 Méthode
Champenoise
By Andrew B. Campbell
The process for making most of the great
sparkling wines in the world, or just a tongue-tied excuse to
raise prices?
French for "champagne method," classic
méthode champenoise is the
traditional champagne-making process developed by winemakers in the
Champagne region of France during the 1700s and 1800s.
Méthode champenoise champagnes are those sparkling wines produced
with the second fermentation taking place in the bottle (when the
bubbles form), followed by a long, intensive process to rid the wine
of yeast sediment before final corking. Excellent champagne,
however, begins long before a single drop of wine is produced.
Here is the process as it stands today:
Harvest: Usually grapes are harvested between late August
through early October.
Pressing of the Grapes: Only three pressings of the grapes
are permitted. The first pressing produces the high-quality
Champagne, while the second and third pressings are either made into
inexpensive Champagne or sold.
Fermentation: All Champagne undergoes first fermentation,
the process by which grape juice converts into alcohol that takes
two to three weeks.
Blending: The blending is the most important step: how
much Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier should go in? What
years should be blended in? Should the wine be declared a vintage
year? From what vineyards did the grapes come?
Tirage: After blending, the wine is then placed in its
permanent bottle and a blend of sugar and yeast is added to start
the secondary fermentation.
Secondary Fermentation: This leaves the carbon dioxide in
the bottle (where the bubbles come from!), along with natural
sediment.
 Riddling:
The bottle then is placed on a rack and the “riddler” rotates the
bottle and slowly turns the bottle upside down on the rack. The
bottle is completely upside down after about eight weeks and the
sediment is in the neck of the bottle.
Aging: This sediment provides much flavor. The more time
spent aging with this sediment, the more flavor.
Disgorgement: The neck of the bottle is dipped into a
brine solution to freeze it, and then the temporary bottle cap (the
kind that’s used for soda) is removed and the iced sediment is shot
out because of the carbon dioxide.
Dosage: This is a solution of sugar and wine that is added
to determine what level of sweetness the sparkling wine is. The
winemaker decides how dry to sweet the wine should be.
Recorking: The wine is recorked with cork instead of the
bottle cap.
This process results in what is recognized as the best sparkling
wine, however it is time consuming and, consequently, expensive.
 A
popular alternative process is the Charmat process, developed around
1910 by Frenchman Eugène Charmat.
The Charmat process undergoes practically the same methods as
the méthode champenoise, but
secondary fermentation is in a steel tank, rather than a bottle.
This bulk method is less time consuming and enables winemakers to
produce inexpensive sparkling wine. Though these wines can be good,
they often lose their bubbles quickly once poured.
Below are some good méthode
champenoise sparkling wines recommended by our contributors:
Dom Perignon 1993 (France) $122
The original bottle that is pure to the words of "job well done."
The 1993 is intense with floral aroma brought to you by some of the
worlds smallest bubbles that you will find in any true Champagne.
There is only one Dom Perignon. –Mark
Elwell
Bollinger “Special Cuvée” NV (France) $40
Founded in 1829, Bollinger is one of Champagne’s few remaining
family-owned Grande Marque houses. Located in Ay, in the heart of
the Cote des Noirs, it is renowned for the high percentage of Pinot
Noir it uses and for the extra aging on the lees (a minimum of three
years) that their Champagnes’ receives. Bollinger truly epitomizes
“luxury.” Showing rich, creamy, toasty notes and wonderful flavors
reminiscent of the Grand and Premier Cru vineyards that the grapes
are sourced from. –Dawn Marti
Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Noir NV (California) $18
Made from 100% Pinot Noir; this sparkler has vibrant apple and
floral characters, with a hint of strawberry. With apple overtones
this rich mouthwatering wine has great balance to its fruit and a
smooth finish. This dry sparkler will go well with grilled fish or
all by itself! –Andrew Campbell
Domaine Chandon Brut Fresco NV (Argentina) $13
This is from Domaine Chandon’s land which produces their great
Terrazas wines from Argentina. With a brilliant pale gold color,
this wine exhibits small energetic bubbles with lemon and green
apple flavors throughout…and the price is right too! –Andrew
Campbell
When buying sparkling wine for the Holidays, be clear what you
want to do with it…spray it or drink it. If you decide to drink it,
please spend the few extra bucks on a true méthode
champenoise process sparkling wine…you will definitely notice the
difference in taste.
For some additional terms and definitions, see our
Champagne and Sparkling Wine glossary.
Happy Holidays!
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