Did you know that the champagne vineyards are the most northerly in France?
How do you produce a white wine from black grapes? Are you familiar with the other wines produced in the Champagne area? Do you know the best ways to taste and store your champagne?
All these secrets will be revealed at www.champagne-ardenne-tourism.co.uk
Taste champagne like a professional!
A champagne tasting always begins with the eyes. Focus first on its colour, its reflections and its bubbles. Then you can bring your nose into play. Are you able to detect the underlying tones of flowers or plants, hints of red fruits or white flowers, perhaps? At this stage your nose is likely to detect many different aromas. Finally, take a small sip. Suck in a little air to ensure that the wine is worked all the way around your mouth. By doing this you will be better able to identify the different flavours.
A few tips
- Avoid strongly flavoured dishes before a tasting (spices, mature cheeses etc). Their flavours are likely to mask those of the champagne.
- Use a tulip-shaped champagne flute. By forcing the aromas upwards they will be more concentrated.
Other tips for tasting champagne
Champagne: its origins and production process
The first vines were planted in Champagne, during Roman times, but it was in the Middle Ages, at the instigation of monks who produced wine in the region, that champagne as we know it developed its reputation. During this period, the use of barrels to store the champagne resulted in bubbles escaping from them. The first bottles, which appeared around 1660, ensured that the aromas which developed during ageing could be better preserved, but above all, it allowed the wine to retain its natural effervescence. This technique is said to have been defined by Dom Pérignon, a Benedictine monk at the abbey of Hautvillers. The current pressing and vinification processes were permanently formalised at the beginning of the 20th century. All matters relating to champagne and its production are ratified by the Comité Interprofessionnel des Vins de Champagne (CIVC), in partnership with the Institut National des Appellations d’Origine (INAO).
Dom Pérignon (1638-1715)
Born in Sainte Ménehould in 1638, Pierre Pérignon became famous as a result of the champagne which it is said he invented.
It was at the Abbaye d'Hautvillers, situated just a few kilometres to the north of Epernay, that Dom Pérignon, at the time a cellar master, did his utmost to enhance the reputation of this wine.
His main task involved working on the vineyards in a methodical manner, maintaining the vines in the best possible condition and pruning plants very carefully – the aim of each operation was to produce a wine which focused on quality rather than quantity. This same approach extended to harvesting, with Dom Pérignon monitoring the process to ensure that the best grapes were picked. When it came to vinification, it is greatly to his credit that he improved the blending process of grapes and wines often produced from different varieties grown in a variety of different soils.
As far as the sparkling success of champagne is concerned, nothing can prove that Dom Pérignon was responsible for producing champagne in large quantities. Irrespective of this, the legend adds a little mystery to the King of Wine.
Follow in the footsteps of Dom Pérignon by heading to Hautvillers, a typical Champenois village overlooking the Marne valley and surrounded by vineyards.
Discover everything you need to know about the world of champagne at www.champagne-ardenne-tourism.co.uk
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