Promosalons and Indian Wine Academy launch VinExpo'05 today at the French Embassy and raise a toast to the Show, champagne among all wine shows. Subhash Arora looks at some practical aspects for Indians to enjoy the world's most loved and elegant bubbly.
      A London reporter once asked Mdme. Lilly Bollinger, owner of a famous Champagne House why she drank Champagne. Her reply was:

I drink champagne when I am happy,
And when I am sad.
Sometimes I drink it when I am alone,
When I am in company I consider it obligatory.
I trifle with it when I am not hungry,
And I drink it when I am.
Otherwise I never touch it,
Unless I am thirsty.

This in essence is the romance and legend of Champagne. Let me share a few basics about Champagne to help you enjoy drinking to the maximum.

FACTS: Champagne is sparkling wine made with a specific process, from specified grapes only (Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay) in the north-east of Paris. Due to the very cold climate and marginal weather conditions combined with a very chalky soil the wine produced here is typical of this terroir, full of vibrant acidity. There are five Appellations (Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne, Cote des Blancs, Cote de Sézanne and Cote des Bar) making 300million bottles every year (about 60 times the total wine consumed in India!).

There is a very interesting, invisible system of grading the vineyards with 17 designated as the top Grand crus and 43 Premiers crus (villages). The quality-rated system known as E`chelle des Crus (ladder of growths) grades the former at 100 percent and the lator at 90-99% while the rest are graded between 80-89%. Growers are paid as a percentage of the price fixed collectively through a complex process.

LONGEVITY: Champagne is usually made with blending of wines from various vintages known as reserve wines while the current year's vintage is known as the base wine. There is no mention of vintage on the label. These are known as non vintage (NV) champagnes and form 80% of the total production The winemaker tries to blend different crus (up to 100 crus, at times) to maintain the house style. Due to weather conditions being uncertain, it is an extremely tricky and skillful job.

The NVs are ready to drink on release though they may improve slightly for 2-3 years. They should be consumed within 3 years. Vintage Champagnes on the other hand are produced during exceptionally good harvests, usually thrice in a decade. They take a long time to mature and most are finished before they reach their prime. For instance Dom Perignon 1995 released a couple of years ago has been practically consumed when in fact though it has still not matured fully. Moet Hennessey releases its Vintage Dom Perignon 8 years after the harvest and they age well for a further period of up to 15 years to bring out the best. Some can go on improving for even up to 60-80 years. Charles Heidsieck 1990 has yet to reach its peak. In a recent tasting of Vintage Krug (owned now by LVMH) 1981 was the youngest vintage found to have matured Its Clos de Mesnil from exceptional years can mature for 100 years. Pol Rogers 1988 has still not matured.

Champagne styles: Essence of champagne is that it is a blended wine known by the name of the producer and not by the vineyards. Role of a negociant is very important. Champagnes are also made in different styles known as House Styles. A few of the styles imbibed by producers are:

Light: DeVenoge, Lanson, Perrier Jouet, Pol Roger, Ruinart, Taittinger
Medium: Moet Chandon , Mumm, Piper – Heidsieck
Full: Bollinger , Heidsieck, Drappier, Gosset, Krug, Salon

Sweetness grading like Brut etc is also a part of the style.

Sweetness: Champagne comes in varying degrees of sweetness, Brut , is the most popular style, with a residual sugar content of 6-15 gms.
Extra/Ultra Brut with 0-6 gms is bone dry for our palate though weight watchers may go for it. Other varieties with increasing sweetness are:
Extra dry : 12-20 gms/litre.
Dry/Sec : 17-35 gms/ lit is medium sweet
Demi Sec : 35-50 gms/lit.
Doux : 50+ gms/lit is not made commercially any more.

Storing Champagne: Non Vintage Champagne does not improve much with age. Stored properly at 15 ° C like any other wine, it may improve marginally for 2-4 years before which it should be consumed. Make sure the bottle is chilled before opening, because of the pressure inside the bottle. You may cool it in the refrigerator but never put it in the freezer. For quicker chilling, use ice, water and salt in a bucket.

Serving Champagne: Keep the cork away from people, chandeliers or other breakables. Uncork slowly by holding the cork and twisting the bottle back and forth. Don't pop the cork to let the bubbles out as they are very important constituents of champagne. Use only flutes as they hold the bubbles better. For the same reasons you do not swirl it as that dissipates the bubbles faster. You can offer a small portion for tasting as even champagne can go bad. Serve chilled at 6°-9 ° C. Vintage Champagnes should be served slightly less chilled at 8° -10 ° C.

Champagne and food: Brut and Extra Brut may be taken as aperitifs or with meals. For wedding celebrations Sec or Demi Sec should be served as it goes better with cakes and desserts. In India we usually serve Brut for all occasions. Champagne goes well with many foods. The basic rule is the same. Lighter the food, lighter is the style of champagne that will go with it. Rose` champagnes, made by mixing some red wine have the advantage of complexity without being too weighty. I feel they go very well with our barbequed chicken, fish and mutton provided they are not chili hot. Risotto, Sushi (with blanc de blanc) get an extra bite with champagne.

Champagne cocktails: Using authentic champagne to make cocktails is waste of money. Kir Royale made by adding crème de cassis (blackcurrant liqueur) cuts the acidity and adds sweetness to wine which the winemaker takes years to get it dry. Mimosa with orange pulp and Bellini with peach pulp are other offenders. Champagne cocktail made by adding bitters, orange peel additions really ruin the champagne. Using cheaper sparkling wines is a better way of enjoying these cocktails, if you must insist.

People usually wait for a special occasion to open a bottle of Champagne. I believe every day the sun rises; we live and therefore have reason to celebrate life. So raise a toast with champagne to….Life.

Subhash Arora