Champagne: behind the bubbles

Champagne tours are perhaps the easiest way to begin to understand the French joie de vivre. One could be quite happy eating at the Michelin-starred restaurants, tasting Champagne and following the Tourist Route through vine covered hills and charming wine-producing villages.

Champagne Flutes

Handcrafted Champagne Toasting Flutes	Peugeot Champagne Pliers
You'll toast the beauty of these magnificent Handcrafted Champagne Toasting Flutes. They're an absolute stunning combination of artisan skill in glass and metal, and no two will be alike	Enjoy the effervescence of champagne without struggling to pop the cork. Made from a zinc alloy, this stainless-steel opener is designed with teeth that grip the cork and a hook that breaks the wire and foil that enclose it. Safely released, the cork is held in the opener’s grasp. From Peugeot, maker of precision cook’s tools for more than 150 years

Cheers Champagne Flutes

Raise a toast in six languages, and celebrate a world of holiday cheer. The etched wording also helps guests identify their glasses

Champagne

Champagne is a must for most occasions and these links make it easy to give a great bottle. An assortment of bottles and great gifts that feature Champagne are available at a variety of price points. Plus, with date-specific and by-appointment delivery, gifts arrive the day you want for that perfect surprise. Shop Top Rated Champagne & Sparkling

Veuve Clicquot Veuve Clicquot Traveller (750ML bottle,2 flutes & tote) - Wine Collection Gift	Nicolas Feuillatte Rose Champagne and Ice Bucket - Wine Collection Gift

Champagne France

Champagne is one of the most enjoyable travel destinations in France. Troyes, the capital, has something for everyone. A Medieval city, the cobblestone streets take you past 9 churches dating from the 12th-19th centuries featuring stained glass and Gothic art, and half-timbered buildings. At the other extreme, The Museum of Modern Art with Fauvist paintings. The  route from Épernay to Reims takes you through the Regional Nature Park. Start in Épernay with a visit to Champagne de Castellane. There is an interesting museum of the entire process, plus 6 miles of caves. The view from the tower puts Épernay and the area vineyards at your feet. Reims is not only an important Champagne producing center but also the location of the Gothic Notre-Dame Cathedral, site for the coronation of  over 30 kings of France.

Mauviel® Hammered Aluminum Champagne Bucket	Mauviel® Copper Champagne Bucket
Keep wine chilled in this handcrafted Champagne bucket from Mauviel. With its hammered aluminum exterior, the bucket is an attractive addition to your table. Two helper handle rings make for easy lifting. Hand wash. Made in France	Keep wine chilled in this Champagne bucket from Mauviel. With its polished copper exterior, the bucket adds an elegant accent to your table. Its non-reactive tin interior was crafted by traditional process, not through electrolytic deposit. Bronze handles, attached to the bucket by sturdy copper rivets, ensure easy lifting. Hand wash. Made in France

Mauviel Copper Wine & Champagne Bucket	Ercuis Marine Champagne Stopper	Dom Perignon Flute Pair by Baccarat
Add an elegant accent to your entertaining with our Mauviel Copper Wine & Champagne Bucket. This bucket keeps up to 2 bottles of wine or champagne chilled side by side	A chic way to keep your bubbly bubbling, silver plated and shaped like a cork	Their eminently pure forms are defined by thin, graceful stems and elongated, sophisticated bowls. A singular way to toast a special occasion

Champagne de Castellane

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Champagne Dictionary

The law of July 22, 1927, determined the limits of the Champagne appellation, 3 grape varieties (Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay) and requirements for pruning, harvesting, pressing and fermentation. Here are a few terms you may encounter:

• Brut Absolut, Brut, Extra-Dry, Sec, Demi-Sec, Doux Designations from dry to sweet:  

• Blanc de Blanc from Chardonnay is lighter in flavor, Blanc de Noirs from Pinot Noir and/or Pinot Meunier and are fuller bodied, Rosé gets its pink color and flavor from  juice contact with the skins.  

• Cremant or Mousseux: sparkling wines from outside Champagne

• Landing: time Champagne has been in the country.

• Petillant: gentle effervescence. 

• Caves: underground cellar for aging.

• Cuvée: blend.

• Domaine: ownership.

• Methode Champenoise/Methode Traditionelle: fermented in the bottle (vs. less expensive tank fermented charmat).

• Millésime: vintage date

Champagne Production

• Pressing: Several, gradual pressings achieve different characteristics as soon as grapes are harvested. 

• First fermentation: Juice becomes wine. 

• Blending: NV (nonvintage) Champagnes result from the art of combining grape varieties and years. Vintage Champagnes (all from one harvest) are only made in the best years

• The wine is then cold stabilized, filtered and bottled. Liqueur de tirage/Dosage (wine sweetened with yeast) is added. 

• Second Fermentation: sugars produce tiny bubbles. Remuage: "riddling"--bottles are held at a sharp angle and periodically shaken. Sediment settles to the cork.

• Dégorgement: removes sediment while keeping the wine in the bottle.

• Dosing: Liqueur d'expédition (sugar and Champagne) added at time of disgorging to increase sweetness until the desired type of wine is achieved. Wine is then corked.

Serving and Tasting Champagne

• Serve cool. Place in bucket with water and ice for 15 to 20 minutes (the younger, the cooler). 

• To open, loosen the wire, hold the cork, incline the bottle, twist holding by the base.

• Champagne flutes gather the flavors and allow the bubbles to rise smoothly. 

• Enjoy the color and dancing bubbles, the "necklace of pearls" at the surface.

• Breathe the bouquet

• Taste it. Roll it in your mouth to enjoy all the sensations.

• Champagne enhances almost any food.  Try mild cheeses, oysters, caviar and foie gras

Champagne labels, production and serving  

The law of July 22, 1927, determined the limits of the Champagne appellation, 3 grape varieties (Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay) and requirements for pruning, harvesting, pressing and fermentation. Here are a few terms you may encounter:

• Brut Absolut, Brut, Extra-Dry, Sec, Demi-Sec, Doux Designations from dry to sweet:  

• Blanc de Blanc from Chardonnay is lighter in flavor, Blanc de Noirs from Pinot Noir and/or Pinot Meunier and are fuller bodied, Rosé gets its pink color and flavor from  juice contact with the skins.  

• Cremant or Mousseux: sparkling wines from outside Champagne

• Landing: time Champagne has been in the country.

• Petillant: gentle effervescence. 

• Caves: underground cellar for aging.

• Cuvée: blend.

• Domaine: ownership.

• Methode Champenoise/Methode Traditionelle: fermented in the bottle (vs. less expensive tank fermented charmat).

• Millésime: vintage date

Champagne Production

• Pressing: Several, gradual pressings achieve different characteristics as soon as grapes are harvested. 

• First fermentation: Juice becomes wine. 

• Blending: NV (nonvintage) Champagnes result from the art of combining grape varieties and years. Vintage Champagnes (all from one harvest) are only made in the best years

• The wine is then cold stabilized, filtered and bottled. Liqueur de tirage/Dosage (wine sweetened with yeast) is added. 

• Second Fermentation: sugars produce tiny bubbles. Remuage: "riddling"--bottles are held at a sharp angle and periodically shaken. Sediment settles to the cork.

• Dégorgement: removes sediment while keeping the wine in the bottle.

• Dosing: Liqueur d'expédition (sugar and Champagne) added at time of disgorging to increase sweetness until the desired type of wine is achieved. Wine is then corked.

Serving and Tasting Champagne

• Serve cool. Place in bucket with water and ice for 15 to 20 minutes (the younger, the cooler). 

• To open, loosen the wire, hold the cork, incline the bottle, twist holding by the base.

• Champagne flutes gather the flavors and allow the bubbles to rise smoothly. 

• Enjoy the color and dancing bubbles, the "necklace of pearls" at the surface.

• Breathe the bouquet

• Taste it. Roll it in your mouth to enjoy all the sensations.

• Champagne enhances almost any food.  Try mild cheeses, oysters, caviar and foie gras

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