How Is Champagne Made: Fine Wine Production Guide

How is Champagne made? Understanding the process provides insight into its structure, aging potential, and unique characteristics. That insight informs your decisions on when to hold or open bottles from your cellar. Champagne is a sparkling wine produced in the Champagne wine region of France. It adheres to the appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) rules. These rules demand specific vineyard practices, grape sourcing exclusively from designated places, and specific grape-pressing methods. They also demand secondary fermentation of the wine in the bottle to cause carbonation. This traditional method, formerly known as méthode champenoise, involves several distinct stages that differentiate it from still wine production. Chief among them is a crucial secondary fermentation within the bottle itself.

What is the méthode traditionnelle?

The méthode traditionnelle is the specific process by which Champagne achieves its characteristic effervescence and complexity. This method begins with a primary alcoholic fermentation. Yeast converts sugars in the grape juice into ethanol and carbon dioxide, typically over one to two weeks. After this, winemakers create a cuvée, a blend of still wines from different grape varieties, vineyards, and often, different vintages. For non-vintage Champagne, producers blend anywhere from 10% to 15%, and sometimes as high as 40%, of wine from older vintages.

The blended cuvée is then bottled with a liqueur de tirage, a mixture of yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and rock sugar. This induces a secondary alcoholic fermentation inside the sealed bottle. This fermentation traps carbon dioxide, creating the bubbles. The period requires a minimum of 15 months for non-vintage Champagne and at least three years for vintage Champagne. Throughout it, the wine ages on its lees (dead yeast cells), developing flavor and complexity.

How do riddling, disgorgement and dosage finish Champagne?

Following aging, the bottles undergo remuage, or riddling. In this process they are gradually manipulated to settle the lees into the neck of the bottle. The neck is then chilled and frozen, allowing for dégorgement. The cap is removed, and the internal pressure of six bar (90 psi) forces out the ice plug containing the lees. Finally, a liqueur d'expédition, or dosage, is added. This blend of wine from previous vintages and additional sugar adjusts the wine's sweetness and maintains the bottle's level. The bottle is then quickly corked to preserve the carbon dioxide in solution. You can explore the region's unique terroir and its impact on these wines on our Champagne region map.

What grapes are used to make Champagne?

Almost all Champagne comes from the grapes Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay. These three varieties are central to the region's winemaking tradition, each contributing distinct characteristics to the final blend.

• Chardonnay provides liveliness, minerality, and notes of citrus fruits and white flowers, according to Comité Champagne: storing champagne. Most Chardonnay for Champagne is grown in the Côte des Blancs, a north-south running strip south of Épernay. Its east-facing vineyards have a terroir similar to the Côte de Beaune.
• Pinot Noir offers body, structure, red fruits, and floral notes such as violets and roses, Comité Champagne: storing champagne reports. This dark-skinned grape is predominantly cultivated in the Montagne de Reims, known for its north-facing chalky slopes. It also grows in the Vallée de la Marne, which has south-facing chalky slopes.
• Pinot Meunier contributes fruity notes, roundness, and aromas of apples, pears, and yellow fruits, according to Comité Champagne: storing champagne. Like Pinot Noir, it is primarily grown in the Montagne de Reims and the Vallée de la Marne.

These three are dominant. Small amounts of other varieties are also vinified, including Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris (called Fromenteau in Champagne), Arbane, and Petit Meslier. The 2010 appellation regulations list seven allowed varieties: Arbane, Chardonnay, Petit Meslier, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Meunier, and Pinot Noir. Champagnes made exclusively from white grape varieties, mainly Chardonnay, are known as Blanc de Blancs, Comité Champagne: storing champagne clarifies. Conversely, Blanc de Noirs Champagnes are made solely from red grape varieties, either Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, or a blend of the two, according to Comité Champagne: storing champagne. These designations offer specific flavor profiles, allowing collectors to choose based on their preferences for liveliness or body. Renowned producers like Dom Pérignon, Cristal, and Veuve Clicquot exemplify the masterful blending and varietal expression in Champagne.

How does dosage affect Champagne's sweetness?

Dosage, or liqueur d'expédition, is a critical final step in Champagne production. A mixture of sugar and wine is added to adjust the wine's sweetness, according to Comité Champagne: storing champagne. This blend, typically cane sugar and wine, can contain sugar amounts up to 750 grams per liter. Caroline Latrive, cellar master of Ayala, views dosage as the "final touch in champagne making" that "must be as subtle as possible to bring the right balance." Benoît Gouez, cellar master of Moët & Chandon, adds that sugar helps Champagne recover from the oxidative shock of disgorgement. It also contributes to its aging potential.

The amount of dosage determines the Champagne's classification, ranging from bone dry to lusciously sweet. The Court of Master Sommeliers' deductive tasting format includes categories such as Bone Dry, Dry, Dry with Slight Residual Sugar, Off-Dry, Medium-Sweet, Sweet, and Lusciously Sweet.

Champagne wines fall into these sugar-level classifications, according to Comité Champagne: storing champagne:

Classification	Sugar Level (grams per liter)
Extra Brut	between 0 and 6
Brut	less than 12
Extra Dry	between 12 and 17
Sec	between 17 and 32
Demi-sec	between 32 and 50
Doux	more than 50

Why was Champagne once much sweeter?

The most common style today is Brut. However, throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, Champagne was generally much sweeter, often consumed as a dessert wine rather than with a meal. Historical sweetness levels were even referred to by destination country, such as Goût anglais (between 22 and 66 grams), Goût américain (between 110 and 165 grams), Goût français (between 165 and 200 grams), and Goût russe (between 200 and 300 grams). Only the driest Goût anglais is close to contemporary tastes.

What are the different types of Champagne?

Champagne comes in several distinct styles, each offering a unique experience for collectors. The primary distinction lies between non-vintage and vintage bottlings.

• Non-Vintage Champagne: Most Champagne produced today is non-vintage, meaning it is a blend of grapes from multiple vintages. Producers typically blend 10% to 15%, and sometimes as high as 40%, of wine from older vintages into the base wine. That base wine is usually from a single year. This blending ensures a consistent style that consumers can expect from non-vintage Champagne, preventing radical changes based on vintage quality. Non-vintage Champagne must age for a minimum of 15 months to develop its flavors.
• Vintage Champagne: When a harvest is truly outstanding, the winemaker can decide to create a cuvée from that year's grapes alone, Comité Champagne: storing champagne notes. This results in a vintage Champagne, which must consist entirely of grapes from that single vintage year. Vintage Champagnes are considered "very good" and must mature for at least three years. Champagne wine regulations allow houses to use no more than 80% of a total vintage's harvest for vintage Champagne production. At least 20% is reserved for non-vintage blends.
• Prestige Cuvée: A cuvée de prestige is a proprietary blended wine, usually a Champagne, considered the top of a producer's range. Examples include Louis Roederer's Cristal, Laurent-Perrier's Grand Siècle, and Moët & Chandon's Dom Pérignon. Moët & Chandon's Dom Pérignon, launched in 1936 with the 1921 vintage, was perhaps the first publicly available prestige cuvée. Louis Roederer had produced Cristal since 1876. However, it was strictly for the private consumption of the Russian tsar until the 1945 vintage made it publicly available.
• Rosé Champagne: Characterized by its blush color, fruity aroma, and earthy flavor, Rosé Champagne has been produced since the late 18th century. It is made by one of two methods:
• Saignée method: Winemakers leave the clear juice of dark grapes to macerate with the skins for a brief time, resulting in wine lightly colored and flavored by the skins.
• D'assemblage method: Producers blend a small amount of still red wine into a sparkling wine cuvée. This method is more common and results in a predictable and reproducible color. It allows winemakers to achieve a consistent rosé appearance year after year. Rosé Champagnes, particularly brut varieties, regained popularity in the late 20th century. They are often served in fine dining for food and wine pairing.

How should you store and serve Champagne?

Proper storage and serving are crucial for appreciating Champagne's finesse and aromas, especially for collectors.

Storage: When you acquire a Champagne, the Champagne Grower or House has already aged it for at least 15 months in their cellars. That makes it ready to enjoy, Comité Champagne: storing champagne states. However, you can keep it for several more years by following specific rules:

• Temperature: Store bottles in a cool place, at a constant temperature between 10 and 15°C, Comité Champagne: storing champagne advises.
• Humidity: Maintain high and constant humidity, between 60% and 80%, according to Comité Champagne: storing champagne.
• Light, Vibrations, Odours: Protect the bottle from light, vibrations, and unwanted odors, Comité Champagne: storing champagne recommends.
• Ventilation: The storage place must be well ventilated, Comité Champagne: storing champagne adds.
• Orientation: Store bottles upright or on their sides, Comité Champagne: storing champagne notes.

Following these guidelines will help your Champagne retain its attributes for a long time. For more general advice on maintaining your collection, consult our guide on how to store wine.

Serving: Champagne should be drunk chilled, but not ice-cold, to fully appreciate its qualities. The ideal temperature for a bottle of Champagne is between 8-10°C, Comité Champagne: storing champagne reports, or 7-9°C (45-48°F). To achieve this, place the bottle in an ice bucket half-filled with water and ice for 20 to 30 minutes before serving. Alternatively, use the bottom of the fridge for a few hours, Comité Champagne: storing champagne suggests.

Glassware: While flutes or coupes are often believed to be the best way to serve Champagne, Comité Champagne: storing champagne clarifies that these shapes are not best suited to expressing its full character. Instead, choose a tall, bulbous glass with a narrow top, shaped like a tulip, to allow the Champagne to "deploy all its aromas and fine bubbles," Comité Champagne: storing champagne recommends. You can still use flutes and coupes for their "sophistication and imagination," Comité Champagne: storing champagne adds.

How do you open and pour Champagne safely?

Opening a Champagne bottle requires care due to the internal pressure. To reduce the risk of spillage or injury, hold the cork firmly. Rotate the bottle gently at an angle to ease out the stopper, rather than pulling the cork. This method prevents the cork from flying out at speed and allows air in, helping to prevent the Champagne from geysering.

For pouring, scientists from the University of Reims ran a study, "On the Losses of Dissolved CO2 during Champagne serving." They found that tilting the glass at an angle and gently sliding the liquid along the side preserves the most bubbles, as opposed to pouring directly down. Colder bottle temperatures also result in reduced gas loss. Pour in two stages. Start with a small quantity to allow aeration, then fill the glass slowly and regularly until it is two-thirds full, Comité Champagne: storing champagne recommends.

For a dramatic presentation, you can try sabering Champagne. Napoleonic Guard hussars originally performed this risky technique to celebrate victories, Comité Champagne: storing champagne recounts. It requires practice, a very cold bottle, and a quick, sharp blow with a long knife along the bottle's welding line near the neck, Comité Champagne: storing champagne warns.

Storing an Open Bottle: If you have an unfinished bottle, seal it using a stopper cap specially designed for sparkling wines. Place it in a cool spot, upright or on its side, Comité Champagne: storing champagne suggests. The idea that a spoon in the neck will keep it bubbly is "not true at all," Comité Champagne: storing champagne states. A special cork is necessary to retain the bubbles.

What are common Champagne faults?

Even well-stored Champagne can exhibit faults, which are important for collectors to identify. These can impact the wine's sensory profile and value.

• Cork Taint (TCA and TBA): The main compound responsible for cork taint is 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA), which imparts a distinct "musty, mouldy" aroma, according to AWRI: wine faults and taints. Its aroma threshold in a Pinot Noir wine is 1.4 ng/L, and it can suppress positive fruit-derived characters, AWRI: wine faults and taints reports. TCA forms when moulds on cork come into contact with trichlorophenol, AWRI: wine faults and taints explains. Another compound, 2,4,6-tribromoanisole (TBA), behaves similarly with a "musty, mouldy" aroma, perceptible at 4 ng/L in wine, AWRI: wine faults and taints notes. TBA can form in wineries from the microbial breakdown of 2,4,6-tribromophenol, a flame retardant and wood preservative. It can be detected in barrels, plastics, and even the winery atmosphere, AWRI: wine faults and taints adds.
• Oxidation: Oxidation can lead to a dulling of aroma, progressing to "cardboard," "straw," "hay-like," "sherry-like," or "madeirised" aromas, and in extreme cases, "wet wool" or "varnish-like" characteristics, AWRI: wine faults and taints describes. Acetaldehyde, which can impart "over-ripe bruised apples" or "sherry" notes above 125 mg/L, increases as wines age due to chemical oxidation of ethanol, AWRI: wine faults and taints states. Proper ullage levels and storage conditions, as discussed in our wine ullage levels explained guide, are crucial to mitigate oxidation.
• Volatile Acidity (VA): Primarily perceived as the "odour of vinegar," volatile acidity is mainly due to acetic acid, AWRI: wine faults and taints explains. While small amounts are normal, concentrations greater than 0.7 g/L are generally considered detrimental. The aroma threshold can be as low as 0.1-0.125 g/L, AWRI: wine faults and taints reports. Increased levels in stored wines are usually attributable to acetic acid bacteria. These convert alcohol to acetic acid in the presence of oxygen, AWRI: wine faults and taints notes.
• Mousiness: This off-flavor is reminiscent of "caged mice" or "cracker biscuit" and is generally perceived late on the palate or after swallowing, often lingering, AWRI: wine faults and taints describes. The compounds responsible, such as 2-acetyltetrahydropyridine, are not volatile at wine pH, making them rarely detected by sniffing, AWRI: wine faults and taints states. Mousiness is usually of microbial origin, often from lactic acid bacteria or Dekkera/Brettanomyces yeast, and oxidation enhances it, AWRI: wine faults and taints adds. There is no satisfactory method to remove this off-flavor, AWRI: wine faults and taints warns.
• Reductive Faults: A range of volatile sulfur compounds can result in "reductive" sensory characters, AWRI: wine faults and taints explains. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), or "rotten egg gas," has a detection threshold of 1-2 µg/L, and yeast produces it under stress, AWRI: wine faults and taints reports. Other sulfhydryls (thiols/mercaptans) can impart "cabbage," "garlic," "onion," or "rubber" aromas, while disulfides can smell of "burnt rubber" or "cooked cabbage," AWRI: wine faults and taints notes. Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) can have "asparagus" or "cooked corn" notes at higher concentrations, AWRI: wine faults and taints adds.
• Brettanomyces Faults: Caused by Dekkera/Brettanomyces yeast, these faults include 4-ethylphenol, which gives a "Band aid®," "medicinal," or "pharmaceutical" character, and 4-ethylguaiacol, described as "clove," "spicy," or "smoky," AWRI: wine faults and taints states. 4-ethylphenol can negatively impact wine quality above 425 µg/L, AWRI: wine faults and taints reports.
• Indole: Indole has been implicated in "untypical" or "atypical" aging and is described as having "chemical," "plastic," "mothballs," or "rubber/plastic" aromas, AWRI: wine faults and taints notes. Faulty wines have been observed with indole concentrations between 30 and 350 µg/L. Indole has also been observed in tank-fermented sparkling wines, AWRI: wine faults and taints adds.

Understanding these potential faults helps you assess the condition of your Champagne and make informed decisions about its future.

Why does knowing how Champagne is made help collectors?

Champagne's enduring appeal lies in its meticulous production process and diverse styles. From the careful selection of grapes to the precise dosage, each step contributes to the complexity and character that collectors value. Knowing how Champagne is made empowers you to better appreciate its nuances and manage your collection.

To ensure you never miss an opportunity to acquire or enjoy exceptional sparkling wines, add your preferred vintages to your vintage Champagne watchlist.