Sparkling wines are on the crest of a wave in the UK. In a
shrinking market for wine consumption overall here between 2009 and 2013,
sparkling wines have been the only growth category; and they are forecast to
continue the positive trend in future.
Prosecco has been the fizz making all the noise in recent
years, but, perhaps surprisingly, in tough economic times, Champagne has
managed to hold its ground against its rivals, and the UK remains its number
one export market.
Sparkling wine can be made anywhere in the world, in a
variety of ways. Just what is it about Champagne in particular that keeps us so
loyal and fascinated?
First of all is the location of Champagne, the furthest
north of France’s quality winemaking regions. The climate here is most
definitely marginal for wine production – a potential disadvantage which has been
turned into a virtue, as barely ripe, high acid and fairly neutral wines make
perfect raw material for turning into high quality sparkling wine.
The chalk bedrock of Champagne also plays a key role. Chalk
makes for poor soils - often an environment in which vines give the best
quality grapes; chalk won’t hold onto too much moisture in this rather rainy
part of France – vines hate having wet feet; yet it does provide nicely
regulated access to moisture to help prevent vine stress in times of drought.
Finally, chalk makes for easily dug, ideally humid underground cellars – the
perfect dark and cool environment in which wines can evolve and mature slowly.
Most Champagne is made from a blend of three grape
varieties, two of them black-skinned: Pinot Noir, which gives power, structure
and longevity; and Pinot Meunier, an earlier-ripening variety which gives expressive
fruitiness, especially early in a Champagne’s life. They are joined by the
white variety Chardonnay, which provides elegance and finesse. Together they
complement each other to make a harmonious whole.
The Champagne region also has a particular structure in
terms of the people who make it. Most vines are owned by one of the more than 15,000
individual growers across the region – but we rarely see their names on the
bottles, as most sell their grapes to one of the “grandes marques”, the
Champagne household names.
The houses can therefore draw on a variety of wines from vines
from across the region in order to make up their final Champagne blend. As well
as varying the proportion of the grape varieties used, the same variety will
have a different flavour profile when grown in different soil, with a different
aspect and so on.
Champagne gets its sparkle from a second fermentation of
those light, high acid base wines, which occurs in each bottle. Before it can be
released and sold as Champagne, though, the wine has to stay in bottle, where
the wine interacts with the sediment of dead yeast cells (or lees) which, over
time, contribute complex, toasty flavours which are typical of Champagne.
And we can’t forget the historical perspective. The people
who make Champagne today are carrying on a tradition which goes back hundreds
of years, during which time the region has dedicated itself to this single
style of wine. It has also built up a powerful mythology; associations with
famous historical figures which help to set Champagne apart from other “mere
wines”.
So there is no single “magic bullet” which sets Champagne
apart from all other sparkling wines.
Other parts of the world can make sparkling wine using the
same traditional method, with the same blend of grape varieties. They can even,
like right here in Southeast England, have the same chalky soils and marginal
climate. But Champagne itself can never be replicated: the unique combination of
factors, both natural and manmade, which exists there, is, in the end, what
creates the essence of Champagne.
