Company Ltd |year=1967 |location=London |page=186 }}</ref> and this variety is no longer allowed in Champagne.<ref name="AOC 2010"/>

The dark-skinned Pinot noir and Pinot meunier give the wine its length and backbone. They are predominantly grown in two areas – the [[Montagne de Reims]] and the [[Vallée de la Marne]]. The Montagne de Reims run east–west to the south of Reims, in northern Champagne. They are notable for north-facing chalky slopes that derive heat from the warm winds rising from the valleys below. The River [[Marne (river)|Marne]] runs west–east through Champagne, south of the Montagne de Reims. The Vallée de la Marne contains south-facing chalky slopes. Chardonnay gives the wine its acidity and biscuit flavour. Most Chardonnay is grown in a north–south-running strip to the south of [[Épernay]], called the {{lang|fr|[[Côte des Blancs]]}}, including the villages of [[Avize]], [[Oger, Marne|Oger]] and {{lang|fr|[[Le Mesnil-sur-Oger]]}}. These are east-facing vineyards, with ''{{lang|fr|terroir}}'' similar to the {{lang|fr|[[Côte de Beaune]]}}. The various ''{{lang|fr|[[terroir]]s}}'' account for the differences in grape characteristics and explain the appropriateness of blending juice from different grape varieties and geographical areas within Champagne, to get the desired style for each Champagne house.<ref name="Stevenson pp. 169–178"/>

===Types of Champagne===
[[File:Vignobles champagne.svg|thumb|left|640px|Champagne appellation]]
Most of the Champagne produced today is "Non-[[vintage]]", meaning that it is a blended<ref name="Pfanner-IHT-12102011">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/10/dining/10iht-wine10.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=pfanner&st=cse |title=Uncorking the secrets of Champagne |author=Eric Pfanner |work=[[International Herald Tribune]] |date=10 December 2011 |access-date=10 December 2011 }}</ref> product of grapes from multiple vintages. Most of the base will be from a single year vintage with producers blending anywhere from 10 to 15% (even as high as 40%) of wine from older vintages.<ref name="Stevenson pp. 169–178"/> If the conditions of a particular vintage are favourable, some producers will make a ''vintage'' wine, which must be composed entirely of grapes from that vintage year.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Media Room &#124; Le site officiel du Champagne|url=https://www.champagne.fr/fr/informations-complementaires/mediaroom|access-date=2022-12-31|website=www.champagne.fr}}</ref> Under Champagne wine regulations, houses that make both vintage and non-vintage wines are allowed to use no more than 80% of the total vintage's harvest for the production of vintage Champagne. This allows at least 20% of the harvest from each vintage to be reserved for use in non-vintage Champagne. This ensures a consistent style that consumers can expect from non-vintage Champagne that does not alter too radically depending on the quality of the vintage. In less than ideal vintages, some producers will produce a wine from only that single vintage and still label it as non-vintage rather than as "vintage" since the wine will be of lesser quality and the producers have little desire to reserve the wine for future blending.<ref name="Stevenson pp. 169–178"/>

====Prestige ''{{lang|fr|cuvée}}''====
A ''{{lang|fr|cuvée de prestige}}'' is a proprietary blended wine (usually a Champagne) that is considered to be the top of a producer's range. Famous examples include [[Louis Roederer]]'s [[Cristal (wine)|Cristal]], [[Laurent-Perrier]]'s ''{{lang|fr|Grand Siècle}}'', [[Moët & Chandon]]'s [[Dom Pérignon (wine)|Dom Pérignon]], [[Duval-Leroy]]'s ''{{lang|fr|Cuvée Femme}}'', [[Armand de Brignac]] ''Gold Brut'', and [[Pol Roger]]'s ''{{lang|fr|Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill}}''. Perhaps the first publicly available prestige ''{{lang|fr|cuvée}}'' was Moët & Chandon's Dom Pérignon, launched in 1936 with the 1921 vintage. Until then, Champagne houses produced different ''{{lang|fr|cuvées}}'' of varying quality, but a top-of-the-range wine produced to the highest standards (and priced accordingly) was a new idea. In fact, Louis Roederer had been producing Cristal since 1876, but this was strictly for the private consumption of the Russian [[tsar]]. Cristal was made publicly available with the 1945 vintage. Then came [[Taittinger]]'s ''{{lang|fr|Comtes de Champagne}}'' (first vintage 1952), and {{lang|fr|Laurent-Perrier}}'s ''{{lang|fr|Grand Siècle 'La Cuvée'}}'' in 1960, a blend of three vintages (1952, 1953, and 1955) and Perrier Jouët's ''{{lang|fr|La Belle Époque}}''. In the last three decades of the 20th century, most Champagne houses followed these with their own prestige ''{{lang|fr|cuvées}}'', often named after notable people with a link to that producer and presented in non-standard bottle shapes (following Dom Pérignon's lead with its 18th-century revival design).

====''{{lang|fr|Blanc de noirs}}''====
[[File:Raisin noir à jus blanc.png|thumb|right|Most red wine grapes have their color concentrated in the skin, while the juice is much lighter in color.]]
A French term (literally "white from blacks" or "white of blacks") for a white wine produced entirely from black grapes. The flesh of grapes described as black or red is white; grape juice obtained after minimal possible contact with the skins produces essentially white wine, with a slightly yellower colour than wine from white grapes. The colour, due to the small amount of red skin pigments present, is often described as white-yellow, white-grey, or silvery. ''Blanc de noirs'' is often encountered in Champagne, where a number of houses have followed the lead of [[Bollinger]]'s ''prestige cuvée'' Vieilles Vignes Françaises in introducing a ''[[cuvée]]'' made from either pinot noir, pinot meunier or a blend of the two (these being the only two black grapes permitted within the Champagne AOC [[appellation]]).

====''{{lang|fr|Blanc de blancs}}''====
[[File:Blanc de blanc grand Cru champagne.jpg|right|thumb|upright|A Grand Cru blanc de blancs Champagne]]

A French term that means "white from whites", and is used to designate Champagnes made exclusively from Chardonnay grapes or in rare occasions from Pinot blanc (such as ''{{lang|fr|La Bolorée}}'' from Cedric Bouchard). The term is occasionally used in other sparkling wine-producing regions, usually to denote Chardonnay-only wines rather than any sparkling wine made from other white grape varieties.<ref name="Stevenson pp. 169–178"/>

====Rosé Champagne====
{{Redirect|Champagne Rosé|the song by Quavo|Quavo Huncho}}
Rosé Champagnes are characterized by their distinctive blush color, fruity aroma, and earthy flavor. Rosé Champagne has been produced since the late 18th century; storied French Champagne houses Rinault and Veuve Clicquot have each claimed to have shipped and sold the first bottles.<ref>{{cite web|last=Napjus|first=Alison|date=10 March 2014|title=First Rosé Champagne? Older Than You Think|url=https://www.winespectator.com/articles/first-rose-champagne-older-than-you-think-49701|website=Wine Spectator}}</ref> The wine is produced by one of two methods. Using the ''saignée'' method, winemakers will leave the clear juice of dark grapes to macerate with the skins for a brief time, resulting in wine lightly colored and flavored by the skins. In the more common ''d'assemblage'' method, producers will blend a small amount of still red wine to a sparkling wine ''cuvée''.<ref>{{cite web|date=2019-02-08|title=How Rosé Champagne is Made|url=https://www.winemag.com/2019/02/08/celebrate-rose-champagne-learn-how-its-made/|access-date=2020-09-27|website=Wine Enthusiast|language=en-US|archive-date=6 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201106080121/https://www.winemag.com/2019/02/08/celebrate-rose-champagne-learn-how-its-made/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Champagne is light in color even when it is produced with red grapes, because the juice is extracted from the grapes using a gentle process that minimizes contact with the skins. By contrast, Rosé Champagne, especially that created by ''d'assemblage'', results in the production of rosé with a predictable and reproducible color, allowing winemakers to achieve a consistent rosé appearance from year to year.

The character of rosé Champagne has varied greatly since its production began. Thought to be a sign of extravagance when originally introduced,<ref>{{cite web|title=That Intoxicating Pink|url=https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/roundtable/intoxicating-pink|access-date=2020-09-27|website=Lapham’s Quarterly|date=20 March 2013 |language=en}}</ref> by the early 20th century these wines were colloquially known as "Pink Champagne," and had gained a reputation of frivolousness or even dissipation. The 1939 Hollywood film ''[[Love Affair (1939 film)|Love Affair]]'' was reportedly approached to promote it by featuring the main characters bonding over enjoying the unpopular drink, and caused a sales boost after the film's release.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Andrea Foshee |title=Love Affair (1939) – Love Affair |url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/3938/love-affair#articles-reviews?articleId=18752 |website=Turner Classic Movies |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129085526/https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/3938/love-affair#articles-reviews?articleId=18752 |date=January 21, 2003|archive-date=2020-11-29|quote=One interesting product placement bit of trivia: The champagne industry was interested in promoting a new product: pink champagne. In one scene, [[Charles Boyer]] and [[Irene Dunne]] gazed into each others' eyes while sipping on pink champagne, and sales went up immediately afterwards.}}</ref> It is also cited by the [[Eagles (band)|Eagles]] as a beverage of choice in the titular "[[Hotel California]]." Rosé Champagnes, particularly brut varieties, began regaining popularity in the late 20th century in many countries. Because of the complex variety of flavors it presents, rosé Champagne is often served in [[fine dining]] restaurants, as a complementary element in [[food and wine pairing]].<ref name="Stevenson pp. 169–178" />

===Sweetness===
Just after disgorgement a "liqueur de dosage"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://maisons-champagne.com/en/appellation/stages-in-winemaking/preparation-for-shipment-many-years-later/article/dosage|title = Dosage – Union des Maisons de Champagne}}</ref> or liqueur d’expédition{{dash}}a blend of, typically, cane sugar and wine (sugar amounts up to 750&nbsp;g/litre){{dash}}is added to adjust the levels of sugar in the Champagne when bottled for sale, and hence the sweetness of the finished wine. Today sweetness is generally not looked for per se, and dosage is used to fine tune the perception of acidity in the wine.

For Caroline Latrive, cellar master of Ayala, a Champagne house that pioneered drier champagnes at the end of the 19th century, dosage represents the final touch in champagne making and must be as subtle as possible to bring the right balance.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dosage in Champagne – Past, Present, Future |url=https://www.bestchampagne.net/glossary/dosage/ |access-date=2022-03-22 |website=BESTCHAMPAGNE |language=en-US}}</ref>

Additionally, dosage protects champagne from oxidation because it includes a small amount of [[Sulfur dioxide|{{SO2}}]], and sugar also acts as a preservative. Benoît Gouez, cellar master of Moët & Chandon says that sugar helps champagne recover from the oxidative shock of disgorgement, and contributes to the wine's aging potential.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-03-29 |title=Interview with Benoît Gouez Chef de Caves of Moët & Chandon |url=https://www.bestchampagne.net/interviews/benoit-gouez-moet-chandon/ |access-date=2022-03-22 |website=BESTCHAMPAGNE |language=en-US}}</ref>

Wines labeled ''{{lang|fr|Brut Zero}}'', more common among smaller producers,<ref name="NYT">{{cite news |author=Eric Pfanner |title=Champagne Decoded: The Degrees of Sweet |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/22/dining/22iht-wine22.html |access-date=10 March 2013 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=21 December 2012 }}</ref> have no added sugar and will usually be very dry, with less than three grams of residual sugar per litre in the finished wine. The following terms are used to describe the sweetness of the bottled wine:

* ''{{lang|fr|Extra Brut}}'' (less than 6&nbsp;grams of sugar per litre)
* ''{{lang|fr|Brut}}'' (less than 12&nbsp;grams)
* ''Extra Dry'' (between 12 and 17&nbsp;grams)
* ''{{lang|fr|Sec}}'' (between 17 and 32&nbsp;grams)
* ''{{lang|fr|Demi-sec}}'' (between 32 and 50&nbsp;grams)
* ''{{lang|fr|Doux}}'' (50&nbsp;grams)

The most common style today is ''{{lang|fr|Brut}}''. However, throughout the 19th century and into the early 20th century Champagne was generally much sweeter than it is today. Moreover, except in Britain, Champagne was drunk as [[dessert wine]]s (after the meal), rather than as table wines (with the meal).<ref>''Facts About Champagne and Other Sparkling Wines,'' [[Henry Vizetelly]] (1879), [http://www.gutenberg.org/files/20889/20889-h/20889-h.htm pp. 213–214]:<br />
"Manufacturers of champagne and other sparkling wines prepare them dry or sweet, light or strong, according to the markets for which they are designed. The sweet wines go to Russia and Germany, the sweet-toothed Muscovite regarding M. Louis Roederer's syrupy product as the beau-idéal of champagne, and the Germans demanding wines with 20 or more per cent. of liqueur, or nearly quadruple the quantity that is contained in the average champagnes shipped to England. France consumes light and moderately sweet wines; the United States gives a preference to the intermediate qualities; China, India, and other hot countries stipulate for light dry wines; while the very strong 214 ones go to Australia, the Cape, and other places where gold and diamonds and such-like trifles are from time to time "prospected." Not merely the driest but the very best wines of the best manufacturers, and commanding of course the highest prices, are invariably reserved for the English market. Foreigners cannot understand the marked preference shown in England for exceedingly dry sparkling wines. They do not consider that as a rule they are drunk during dinner with the plats, and not at dessert, with all kinds of sweets, fruits, and ices, as is almost invariably the case abroad."</ref> At this time, Champagne sweetness was instead referred to by destination country, roughly as:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://oneblockwest.com/gout-americain/ |title=Goût Américain |last= Matthews |first=Ed |website= One Blog West |date=2010-01-10 |access-date=2019-06-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702141551/http://oneblockwest.com/gout-americain/ |archive-date=2017-07-02}}</ref>
* ''{{lang|fr|Goût anglais}}'' ("English taste", between 22 and 66&nbsp;grams); note that today ''{{lang|fr|goût anglais}}'' refers to [[aging of wine|aged]] vintage Champagne
* ''{{lang|fr|Goût américain}}'' ("American taste", between 110 and 165&nbsp;grams)
* ''{{lang|fr|Goût français}}'' ("French taste", between 165 and 200&nbsp;grams)
* ''{{lang|fr|Goût russe}}'' ("Russian taste", between 200 and 300&nbsp;grams)
Of these, only the driest English is close to contemporary tastes.