Is Champagne the Best? What "Champagne" Really Means

The name: "Champagne" simply relates to the name of the region (centered on Reims and Epernay in the North of France) that according to some produces the best sparkling wine in the world. In truth, the Methode Champenoise or Methode Traditionelle (champagne method, or traditional method, as it's also called) demands a second fermentation that occurs in the bottle, but essentially it is a sparkling wine from a small (therefore exclusive) region --no more and no less. The "appellation" or name Champagne is also strictly controlled --and legally enforced-- to protect is exclusivity, which is why not every sparkling wine can call itself "Champagne".

Perhaps a brief history lesson about bubbly will help? Many people think that the monk Dom Perignon invented champagne, but what he did was to perfect a process for producing consistent sparkling wine. He kept more bubbles in the brew --a key aspect of any sparkling wine; made stronger bottles (to avoid unfortunate explosions); and removed more of the sediment to produce a clearer wine with a better taste. And voila! The Methode Champenoise was born! You'll see Methode Champenoise on the label of bottles that can't claim to be from Champagne, France but make the wine the same way.

Try any Champagne, from the cheaper ones you can find in the liquor stores and see what you like. "Too dry" is often the first complaint, and I would also suggest the second is "too warm" --keep it chilled! Mumm, Krug, Cristal, Moet --all make excellent sparkling wines but you can expect to pay $40-plus to try. If it's French, imported and says Champagne, then it’s from the same area as the big names, made the same way and can be a much better value than a famous brand. So try them and experiment to see what you like!

If we can get over the name and concentrate on the taste you like, it makes everything easier because the wine growers in the remainder of Northern France can still make a good sparkling wine; (Saint Hilaire’s Blanquette de Lemoux is a favorite of mine and according to the label on the bottle was being made 100 years before Dom Perignon in around 1660). The rest of the world is pretty good, too!

Some manufacturers may not include the secondary fermentation in the bottle; some have this second fermentation in an external pressure vessel before its bottled and this process is called the Charmat process. It's a cheaper, bulk method, which can produce an inexpensive and very drinkable sparkling wine. So if you see Charmat or it doesn’t say Methode Traditionelle on the label, try it. Just don't pay top dollar for it!

The traditional method also prescribes the time the grapes are allowed to ferment in the bottle. 15 months minimum in Champagne (the region), and often several years for the more expensive brands. Other sparkling wines may be less demanding. As a general rule the bigger the bubbles the younger the wine.

Most champagne is non-vintage, meaning that wine from several years is blended together to make the style that the label is known for. A vintage champagne is made exclusively from a single year’s harvest and is normally more expensive.

Some large supermarket chains tend to have excellent wine buyers and often produce their own brand of champagne (i.e., non-French sparkling wine). Often this will be some of the best value champagne you can find. It’s worth noting that you can find champagne cheaper than some ordinary red and white wines if you only just look and experiment.

Name the Rest

Bubbles aside, champagne, French or otherwise, is still "just" a wine, similar to Spanish Cava, Californian sparkling wines, German sekt wines, Italian spumante or Prosecco, and Australian sparkling shiraz. All these varieties of champagne should be treated accordingly-- i.e. drunk regularly, like any other wine!

If you can get over the cliché of serving champagne just for special occasions, then this will allow you to explore some great wines; the Germans have some fantastic offerings, Spanish Cava has a sweetness and depth of fruit that for many is a lot more drinkable than some Champagnes. The Australians make superb wines and Italy’s spumantes are not all sickly sweet. In fact, a properly chilled Asti Spumante (sparkling Asti) with a sweet dessert or cutting through some dark blue cheeses tastes great! Italy also boasts probably the largest number of sparkling wines in the world--there's much to explore out there.

You Big Brut!

Champagne is usually dry wine, but some of the cheaper makes can be very dry and can leave an unpleasant aftertaste. "Brut" is a standard measure of dryness (or sugar content), but you could also see Extra Brut (the driest, or least percentage sugar), Extra Dry (comes after Brut -- so ironically Brut is dryer than Extra Dry), Sec (lightly sweet), Demi-Sec (sweet) and Doux (quite sweet). Stick to a dry champagne (Brut, Extra Dry) and you might find it more familiar and drinkable.

The vast majority sparkling wines fall into the Brut category, with the sweeter styles being easier to find outside the Champagne region. You should stick to your normal rules for serving your wine: dry for toasting or main courses, and slightly sweeter as the meal goes on, but you could find champagne for every course including Rose or "nectar" (very sweet) if you wish.

Just remember, a good champagne tastes appalling when served lukewarm. Put any sparkling wine in the fridge overnight to get it down to 41-42 degrees and then on ice for at least 20 minutes before serving, and keep it on ice when serving. Generally the cheaper the wine the colder I serve it, that will help to mask any weaknesses it has. If you rush it and put it in the freezer, there's a good chance it'll explode if you forget to take it out in time!