When it comes to producing champagne
there are many secrets to discover
and a history as rich as the wine itself
yet making this celebrated sparkling wine, is not as simple as one may think
essentially there are two main ways to put the fizz into your drink
first, is the process of simply pumping carbon dioxide
into the liquid, which is used for most soft drinks
beer in kegs, and mass produced mineral water
as well as cheaper wines
Second, there is natural carbonation through fermentation.
This process occurs from yeast consuming sugar in a liquid,
which produces both alcohol and carbon dioxide as by-products.
Fermentation actually occurs in all wine,
Although, when producing still wine, wine makers
will allow the CO2 to escape before it is finally bottled.
For prosecco and some sparkling wines, however,
this CO2 is never allowed to escape.
Therefore, it dissolves into the wine, and the wines are bottled sparkling.
With champagne, the process to naturally carbonate the wine,
know as Method Champenoise, takes place inside the bottle
and is much more complex
So is champagne made? Champagne is a wine
Its a wine, its not just bubbles. Champagne is a wine.
Fermented twice.
First fermentation, like in Burgundy, for example for white wine,
Is made, under barrels or tanks
so basically, the grape juice becomes wine
under the influence of yeasts and then
actually it could be sold as still wine from champagne
that existed 100 years ago, called Coteaux Champenois
its white, non-sparkling wine from champagne
the second fermentation happens in the bottle,
before we seal it, we add sugar
a little bit, and yeasts
the yeasts are going to consume the sugar and generate
an increase of alcohol content and carbonic pressure
because the bottles will be sealed
the second fermentation which basically generates the carbonic
pressure, that happens pretty soon after
the yeast and the sugar have been added into the wine
within two months it's done, you have the pressure
but then you have the yeasts
the body of the yeast, which is in the bottle
and that's going to break itself into smaller, smaller pieces.
And the longer you keep your bottles, in contact with the yeasts
generally speaking, the better your champagne will be
and the finer the bubbles will be, in the end, so small bubbles
is associated very narrowly with the length
of ageing of the champagne, during the second fermentation
So, Diego, if you want I'm going to take you through our cellars
and maybe we shall do a little pit stop in front of the bottles
doing the second fermentation. Yes, let's do that, I'm ready.
So watch your steps, they're a little bit tricky
So, here you have what is technically,
already champagne. The wine is already sparkling.
But it's ageing, and the ageing process for
Charles
is anything between 5 years and up to 20,
25, 30 years... yes, its massive
and just to try and show you what's happening physically
in the bottle.
You see, you have the bottle . This is, of a course, this is a demonstration bottle
Yeh- what is that? That's the yeasts. and we have to get rid of
these yeasts before we actually sell it as champagne.
So that's when we start to do the remuage, or riddling
turn the bottle,
down, that's going to take a few weeks
and then we will turn the bottle back upside up
and with the pressure, the yeasts which will concentrated at the neck
will be evacuated
and then we put the final cork and then its champagne
that can be sold as such
that's the secret of sparkling wine and the champagne recipe. Its amazing.
It takes at least 2 and a half years to make most champagne,
from picking the grapes to it hitting the shelves. So its no surprise
that champagne commands much higher prices
than more simple sparkling wine such as prosecco
This highly specific method for making sparkling wine,
is replicated all around the world, from Spains Cava
To Tasmania in Australia,
and Sussex in the UK, but although
the method and even the grapes may be the same
only wines from champagne, can be labelled as such
Look out for the words Methode Traditionelle on the label
for wines made in this style that are produced outside
of Champagne
Its not just the wine making techniques that make champagne
so special. This regions incredible soil,
climate, culture and centuries of wine making
history, produces unique wines found nowhere else in the world