We sell gift vouchers - for more details call us on 0115 911 0555 or email us at eann@gauntleys.com
We sell gift vouchers - for more details call us on 0115 911 0555 or email us at eann@gauntleys.com
Champagne is truly an iconic wine-producing area, with a long history of crafting delectable masterpieces. Famed for producing the first sparkling wine to reach global success, renowned for its unique characteristics – such as a deep golden hue, luxurious taste, and unmistakable aroma, for many, Champagne is an integral part of life’s most cherished moments. For centuries, winemakers in this region have worked diligently to perfect their craft, resulting in some of the most coveted and sought-after sparkling wines in existence. There are few things on earth, so completely associated with the finer things in life, than Champagne.
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Based 90 miles east of Paris, Champagne is the most northerly historic Appellation Controlee region in France.
vineyards. The region is split into three distinct sub-regions, all located within a strictly demarcated area around the twin towns of Reims and Epernay: Côte des Blancs, Vallée de la Marne and Montagne de Reims.
Amongst the rolling hills of ancient belemnite chalk, synonymous with the region, producers are permitted to plant and cultivate a combination of three grapes: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. This unique soil absorbs heat from the sun during the day and slowly releases it at night, while also providing excellent drainage – contributing to the signature lightness and finesse of the drink. However, the true key to Champagne, is in its blending and its aging: with the best vintage Champagnes sometimes only being released a decade or more after the harvest.
A variety of different styles of Champagne are produced, there is a style of champagne for every taste, so why not find one that suits you! Non-Vintage Champagne is the most popular and is a blend of vintages that houses use to maintain a signature ‘house style’. Vintage Champagnes, on the other hand, are only made in exceptional years and reflect the grape’s quality of that season, and can often be left to age for up to a decade or more. Rosé Champagnes are also popular, produced either by leaving the clear juice of black grapes to macerate on its skins for a brief time (known as saigneé), or by adding a small amount of Pinot Noir red wine to the sparkling wine cuvée. Rich Demi-Sec styles are also crafted with varying levels of residual sugar, often ranging from medium-dry to medium-sweet sweetness levels. Champagne Doux (sweet) is the classification when a Champagne has more than 50g dosage (residual sugar). Finally, Blanc de Blancs Champagnes are made from Chardonnay grapes alone and Blanc de Noirs are exclusively produced from Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes.
Although ‘Brut’ is by far the most common sweetness level of Champagne due to consumer demand, depending on the style sought after by each individual grower, Champagne sweetness levels vary from:
Brut Nature/Brut Zéro – Fewer than 3 grams of sugar per litre
Extra Brut – Fewer than 6g/l
Brut – fewer than 15g/l
Extra Sec/Extra Dry – 12-20g/l
Sec – 17-35g/l
Demi-sec – 33-50g/l
Doux – more than 50g/l
The history of the wine region is unique and enduring. Its proximity to Paris and its many centuries-long rivalry with Burgundy enabled it to become an economically successful and highly renowned wine-producing area from the Middle Ages onwards. From the key market of Paris to the palace of Louis XIV of France at Versailles, proponents of Champagne and Burgundy would compete for dominance, insisting one or other produced finer spoils.
Then, legend has it that in 1668, Dom Pérignon, a monk-turned-cellar-master in the village of Hautvillers, stumbled upon the secret to making sparkling wine, changing everything. This altered the trajectory of Champagne forever, and demand for the region’s product boomed, reaching unprecedented heights during the 19th century when production increased from 300,000 bottles a year in 1800 to 20 million bottles in 1850. Today, worldwide demand for Champagne continues to grow, and there are moves afoot to expand vineyard limits.
EU law and the laws of most countries reserve “Champagne” exclusively for wines originating from this region near Paris. The Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC) was formed in 1941, to protect Champagne’s reputation, marketing, and regulations. Champagne remains the only region in France permitted to omit Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) from its labels. The 319 villages in this region are classified according to their grape-growing potential between 80% and 100%, with 17 of these reaching 100% and being designated Grand Crus; Premier Crus have between a 90–99% rating, and Deuxième Crus receive 80–89% ratings.
Even with around 15,000 growers and 290 Champagne houses, the region has historically been dominated by the 24 ‘Syndicat des Grandes Marques’, the largest and most prestigious of the houses (Bollinger, Krug, Dom Perignon, Laurent Perrier…. to name a few). To this day, the majority of grapes used in production are sold off and delivered to the big Champagne houses, accounting for 70 percent of production and 90 percent of exports.
However, increasingly more growers are taking control of their own destinies and creating unique artisanal wines from their own vineyards. This is giving new options to drinkers, collectors and connoisseurs alike – increasing the complexity and diversity of sparkling wines on offer with reasons to stock up on bottles for aging and savouring. We at Gauntleys have been fortune enough to represent one of the most prestigious names in growers Champagne for over 30 years: the remarkable Champagne Vilmart. Here, proprietor Laurent Champs, quietly goes about crafting some of the most exquisite wines of the region.
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