CHAMPAGNE & SPARKLING
YOUR CONTEMPORARY GUIDE TO CHAMPAGNE & SPARKLING
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Contents Explore Features
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Champagne and Australia
History of the Region
History of the Wine
It’s from North-East France
Appellation D’Origine Controlee
From the Vine
The Grapes – The Three Amigos
Echelle des Crus
How it is Made
Reserve Wines
Styles of Champagne
Storage
Cork Ageing
Champagne Houses
72 76 78 82 84 108 110 112 150 152 154 156 208
The Bottle and the Label
Sabrage
Serving Champagne
How to Taste
Vintages
The Protection of Champagne
Elisabeth Drysdale
Heritage
Restaurants
Visiting and Touring Houses
Cellars and Caves
Where to Stay
116 120 122 124 125 126 128 130 136 138 144
Billecart-Salmon
Deutz
Champagne Jacquart
Champagne Delamotte
Champagne Henriot
Lanson
Laurent-Perrier
Mumm
Perrier-Jouët
Champagne Pommery
Champagne Taittinger
Books
Champagne Bottles
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Explore Story
26 104 106
Sparkling Houses
168 170 176 178 Explore Food Pairing 180 90 182 Explore Sommelier 184 100 186 Explore Glassware 188 102 190 Explore Sparkling 191 158 192 194
Dom Perignon
Bottom of the Sea
Croser
Livingstone and Stanley
Grant Burge
Jansz Tasmania
House of Arras
Minchinbury
Food Pairing
Sommelier Tips You, Pip Anderson
[yellow tail]
Italian Sparkling
Canti
Zonin
Evolution of the Champagne glass
Spanish Sparkling
Freixenet
Sparkling Wines
German Sparkling
Henkell
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Explore Occasions
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Formula 1
Mother’s Day
New Year’s Eve
Polo
Spring Racing Carnival
Valentine’s Day
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Champagne and Australia CHAMPAGNE IS THE GREATEST SPARKLING WINE ON THE PLANET. IT IS, HOWEVER, SO MUCH MORE. WORDS KEN GARGETT
NO WINE ANYWHERE ELSE CREATES such a thrill, such expectations, when we hear that cork pop. No wine is so closely associated with celebrations and special moments – weddings, christenings, ship launches, Christmas parties, romantic dinners (whoever proposed over a glass of port?), sporting victories, family reunions and so much more – than Champagne. No wine uplifts the spirits or brightens a dull day in the way that a glass of Champagne can; it is truly inspiration in a bottle. Think of this; you are told that you can only take one style of wine with you to drink for the rest of your life – your desert island wine, if you like. Only one. How many of us would not hesitate? Surely Champagne is the obvious choice. If there is a downside to being seen as the world’s choice for celebration, then it is simply that too often, those enjoying the wine don’t take a moment to appreciate just what a great wine Champagne can be. The finest Champagnes sit comfortably alongside the great Grand Crus of Bordeaux, First Growths of Bordeaux, venerable old Vintage Ports, and anything else you might like to throw at it. They are brilliant, extraordinary wines and no cellar is complete without them. The Champagne region is a joy to visit – nowhere else on this globe of ours does hospitality like the Champenoise. No one else comes close. Visiting Champagne
Houses is a joy – there are the great wines to savour, the extraordinary crayeres to visit, the history to absorb. Champagne is a defined region of around 34,000 hectares, approximately 4 per cent of the total vineyard area of France (and a mere 0.4 per cent of the total vineyard area in the world). It is now effectively fully planted. The majority of this great region, around 90 per cent, is owned by growers, most of whom sell their grapes to the Houses and the cooperatives (more and more growers are making their own Champagnes as well as selling grapes – one of the most exciting developments in the region in many years). The Houses may only own around 10 per cent of the land of Champagne, but they produce and sell about 70 per cent of all Champagne and 90 per cent of the Champagne which is exported. It really is a curious region. All up, there are about 300 Houses, 150 cooperatives and almost 16,000 growers. Champagne is exported to almost 200 countries around the world. Even though sparkling wines are made in almost every wine-producing region on the planet, not only do none match the ultimate quality of Champagne, but 13 per cent of all sparkling wines consumed on earth still come from Champagne – a figure that has been largely steady for the last thirty years. Production in 2014 was a staggering 337 million bottles. Remember also that there are many, many
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more millions of bottles quietly maturing in the cellars beneath the streets of the cities and towns of the region – like Reims and Epernay. Estimates put the quantity of champagne held in stock at nearly 1.5 billion bottles. In other words, there is an extraordinary amount of joy in those cellars, just waiting to work its magic. Sales in 2014 were 307,136,564 bottles of Champagne, around the world. 215,093,681 of these were made by the Houses with the remaining 92,042,883 bottles made by cooperatives and growers. 162,266,302 of these bottles were sold in France (89,659,070 from the Houses and 72,607,232 by the cooperatives and growers – a split of 55 per cent to 45 per cent), 53 per cent of all production. The remaining 47 per cent, 144,870,262 bottles, were exported (125,434,611 bottles having been produced by the Houses with the remaining 19,435,651 by the co-ops and growers – it is obviously far easier for the small growers to sell their Champagnes locally than to export them – a split of 87 per cent to 13 per cent). The United Kingdom is the preferred export market, taking 32,675,232 bottles. The United States, with just under 20 million, is next, with Germany third, bringing in over 12 million bottles. Japan and Belgium follow, with Australia in 6th place, with more than 6.5 million bottles – a great achievement when viewed on a per capita basis (also worth mentioning that
within Australia, Queensland is usually the leading market on a per capita basis). Italy, Switzerland, Spain and Sweden round out the top ten export markets in that order. While sales of 307 million bottles is impressive, in 1999, the total topped 327 million. This was largely in anticipation of millennium celebrations. The world stocked up! It was a record at the time, though it did dull the market for a few years following, as the markets worked their way through the leftover stocks. The following year, 2000, shipments dropped to 253 million bottles. The all-time record was set in 2007 with 339 million bottles.
It hasn’t always been such exciting times and the build to today’s heady sales has been slow and steady, for the most. In 1950, shipments totalled a mere 32 million bottles, while only 10,500 hectares, of the potential 34,000 hectares, were planted. A decade later, that had increased to 50 million bottles. We can see how the region was battling the rise of sparkling wine from other areas. By 1985, Champagne sales, now around 200 million bottles annually, represented 12.4 per cent of all sparkling wine sold in the world. In 1960, even with a much smaller production, that figure was 33 per cent. Even in 1975, it was still 25 per cent.
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By 1996, plantings were nearly reaching saturation point, with 30,700 hectares planted. In 2011, a ‘plot-by-plot’ appraisal of the Champagne vineyards was commenced. Plantings now totalled 33,344 hectares. While we wait to see what the future holds for the region, one thing is surely without doubt; Champagne will continue to brighten the lives of millions of people around the world. It is the finest sparkling wine on the planet and the first choice whenever we need to celebrate. Champagne – nothing else comes close! ❧
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Appellation D’Origine Contrôlée THE CREATION OF THE APPELLATION D’ORIGINE CONTRÔLÉE (BASICALLY, THE APPELLATION OF CONTROLLED ORIGIN OR MORE SIMPLY, AOC) SYSTEM FOR ORGANISING AND REGULATING WINE IN FRANCE IS CONSIDERED BY MANY TO HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE KEY REASONS FOR ITS INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS. OTHERS FEEL IT’S A YOKE ON CREATIVITY AND PREFER THE LESS INHIBITED WAYS OF THE NEW WORLD. WHATEVER METHOD IS THE BETTER ROAD NOW, THERE IS LITTLE DOUBT THAT THE AOC HAS PLAYED A CRUCIAL ROLE IN ESTABLISHING A BASIS FOR THE FRENCH TO PUT IN PLACE AN INDUSTRY SANS PAREIL. WORDS KEN GARGETT
CHAMPAGNE, IN PARTICULAR, NEEDED a firm hand. The reasons for the riots which tore the district apart in the early part of last century have been discussed elsewhere, but they were just the tip of the iceberg – phylloxera, the toxic relations between Houses and growers, horrendous economic conditions both locally and abroad, too many poor vintages, the use of grapes from other regions by some of the less honourable Houses and more, were all factors tearing the world’s finest sparkling wine district apart from within. With the granting of AOC status in 1936, the region finally had the formal recognition it craved and so desperately needed. Phylloxera had led to the establishment of the Association Viticole Champenoise (AVC) in 1898. As part of the fight against the destructive aphid, there was extensive
replanting – replacing the diseased vines with grafted ones. The region’s vineyards dropped from 60,000 hectares to 12,000, allowing for the selection of the better sites. Vine density was reduced from an astonishing 40,000 vines per hectare to 8,000. Take a moment to consider how much juice 60,000 hectares, with a vine density of 40,000 vines per hectare, must have been providing. Throw in all that which came from outside the region and it is not hard to see why so many were struggling to make a successful living as grape prices were unsustainably low. In 1904, the Fédération de syndicats (Federation of Champagne Unions) was formed to battle the forces of fraud. They sought the demarcation of the region and in 1927, legislation was passed to define the territory for the production of Champagne and also to provide regulations
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for quality production (following on from a 1908 decree). Within a few years, though, unsustainable increases in production with slumping sales, and the inevitable drop in grape prices, saw further regulations passed in 1935. Elsewhere in France in that year, the system of the AOC was established (Champagne was hardly the only region with issues), along with the entity which was to regulate it all, the INAO (the Institut National des Appellations d’Origine, which later became the ‘Institut National de l’Origine et de la Qualité’ but retained the same acronym). Finally, in June of 1936, Champagne was decreed as an AOC (the laws of 1919, 1927 and 1935 were all ratified at the same time). The INAO was reformed in 2007 and the Champagne AOC became subject to those regulations in late 2010. ❧
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Reserve Wines RESERVE WINES ARE STILL WINES FROM THE VINEYARDS OF CHAMPAGNE WHICH ARE AGED AND USED BY HOUSES TO ADD TO THE YOUNGEST ‘STILL’ WINE, WHEN BLENDING, TO PRODUCE THE BASE WINE FOR A NON-VINTAGE CHAMPAGNE, BEFORE IT UNDERGOES THE PROCESS OF SECONDARY FERMENTATION. IT SOUNDS EXTREMELY SIMPLE, BUT THESE WINES ARE CRUCIAL TO THE REGION AND THEY ARE A KEY FACTOR IN MAKING CHAMPAGNE THE WINE WE KNOW TODAY. WORDS KEN GARGETT
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- FOOD PAIRING -
NV Ruinart Brut Rosé, Reims Still living up to its House style of Chardonnay dominant (45 per cent), this rose Champagne has had 19 per cent still Pinot Noir wine blended into the cuvee to result in a lovely bright, fresh, fragrant rosé Champagne with notes of wild strawberry, pink peppercorn, pomegranate, red cherries and a chalky minerality, which will cut through the richness of the pâté.
Chicken liver paté with currant relish, cornichons, and toasted brioche Chicken livers are marinated in garlic, port, madeira, thyme, bay leaf. They are gently cooked in butter and blended with whole eggs. It is served with current relish, cornichons, watercress and toasted brioche. Currant relish is dried currants simmered until plump then cooked with orange peel, port, cinnamon, sugar and red currant jelly. Served with cornichons.
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2002 House of Arras Vintage Brut ‘EJ Carr LD (Late Disgorged) Tasmania This is the 5th release of Ed Carr’s Late Disgorged Sparkling, with the philosophy that it is ready to drink when it is released. Chardonnay dominant (54 per cent with Pinot Noir). The sparkling spends 10 years on lees to develop complexity, creaminess & richness. With notes of stone fruit, peaches, honey nougat, sourdough and truffle. The richness pairs well with the duck fat cooked pork.
Pork rillettes with pickled vegetables and grilled sourdough Pork neck are confit with duck fat, shredded and then mix with Dijon mustard, whole grain mustard and confit onion. Finish with parsley. Served with grilled sourdough and pickled vegetables (zucchini, beetroot, cauliflower) and Dijon aioli underneath the pickled vegetables.
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Champagne Taittinger EVEN BEFORE THE NAME TAITTINGER WAS ESTABLISHED, THERE WAS A NAME AND A FAMILY ALREADY BEHIND THE PROJECT. FOURNEAUXFOREST, THE THIRD OLDEST CHAMPAGNE HOUSE, WAS FOUNDED IN 1734 WHEN JACQUES FOURNEAUX, A MERCHANT OF CHAMPAGNE WINES, JOINED THE CHAMPAGNE TRADE AND FOUNDED THE COMPANY THAT WOULD ONE DAY BECOME TAITTINGER.
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- EXPLORE OCCASIONS -
Formula 1 THE QUINTESSENTIAL IMAGE OF CELEBRATION: A FORMULA 1 DRIVER, IN HIS RACE SUIT, CROWDS CHEERING HIS WIN, SPRAYING CHAMPAGNE IN CELEBRATION, A LOOK OF VICTORY UPON HIS FACE. WORDS RACHEL STEVENSON
FORMULA 1 (THE ‘FORMULA’ IN THE name refers to a set of rules which all cars and racers must observe and was originally known as Formula A), can be traced back to the 1920s and 1930s and the European Grand Prix championships. The foundation of Formula 1 began in 1946 with the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile’s (FIA’s) standardisation of rules. A World Drivers’ Championship followed in 1950 and in the same year the first world championship race was held at Silverstone. Over the years, the sport has gained in popularity and in the 1970s Bernie Ecclestone took over the management of Formula 1, turning the sport into one that is now watched and celebrated worldwide. Attracting celebrities, drivers and visitors from across the globe, the only way to celebrate a race is with Champagne. Mumm has been official sponsors of Formula 1 since 2000 and the French bubbly has become synonymous with Formula One podium moments. Mumm’s Cordon Rouge – a mark of victory and celebration with its iconic red sash that reflects the Legion d’Honneur. Celebrate the Formula 1 this year with an icon of victory, Mumm Champagne. Toast to the wins with a glass of Champagne trackside for an exhilarating experience with the cars racing by and the adrenaline pumping high. The way Champagne was meant to be enjoyed. ❧
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