The
Champagne Region is located in northeastern France and it
produces 10% of
all French wines. The soil in the best vineyards of the
Champagne Region is
mostly of the same white, chalky clay that forms the white
cliffs of Dover
on the English Channel.
The only three legal grape varieties for Champagne are
Chardonnay (for
delicacy), Pinot Noir (for power) and Pinot Meunier. Champagnes
go through an initial fermentation in tanks that form a
very acidic still wine. Next
the wine is put through a second fermentation in an individual
bottle. The CO2 that is formed during this second fermentation
is trapped in the bottle
and over a period of time is forced into solution with
the wine. The longer
that Champagne ages in the cellars, the tinier the bubbles.
