Since time immemorial, French champagne was present on our tables only on special occasions. However, now in any supermarket you can safely, without any difficulty, find several bottles of such champagne, moreover, of various brands: from little-known to powerful trading companies that have been providing their services in the alcoholic beverages market for more than a decade.

In general, these days any champagne is no longer a luxury item. Nowadays, it is often purchased for Sunday family feasts or for the premiere of a concert. In a word, the use of French champagne has ceased to be something solemn and rather turned into a kind of "festive" routine.

But in any case, it would be useful for all lovers of this noble drink to get acquainted with the types of French champagne, its brands, as well as other equally important criteria for its assessment and selection.

A bit of theory

The main feature of champagne that distinguishes it from other wines (that is, wines that are not called sparkling) is the process of bubbling of the carbon dioxide present in the drink. Therefore, the wine seems to "sizzle". In general, carbon dioxide generated during fermentation poses no danger, as it is produced naturally.

Probably, many wondered why exactly "French champagne". The names of these drinks are a direct reference to the place of production. Everyone has heard at least once about the very famous Champagne province, located in France and famous for its sparkling wine, called champagne.

Champagne production: how and from what?

The champagne method is the dominant process in obtaining champagne of any kind and type. A distinctive feature of this method is the passage of the fermentation process directly in the bottle. The rest of the sparkling wines go through this stage using the classical method - in barrels. And only then does the process of bottling such wines take place.

Today, the main product for making French champagne is the following mixture of grape varieties: Chardonnay (white) and Pinot noir (black).

In view of all of the above, we can draw the following conclusion: only sparkling wine obtained in the Champagne province, during the production of which the champagne method was applied, should be called champagne.

However, if gas bubbles form in the barrel, then the wine obtained in this way can be called sparkling. But if carbon dioxide was added, then this wine is usually called carbonated.

Classification of French sparkling wines

"Types of French champagne" is not the most unambiguous statement that could be used, since it would be problematic to divide such a large group of drinks of different types and tastes using only one criterion.

Based on this, you can carry out a basic sorting according to the following qualities:

• by the amount of sugar in the drink;
• by the year of the grape harvest;
• by grape variety;
• by the type of manufacturing company;
• by the type of bottles used.

Separation of French champagne by sugar content

Brut nature - natural brut is one of the most expensive varieties of French sparkling wines, since the highest quality grape varieties are used to create such a drink. The amount of sugar in this wine is incredibly small and is only 6 grams / liter.

Brut- brut. Brut French champagne is considered one of the most popular. This wine contains about 15 grams of sugar per liter of drink.

Extra sec- Very dry, it is a sparkling French wine, the sugar content of which does not exceed 20 grams per liter. However, the production of such wines is limited due to the lack of demand from buyers.

Sec- dry champagne. French semi-sweet is the second name of this drink. And the amount of sugar in it ranges from 17 to 35 grams per liter.

Demi sec- semi-sweet. A fairly sweet type of champagne that only amateurs enjoy. This wine contains 33 to 50 grams of sugar per liter.

Doux- sweet champagne. This type of sparkling wine is a category of dessert wines, that is, wines containing a large amount of sugar (at least 50 grams per liter).

Separation of French champagne by grape harvest year

Non-vintage(non-vintage) - champagne that does not have a specific year of issue. For example, when producing cuvée, wines of the harvests of different years are used. And a prerequisite for the release of such champagne is its mandatory aging after replication, not less than 12 months. This type of French champagne perfectly characterizes the style and level of the House's champagne.

Vintage(vintage) champagne. It is also called millesime. This is a French sparkling wine with a specific vintage and produced only during a favorable year for wine production. The addition of extraneous "reserves" is permissible, but the percentage of such impurities should not exceed 20%. The minimum aging of such champagne is 3 years.

Cuvee de prestige- the prestige of the cuvée. It is characterized by the use of only those grape harvests that were lucky enough to be born in the best "grape" years. In addition, this champagne is made from a grape harvest of one year and is aged for at least five years. The prestige cuvée usually gets its own name, as it is the finest champagne in the entire House of Champagne.

Separation of French champagne according to the grapes used

Blanc de blancs- "from white to white". This inscription on the bottle indicates that the champagne sold in this bottle is made only from Chardonnay (a white grape variety).

Blanc de noirs- "from black to white". This marking denotes a wine made from grapes, the varieties of which have dark skin and light flesh.

Rose- French rosé champagne. It acquired this color thanks to the short amount of time spent in the must of the skins of classic red grapes. Less commonly, this color is obtained by mixing white and

Collection- collection champagne. A characteristic feature of this sparkling wine is the quantity of its production. The batch of this champagne is limited to several tens of thousands of bottles.

Cuvee- cuvee. This is champagne made from grape juice obtained after the first, weakest pressing of the press on the berries.

Taille- taye. This is a champagne that took the next 500 liters of grape juice after it was drained for the cuvé variety.

Grand crus- Grand Cru - champagne from the grape harvest grown in the best Champagne vineyards.

Premiere Crus- premier cru - champagne from the grape harvest, obtained in the vineyards second in quality after Grand Cru.

Storing French champagne

All bottles of sparkling wine should be stored indoors at a temperature of 8-16 degrees Celsius. Exposure to direct sunlight is unacceptable.

Champagne bottles are best stored horizontally, whether opened or not.

The best French champagne and its brands

• "Dom Perignon". It is one of the most prestigious brands of French champagne. Nowadays, Moet and Chandon have taken control of the production of this champagne.
• The "Prince of Champagne", presented by the Tatinger firm, brought to a new level the perception of people about such an exquisite drink as French champagne. The brands also represented by this company are appreciated by customers all over the world. However, true connoisseurs with a certain amount of finances prefer the "Prince of Champagne".
• "Widow is a world-famous French champagne. The brands presented by this company have no analogues in the world market due to patented production features.

As you remember, the word Champagne is used to refer to only sparkling wine made in France in the Champagne region, these are the rules of the World Trade Organization.

But this only applies to the international alcoholic beverages market. In the domestic market of our country, the word champagne is traditionally accompanied by the words Russian or Soviet.

By the way, in all regions of France, except for Champagne and other European countries, sparkling wines obtained by the Champenoise method are called Cremant Cremans. These can be cremans of Burgundy, Loire or Alsace. In Italy this drink is called Asti Asti, in Spain - Cava Cava, in Germany and Austria - Sect Sect or Sect. And I must say that in quality they are not inferior to a real drink from Champagne.

Champagne classification

Champagne is classified according to its sugar content. Here's what information you can read on the bottle label:

Initially, European varieties of champagne were produced only dry or semi-dry. But over time, the producers of sparkling wine realized that the population has very diverse preferences and there are many fans of sweet wines, so they expanded their choice by adding sweets. By the way, Dokes wines contain up to 50 g of sugar, which is equivalent to just over two teaspoons of sugar per glass.

And yet, Europeans use semi-sweet or sweet champagne many times less often than Russians.

What regulates the production of champagne in Russia

Until recently, there were two GOSTs for Secular and Russian Champagne, but now all the requirements are combined into one document.

GOST R 51165-2009 - National standard of the Russian Federation, applies to Russian champagne.

GOST R 51158-2009 - National standard of the Russian Federation, applies to sparkling wines and sparkling pearl wines.

GOST 31731-2012 - Sparkling wine, including champagne - Interstate standard (countries: Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Uzbekistan).

How champagne differs from sparkling wines

Sparkling wines are made from a variety of grape varieties and in various combinations. Champagne is made only from certain grape varieties. So only six of them are real French:

• Pinot Noir Pinot Noir
• Pinot Meunier
• Chardonnay Chardonnay
• Pinot Blanc Pinot Blanc
• Petit Meslier
• Arbani Arbane

Of these, only the first three varieties are popular.

But for Russian champagne, it is allowed to use wine materials not only of champagne grape varieties, but also of others, if only they provide the established level of quality:

• Chardonnay Chardonnay
• Pinot black Pinot Noir, Pinot Franc
• Pinot Meunier
• Pinot white Pinot Blanc
• Pinot gray Pinot Gris
• Sauvignon Sauvignon
• Aligote Aligote
• Traminer Rose
• Sylvaner Silvaner
• Riesling Risling
• Cabernet-Sauvignon Cabernet-Sauvignon
• Kokur white
• Pukhlyakovsky
• Champagne

However, the difference between sparkling wine and champagne is not only in the varieties, but also in the production technology.

1. Sparkling wine is a drink saturated with carbon dioxide as a result of complete or incomplete alcoholic fermentation in sealed vessels of grape must or secondary fermentation of fermented grape must and / or table wine material. The proportion of alcohol from 10.0% to 13.5%,
2. Russian champagne is a sparkling wine saturated with carbon dioxide as a result only secondary fermentation in sealed vessels of table wine materials produced from established grape varieties. The proportion of alcohol is from 10.5% to 13.0%.

Sparkling wine can be white, rosé and red. Champagne - only white and pink.

Russian champagne is available in three flavors:

• Russian champagne of a geographical indication (made from certain varieties, or from a regulated mixture of grape varieties grown and processed in a specific geographical area)
• Aged Russian champagne (6 months - fermentation in tanks or 9 months - in bottles)
• Russian collection champagne (aged after the end of fermentation in bottles for at least 3 years)

Soviet champagne is also Russian champagne, white, of the traditional name, saturated with carbon dioxide as a result of secondary fermentation in sealed vessels of table wine materials. The proportion of alcohol is from 10.5% to 12.5%.

Thus, under the name Soviet Champagne, the most budgetary variation of Russian champagne is produced and it would be more correct to call it sparkling wine rather than champagne - it is produced by champagne in special metal containers. The name “Soviet” cannot be a collection or aged champagne, which is obtained by the method of champagne directly in the bottle.

What is noteworthy is that the official standards allow not to use the words "Russian champagne" when marking Russian champagne with the traditional name "Soviet Champagne".

Which champagne is better

In Russia, champagne is created at many enterprises, the most famous and worthy:

• Moscow Factory of Champagne Wines
• Factory of sparkling wines "Abrau-Durso"
• Factory of sparkling wines "Novy Svet"
• Rostov Factory of Sparkling Wines
• Tsimlyansk Sparkling Wine Factory
• Fanagoria - winery

Many of them managed to show the quality of their products to the whole world. At prestigious international competitions "Soviet Champagne" won more than two hundred medals, and the Moscow Sparkling Wine Factory in 1969 and the Abrau-Durso winemakers in 1970 won the Grand Prix at international competitions and remain true to traditions.

But you need to understand that each manufacturer has a wide range of assortments - there are inexpensive, but often criticized, and more prestigious, but expensive.

What to look for when choosing champagne

• The fame of the producer and his reputation, how badly or well the winemakers have appeared in various examinations.
• Production technology - the best champagne is produced by the bottle champagne method.
• The type of champagne is the best one that is aged for at least 9 months or collectible.
• Certification - the best champagne complies with GOST RF (GOST R 51165-2009) and is made from high quality champagne grape varieties (for example, Aligote, Chardonnay, Riesling).

Real French champagne, or its Spanish counterpart cava, is never found in chain hypermarkets, you need to look for them in liquor stores or boutiques. Prices for branded drinks are on average from 4000 rubles. The price depends, as a rule, on aging, the lowest price for champagne without a year, for example, Ruinart Blanc de Blanc can be purchased for 6,500 rubles, and Dom Pérignon Blanc from 2003-2004 for 15,000 rubles, and Krug Vintage Vintage 1998 for 25,000 rubles. ...

Russian champagne can be bought in many ordinary stores, but you need to understand that the price for sparkling wine of acceptable quality starts from 300 rubles and more. For the holidays, sales of champagne appear, at a price of 120-150 rubles per bottle. However, it is worth warning - numerous examinations of such sparkling wines showed them not from the best side - the content of an unacceptable amount of microbes; excess of the mass concentration of volatile acids (in terms of acetic acid) - which indicates a violation of the temperature regime during fermentation; inconsistency in the amount of sugar, etc.

Experts on alcoholic beverages argue that European and Russian technologies in the production of champagne are so different that the rule applies when choosing a drink: French champagne, the more matured, the better and more noble, produced in Russia, the fresher, less stored, the better.

This is because carbon dioxide, which contributes to the delicious bubbles, is a powerful oxidizing agent. At the slightest violation of technology, it gradually decomposes the wine material in the drink. That is why, the longer the sparkling wine has been left, the more oxidized it will be.

By the way, if you have not tried it yet, I recommend Chilean champagne, it is called Chilean Sparkling Wine, Chileans do not have a special name, like Cava or Sect, but sparkling wines from champagne grape varieties: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon grown in the Central Valley , Kolchagua or Maule Valley, are of high quality. The price is higher than for Russian champagne, but lower than for French or Austrian.

For example, Sparkling white dry Undurraga Undurraga, Brut costs about 1000 rubles, alcohol 12.5%. But for the girls, a pleasant surprise will be the sweet pink Sparkling wine Fresita Frezita - it costs about 1200 rubles, and differs in that it is surprisingly not cloying for a sweet drink, alcohol in it is 8%.

In addition to Chilean, a very worthy choice is South African champagne. Sparkling wines marked on the label Methode Cap Classique (MCC - Method Cap Classic). Winemaking estates appeared in South Africa in the 17th century, champagne technologies are more modern, but have been worked out for decades.

I recommend trying the Sparkling wine from Simonsig "Kaapse Vonkel" Brut, aged 2012, the pleasure costs about 1300 rubles, made from Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier. Why exactly this champagne? Because according to the rating of Robert Parker (this is one of the most reputable and well-known American critics of wine products), this sparkling wine received 86 points on a scale from 50 to 100. In this rating, wines with a score of 90 points and above are considered the most excellent in taste. According to other experts - no less authoritative magazine Wine Spectator, this wine received 84 points.

Nadezhda Kovtunova

Treaty of 1891, and later confirmed by treaty after the end of the First World War. Even the method of making sparkling wines can be called “ champagne» ( méthode champenoise or "champagne method") only in, in other countries and regions only "méthode traditionelle" - the traditional method can be indicated.

Sparkling wines of the world

Despite the fact that champagne wines are produced not only in Champagne, in other countries the word "champagne" cannot be used, therefore their names are used:

• Other ( , ) -
• Italy - spumante(from the Muscat variety called Asti in Piedmont)
• Spain - Cava
• Germany - Sekt
• South Africa - Cap classique

However, in some countries the term “ champagne"Is registered as part of trademarks, such as the famous" Soviet champagne«.

Requirements for champagne

Correct champagne produced according to strict rules developed by “ Interprofessional Champagne Committee», Designed to ensure the high quality of the resulting drink. The rules regulate the most suitable places for and determine the 7 varieties that are allowed to be used in.

Typically, champagne wines are made from one, or from a mixture of three varieties: chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier (chardonnay, pinot noir, pinot meunier). The rules also regulate the process of growing grapes: the degree of pressing of berries, the minimum period of aging on the lees, the yield of the vineyard, pruning of the vines. Name " Champagne»Can only stand on the wine that is produced according to all the rules.

Varieties of champagne

Champagne wines are generally made from three grape varieties:

• chardonnay
• pinot noir
• pinot meunier

Small additions of other grape varieties are rarely used.

• More details:

If champagne is made from only grapes chardonnay, he's called blanc de blancs (white from white).

If champagne is made from only red grapes, it is called blanc de noirs (white from black).

Champagne color

Shapanskoe, as a rule, is white a sparkling wine. Even if it is made from red grapes, the berries are squeezed so carefully that the skin, which gives a red tint, hardly comes into contact with the squeezed juice. But do and rosé champagne: in this case, prolong contact with the red skin, or simply add to a little red wine.

Champagne varieties

Depending on the amount of sugar and aging, several varieties of champagne are distinguished:

• sweet - "doux"
• semi-sweet - "demi-sec"
• semi-dry - "sec"
• extra-semi-dry - "extra sec"
• brut - "brut"
• extra brut / brut-cuvée - "extra brut" / "brut nature" / "brut zero" (no liquor or sugar is added at all).

Initially, champagne was rather sweet, since sugar allowed to hide flaws in production or poor quality of wine. But now the most popular in the world is brut champagne. However, according to historical tradition, the most popular champagne in the territory of the former USSR is semisweet champagne.

The standards for the amount of sugar in champagne may differ from country to country:

Sweet varieties of champagne

Sweet varieties of champagne(as an example - the famous brand of Italian Asti) are considered dessert wine. They don't require any snack, but are more likely to cause hangover headaches.

Carbon dioxide not only enhances the taste of champagne: the bubbles and small drops of wine that form when the bubble bursts, enhance the evaporation of the aromatic substances of the drink. Bubbles should form at the bottom of the glass and rise fountain-like upward, creating a "belt" along the walls of the glass. If the champagne is good, then the bubbles should be fine and last for several hours. Large bubbles indicate additional carbonation of the beverage.

How to drink champagne

The correct champagne glasses have a narrow, tall shape on a long stem so that the warmth of your hands does not warm the wine. Flat wide glasses are more suitable for sweet champagnes, but they are inferior to narrow and tall glasses, since they do not retain the bubbles and aroma of the drink. It is better then to use large glasses for red wine with a wide belly and narrowed neck: it prevents the aroma from escaping and allows you to enjoy the whole bouquet to the fullest. The walls of the champagne glasses are thinned so that the champagne does not heat up.

The glass is two-thirds full. The champagne should be well chilled, at least 7 degrees. The drier the champagne you drink, the lower the temperature should be. They often chill champagne to 1-2 ° C and even add a piece of ice. It is advisable to continue to cool the open bottle: for example, in a bucket with crushed ice.

If the champagne is corked with a natural cork, then when opening the bottle, you should turn not the cork, but the bottle clockwise. Hold the cork a little when it is almost out of the bottle: the pressure in the bottle will return to normal a little and the champagne will not pour out of the bottle. The glasses are filled immediately after opening: it is advisable to slightly tilt the glass and pour champagne along the wall so that no foam forms. The glass is poured into 2/3. They drink champagne, holding by the stem, without touching the body of the glass, so as not to heat the wine with the warmth of their hands.

Dry champagnes are often served in restaurants as an aperitif. Sweet champagne is suitable for sweet dishes, for cake. Dry champagne is perfect for seafood with a delicate taste: crabs, oysters, white fish in sauce, with vegetables such as artichokes and asparagus. Champagne goes well with fruits and desserts.

French champagne labeling

Real champagne must be marked Champagne.

The name of the champagne, the manufacturer and its registration number are indicated on the bottle. Depending on the size of the company, there may be a marking of the form:

— N.M.- wineries selling wine through their distribution network;
— M.A.- only implementers;
— R.M.- small wineries;
— C.M.- small cooperatives.

According to the strict rules established by the European Union for the control of the name of the product at its place of origin, only drinks produced in a specific French province are entitled to be called "champagne". It is they who carry on their label the sign of their noble ancestry - the letters DOC. All other drinks, even if they accurately copy the blend and production technology, are called "sparkling wines". In some countries, they also have their own names. In Catalonia it is "cava", in Italy - "proseco", in Languedoc - "blanket". And these drinks also carry the elite abbreviation DOC. But often the law is not written to the producers. And the old-fashioned names are made, more or less according to the technology invented by Abbot Perignon. Some drinks are a blatant heap of waste materials, artificially carbonated. But there are some domestic sparkling wines that deserve to be served at the festive table. In this article, we will consider the TOP-10 drinks in the Elite Champagne category.

Veuve Clicquot

As the English say, ladies first. But it is not the courtesy of the gentlemen that makes us let the lady go ahead. This drink really deserves to be ranked first in the Elite Champagne rating. Monsieur Clicquot, an unremarkable winemaker, rendered two great services to mankind: he married the young lady Barb Nicole Ponsardin and died in time to give the widow to show her abilities.

The lady raised her husband's modest household to unprecedented heights. She invented a method for perfect cleaning of champagne and a bridle on the cork, because the pressure in the bottle is three times higher than in the tire of the car. In addition, the lady skillfully used natural phenomena for self-promotion. So, in 1811, the inhabitants of the Earth observed a comet. The widow Clicquot immediately sent a ship to Russia (whose troops had recently defeated Napoleon) with a huge batch of champagne, on the label of which a tailed star was depicted. A huge sales market was secured. All the aristocracy tasted the "comet wine", and even Pushkin mentioned champagne in his poems. Now the cheapest products from the House of Veuve Clicquot cost from two and a half thousand rubles. And the price for some elite bottles is estimated at several tens of thousands of dollars.

Moët & Chandon ("Moet and Chandon")

This company is as old as Veuve Clicquot. Who doesn't know this elite champagne? A photo of a black bow with a gold border, fastened with a round red seal under the neck of the bottle, serves as the standard of the French art of living. Moet and Chandon supplied their champagne to the court of the French king. Louis XV liked it, and Napoleon Bonaparte did not hesitate to pick him up at the wine house when he was passing through Champagne. Since the reign of Edward VII, Moët & Chandon have taken over the British market. And now the company is the official supplier of champagne to the court of Elizabeth II. Moet & Chandon is not limited to royalty. It is their champagne that is poured into glasses at the presentation of the prestigious Golden Globe Award in the cinema. Due to the large circulation, the company's products are sold at more affordable prices. In Russia, a bottle of Moet and Shandon can be bought for two thousand rubles.

Dom Pérignon

It's time to talk about the inventor of champagne as such. "Home" is not a name, much less a building. Perignon's name was Pierre. Since he was a Benedictine monk, he was treated with respect as the cleric of Dom. Perignon lived in the seventeenth century, and in his free time from prayer, he experimented in his Abbey of Auvilier with young frothy wine. He first thought of fermenting quiet drinks a second time. He kept them in bottles made of very thick glass, plugged with an oak cork. The elite champagne of the Abbey of Auvillier brand was very quickly appreciated by the French aristocracy. Soon it began to be delivered to the sun king Louis XIV at Versailles. The firm Moet and Chandon bought the vineyards of the abbey. The manufacturer continues to create drinks using old technology. This brand is called Dom Perignon. Since the area of ​​vineyards is small, this drink also automatically increases in price. A bottle of the usual Dom Pérignon costs from eight thousand rubles. Dom Perignon Oenotheque - an elite brand of the wine house is estimated on the market at twenty-two thousand.

Louis Roederer

In Russia, this is the most expensive elite champagne. Its name has become known in our country since the reign of Alexander II. And no wonder: "Louis Roederer Crystal" was made in 1876 especially for the royal court. The word "Cristal" meant not only the maximum purification of the drink. By order of Emperor Alexander II, champagne was supplied in crystal bottles. About sixty percent of all production of the wine house of Louis Roederer went to Russia. Even now, our compatriots have remained faithful to tradition. Champagne "Louis Röderer Brut Premier" is the most demanded of the French brands. Its average price is four thousand three hundred rubles per bottle. The exclusive Louis Röderer Crystal drink is much more appreciated. Its cost varies from ten to thirty-five thousand rubles (depending on the harvest year).

Piper-Heidsieck

The owners of this winery promote their products through Hollywood stars. Piper Heidsick champagne was Marilyn Monroe's favorite. And at all the Oscars, the products of this house are invariably present. PR managers of the company seem to have discovered a "gold mine" for themselves. Now the names "Piper Heidsick" and Hollywood are inseparable. In 1965, the company released a bottle, 1.82 meters high, the height of Oscar-winning actor Rex Harrison (for his role in the film "My Fair Lady", played in tandem with Audrey Hepburn). And last year Christian Lobuten became the designer of the house "Piper Heidsick". This is how elite brut champagne appeared, released in a gift set with a shoe with a crystal heel. This PR move refers us to the tale of Cinderella. But at the same time he makes you remember the old wedding tradition, when the groom drinks champagne from the bride's shoe. It is not possible to find a gift set in wine boutiques in Russia. But the usual champagne "Piper Highsick Brut" can be found for one and a half thousand rubles.

G.H. Mumm ("Mumm")

The first owner of the company in the eighteenth century adorned the label of his products with the red ribbon of the Legion of Honor. The company now advertises itself through sports. The slogan of the wine house is “Striving for achievement and courage”. The firm is a sponsor of many sports and scientific achievements. In 1904, this elite champagne was uncorked by the crew of the Le-France ship in Antarctica. The winners of the Formula 1 competition are watered with it. Mumm is the third largest manufacturer in the world in terms of sales. A bottle of champagne from this company costs an average of two and a half thousand rubles.

Krug ("Circle")

Can sparkling wines be aged? Yes, if they are produced in the Krug cellars. This house initially focused on the quality of the drink, not the volume of sales. The company has only twenty hectares of its own vineyards! The wort of the best blend is fermented in small wooden barrels and then aged in bottles for at least six years. Thanks to this method, champagne has not only a complex, recognizable taste, but also the ability to “age nobly”. Such elite champagne can be kept in the cellar for at least forty years, so that later it can be profitably sold. Isn't it an investment? For example, at a wine auction in Hong Kong in April 2015, a 1928 vintage Circle bottle sold for twenty-one thousand two hundred dollars. But ordinary champagne from this company costs about twenty thousand rubles.

It is generally believed that drinks in the Prestige Cuvée category should be dry: ultra, extra, nature and savage brut. But lately dessert wines are becoming more and more fashionable. This trend was reflected in champagne as well. They began to produce dessert "Prosecco" and "Kavu", German sparkling wine "Sect". Then came the sweet Cremant. This is also but produced outside the elite province. Very famous "Creman" from Jura and Alsace. Perhaps the most delicious sweet "champagne" can be called "spumati" (sparkling wine) from the Italian province of Asti. It is made from a single variety of berries - Moscato.

Domestic brands of champagne

The production of sparkling wines in the Russian Empire began in 1799, when Academician Pallas in his estate near Sudak released the first bottles of a drink made using the champagne method. In 1804, a school was even opened in the Crimea. There they began to conduct experiments on the creation of champagne wines. Prince Lev Golitsyn made a great contribution to winemaking. In 1900, his New World champagne won the Grand Prix at the World Exhibition in Paris. Golitsyn worked not only in Crimea. In 1870, in the royal estate on the banks of the Dyurso River and Lake Abrau in the Kuban, he, together with French specialists, grew vineyards and equipped a champagne factory. The first batch was released in 1897. But Abrau-Durso and Novy Svet were not the only brands of sparkling wines in Russia. Among the domestic names in the years of the USSR, “Moscow Elite Champagne” arose and now firmly holds its position.

Can such a wine be produced in northern latitudes?

There would be production facilities corresponding to the technological process. In the Moscow region there are mushrooms, berries, flowers, but not grapes. But berries of the varieties "Pinot", "Riesling", "Aligote" and "Chardonnay" are delivered to the capital of Russia from the southern regions. At the MKShV plant, grapes are transformed into a drink called Moscow Elite Champagne: brut, semi-dry and semi-sweet. The amount of sugar in wine is regulated not by adding crystals, but exclusively by assemblage. The wort is aged for about six months. As a result, a drink is born with a rich light straw color, with a harmonious taste and an interesting bouquet.

The abundance of alcohol in stores in recent decades has baffled its lovers and admirers. So, for example, the well-known champagne is represented in them by dozens of bottles, and not just the one where the Soviet prefix flies proudly. And that's not counting sparkling wines.

In fact, champagne is sparkling wine, but brought to us from Champagne - the French province, where it is made. All other types of such a drink should be called wines.

Champagne classification:

The producers of the "ladies'" drink have long divided it into categories. Champagne varieties (and types of sparkling wines) are classified according to the level of sweetness, the variety of grape berries and the year they were harvested, and the characteristics of alcohol production.

1. According to the grape variety, champagne / sparkling wine / is distinguished:

• Vintage species (mono-varietal) are prepared from one grape variety, "harvested" in one harvest season (ie, once every 3-5 years).
• Non-vintage types (assemblage) are prepared by mixing 3 varieties of wine berries (pinot meunier and noir, chardonnay). Often such alcohol contains from 10 to 40% of sparkling wines made earlier - 2-3 years before. Moreover, these wines are not of high quality, at best, average.

1. By sweetness:

• Doux / Dulce - sweet, dessert containing over 50 grams of sugars per liter
• Demi-sec / Rich / Semi-Seco - semi-sweet / semi-dry, containing 33-50 grams of sugars per liter
• Sec / Dry / Seco - dry types containing 17-35 grams of sugars per liter
• Extra sec / Extra-dry / Extra Seco - extra dry champagne containing 12-20 grams of sugars per liter
• Brut is the "driest" drink, containing up to 15 grams of sugars per liter
• Non-dosage - an expensive, natural, sugar-free type that can show a residual amount of sugars, but not more than 6 grams per liter

In addition, sugar is not added to such types of sparkling alcohol as Brut - Nature Extra, Ultra, Sauvage, Zero.

1. According to the "color" of champagne (sparkling wine), one can distinguish:

The classic shade of champagne is golden, and many do not accept others, "calling" them not real. But this drink can have other shades and at the same time be the most real.

• Blanc de blancs is a “white from white” variety, made only from “chardonnay” (white grapes). The color of the drink is golden.
• Blank de noirs is a "white from black" variety, and is made from "pinot noir or meunier" (red grapes). The color of the drink is shades of red.
• Rose Champagne is a "pink" variety in which the pink color is achieved by steeping the skins of red grapes in a white wine wort or by mixing white and red wine. The color of the drink is pink.
• Cuvees de prestige / delux / special is an elite vintage champagne from the village of Champagne, made from Grand Cru berries. These are Dom Pérignon, Laurent-Perrier’s Grand Siècle, Pol Roger’s Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill, Moët & Chandon’s and Louis Roederer’s Cristal. The color of the drink is golden.

1. By bottle capacity:

Standard champagne bottles hold 0.75 liters, magnum bottles 1.5 liters. The latter are considered ideal for sparkling wines, but bottles of other sizes can also be found on sale:

• 30 liters - Melchizedek (only produced by Drappier)
• 27 liters - Primat
• 24 liters - Solomon
• 18 liters - Melchior
• 15 liters - Nabuchodonosor
• 12 liters - Balthazar
• 9 liters - Salmanazar
• 6 liters - Mathusalem
• 4.5 liters - Rehoboam
• 3 liters - Jeroboam
• 1.5 liters - Magnum
• 0.75 liters - Bouteille
• 0, 375 liters - Demie
• 0.18 or 0.2 liters - piccolo bottle / split / quart

1. By manufacturer:

• RM - this variety is produced under the full control of the wine house from the grapes it owns
• NM - a drink made by large producers from purchased grapes (wine materials).
• ND - the brand of champagne belongs to one company, production - another
• MA - this variety belongs to restaurants or hypermarkets, which themselves do not own either vineyards or production.
• SR - alcohol is produced by an association that controls a number of brands at once.
• RC - the brand of champagne belongs to the seller (trader)

1. By region of production:

• Italian - Asti, prepared from the Moscato vineyards. It is a dessert and light drink. Another variety of sparkling wines from the sunny country is Spumante. They are represented by dessert and semi-sweet types. Dry sparkling wines are called Prosecco here. In addition, the lines of sparkling wines Bracchetto, Lambrusco, Franciacorta, Fragolino are considered excellent brands in Italy. The taste of Italian varieties emphasizes their "youthfulness" (you shouldn't keep them for more than a year).
• South African - Cap Classique, made from African grapes. The range of varieties allows you to choose a drink of any color and any sweetness.
• Spanish - Cava, white or pink (Cava Rosado), on the original cork - the image of a four-pointed star. It is produced only by 3 wine houses - Segura Viudas, Freixenet and Codorníu.
• French, but not from Champagne - Crémant. These are Crémant de Bordeaux, Crémant d'Alsace and Crémant du Jura. Other French sparkling wines are also famous - Champagne, Limoux.
• German - Sekt, prepared only from raw materials from German vineyards, for example, Riesling. The range of varieties allows you to choose a drink of any color and any sweetness.

There are, of course, other types of champagne - Crimean, Moldovan (Cricova), Portuguese (Bairrada), Russian (Soviet champagne, Abrau-Durso, Tsimlyanskoe), etc. etc. They are distinguished by taste, aroma, quality, fame.

We will not describe the ornate play of bubbles in drinks, the tenderness of their taste, lightness of aroma and their magical overflows in the edges of a crystal glass under artificial lighting - here, the main criterion is still the taste of each person.

But we list the most famous brands of champagne in the world: Dom Pérignon with a price of $ 600 per bottle, Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin (Veuve Clicquot) with a price of $ 80-250 per bottle (depending on the type), Moë [email protected](Moet and Shandon) from $ 70-200 per bottle, Louis Roederer from $ 150 to $ 1000 per bottle, Piper Heidsieck from $ 50 per bottle, G.H. Mumm (Mumm) with a price of $ 80 per bottle, Krug (Circle) with a price of $ 400 - $ 800 per bottle, Pol Roger (Paul Roger) with a price of $ 80 per bottle, Bollinger (Bollinger) with a price of $ 100 to 6,000 $ per bottle, Salon with a price of $ 400 per bottle.

As you can see, fans of "sparkling" have plenty to choose from. But did you know that different types of glasses have been invented for drinking this wonderful drink?

According to the material, they can be made of glass or crystal (depending on the price of alcohol and the scale of the celebration).

According to the shape, several types of champagne glasses can be distinguished:

• Champagne flute- special glasses for serving a drink. They have the shape of a flute: a thin elongated stem and a narrow high bowl. This is a classic 120-200 ml glass. It has a variation where the top of the bowl tapers slightly.
• Coupe champagne- a glass for tasting sweet types of sparkling wines. It has a wider and flatter bowl than a classic wine glass. Its volume is 150 ml. It is inconvenient because the bubbles and aroma disappear quickly. But at buffets, towers are often built from glasses of this type. This is a spectacular show: a drink is poured into the upper glass, which, flowing down as a waterfall, fills the rest of the glasses in the lower tiers.
• Red wine glasses- can be used for tasting champagne - they better reveal the bouquet of its taste.

You can also drink champagne from other glasses - narrow or tulip-shaped (as well as embossed, creative, "broken", designer glasses), but from martini glasses it is not recommended due to the rapid loss of aroma, although "martinkas" are quite suitable for some cocktails on based on champagne.