Champagne is really a little miracle. I'm not talking about the bubbles. Rather, it's a miracle that wine can be made in such a cool northerly climate. Even though Champagne's grapes -- chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier -- are harvested at lower sugars than are grapes used for still wines, the climate of the region is barely warm enough in many years to achieve that degree of ripeness. But those cold temperatures also have a benefit. The resulting high acidity in the grapes makes Champagne fresh and lively. Add bubbles to the mix, and you have a uniquely vivacious wine. No wonder it has become the beverage of celebration.
Also contributing to Champagne's character is the chalky soil profile in most of the region. The soil holds enough water for the vines to survive dry periods, but it also drains well in rainy times, which are common. The chalk also may be the source of the minerality found in the flavor of many Champagnes.
It's a special place, which is why the Champenois bristle when people refer to all sparkling wines as "champagne." Other bubblies have their merit, but true Champagne comes only from the 84,000 acres that make up the Champagne appellation east of Paris.
The landscape there is hilly and beautiful. The hills are crowned by forests; vineyards occupy the middle of the slope, while the towns lie in the valleys. The heart of the growing region is divided into three parts: the Montagne de Reims, dominated by pinot noir; the Cote des Blancs, home of the best chardonnay; and the Vallee de Marne, well-suited to pinot meunier. (A fourth area, the Cote des Bar, is far to the southeast.)
Champagne production and exports are dominated by the big houses, with recognizable names like Moet & Chandon and Veuve Clicquot. But these companies buy most of their grapes, and the average grower farms just five acres. An increasing trend is the so-called grower Champagne, labeled with the term "recoltant manipulant." These bubblies, made by the grape grower, account for about 20 percent of sales. The best ones -- those from Vilmart, Gimmonet, Gaston Chiquet and Doyard -- have real personality, and they're priced competitively with wines from the big producers.
And bubbles aside, Champagne is a wine first.
"We produce wine. Champagne is a wine. It's not only bubbles," says Antoine Malassagne, co-owner of A.R. Lenoble.
The winemaking, especially the blending, is incredibly important.
"Champagne is not just the result of what Mother Nature gives us," says Bruno Paillard, owner of the Champagne house that bears his name. It's the result, he adds, of human investment in the winemaking process.
Blending is particularly important for a winery's non-vintage brut, a blend of vintages that reflects the house style and needs to remain reasonably consistent from year to year. Cyril Brun, part of the winemaking team at Veuve Clicquot, brought out some tank samples from the 2009 vintage -- wines that are very acidic and don't yet have any bubbles -- and talked about what characteristics each grape variety brings to the blend.
"Then it's all about finding the right proportion," he says. Consistency in the non-vintage brut, he adds, "is our No. 1 obsession."
Champagne gets its bubbles during a second fermentation that occurs in the bottle after the blend is made. All Champagne is sold in the same bottle in which it went through that second fermentation; domestic bubbly labeled as "methode champenoise" undergoes the same process.
If you like a richer wine, consider the non-vintage Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut ($45), or the robust non-vintage Bollinger Special Cuvee ($65). For something more delicate, there's the non-vintage Louis Roederer Brut Premier ($43), which displays mineral, fresh citrus and apple notes; the non-vintage Delamotte Brut ($55), with its bright citrus; the slightly yeastier non-vintage Deutz Brut Classic ($41); and the creamy non-vintage Bruno Paillard Premiere Cuvee ($60).
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