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How not to make a mistake when choosing champagne for the New Year: what you should pay attention to
20.12.2024 07:33
The variety of champagne bottles in stores can be confusing for an inexperienced buyer.
To choose a truly high-quality drink, you need to pay attention to some details.
Factors such as production method, storage options, composition and taste are of great importance.
Label
The label contains basic information about the drink, in particular, its origin, manufacturer, container volume, alcohol and sugar content.
More detailed information about the product composition can be found on the back label (located on the back of the bottle).
Remember: quality champagne should not contain dyes, flavors or other additives.
On the back label you will also find information about the country of production, region, as well as an alphanumeric code (registration number of the champagne producer).
Sparkling wine or champagne
There is a difference. All champagne is sparkling wine, but not all sparkling wine is champagne.
The latter is a drink made to strict standards from specific grape varieties in the Champagne region of France.
Wines with bubbles made in other regions and countries are called sparkling wines.
Only three grape varieties are used to produce champagne: pinot noir, pinot meunier and chardonnay. Sparkling wines use many more.
Mode of production
The classic method involves secondary fermentation in the bottle.
Thanks to this, champagne acquires its own specific taste, as well as complex aromas and, of course, bubbles.
If the label states that the drink was produced using the Charmat method, it means that it was made using a simplified method.
With this approach, secondary fermentation took place not in the bottle, but in tanks.
Sweetness level
Determined by the amount of sugar. According to this indicator, champagne is divided into:
– Brut Nature – the driest type of drink, contains up to 3 grams of sugar per 1 liter;
– Extra Brut – up to 6 grams of sugar per 1 liter;
– Brut (the most popular type) – dry, but with a hint of sweetness, contains up to 12 grams of sugar per 1 liter;
– Extra Dry – a sweeter drink, softness is already felt, sugar – from 12 to 17 grams;
– Dry – semi-sweet, from 17 to 32 grams of sugar;
– Demi-Sec – sweet champagne, contains from 32 to 50 grams of sugar;
– Doux – the sweetest champagne, more than 50 grams of sugar.
Bottle and cork
Experts advise that when choosing a drink, preference should be given to bottles made of dark glass, which better protects champagne from exposure to light.
As for the cork, it is better to take a drink with a cork, since it promotes microoxygenation of the wine.
This type of cork does not allow oxygen into the bottle, but rather slowly releases it.
Thanks to this process, the drink matures more effectively and is enriched with its own unique aromas and flavors.
Price
The rule here is simple: the cheaper the champagne, the lower the quality.
Therefore, if you want to enjoy a real exquisite drink on New Year's Eve, you should not skimp.
Good champagne will not be cheap, if only because its production requires considerable financial resources.
In other words, the price is formed taking into account production costs, quality of raw materials, aging, logistics, brand and some other factors.
Cheap champagne is often made using accelerated production methods, such as carbonation, which degrades the quality of the product.
An inexpensive drink may have a sharper aroma and excessive acidity, which are not characteristic of a truly refined and noble champagne.
