Foreign Have a major Milestone to celebrate they Usually commemorate it with sparkling Why and when only the best will do fine Champagne why bubbles are universally Understood you pop a quirk and it’s like A party in a bottle they can be elegant And luxurious or they can be laid back In fun let’s talk about what makes Champagne the best and most famous Sparkling wine in the world the Different styles that are available and Then I’ll mention a few other high Quality alternatives These days the term champagne is used to Loosely describe any wine with bubbles In it but technically there’s only one Now not everybody understands what Differentiates real champagne from other Sparkling wines but there are two main Factors geography and history now Champagne is a region in the north of France just east of Paris and it’s Actually so far north that it’s almost Too cold to make wine here but that cold Climate is the key to what makes Champagne Sparkle the soils are also one Of a kind the land here used to be an Ancient seabed made of mostly Limestone And chalk which gives the grapes unique Qualities and flavors that can’t be Found anywhere else in the world The sheer amount of time that the Champion had to hone their craft is what
Gave them a head start in the wine world And you first see wine being made by Roman monks in the First Century A.D and Then in 1690s when we see the first Mention of a sparkling champagne it was Embraced by the British nobility it was Used to celebrate French Royal Coronations and it was the house wine For Russian czars this is kind of what Set the stage for champagne being a Luxury wine for the elite over the Centuries Pioneers in the region used Both Science and Technology to Perfect The Art of making champagne and with the Advent of global Shipping and marketing Major houses like mate and Paul Roger Tattle their wines worldwide to make Them the most famous bubbly on the Planet Since the Middle Ages just three grapes Have been used in all champagne first we Have Pinot Noir which is a red grape and It gives the wine a lot of body bumps up The alcohol a little bit and gives it Some Red Berry flavors then there’s Chardonnay which is a white grape that Usually lends acidity and these Citrus Flavors sometimes people will say it Tastes like apples or pears then lastly Pinot Monier gives the wine this floral Characteristic which makes it very Aromatic so the magic that gives Champagne its bubbles is a technique Known as the method Champion was the
Wine is actually fermented twice once Outside and once inside the bottle And this highly controlled second Fermentation is what SEALs the carbon Dioxide bubbles in the bottle giving Champagne its superfine creamy mousse by Law all champagne has to be sold in the Same bottle that it’s fermented in Another factor that elevates champagne Is a technique known as early aging this Is where the wine is allowed to rest With the yeast in the bottle and the two Flavors sort of knit together if you Will and this is what gives champagne Its distinct nutty and toasty Characteristics champagne comes in many Different styles of flavors and every House out there has its own signature Style non-vented champagne is the most Popular and it’s made with a blend of Wines from different years this blending Of wines allows the head winemaker who’s Known as the chef dukov to maintain a Consistent house style year after year And some of these non-vintage Champagnes Can be made with up to 60 different Wines spanning over 10 different years Vintage Champagnes are produced only in Exceptional years and therefore some of The best and most expensive all of the Wines that go into a bottle of vintage Champagne have to come from the same Season or the same Harvest and they’re Required by law to age in the bottle for
At least three years so they’re going to Be very intense and very complex most Champagnes are made as a blend of the Three grapes that we described earlier But they don’t have to be there are Champagnes that can be made from one or Two of those grapes right here this is a Blanc de Blanc Blanca Blanc literally Means white of whites and it’s Describing a white wine made from white Grapes in this case that would be Chardonnay it is possible to make a White wine from red grapes in fact Don Perignon was the one who perfected the Technique in the 1600s Blanc de Noir is Literally a white from blacks it means a White wine made from black grapes in This case that would be Pinot Noir pinot And Rose Champagnes get their color from Extended contact with one or both of the Two red grapes so all of these fine Details these nuances take experience They take time and they take labor and This is what makes champagne the Absolute best sparkling wine in the World but other parts of the world have Perfected their own versions and in some Cases they’re as good as fine champagne And at a fraction of the cost so if You’re into a really good value or if You’re just looking to try something Different I’ve got a couple of Suggestions here for you in 1531 Benedictine monks in the south of France
Created a bubbly wine of their own this Is cremont France’s other sparkling wine Cremon can be made in any one of eight Major wine making regions in France the Name roughly translates to mean creamy Which describes the texture of the Bubbles like champagne it’s bottled Fermented and also aged sir Lee on the Yeast but typically it’s made from Different Regional grapes depending Where it comes from kava was invented in The 1870s and this is Spain’s homage to Find champagne it’s also bottle Fermented and aged Surly and it’s Typically made with three grapes that Are indigenous to Catalonia on brunch Tables around the world you’ll find Prosecco which is Northern Italy’s Contribution to the sparkling wine World Prosecco is made from an Italian grape Called glara and unlike the others it’s Not fermented in the bottle nor is it Bottle age so it’s typically light Fruity and less complex too and this is What makes it much more affordable and So ubiquitous no matter the occasion Whether you’re celebrating a once in a Lifetime Milestone or a simple Sunday Crutch there’s a bubbly for that for the Best in the world tap into history and Savor the creamy moose of France’s OG Sparkler champagne and for something Slightly more accessible but no less in Quality try some cremont Cabo or
Prosecco thanks for drinking with me Today and for more videos like this Subscribe to the wtso YouTube channel on Behalf of wtsl I’m Mark subsick and for Whatever reason you may be celebrating Cheers [Music]
