How is champagne produced?
Champagne has a rich history and has undergone significant developments. But how does champagne get its bubbles? The process of making sparkling wine is called the Méthode Champenoise or Méthode Traditionnelle. This process is also used for producing prosecco, cava, franciacorta, sekt, and cremant. We explain in a series of steps how the production process, the Méthode Champenoise, works.
Champagne Production Process:
1. Harvesting Grapes
2. Pressing Grapes
3. First Fermentation
4. Assemblage
5. Second Fermentation
6. Maturation Process
7. Riddling
8. Disgorging
9. Adding Sugar
10. Corking
1. Harvesting Grapes
The grape harvest takes place from late September to early October, lasting about two weeks. There is a maximum limit of vines per hectare every year to maintain quality. Less yield results in richer and healthier grapes.
Grapes are handpicked, as mechanical picking is not allowed. Each grape is assessed during picking, and only the best and ripest grapes are used for champagne.
2. Pressing Grapes
Next, the grapes are pressed. About 2500 liters of wine are produced from over 4000 kilograms of grapes. Precise pressing is crucial for a good champagne color. Pressing is done gently for the right champagne color. Pressing is done twice, resulting in refined and slightly coarser juice. The released juice is used to make a base wine.
3. First Fermentation
The first fermentation, also known as alcoholic fermentation, takes place separately for each grape variety in different barrels. It results in a sour, still white wine that is dry-fermented, with natural grape sugars fermented out of the wine.
Fermentation in wooden barrels is not common due to the complexity of the technique. However, barrel fermentation or aging provides more smoothness, complexity, and strength to the champagne. Champagne house Krug is an example of a house that uses wooden barrels.
4. Assemblage
The different still wines are combined during assemblage, which starts about 5 months after harvest. Reserve wines from previous years may also be used. Adding reserve wines often imparts a distinctive taste to the house, considered the secret or foundation of a champagne house.
In most cases, an assemblage of three grape varieties is made. The Chardonnay grape adds finesse and elegance, Pinot Meunier contributes fruitiness and smoothness, and the Pinot Noir grape brings strength and structure.
5. Second Fermentation
Yeast, sugar, and possibly citric acid are added during the second fermentation. The wine is then sealed in a bottle with a crown cork. Bottles are stored in a cool cellar, with cooler fermentation resulting in smaller bubbles in the champagne.
The second fermentation occurs gradually, releasing alcohol and carbon dioxide. Because the bottle is sealed with a cork, carbon dioxide cannot escape and dissolves into the wine. The result is a sparkling wine.
6. Maturation Process
Champagne needs several years to mature for acidity. The harshness softens with age. During the maturation process, yeast cells burst open, releasing into the solution. This imparts yeasty and complex flavors to the champagne.
Non-vintage champagnes have a maturation process of at least 15 months, while vintage champagnes require 3 years. Champagnes should not be exposed to light, and a constant cool cellar is essential.
7. Riddling
After the aging process, the dead yeast cells must be removed. This process is also known as Riddling. The bottles are placed in a rack at an angle of 75 degrees. The riddler, also known as the "Le Remueur," rotates the bottle for 1/8th turn each day. This causes the dead yeast cells to collect in the neck of the bottle. After several rotations, the bottle ends up in an upright position. Madame Veuve Clicquot was the inventor of these riddling racks.
8. Disgorging
One of the final steps in the production process is disgorging. While the champagne bottle is held upside down, the neck of the bottle is frozen by an ice/salt bath. This creates a plug of dead yeast cells. The frozen plug is then ejected (disgorged) by removing the crown cap. The pressure of carbon dioxide causes the plug to be ejected, leaving behind clear champagne.
9. Adding Sugar
To adjust the sugar content of the champagne and to fill the bottle, a mixture of white wine, sugar, and Brandy is added. This determines the type of champagne it will be. Will it be a brut champagne, demi-sec champagne, or doux champagne? Adding sugar is also called dosage. Of course, the contents of the mixture vary per champagne house and are kept secret.
10. Corking!
Finally, the time has come... to cork it! The final cork is completed along with the muselet and label. A muselet is a metal cap that holds the cork in the bottle, preventing it from popping out due to the high pressure of carbon dioxide. The bottles are reposed in the wine cellar in this final process to continue aging.