Champagne

Champagne is a sparkling wine from a cool region east of Paris, made by a second fermentation inside the bottle. Expect high acidity, fine persistent bubbles, and flavours of green apple, citrus, toast and brioche.

Why it can only come from here

Champagne is the northernmost significant wine region in France, and it is genuinely marginal for ripening grapes. That is the source of its quality rather than a handicap: grapes picked at high acidity and modest sugar make a base wine that is thin and sharp on its own, but ideal for sparkling wine, where acidity carries the structure.

The chalk subsoil is the region's other signature. It drains freely, reflects light, and moderates temperature, and the deep cellars cut into it hold a naturally constant cool temperature for the long ageing the method requires.

The three grapes

• Chardonnay — the white grape, giving citrus, green apple, finesse and the capacity to age. Wines made only from it are labelled Blanc de Blancs.
• Pinot Noir — a black grape vinified without skin contact. Gives body, structure and red-fruit weight.
• Pinot Meunier — also black, earlier-ripening and softer, contributing fruitiness and approachability.

Blanc de Noirs means the wine is made only from the two black grapes. Rosé is usually made by blending a little still red wine into the blend — one of the few places in the EU where blending red and white for rosé is permitted.

How it is made

The defining process is the traditional method. A dry, high-acid base wine is bottled with a little sugar and yeast, and ferments a second time inside the sealed bottle. The carbon dioxide has nowhere to go, so it dissolves into the wine.

The bottle then rests on the spent yeast for a minimum period — considerably longer for vintage wines. This lees ageing is where the bready, biscuity, brioche character comes from, and it is what distinguishes Champagne from sparkling wines made by faster methods. The yeast is eventually worked into the neck, frozen, and expelled, and a small dosage of sugar is added to balance the acidity.

Reading the sweetness on the label

Almost all Champagne is dry, but the terms are counter-intuitive:

• Brut Nature / Zero Dosage — bone dry, no sugar added.
• Extra Brut — very dry.
• Brut — dry. By far the most common style.
• Extra Dry — confusingly, sweeter than Brut.
• Sec, Demi-Sec, Doux — progressively sweeter.

Non-vintage, vintage, and grower Champagne

Non-vintage (NV) blends several years to produce a consistent house style. It is the majority of production and the benchmark of a house's skill.

Vintage Champagne is made only in strong years from a single harvest, aged much longer, and is more intense and distinctive.

Grower Champagne — look for the small letters RM (récoltant-manipulant) on the label — is made by the same estate that grew the grapes, rather than by a large house buying fruit. These are often more individual and better value than the famous marques.

What it tastes like

Dry, light to medium-bodied, with very high acidity and a fine, persistent mousse. Young non-vintage shows green apple, lemon, pear and white flowers. With age comes toast, brioche, almond and a nutty, honeyed depth.

Food pairings

Champagne's acidity and bubbles make it a far better food wine than its aperitif reputation suggests.

• Oysters and raw shellfish — the classic, especially with Blanc de Blancs.
• Fried food and crisps — acidity and carbonation cut through salt and fat brilliantly.
• Roast chicken — a fuller Blanc de Noirs handles it easily.
• Hard cheese — Comté with an aged vintage is superb.
• Not wedding cake: most Champagne is bone dry and will taste sour against sugar. Use a Demi-Sec for dessert.

What to buy

Non-vintage Brut from a house whose style you like is the sensible default. If you find the big marques expensive, grower Champagne is the value route.

If the budget will not stretch at all, the honest alternatives made by the same method are Crémant from Alsace, Bourgogne or the Loire, and Franciacorta from Italy. Prosecco is made differently — in tank, not in bottle — which is why it tastes fruity and floral rather than bready.

Serve at 8 to 10°C, in a normal white wine glass rather than a narrow flute, which hides the aromas. Do not over-chill it.