WAITER, CHAMPAGNE!!

Any celebration is rarely complete without champagne. And for the New Year, this drink is simply irreplaceable! But to enjoy this wine, you need to choose it correctly. Moreover, you should take into account both quality characteristics and your own preferences. After all, the best champagne is the one that is not only made correctly, but also that you personally like.

To make it easier to decide, it is important to know some secrets and features of sparkling champagne wines.

Choosing the best

Let's start with the fact that we call any sparkling wine champagne. Throughout the world, this name can only belong to those drinks that are produced in France in the Champagne region. It is believed that only in this area the grapes have all the necessary properties to obtain the desired flavor bouquet. For production, only 3 varieties of wine berries are used - pinot meunier, pinot noir and chardonnay.

But this does not mean that sparkling wines not made in Champagne are inferior. If the manufacturing technology was followed and high-quality raw materials were used for production, then the taste and aroma of such a drink is in no way inferior to real champagne.

For example, back in 1900 in Paris, wine produced at the factories of Prince Golitsyn was recognized as one of the best and won the Grand Prix. By the way, it is believed that it was after this event that Russian sparkling wines began to bear the proud name of champagne.

Criterias of choice

So, what to look for when buying a bottle of champagne.

First of all, the price. Remember that it is cheaper than 200 rubles. it doesn't happen!

Also look at the appearance: the label should be glued evenly and neatly. The inscriptions are made clearly and without grammatical errors. The manufacturing date and expiration date must be indicated, all ingredients must be written, etc.

There cannot be any flavors or dyes in the composition! There is also no artificially added gas in real wine.

The bottle itself is always dark, the liquid inside is without sediment.

When buying expensive copies, try to buy those that are made and sold by one company. They are usually marked “N.M.”

How real champagne is made

Real champagne is considered to be one that is produced in accordance with all the strict rules of manufacturing technology. The classic process looks like this:

• Dry wines are made from grape raw materials;
• depending on the desired result, the resulting drinks are mixed in certain proportions;
• pour into special thick-walled bottles and add the so-called edition liqueur (sugar, yeast and some other ingredients);
• the bottle is well sealed and laid horizontally;
• liqueur provokes the onset of fermentation, carbon dioxide appears, which saturates the wine.

The future champagne lies in this state for several months or even years. When the fermentation process ends, sediment falls out - it is this that gives those notes to the drink for which gourmets value it so much. By the way, the taste can vary from bready and fruity to nutty and even cheesy.

After this, the contents of the bottles are cleared of sediment, and if necessary, add sugar syrup and the champagne is ready for sale.

An alternative to this method is tank production. All processes are the same, but they take place in large containers (barrels, tanks). And the period of such production is shorter. This is exactly how most sparkling wines that are sold on the shelves of our stores are made. But this does not mean that “reservoir” champagne is worse - an ordinary person will not even feel the difference when tasting. But experts say that the bouquet of such a drink is always poorer than that made according to classical technology. The difference between a classic and such a wine will be visible only on the label - domestic producers will write “aged” or “classic”, and foreign ones, for example, “Metodo Classico”.

It’s much worse if you come across carbonated champagne. In general, this drink can be called lemonade rather than sparkling wine. Bubbles appear in it after forced carbonation using a siphon. If the label says “sparkling”, “fizzy”, “saturated”, then there is nothing of champagne there. Most likely, there is no natural wine there - dyes, flavors, etc. The prices for such a product are, of course, low.

Types of champagne wines

When choosing, it is important to remember that any champagne is distinguished depending on its sugar content:

• extra brut (Extra-Brut) – sugar no more than 6 g/l;
• brut (Brut) – up to 15 g/l;
• dry (Dry) – 20-25 g/l;
• semi-dry (Semi-Dry) – 40-45 g/l;
• white semi-sweet (Semi-Sweet white) – 60-65 g/l;
• semi-sweet red – 80-85 g/l.

In French terminology, anything containing more than 50 g/l of sugar is called sweet.

French manufacturers

Now that we've sorted out the terminology, let's move on to trademarks. If you want real champagne, then, of course, you should take a closer look at French producers. It’s just important to understand right away that such a purchase will definitely not be cheap. However, it is also affordable - not everywhere you can buy real products from the Champagne region. If you decide to try, then choose only the best brands.

Perhaps the most famous brand, which has been leading the ranking of the best wines in France for hundreds of years, is Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin. The founder of this brand was obsessed with winemaking and improved the production technology to the maximum, reaching unprecedented heights in business. Which is especially surprising for a woman, since all this happened at the beginning of the 19th century. The simplest champagne will cost from 80 USD.

The closest competitor is Moët and Chandon (Moët@Chandon). This champagne was loved by Louis XV and Napoleon Bonaparte. And now it is the Queen of England who prefers it. But thanks to the serious volumes, prices for such royal luxury are quite affordable - from 70 USD. It is this company that has been producing the legendary champagne Dom Pérignon since 1936.

Piper-Heidsieck is a sparkling wine without which not a single Oscar ceremony takes place. Marilyn Monroe loved him. The cost starts from 50 USD.

By the way, this brand’s champagne is the most expensive in the world. We are talking about Hiedsieck Diamant bleu 1907 - the cost of one bottle is more than 275 thousand dollars! This wine was sent to Russia, but the ship sank. Several decades later, the bottles were recovered from the bottom of the sea, and Russian businessmen bought them at auction.

Pol Roger is one of the best champagne houses. This brand produces excellent vintage wine, that is, one that does not lose its quality even after 30 years. Prices start from 80 USD.

Demand for Bollinger champagne exceeds supply. Interestingly, the trademark also owes its fame to the widow. Lily Bollinger did everything to make this champagne one of the best.

Which Russian champagne is better?

And our champagne is quite decent. I am glad that prices for it do not start at such exorbitant figures. Among huge amount Manufacturing companies worth highlighting are:

• Agrofirm Abrau-Durso (awarded with various medals, received the Grand Prix more than once);
• JSC "Kornet";
• OJSC "Moscow Champagne Wine Factory";
• JSC "Sparkling Wines";
• LLC "RISP"

Crimean wines are very tasty - unique weather conditions make it possible to obtain raw grapes, which some connoisseurs consider even better than French. For example, I always try to buy Brut from the New World sparkling wine factory. This is a delicious Crimean champagne, one of the best.

What and how to serve it with

It is also important to serve this noble drink correctly. Be sure to choose glasses made of glass or crystal of the correct shape. Ideally, tall “tulip” or “flute” glasses. It is these glasses that allow you to “play” for a long time, presenting them more vividly and giving you the opportunity to experience the fullness of the taste and aroma of champagne.

According to etiquette, “goblet” glasses are also allowed, but such dishes are not suitable if taste and not aesthetics are important to you. Due to the large surface area and shallow depth, the bubbles evaporate very quickly.

Champagne is served with almost any dish, but the variety and type of wine are taken into account. Desserts go with something sweeter. And brut or dry goes well with seafood, cheeses, and some meat dishes.

By the way, it is believed that fruits and chocolate are an excellent addition to champagne. In fact, this is not entirely true. For example, dark chocolate should not be combined at all - it overpowers refined taste this wine.

Finally, some advice from an experienced sommelier:

Some Russian producers also produce sparkling wines worthy of any holiday.

What champagne is good in quality and how to choose it

Before you go to the store for a bottle (or box) of the holiday drink of all times, it’s a good idea to understand its “origin.”

Good old classic

The classic manufacturing method (as they do in Champagne) is a labor-intensive and time-consuming process. This wine is naturally saturated with carbon dioxide (holiday bubbles), during secondary fermentation and long-term aging directly in bottles - this requires at least 15 months.

The technology is known all over the world, but today only those few companies whose production facilities are located near the vineyards use it. The fact that the drink is made according to the classic French method can be judged by the inscription on the label “Metodo Classico” or in Russian - “Aged”, “Classical”.

Tank production

About a hundred years ago, a method was invented that made it possible to speed up the fermentation process tens of times and, accordingly, reduce the cost of the product. The technology was called “reservoir” due to the fact that the wine is saturated with gas bubbles in huge metal containers (reservoirs), and not in bottles. If the intoxicating drink is made using this method, no marks are placed on the labels.

Most of the sparkling wine, which in our country is usually called “champagne,” is the result of such “accelerated” fermentation. The “classics”, of course, have a richer bouquet and more shades of taste. But most often only experts find these differences. Whether it makes sense to overpay for something you cannot evaluate is up to you to decide.

Beware of counterfeits

It’s much worse if the manufacturer tries to sell you something ordinary, sometimes not very good. good quality, wine artificially saturated with carbon dioxide bubbles (like lemonade).
An indication that this is a surrogate product will be its low price and the adjectives on the back label: “sparkling”, “fizzy”, “carbonated” or “saturated”. Set aside this bottle without any doubt.

How to choose quality champagne in a store

Stopped in front of rows of bottles on store shelves - pay attention to the following signs of the “correct” sparkling wine:

• Price tag. Good wine, even manufactured using the reservoir method, cannot be cheap. At the same time, products from well-known brands often do not justify the inflated prices - get ready that you will pay for prestige, and not for a special bouquet and taste.
• Bottle. For sparkling wine, use a dark thick glass container with a volume of 0.75 ml, which can withstand a pressure of at least 6 atmospheres. Very rarely it can be found in 1.5 liter and larger bottles - their production requires the special skill of glassblowers. Containers with a volume of 0.2 ml are mainly used by airlines and hotels, 0.375 ml - by restaurants.
• Cork. Russian producers defend their wine natural material, not plastic. Cork, made from the bark of the cork tree, is difficult to see under the protective foil, but you can feel it - it is softer to the touch.
• Label and back label. Look for the following signs on them: category, expiration date, grape variety used in production, legal address of the manufacturer and location of production facilities. Pay attention to the composition - no flavors or dyes in quality product it can not be! Carefully affixed labels and unclear and smeared inscriptions should also alert you.

If you want to protect yourself from buying low-quality champagne, go buy it not to the nearest small store, but to wine boutique, as a last resort - to a hypermarket. Don't buy bottles from a display case where they were under the light. for a long time– most likely, the drink has lost its qualities.

Test purchase - video

How to determine the quality of champagne at home

The treasured bottle has been purchased and uncorked, now you can determine the correct choice by the appearance of the drink, smell and taste:

• Color. Authentic champagne is white, with a hint of light straw; sometimes the drink in the glass has a golden-greenish reflection. Sparkling wine can also be pink or red. The color of the drink in the glass must match what is indicated on the label.
• Bubbles. Small, of the same size, they play in a glass for at least 10 hours. They hissed and disappeared after 10 minutes - in front of you is a surrogate.
• Transparency. The drink should be free of impurities and sediment.
• Aroma. Subtle and exclusively natural scent, which contains fruity and citrus notes.

The presence of a yeast or alcohol taste indicates that the manufacturer does not pay enough attention to compliance with technology.

Which champagne to choose for the New Year

When looking for sparkling wine for your holiday table, decide on its type. It all depends on the content (or absence) of sugar liqueur in the drink. Look for the following designations on the labels:

• Doux – with a high (more than 50 g/l) sugar content, is quite rare.
• Demi-sek, sec and extra sec – respectively semi-dry (semi-sweet), dry and extra-dry, the amount of sugar varies from 50 to 20 g/l.
• Brut and extra brut - with a very small (less than 15 g/l) sugar content and without the addition of sugar liqueur.

It is generally accepted that winemakers use sweet liqueur to mask material defects or production flaws. For this reason, brut wines with their absolutely “pure” taste and aroma are absolutely popular all over the world. This is the best champagne to open a feast with; it is ideal with seafood, white meat, and hard cheese.

Another thing is that in our country they traditionally prefer semi-sweet or even sweet varieties, and brut is considered too sour. In this case, the ideal compromise could be semi-dry, which would be appropriate for both traditional Olivier and sandwiches with black caviar. However, even semi-sweet champagne New Year's table there is “company” - it can be served with fruit and cake at the end of the feast.

Russian champagne is tasty and inexpensive - myth or reality

In order to give yourself and your loved ones gastronomic pleasure, it is not at all necessary to decorate the table for the New Year with elite Dom Pérignon or Moët & Chandon. And from domestic manufacturers it is possible to find decent samples at a very “our” price:

• "Tsimlyansk wines" The plant, located in the Rostov region, produces excellent sparkling wines. The most famous of them is red, according to a unique Cossack recipe - an ideal option for any celebration. Well, premium white “Onegin” is ideal for the New Year’s feast.
• "New World". The plant, founded more than one hundred and twenty years ago by Prince Golitsyn, pleases consumers with the consistent quality of its “sparkling products.” The brands “Collectible”, “Novy Svet”, “Paradisio” are ideal for the festive table.
• "Abrau-Durso". The most famous champagne in Russia from a company from Krasnodar region. In its assortment you can find sparkling wine made using tank technology (Russian Champagne, ABRAU) and excellent classics (Imperial, Millesim). One thing is upsetting - Abrau-Durso makes a big markup on a well-known name.

Now it will be easier for you to understand the large assortment of wine boutiques in the “hop” departments of hypermarkets - you know for sure which champagne is good in quality, taste and aroma, how to choose it, and which domestic producers you can safely give preference to.