Sparkling wine can come from any region of the world, but champagne can only come from the Champagne region in Northern France, near Paris. This fizzy drink has the reputation of being of and for the elite. There are many different types of champagne, but it's not hard to tell them apart.
Instructions
1. Taste and understand non-vintage champagne. Non-vintage champagne is champagne that is made every single year by whichever producer is making it, whether or not the harvest was good or bad. If it was called multi-vintage champagne, it would more accurately describe what it is. NV Champagne is literally a blend of wines from several different years to make up a beverage that has a consistent taste every single year, no matter what. Open your bottle of Veuve Clicquot NV (also called "yellow label") and pour a bit into your glass. The bubbles, or mousse, will dissipate quickly. The scent of this wine will be distinctively citrus-flavored, but subtle and mild. On the palate, notes of honeysuckle and candied orange peel are balanced by an acidic backbone.
2. Taste and understand vintage champagne. Vintage champagne is only made in years that are considered to be very good. These wines are made using only that year's grapes, and are usually aged for a considerable amount of time before release, to give the champagne more complexity. Aging the champagne in the bottle is important because during the second fermentation (which happens in the bottle, and is the reason why champagne has bubbles), the wine is in close contact with the yeast. This contact adds "yeasty" or "bready" characteristics to the wine which, without the yeast's help, would be undrinkable, tart and acidic. Open your bottle of Taittinger Vintage Champagne and pour a little into your flute. The mousse will remain a bit longer than it did in the NV Champagne you tried before. On the nose, the aromas of yeast will be more pronounced, and the taste of it will have a stronger strain of breadiness and even a hint of malt on the finish.
3. Taste and understand Prestige, or "Tête de Cuvée," Champagne. The best wine that a champagne producer will make is always their Prestige line, or Tête de Cuvée. This literally means "Head of the Year." These champagnes are made only three or four times a decade during exceptional years. They often have their own names, as well. Dom Perignon, for example, is the name given to Moet et Chandon's Prestige champagne. La Grande Dame is Veuve Cliquot's Prestige champagne. Open your bottle of Salon Tête de Cuvée and pour a bit into your glass. The bubbles will be smaller and the mousse will be whiter and will, most likely, linger for a very long time. The scent should be reminiscent of fresh baked bread and ripe peach. The flavor notes will range from quince paste to biscuits to creme brulee. These wines are aged for a very long time before release, so their finesse will be beyond that of any NV or Vintage Champagne you will normally be able to buy in the United States.
4. Taste and understand Rose Champagne. Many major champagne houses also produce Rose Champagne. Because two of the grapes that are used to make champagne are red (Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier), all that is needed to produce a Rose is a little exposure to the skins of some of these red grapes. Open your bottle of Louis Roederer Vintage Rose. Pour a bit and smell. The scent of citrus will be accompanied by notes of rose petal and Bing cherry. On the palate, under-ripe strawberry and peach notes will intermingle with lemon peel and mild yeasty notes.
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