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Ask a Wine-Know: Buffing up on bubbly
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Anonymous user Tue Jan 9, 2007 13:11:45 PST
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0 responses 0 comments Thanks for sending in today’s questions, “What is the difference between champagne and sparkling wine?” and “Is champagne made in California?”
I had touted sparkling wine as a great wine to accompany Thanksgiving festivities, so I certainly appreciate the question and assume other readers wondered, too. The simple answer is that both names apply to the same wine — the beautiful, clear liquid with the bubbles in it that makes you feel “fizzy” inside after a second or third glass. You do not use a corkscrew to open it, and everyone needs to stand back if an amateur is attempting to get it uncorked!
Why the difference in the names? If we want to be correct (and don’t we all?), only wine made in Champagne, a province in northeastern France, should be labeled “Champagne.” All other wine of the same type should be labeled as sparkling wine.  All countries that I know of have laws that govern much of what’s put on wine labels. In popular speech we seem to call all the wine that has bubbles in it “champagne,” but unless you’re holding a bottle from France, chances are you won’t see that on the label.  All of my favorite California wineries have “Sparkling Wine” printed on the bottles.
Yes, California does make some great sparkling wines — Domaine Mumm, Schramsberg, Domaine Carneros, Piper-Sonoma and  Domaine Chandon, to name some of them. There are good buys on many of these at  World Market, Costco and Trader Joe’s right now.
What is this wine, anyhow? Three grapes are used in the making of champagne: pinot noir, pinot meunier, and chardonnay. The first two are red grapes, the last one is white. These are cold-climate grapes and their growing time is shorter, hence they are the first picked at harvest time. The heavier style (blanc de noir) is made of 100 percent red grapes, the lighter style is made from 100 percent chardonnay (blanc de blanc).
Wineries age the wine. Do drink champagne soon after you buy it. Don’t buy it to be “put down” like a red wine. It is made to be consumed soon after purchase,  and certainly within minutes of opening! Only great vintage champagnes can last five to 10 years after release.  All of these wines were sweet until about 150 years ago, and now are dry (brut), less dry (extra dry), more sweet (sec), and most sweet (demi-sec).
How is it made? That is the question. What makes champagne (sparkling wine) different from all other wines (referred to as still wines) is the bubbles. These are the product of a second fermentation. The first fermentation converts sugar and yeast in the grape juice into alcohol and carbon dioxide, which dissipates. This fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks. When making champagne, the wine then goes into its permanent bottle with a dose of sugar and yeast to produce a second fermentation. The carbon dioxide stays in the bottle, and is where the bubbles come from.
A champagne bottle is heavier than the regular wine bottle, as you may have noticed, and this is because of the great pressure exerted upon it by the gas. There is a sediment left in the bottle due to the second fermentation. The second fermentation and a heavier bottle are two reasons this wine is more expensive than regular wine.
Two additional processes, known as riddling and disgorgement, also take place.  The  amount of time spent aging its sediment adds to the quality of the wine.  As you can imagine, it is very costly for a business to store its product three to six years (on average) before selling it!  There are several more steps in the winemaking process that I won’t go into today, but touring a champagne or sparkling wine facility is an interesting experience, and I highly recommend it!
One of the keys to recognizing a very good bottle of champagne or sparkling wine is to look  for the statement “individually fermented in this bottle.” The statement indicates that the wine was made following the French style (Methode Champenoise process). There are other, cheaper ways of making sparkling wine, such as performing the secondary fermentations in big vats instead of bottles. The results are often very drinkable but not as exhilarating as a great bottle!
Don’t forget the best way to judge a really good champagne or sparkling wine is by pouring a glass and looking at the bubbles. The better the wine, the smaller the bubbles, the more the bubbles, and the longer they last! That’s why today’s champagne glasses (flutes) are tall and tapering in order for you to enjoy the sight. The old wide and shallow glasses lose bubbles quickly. Some say wide glasses are from the days of prohibition when the wine was terrible anyway. No use advertising it!
Oh yes, opening the bottle: Remove the foil, put your hand on top of the cork, and unwind the wire. Next, I always place a towel on top of my hand and the bottle just in case. Then turn the bottle in one direction and the cork in another to slowly, slowly ease the cork out. No flying corks across the room! No foaming bottles or else the carbon dioxide that you bought the bottle for will be gone!  It may look like fun on that victory podium, but drinking it won’t be.
Coming Events:
Dec. 3 — Bakersfield Friends of Wine will meet at Cafe Med to enjoy seven wineries from Paso Robles and food for $35. Event will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. To make reservations or for more information, call Klaus Hoeper at 871-6463.

Questions or comments? E-mail Ann at: acierley@etcrier.net

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