Fun Facts!

Did you know?

* Over 75% of the Champagne produced is non-vintage.

* 10 Million bottles of Champagne were sold in the United States in 1983.

* Less then 10% of the sparkling wines made in the United States are made by    the Methode Champenoise process.

* There are over 130 Champagne houses in France and approximately 25-30    Champagnes are available in the United states.

* Non-Vintage Champagne is more typical of the house style than a vintage    Champagne.

* Non-Vintage Must be kept in a bottle for at least one year before releasing.

* Fine Champagne houses keep their wine in the bottle for a minimum of three    years.

* Vintage Champagne's are ages for a minimum of five years in the bottle before    releasing.

* Each house declares whether their wine is declared a vintage year or not.    Usually only 3 per decade are declared a vintage.

* The more white grapes used the lighter the body, the more red grapes used the    heavier the wine.

* Champagne pairs magically with smoked, salty and spicy foods (Sushi, smoked    salmon, oysters, eggs, shrimp, and even popcorn).

Methode Champenoise - 11 Steps

1) Harvest - Usually takes place in late September or early October

2) Pressing the Grapes - Only 3 pressings of the grapes are permitted.  The first pressing produces high-quality Champagne, while the second and third pressings are either made into inexpensive Champagne or sold to other firms.

3) Fermentation - All Champagnes undergo a first fermentation when the grape juice is converted into wine.  Sugar + Yeast = Alcohol + CO2.  The carbon dioxide dissipates.  The first fermentation takes 2-3 weeks.

4) Blending - The most important step in Champagne production.  The winemaker has to make a lot of decisions here.  First, they choose what grapes to blend and how much Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, or Pinot Meuneir.  Second, they decide from which vineyards should the grapes come.  Third, they select which years or vintages should be blended.

5) Liqueur de Tirage - After the blending process the wine is placed in its permanent bottle.  At this point, the winemaker adds Liqueur de Tirage, a blend of sugar and yeast, which will begin the wine's second fermentation.

6) Second Fermentation - During this fermentation, the carbon dioxide stays in the bottle.  The second fermentation also leaves a natural sediment in the bottle.

7) Riddling - Bottles are on an A frame rack, neck down.  A Riddler gives each bottle a slight turn while gradually tipping the bottle further downwards.

8) Aging - Amount of time the wine spends aging on its sediment is the most important factor in determining the quality of the wine.

9) Degorgement - The top of the bottle is dipped in a solution to freeze it, the temporary bottle cap is removed & out flies the iced sediment, due to the carbon dioxide.

10) Dosage - Combination of wine and cane sugar is added to the bottle after degorgement.  At this time the winemaker can determine whether to make the Champagne sweeter or drier.

11) Re-corking - Wine is re-corked with real cork vs. as bottle cap.