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Champagne is a festive wine that makes moments magical and extraordinary, with its touch of panache and elegance. In the champagne flute, the elusive nature of the champagne bubbles illuminates the moment and the dishes. Champagne be enjoyed throughout a meal, from aperitif to the dessert, and is a perfect match for any dish, as long as you choose the right vintages. How to recognise a good champagne?
Within the Champagne appellation, 3 main grape varieties are used: Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. But to obtain a good champagne, you need good grapes, a good terroir with good soil and ideally exposed vines as well as a beneficial microclimate. In addition to this, meticulous work in the vineyard and a demonstration of know-how are required to obtain exceptional vintages and a high level of quality. The duration of the maturation in the barrel is also a determining factor in the complexity of the champagne and exceeds
60 months for the great nectars.
Blending is the keystone of champagne production, the very heart of its balance and complexity. Indeed, major climatic variations lead to considerable disparities in quantity and quality from one year to the next. Blending has therefore been an oenological revolution since the 17th century to obtain the best wines and requires to have a large selection of different wines and vintages.
Vintage wines are symbols of excellence and prestige. They are made exclusively with grapes from a single year. It must therefore be exceptional to give a champagne the capability of ageing and improving with time. The cuvées are thus rare and represent only 20% of the production volume. It is interesting to know that, in addition to being made with grapes from the best parcels and sorted in a precise manner, vintage champagnes are aged longer than others, at least 3 years against 15 months for non-vintage champagnes – and each has its own identity. This ageing in the chalky cellars gives the wine a beautiful complexity with an interesting style because it is rich and full-bodied. Vintage champagnes are full of rich, deep, and complex aromas with toasted and honeyed notes, as well as candied fruits.
Which champagne to choose according to the dish?
To choose the best match or to sublimate the dish and not break or distort the taste of the wine, the dosage (the sugar level) and the grape variety (the aromas and texture of the wine) are decisive.
- The bruts: a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Refreshing and energetic with a lot of finesse. They go well with all types of meals. They are regarded as the Houses’ signature wines.
- White wines: made exclusively from Chardonnay. Fresh, fine and elegant, with flavours of white flowers and citrus fruit, brioche and hazelnut. Soft and lingering on the palate, easy to pair.
- Rosés: made from white wine to which Pinot Noir or Pinot Meunier is added. Fruity and full-bodied.
PERFECT CHAMPAGNE FOOD PAIRING
More information: www.wengler.lu