RETURN TO ARCHIVE INDEX

French Wine Explorers Wine e-Newsletter
www.wine-tours-france.com - March, 2004

(We generally mail to this list once per month; please click on the following link to be removed immediately: Remove Me.  
If you'd like to receive this Wine e-Newsletter, you can subscribe here.)

This month's wine explorations:

Answering Your Wine Questions: Brut or Blanc de Blancs?

Got a question about French wine or wine in general?  Just send your question to me at info@wine-tours-france.com.  If I pick your question to answer in the e- newsletter, you'll get a $100 gift certificate for the tour of your choice.

Martha T. from Coopersburg, PA asks:  "I'm confused by Champagne labels.  I realize that I don't know what some of the terminology means, like "Brut" or "Blanc de Blancs".  Help!"

Champagne can indeed be a little confusing.  Of course, we know that only white, sparkling wines made 100% from grapes grown in the Champagne region can bear the name Champagne.  But there are four other things that differentiate Champagnes that are reflected on the label:

1) Appellation: there are three appellations (AOC) in Champagne.  They are: Champagne (what we often call "generic" Champagne), Champagne 1er Cru (First Growth), and Champagne Grand Cru (Great Growth).  In this way, the Champagne region is similar to the Burgundy region, which also has 1er Cru and Grand Cru distinctions.  These are classifications of terroir; in other words, a grading system for the quality of the land that the grapes are grown on.  It's the I.N.A.O. (Institut National des Appellations d'Origine) that decides which sectors of the land they have designated as belonging to the regional AOC "Champagne" produces the ripest grapes, in this three-tiered classification system.

2) Vintage or Non-Vintage:  On a bottle of non-vintage Champagne, no year is mentioned on the lable.  Why?  Because wines made from the grapes of several recent harvests are blended with the grapes from the current harvest to "even out" any differences due to less than ideal growing conditions in the current harvest.  The idea is to maintain a "house style", a recognizable taste for each Champagne producer that remains virtually the same from year to year.  Champagne is the northern-most vineyard of France, and growing conditions can be quite variable from year to year.  There is less sunshine than in other regions, so getting grapes to ripen to full maturity is not always an easy task.  The region is particularly susceptible to springtime killing frosts that can destroy a large percentage of the grapes (in 2003, for example, 80% of the grapes in Champagne were destroyed by frost).  Without the possibility of blending in wines kept on reserve from previous harvests, winemakers in Champagne would never be able to make a steady living.  In the very best years, when growing conditions are ideal and the grapes can fully ripen, Champagne producers can use only the grapes of that year's harvest to make their wine.  When 100% of the grapes used are from the same year, the winemaker puts the year on the bottle and thus creates a Vintage Champagne.  For this reason, a Vintage Champagne is by nature a higher-quality wine than a non-vintage Champagne.

3) Dosage: The last steps in the Méthode Champenoise, the winemaking method used to make all Champagne, determine an important part of the style of the Champagne to be produced.  Champagne starts out as a still wine, usually produced in vats (although sometimes in barrels).  To create the bubbles, the still wine is bottled, and the winemaker introduces 24g of sugar plus yeast into each bottle.  A second fermentation thus begins, as the yeast eat the sugar, producing alcohol and carbon dioxide.  

The bottle is sealed hermetically with a cap resembling a beer cap, so the C02 cannot escape, and is disolved into the wine.  When there is no more sugar to eat, the yeast die, forming a substantial, sludgey deposit in the bottle.  Not only is the deposit unsightly, it also tastes bitter; for these reasons, it needs to be removed.  The process of riddling (inclining the bottles and turning them each day for about a month) helps the deposit slide into the neck of the Champagne.  The neck of the bottle is then placed head-down into a freezing solution, and the cap is opened in a maneouver called "disgorgement".  The deposit, now imprisoned in a small block of ice, shoots out of the bottle (there is, after all, 6 bars of pressure in the bottle from all the CO2).

At this point, the winemaker adds some reserve Champagne back into the bottle, to make up for the ice block that has been expelled.  It is at this moment that the winemaker decides if he wants the wine to be very dry, somewhat dry, or somewhat sweet.  Because Champagne grapes retain a high level of acidity due to the region's difficult growing conditions, it has always been the tradition to add some amount of sugar to the wine to balance the acidity. In the past, as much as 150g of sugar was added per bottle; these days, most people prefer dryer wines, so much less sugar is added.  The sugar added is called the "dosage".  These days, there are two main kinds of Champagne produced: Brut (less than 15g of sugar/liter, accounting for 90% of all Champagnes produced), and Demi-Sec (up to 50g of sugar/liter), which accounts for most of the rest.

4) Blend of Grape Varieties:  Three grape varieties are used to make Champagne: Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay.  It is entirely up to the individual winemaker to decide how to blend these grapes in his wines.  Usually, Champagne producers like to be able to offer a variety of different Champagnes to their clients, in different price ranges, and the blend is one of the ways available to him to do this.  Often, the entry level Champagne of a particular producer will be a blend of 1/3 of each of the grape varieties.  This is NOT indicated on the label, although more and more Champagne producers are now putting a back label on their wines, including information about the blend.  If the producer decides to use only the red grape varieties Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, he can call that Champagne a "Blanc de Noirs" (a white wine made exclusively from black - meaning red - grapes).  If he uses only Chardonnay, he can use the term "Blanc de Blancs" (a white wine made exclusivley from white grapes).  He also has the option of blending into his white still wine a red still wine produced in Champagne from Pinot Noir grapes to produce a Rosé Champagne.  This technique of blending white and red wines together to make rosé is permitted ONLY in the Champagne region.  Quite often, Champagne producers will invent a special name for a cuvée made with a particular blend of grape varieties, to help clients identify which wines have which blend.

Here are some great Champagnes to try that demonstrate some of the points made above:

Moet et Chandon Brut 1er Cru (made exclusively from grapes grown in vineyards designated as 1er cru)
De Sousa et Fils, Grand Cru, Blanc de Blancs, Cuvée des Caudalies (made exclusively from Chardonnay grapes grown in vineyards designated as Grand Cru, from still wine aged in oak)
Ruinart Rosé (made from mostly Chardonnay grapes with wine made from Pinot Noir added in)
Billecart Salmon Grand Cuvée 1990 (made from 40% Chardonnay, 60% Pinot Noir, exclusively from grapes harvested in 1990)

Join us for our Burgundy & Champagne tour, or our Paris, Champagne & Loire Valley tour, to learn more about Champagne while enjoying fabulous dining, luxury hotels and the beauty of these regions.

Burgundy & Champagne:  May 24-30, 2004
Paris, Champagne & Loire Valley:  Sept. 12-18, 2004

Announcing Wine Tours in Tuscany and Other Wine Regions of Italy for 2005

We're still in the planning stages, but we wanted to "whet your appetite" for our new Wine Tour of Tuscany, which will take place in 2005.  We're teaming up with two top experts in Italian wine touring to bring you this week-long adventure in the lush, beautiful countryside of Tuscany.  As with all of our wine tours, you'll taste at the top estates, often with the owners of cellarmaster, from the most famous to those up-and-coming producers we feel merit your attention.  You'll also visit an olive oil producer, have a fun hands-on cooking lesson, explore local cheeses, and much more.  Stay tuned to this newsletter for more news and dates coming soon!

We're also delighted to offer customized, private wine tours in the Tuscany, Umbria, Veneto, Friuli, or Piedmont regions of Italy for couples or groups - just ask us for more details. 

Wine Tip:  Keeping a Cellar Book

Every wine lover who keeps wine in his cellar absolutely need to keep a cellar book.  Keeping a cellar book allows you to: 

  • keep track of your wines as you note all new purchases and remove bottles from the list as you drink them;
  • track the evolution of your wines as they age in your cellar (be sure to purchase at least 3 bottles of each wine so you can check them at different ages to see how they're developing);
  • note your impressions of the wines you drink, to aid you in future purchases;
  • make a record of the food you matched with your wines, so you can make better (or similar) matches in the future.

Cellar books comes in all shapes and sizes, for every pocketbook.  A cellar book doesn't have to be anything fancy.  It can be a simple spiral notebook in which you note the estate, year, grape variety, appellation, cuvée, as well as the date you bought the wine and the date you drank it, along with your tasting notes.  It can also be an Excel spreadsheet on your computer with this same information.  There is something to be said, though, for having an attractive cellar book - it adds an extra level of pleasure to keeping track of your wine collection.  Wine accessory shops offer a wide choice of books that are both pretty and functional.  The venerable firm of Lett's of London makes a particularly nice leather cellar book that has space for you to paste in the label if you wish.

If you taste runs more toward the high-tech, you should consider investing in wine cellar management software.  These programs offer the ease and efficiency of making your notes in electronic format, while also offering handy features like vintage ratings and cellaring time advice.  Probably the most popular and easy-to-use software available at this time is The Uncorked Cellar at http://www.uncork.com.au/.  Wine critic par excellence Robert Parker offers the Wine Advisor & Cellar Manager at http://www.winetech.com/.   There's even inexpensive wine cellar software for your Palm Pilot available from http://www.pdasommelier.com/ 

Whatever method you use to keep track of your wine collection, keep one simple rule in mind: better to drink your wines too young than too old.  For this reason, when you invite your wine loving friends to dinner, check your cellar book to see which of your wines are ready to drink NOW.  Then plan your meal around those wines - there's nothing sadder than a cellar full of great wines that are past their prime!

To put your tasting skills into action, join us on one of our Burgundy tours or Bordeaux tours this year.

The Ultimate Splurge for the Bordeaux Lover

Imagine the splendor of visiting all five First Growths for tastings, as well as Chateau Petrus, Chateau d'Yquem and Chateau Cheval Blanc, all in the space of 5 days.  Imagine the luxury of staying at one of the Médoc's most beautiful private chateaux, 2nd Growth Chateau Pichon Longueville?

Let us make this dream a reality this June.  On our Bordeaux Prestige Tour, June 1-5, you'll have the extraordinary opportunity of visiting some of the most famous chateaux in the world, while enjoying luxury accommodations and sumptuous meals.  Meet renowned winemakers, hobnob with famous chefs, and get an insider's view of the Bordeaux wine scene, while tasting the much talked-about 2003 vintage in barrel tastings.

We still have room available, but space is rapidly diminishing for this exceptional program.  Book your space today!  See the itinerary here.

Upcoming Wine & Food Events in France:

  • April 2-5: Salon des vins des vignerons indépendants (independent winery fair), Paris (ESPACE CHAMPERRET, Place de la Porte de Champerret, 17th arrondisement).  Top artisanal wine producers from all over France - one of the biggest and best wine fairs in France. For more info: http://www.paris-expo.fr, infos@espace-champerret.fr, http://www.vigneron-independant.com, or +33 (0)1 43 95 37 00.
  • April 10-11: Les Vinées Tonnerroise, Tonnerre (Chablis area of Burgundy).  Wine tastings, music and more.   For more info: ot.tonnerre@wanadoo.fr, http://www.tonnerre.fr.
  • April 1-30: International Wine & Cheese Fair, Coulommiers (Paris area).  Tasting of cheese specialities from Seine-et-Marne and France. Tasting of wines from the major wine-growing regions.  For more info: off.tourisme@coulommiers.fr, http://www.tourisme77.net/coulommiers.
  • April 15-26:  VitiLoire, Tours (Loire Valley).  Festival of wines from the Loire and Centre regions. For more info:  info@ligeris.com, http://www.ligeris.com.
  • May 10-16: Fête du Pain (Bread Festival), Paris 12th arrondisement (Bercy Village).  Exhibitions and festivities surrounding the making of bread, the staple of the French diet.  For more info: http://www.pidf.com, BERCY VILLAGE, 28, rue François-Truffaut.

Early spring is a great time to visit the vineyards of France.  The wineries are open and happy to welcome you, and the vineyards are just beginning to come back to life as the first buds appear on the vines.  We'll be happy to design a customized, private tour for you this spring in the region of your choice.

Send to a Friend

If you enjoyed this newsletter, please send it on to a friend who loves wine!

Contact Us

I'm always available to answer your questions about our wine and culinary programs, our company, and wine in France in general. Don't hesitate to contact me at info@wine-tours-france.com, or toll free at  1-877-261-1500.

Best regards,

Lauriann Greene-Sollin, Sommelier-Conseil
President/Founder

Subscribe to this Wine e-Newsletter here!

Contact us for more information about our wine and culinary programs in France:

FRENCH WINE EXPLORERS
info@wine-tours-france.com
www.wine-tours-france.com
Tel:  1-877-261-1500
Fax: 1-253-423-5316

© 2004 French Wine Explorers. Articles © 2004 Lauriann Greene.  All rights reserved.  WST #601 903 728.