Imprimé le : 5/02/2025 - 13 h 54. Print Close
The winemaking methods used are specific to AOC Champagne. They are carried out in several stages.
We take care to press grapes from different grape varieties separately, and also according to the slopes and plots from which they come (young vines, old vines, etc.). The musts, and later the wines, thus obtained will have characteristics specific to their terroir.
Pressing is gentle and gradual, to preserve quality and avoid staining the juice. Pressing is carried out in several stages and the musts (juices) are split: the cuvée (the first juice and therefore the best) and the taille (the second juices obtained after retrousse) are collected separately.
By separating cuvée and taille, grape varieties and terroir in this way, we have a whole range of wines to choose from for our blends.
After pressing, the must is placed in vats or oak barrels, where it undergoes two successive fermentations over a period of 2 to 3 weeks.
Alcoholic fermentation: the juice is transformed into wine by the action of yeasts, which consume the sugar, transforming it into alcohol and releasing carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is released from the top of the vats. The resulting wines are still white wines with an alcohol content of around 10.5°.
Malolactic fermentation: malic acid is transformed into lactic acid using selected bacteria. This fermentation softens the acidity of the wines and makes them more supple.
Once fermentation is complete, the wine is left to rest for a few months. At this stage it is called "clear wine".
One of the secrets of Champagne lies in the composition of the 'cuvées'. The vast majority of champagnes are the result of blending wines from different years, plots and grape varieties or crus.
Blending allows the champagnes to maintain a consistent style, even though each harvest is different in terms of quantity and quality.
This is achieved by using reserve wines: Each year, part of the harvest is kept for 2 to 3 years in vats or oak barrels after alcoholic fermentation. These more mature wines are blended in varying proportions with the wines from the harvest.
The art lies in creating a harmonious, balanced blend, and it's easy to understand why each cellar master jealously guards the secret of this operation, which will give his champagne its own distinctive personality.
If the wine from one harvest is particularly remarkable, a cuvée can be blended with the wine from a single year. This champagne will then be vintage.
Once the cuvée has been made (each master usually makes several, of different quality and price), the wine is bottled. This is called tirage. A small quantity of sweet "liqueur de tirage" and selected yeasts are added, in other words, everything the wine needs for its second fermentation.
This second fermentation leads to the release of carbon dioxide inside the corked bottle. The pressure can then reach 5 to 6 kilos. This is the "prise de mousse", a very delicate operation that must be carried out slowly and at a constant temperature if we are to obtain a fine mousse and allow the most subtle aromas to develop.
The bottle is then sealed with a small hollow plastic lid called a 'bidule', held in place by a metal cap.
When the fermentation process is complete, the yeasts die and form a deposit whose molecules interact with those of the wine. At the same time, a gas exchange takes place with the outside world. This action of the deposit and the slight oxidation help to develop the aromas and improve the taste qualities of the champagne.
The length of the maturation period varies according to the type of blend and the desired result, but in the interests of quality, legislation sets fairly long minimum periods, which stand out from other sparkling wines:
- 15 months minimum after bottling, including 12 months on lath, for non-vintage champagnes.
- 3 years for vintage champagnes.
When maturation is judged to be sufficient and before the bottles can be dispatched, the deposit that clouds the champagne must be removed. Riddling is an ancestral technique typical of Champagne, which consists of pushing the deposit down into the neck of the bottle so that it can be expelled in its entirety. It can be done manually or automatically.
The technique consists of placing each bottle horizontally on a wooden desk, then turning the bottle 1/8 or 1/4 of a turn to the left or right each day. These movements allow the heavy deposit to attract the light deposit down to the finest particles, making the champagne perfectly clear. In addition to the rocking movement, the bottle is gradually straightened vertically, allowing the deposit to flow down to the neck, into the plastic container. This manual operation takes about 1 month.
Next comes the disgorging stage, which involves opening the bottle to expel the sediment that has built up during the riddling period.
This is done by freezing the neck: the bottles are on their point (upside down). The neck is immersed in a solution at -25°C, which freezes the deposit. The bottle is then turned upside down and the cap removed. Under pressure (6 bars inside the bottle), the ice cube is expelled.
The liqueur de dosage is then added to finalise the flavour, thanks to a slight addition of sugar. The concentration of liqueur de dosage is what makes a Champagne Brut or Demi-Sec, or even a Champagne called "Brut 0", i.e. without liqueur de dosage.
Finally, the wine is corked using a cork stopper held in place by a metal wire.
All that remains is to dress the bottles for shipping.
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