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Why does champagne taste like it does? This ‘quick & general’ guide to the champagne flavour profile looks at what champagne tastes like and the reasons why. Essentially, why champagne tastes like champagne. It compares the production of champagne and other wines made by the champagne method to the production of other sparkling wines like prosecco because the differences in the techniques used in the winery have perhaps the biggest influence on the flavour profile.
Other things of course affect the taste of sparkling wine not least the grape varieties, terroir and weather variations, the sweetness and alcohol levels so there are many contributing factors that lead to such a wide range of sparkling wine types and flavours. But here the focus is on the sparkling wine production techniques in the winery. You can also find an explanation of some of the terms you might find on Champagne labels.
We all know and love champagne but did you know that there are a number of other sparkling wines made in the same way (known as the champagne or traditional method)? These include:
And strictly speaking outside of champagne, we should refer to the traditional method rather than the champagne method.
Grapes of course are a major factor in the taste of any wine. English Sparkling Wine tends to be made from the three main grapes used in Champagne, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir but Cava, Franciacorta, Saumur, Vouvray and the Crémants allow more latitude. Manoir du Carra’s Crémant de Bourgogne is a Blanc de Blanc Crémant as it is produced exclusively from white grape, Chardonnay.
What all these wines have in common is the traditional method of production and this probably has the biggest influence on the flavour profile. The champagne or traditional method in a nutshell means that the second fermentation takes place in individual bottles rather than in a pressurised vat or tank. A first fermentation produces a still wine with alcohol at c. 10% ABV. The second fermentation takes place after yeasts and sugars are added to the base wine created by the first fermentation. It is the interaction of these substances that creates the carbon dioxide or bubbles in the wine – and increases the alcohol level a degree or so.
What is the significance of a fermentation in bottle you might ask. Well, it means that the wine has exposure to the yeast cells as they die and then break down, a process known as yeast autolysis. The compounds released into the wine from interaction with the dead yeast cells or lees is essentially where the aromas and flavours of champagne and champagne method wines are developed. That is the fundamental reason why champagne tastes like champagne!
The bottles are stored for many months (at least 15 for champagne) and sometimes for years, initially flat to maximise the contact of the wine and the lees. Subsequently, they were traditionally moved to riddling racks or “pupitres” like those below and turned over time to move the sediment to the neck of the bottle ready for removal. This process is now more often than not done by a mechanised palette known as a “gyropalette”.
Of course by the time you have your glass of champagne there is no yeast left in the wine but it has had a major impact on the taste. Autolysis is responsible for the biscuity, brioche type of aromas and flavours associated with champagne and other champagne method wines. They might also be described as toast, pastry and even cheese in some instances.
Yeast autolysis also helps create complexity and the rich, rounded texture of the champagne and other traditional method wines. The source of these toasty flavours is often assumed to be from oak but in most champagne method wines it is from the lees. A wine left on the lees for longer will show more intense bready aromas and flavours so ageing is also a factor.
For sparkling wines not produced by the champagne method, like prosecco, this second fermentation takes place in a large vat or tank so although there may be some interaction with the lees, especially if they are stirred as sometimes happens, the effect is much more diluted or subtle. Sparkling wines like prosecco are usually fermented in tank to preserve the fruity taste of the grapes rather than to take on any secondary aromas or flavours.
Conclusion? The champagne method leads to richer, more rounded wines with bread and biscuit characteristics (in addition to fruit aromas and flavours). In addition the longer the wine is on the lees, the finer and more persistent the bubbles.
Non-vintage or NV: the grapes used do not all come from one harvest, i.e. they come from different vintages. Most champagne is NV and every champagne house has its own house style of NV champagne. They use mainly the grapes from one vintage but they add some reserve wine(s) from past years to blend with it in order to create a consistent style year on year. This is why you can rely on non-vintage champagne from a particular champagne house e.g. de Castellane (my favourite) tasting the same each time you buy it. Of course one champagne house’s style can vary greatly from another house’s style.
Multi Vintage: This term is used by some traditional method wine makers like Nyetimber on the left. It is effectively the same as the term Non-vintage (above) and perhaps more accurate since the reserve wines added are from different vintages.
Vintage: for champagne mainly (and occasionally for other sparkling wines) this means that the grapes used are all from one vintage and so the wine will reflect the vintage and vary year to year. In fact a vintage is only declared in the best years so you won’t find a vintage champagne from every year. Read more about this subject in my blogpost on vintage Champagne.
Prestige Cuvée is a term used by some wineries and champagne houses to indicate their best wine, usually available in limited quantities and at a higher price.
Blanc de Blancs essentially means that a white champagne is made only from white grapes (so no Pinot Noir or Pinot Meunier is added) and this style is a little crisper with more citrus fruit flavours. Even for champagne, white grapes other than Chardonnay are permitted though rarely used. You will see other white grapes like Pinot Blanc and Pinot Grigio more frequently in other traditional method sparkling wines.
Blanc de Noirs means a white champagne made solely from black grapes, Pinot Noir and/ or Pinot Meunier. The juice, by the way, of the black grapes is clear or ‘white’. These black grapes give champagnes a little more structure and richness often making these wines more weighty in terms of body.
In recent years English wine producers have begun to expand their product ranges to include some of these styles.
I will cover terms like Brut and Extra Dry in relation to sparkling wines in a later blogpost.
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