The variety of alcoholic drinks on the market is amazing. Fans of sparkling wines, especially champagne, will be interested to know that it got its name from the province of the same name in France called Champagne. It is here that real champagne is produced and only these products are worthy of the name. Alcohol produced elsewhere should be called sparkling wine. It is rather difficult for the average layman to figure out which types of champagne are really such, and which are related to wines.

Sorts of alcoholic beverage are divided based on the grape variety, year of harvest, sweetness and technological processes. For a decent champagne, the vintage must be fruitful. Winemakers claim that this happens no more than twice every ten years. Based on this, the cost of champagne cannot be low. If so, then the drink can be safely attributed to wines.

Classification by grape variety

According to the grape variety, champagne is divided into two large groups:

• vintage;
• assemblage.

Vintage champagne is made exclusively from one grape variety harvested in a good year. In order to confirm this fact, special lists are published in the provinces engaged in winemaking. They indicate the best harvest years.

Non-vintage or assemblage champagnes are made by mixing different grapes. Typically, the following grape varieties are used: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier. It is believed that only these varieties are suitable for making quality champagne.

In addition, producers can mix not grapes, but ready-made sparkling wines. To obtain such drinks, low-quality alcohol is used, which inevitably affects the taste. So, in various brands there is from 10 to 40% of the content of wines produced 3 years earlier. Unfortunately, many manufacturers, in their pursuit of sales, pay little attention to the quality of drinks.

Sweetness classification

The sparkling drink also differs in sugar or sweetness. In this sense, the range of champagne is incredibly diverse. It is represented by all kinds of brands of famous wine companies. It is customary to distinguish:

• Brut, belonging to the most popular Champagne category. The sugar content in it should not exceed 15 grams per 1 liter of drink;
• Brut nature (Non-dosage) belongs to the elite category. Produced from the finest grape varieties. In the process of fermentation, sugar is still formed, but its amount is low - 6 grams per 1 liter;
• Extra Dry contains 12 to 20 grams of sugar per 1 liter of drink;
• Sec (Dry, Seco) refers to dry types of champagne. Contains 17 to 35 grams of sugar;
• Demi-sec (Rich, Semi-seco) belongs to semi-sweet (semi-dry) sparkling wines. It contains from 33 to 50 grams of sugar;
• Duxe (Dulce) - sweet champagne. Belongs to the category of dessert wines with a sugar content exceeding 50 grams per 1 liter.

Color classification

Champagne is also divided by color. The usual golden color is not the only one. There are other varieties that are quite noteworthy:

• Blanc de blancs are white varieties. This color is achieved by making a drink from a special grape variety known as Chardonnay. Has a light golden color;
• Blanc de noirs has a reddish tint. Only red grape varieties should be used for its production;
• Rose Champagne has pink undertones. To achieve this result, white and red wines are mixed;
• Cuvees de prestige - vintage champagne. It is considered an elite drink of golden color with a decent aging. Produced in the Champagne province.

Classification by the type of activity of companies

In addition to the existing varieties that differ from each other in sweetness and color, champagne is usually divided according to the type of activity of the companies:

• NM (Negociant manipulant) - companies belonging to this type produce champagne from pre-purchased materials;
• RM (Recoltant-manipulant) - refers to producers fully engaged in the process of growing grapes, wine production, bottling;
• ND (Negociant distributeur) - such companies are engaged in sales, but have nothing to do with production;
• MA (Marque auxiliaire) - notable for belonging to the restaurant brand;
• SR (Societe de recoltants) - a united organization of manufacturers producing various brands;
• RC (Recoltant cooperateur) - the company has a membership in the cooperative and sells champagne using its logo.

Classification by bottle volume

The most popular is the 0.75 liter bottle (Bouteille). But there are others:

• 1.5 liters - Magnum;
• 3 liters - Jeroboam;
• 4.5 liters - Rehoboam;
• 6 liters - Mathusalem;
• 9 liters - Salmanazar;
• 12 liters - Balthazar;
• 15 liters - Nabuchodonosor. Currently not used.
• 18 liters - Melchior;
• 24 liters - Solomon;
• 27 liters - Primat;
• 30 liters - Melchizedek. Only the Drappier company practices the release of such a volume.

Now you know everything about what types of real champagne are.

According to the law, the name "Champagne" can only be borne by wines that are produced in the Champagne province, in France, according to a certain technology. The types of champagne are determined by who made the drink, from which year the wine was made, but the technology for making this alcoholic drink, which has been perfected over the centuries, remains unchanged.

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According to the law passed in 1891 in Madrid, "Champagne" can be called varieties of white sparkling wines, which are made from several grape varieties grown in the Champagne province according to strictly regulated rules governing the composition of the soil in vineyards, the inadmissibility of the introduction of organic and mineral fertilizers and other features. For the production of champagne, only Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir varieties are allowed. But even taking into account the above, the climatic features of each season can be more or less favorable for growing grapes, the final taste of the drink also strongly depends on this.

Wine, for the production of which one variety of berries was used, grown in a particularly favorable year, is called vintage or vintages, is highly prized, and the year of production must be indicated on the label. In less favorable years, champagne is produced by blending: wine materials made from grapes from the last two or three seasons are combined for re-fermentation.

Millesime wine

Then, according to the production technology, the resulting wine materials ferment either in oak barrels or in metal vats, where alcohol is formed from natural sugar, as in the production of any wine, and carbon dioxide evaporates. The resulting product is poured into special thick-walled bottles. After that, yeast and a certain amount of sugar are added and placed in cellars, where secondary fermentation takes place at a certain constant temperature. Carbon dioxide from this fermentation dissolves in the wine, and the finished product becomes an effervescent drink, which is the hallmark of champagne, like other sparkling wines.

So that the wine is not cloudy and to get rid of the yeast sediment, an operation called remuage is performed with it. After a certain period of aging on the yeast lees, from 12 months to several years, bottles with wine in the cellars are turned every day by a certain small degree for some time and tilted down from a horizontal position. This causes sediment to accumulate on the plug. Then the spout of the bottle is frozen, the cork is removed, and a frozen piece of wine with sediment is removed with it, this is called disgorging. In its place, wine with sugar dissolved in it is poured into the bottle. Depending on how much sugar is added, champagne is divided into varieties.

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1. Extra brut - produced without added sugar after degorging. Sugar in wine appears only due to fermentation and ranges from 3 to 6 g per liter.
2. Brut - sugar content is 15 g per liter. This species is in greatest demand in European countries and is considered the most perfect in taste.
3. Extra dry (extra sec) - contains from 12 to 20 g of sugar per liter.
4. Dry (sec) - with a sugar content of 17-35 g per liter, it is dry.
5. Demi-sex (rich) - semi-dry, contains 33-50 g of sugar per liter.
6. Doux is sweet. Contains over 50 g of sugar per liter.

In addition, the following designations can be seen on the champagne label:

• NM - means that champagne is produced by a large company that buys grapes or wine materials for this;
• CM - wine produced by a cooperative of winegrowers from their grapes;
• RM - wine produced by a company that carries out the entire process, from growing grapes to packaging bottles in containers;
• ND - the company does not produce wine itself, but sells it under its own brand;
• MA - a brand is owned by a restaurant or supermarket that sells the brand, but does not manufacture it;
• SR - wine produced by an association of vineyard owners;
• RC - wine produced by a member of the wine growers' association under its own brand.

Champagne label designation

In addition, the label may indicate the following: "blanc de blance" literally translated "white from white", indicating that the wine was made from Chardonnay grapes; "blanc de noirs" - "white from black", made from red grapes such as Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier; "rose" is pink. In any case, champagne is a white wine, even if red grapes were used for its production, just when squeezing the juice, the operation was carried out extremely carefully and the dye from the skin of the berries did not get into the wort. But in the manufacture of pink champagne, the extract of the peel of red varieties in a small amount is added on purpose.

Why do you need to know these features? Genuine champagne is a rather expensive product, and knowing what kind of champagne is depends on whether you get satisfaction from buying exactly the kind and variety you wanted to get. And the most expensive and prestigious wine bears the mark "Delux" or "Cuvees de prestige" on the label, it is made from the highest quality grapes in a year when the harvest was extremely successful. Wine with such a mark is vintage or vintages, which is also sometimes indicated on the label, and is aged until disgorged for about 10 years.

3 Types of other sparkling wines

Sparkling wines according to the classical technology of champagne production are produced not only by France, but also by other countries of Europe, America, and Africa.

Sparkling wines are also produced in Ukraine and Russia. But they bear the name "Champagne" only on the domestic market in Russia and the countries of the former Soviet Union, the USA. Officially, sparkling wines produced in other provinces of France, for example, in Bordeaux and Burgundy, exist under the name "Cremant", sparkling wine produced in Spain is produced under the name "Cava", in Italy it is produced by "Spumante" or "Asti", the province of Piedmont, where the product is made from nutmeg varieties. In South Africa, sparkling wine is produced under the brand name "Cap classique", and the brand of sparkling wine - "Sekt" - has been known since the beginning of the last century.

There are several brands of sparkling wine in Russia called "Champagne". This is contrary to international law, and under this name Russian wines, despite their high quality, cannot enter the international market.

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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.

When the word "champagne" comes to mind holiday and clinking glasses... Meanwhile, the sparkling drink has a long history, which every admirer of aromatic alcohol is simply obliged to know.

To begin with, it should be noted that not all drinks, on the label of which such a name is indicated, have the right to be called champagne. Experts say that every real sparkling wine should have several characteristics.

The main feature of champagne is its sparkling... The carbon dioxide present in wine is added to the drink in different ways:

• Produced naturally during fermentation in a bottled beverage;
• During secondary fermentation at the stage of the wine being in the tank;
• When artificially adding gas to a drink.

How the manufacturer chooses to add CO2 depends on price and, in fact, the quality of the drink... The first two methods are time consuming, so these sparkling wines are more expensive. The last method is the fastest and cheapest. Hence the low cost of such a drink. Artificially gassed wines called "sparkling".

Excursion into the origins

Like any elite alcohol, champagne has its own history, long and rich in the atmosphere of winemaking.

There is an opinion that champagne wines began their march through the centuries back in antiquity.

Wine, corked in a bottle by the ancients, took on bubbles during fermentation.

The then "winemakers" could not explain this phenomenon with logical arguments, so the appearance of bubbles in bottles was attributed to the elements and external forces. There were beliefs that the wine acquired "sparks" due to the phases of the moon. Also, the ancients believed that the tricks of the gods were to blame.

In the Middle Ages, sparkling wines were still considered a “marriage” in wine making. In the event that the bottle "fermented", the winemaker suffered not only losses, but also risked his own health. Containers with rebellious booze often exploded not only on the shelves of the cellar, but also in the hands of the master, which gave rise to calling the sparkling wine "devilish".

The mysticism came to naught exactly when the world learned an invention that made winemaking a safer occupation. Strong bottle with a deformed bottom let the drink ferment without breaking out. An innovation was also invented, which firmly fixes the plug on the neck. The fiction stuck, and the retainer wire is still used today.

The origin of the bubbles themselves was "unraveled" in 1662. Exactly then Christopher Merrett, a native of England, stated that the cause of gas formation is sugar in the composition of wines... Since then, the sparklingness of the drink has ceased to be attributed to some higher forces, but has completely "obeyed" the hands of man.

Be that as it may, champagne has the same long history as winemaking itself. But what is champagne in modern world?

Modern history

The exact origin of the sparkling drink is unknown. Most of the versions telling about the origin of sparkling wine are more reminiscent of legends than real facts.

But judging by the culture of drinking and respect for alcohol, the birthplace of champagne is most likely France. Sparkling alcohol is loved and revered here. The French also created a special sparkling wine control committee... According to the rules established in the organization, only wine that was made from those grape varieties that are included in the "allowed" seven can be called Champagne. It must be grown in strictly defined regions of the country. In practice, only a few of these types of grapes are used.

Despite the clear framework for the production of champagne, sparkling wines are also produced in other countries. The producers borrowed the idea and the name, however, each winery has its own recipe.

Almost all countries in the former Soviet Union can boast of several of their own brands of champagne. Such "plagiarism" does not bother the consumer, because the majority of citizens will not be able to afford a real French sparkling wine.

Champagne classification

Depending on the type of grapes used, as well as on taste and appearance, there are different types of sparkling wines.

Grape sort

In the manufacture of the drink can be used as one grape variety, or several. Those types of champagne in which the fruit is not mixed are called "vintage".

Experienced winemakers in France prefer to make vintage wines in certain, successful years, when the grape harvest is the richest. This drink is called "vintages".

Those wines in which two or more grape varieties are mixed are called non-vintage, or asamblage. Most suitable varieties the following types of wine are considered:

• Pinot Noir,
• Chardonnay,
• Pinot Meunier.

Some producers prefer to mix the varieties after the wine is made. Such products are considered to be of inferior quality and are not welcomed by most connoisseurs.

The most valuable is vintage champagne..

Sweetness

Depending on how sweet the finished champagne is, there are certain varieties of it. Sweetness is key in making the drink... And the sugar content is an important indicator. Champagne names classified by sweetness:

1. Brut... Today it is the most sold-out drink among sparkling drinks. According to the rules, Brut should contain no more than 15 grams of sugar per liter of liquid.
2. Brut nature... A more refined variety. Elite champagne made from strictly controlled products of certain varieties. A random grape cannot be an ingredient in such a drink. During fermentation, wine releases a small amount of sugars. One liter accounts for about six grams of sweetness.
3. Extra dry... Sweeter and less dry drinks. The finished product contains from 10 to 20 grams of glucose.
4. Dry or Seco... On the sweetness scale, this wine is in the dry wines section. Its sugar content exceeds 17 grams per liter. Dry wine boasts a whopping 35 grams.
5. Demi-sec also referred to as Semi-seco... Semi-sweet sparkling wine in which you will find an average amount of sweetness - from 30 to 50 grams per liter.
6. Duxe or Dulce... Dessert wine from the category "sweet". The most "sugar" variety - sweet champagne contains 50 grams of glucose per liter. It is considered the driest variety.

Colour

The color of the champagne is as important as its taste. Most consumers are used to the golden hue. But connoisseurs know that elite drinks come in other colors. List of sparkling drinks:

• White... It is labeled with the word "Blanc" on the bottle and refers to the "light" variety. For its production, Chardonnay grapes are grown. Millesime champagne.
• Blanc de noirs... This drink is red in color. To make red champagne, winemakers grow red grape varieties.
• Rose champagne... Pink has an extraordinary romantic hue. It is produced by mixing two grape varieties: white and red.
• Cuvees de prestige... The most "elite" color. Golden is considered the most sophisticated drink. Real "liquid gold" is produced in the Champagne province, the birthplace of the drink.

Production and its secrets

Wine making - sacrament... And the making of sparkling wine is a mystery, shrouded in the magic of centuries and imbued with the talent of winemakers. Real sorts of champagne differ from the "popular" brands. When preparing them, clear rules are followed. The whole process demonstrates respect for the drink and a tribute to tradition.

All types of champagne have their own recipe... But there are also common features of any production.

To receive you need to the best quality champagne, harvesting begins earlier than for the preparation of regular wine. Before starting the harvest, winemakers check the amount of sugar in the grapes. There shouldn't be too much of it.

The juice obtained from red or white berries is fermentable. Then the resulting wort lends itself to blending - the liquid is mixed with other varieties of juice or wine, depending on the desired result.

Next, the raw materials are poured into bottles and stacked vertically in the cellars. By periodically turning the container over, winemakers prevent the deposition of natural sediment on the walls. This is followed by the stage of turning the containers "on the priest".

After the wine has stood in this position for some time, it is uncorked and cleaned of sediment. If the taste of the wine does not meet the requirements, it is again amenable to blending. After the repeated procedure, the product is again closed in the bottle and left to settle. Exposure must last at least a year... Sometimes winemakers keep it for three years.

Popularity in different countries

Each country where viticulture is popular can boast of its own original wine. And the most respected winemakers are distinguished by the production of "bohemian" - sparkling - wines.

France

So, France gave the world not only a classic recipe for champagne, but also several varieties that are no less popular in its regions:

• Creman... A sparkling drink that gets its name from its creamy taste. This wine is produced by the champagne method.
• Limu... This drink is produced in Languedoc.

Italy

The production of sparkling drinks in Italy began much later than in France. However, this did not prevent the wine country from taking a leading position among the "effervescent" producers.

The most popular brands of champagne in Italy:

• Asti. Italian wine with French roots. It is considered the “business card” of Italian sparkling winemaking. A very popular champagne both at home and abroad.
• Prosecco. The most "budgetary" sparkling wine. Despite the availability, it is dearly loved by connoisseurs.
• Lambrusco. Wine made from red grape varieties. Has a persistent aftertaste from a whole bouquet of shades.
• Franciacorta. An expensive sort of champagne. "Asti" is more popular and more expensive. The quality of the brand is controlled.
• Oltrepo Pavese. The drink of the elite. It is a national treasure and is very rarely exported from the country.
• Fragolino. Economy option among sparkling wines. It is not highly valued, and is popularly referred to as a sweet "compote" of strawberries.

How to drink gold

Like any "historical" drink, champagne has its own rules of use. Connoisseurs remember and honor the sparkling "laws":

• Flute-shaped glasses - with an elongated stem and a pointed bottom;
• There are also requirements for washing wine glasses: after rinsing, the glasses are wiped with a natural napkin;
• The glass must be filled exactly two thirds;
• The ideal temperature for serving champagne is 6 to 8 degrees;
• To overcool the champagne is to spoil it. Therefore, in addition to ice, the bucket must also contain water;
• Modern winemakers prefer “quiet” opening. Opening wine with cotton is considered bad form;
• After the wine is open, the neck of the bottle must be wiped with a clean napkin made from natural fabrics;
• Dry champagne is usually consumed with light snacks.

Champagne is the centuries and experience of winemakers, closed in bottles and imbued with long-term traditions. And no matter how physicists explain the presence of bubbles, winemakers know that magic is involved. Don't believe me? Take a sip of good sparkling wine!

Attention, only TODAY!

For those who want to be well versed in champagne, it is not enough to know that this is a sparkling wine produced only in the Champagne province. There is a separate classification, according to which types of champagne are distinguished depending on the grape variety, sugar content, harvest year and the characteristics of the production of the drink.

According to the number of grape varieties used in the production, all brands of champagne can be divided into vintage and non-vintage types.

Vintage (vintages) champagne - is made only from grapes of one year (vintages), provided that this year was successful for winemaking (it happens 2-3 times for 10 years). Each wine-growing region (Champagne is no exception) publishes its own list of successful years for growing grapes. But in the past few years, many producers have abandoned this rule, which has devalued vintage champagnes.

Non-vintage champagne - made by mixing the three grapes permitted for champagne (Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier). These drinks usually contain 15-40% wine of the last 2-3 years (medium and low quality reserve wine is used).

• Non-dosage (brut nature) - made without added sugar, as it is believed to neutralize the taste of champagne. These are the most expensive varieties and require the best wine materials for their production. Residual sugar in the drink appears due to fermentation, but its content does not exceed 6 grams / liter.
• Brut (brut) is the most common type of champagne with a sugar content of no more than 15 g / l (1.5%). Great for any meal.
• Extra sec (Extra-dry) - intermediate grade of champagne, sugar content - 12-20 g / l. Currently, it is almost not produced due to low popularity among consumers.
• Sec (Dry) - dry (semi-sweet) champagne, contains 17-35 grams of sugar per liter.
• Demi-sec (Rich) - sweet champagne with a sugar content of 33-50 g / l.
• Doux - dessert varieties, the amount of sugar in which exceeds 50 g / l.

Types of champagne by manufacturer type:

• NM (Negociant manipulant) - for the production of champagne, the company buys grapes or wine materials. Almost all major manufacturers fall into this group.
• RM (Recoltant-manipulant) - the wine house owns the vineyards and controls the entire champagne production cycle up to bottling.
• ND (Negociant distributeur) - the company sells champagne under its own brand, but does not produce it.
• MA (Marque auxiliaire) - the brand does not belong to either the owner of the vineyard or the grower. Restaurants and supermarkets often have their own brands.
• SR (Societe de recoltants) - Champagne produced by an association of winegrowers that control several brands.
• RC (Recoltant cooperateur) is a member of the cooperative that sells champagne wines under its own brand.

Champagne varieties

• Cuvees de prestige (special or delux) are the most prestigious drinks made from Grand Cru grapes. Most champagnes of this variety are vintage and aged longer than others.
• Blanc de blancs (white from white) - made exclusively from white Chardonnay grapes.
• Blank de noirs (white from black) - made only from red varieties "Pinot Meunier" and "Pinot Noir".
• Rose (rose) - champagne obtained by mixing red and white wine. The drink gets its characteristic pink color due to the soaking of the skin of red grapes in the initial must.

Classification of champagne bottles according to their capacity.