Ruinart – the oldest existing champagne house.
Now part of the LVMH holding (Louis Vuitton – Moët Hennessy)
Founded by manufacturer Nicolas Ruinard in 1729 - for the first time in Champagne specifically for the production of sparkling wines; and exactly when the French began to be allowed to export wine in bottles (until 1728 - only in barrels). Initially, the wines produced were intended as gifts to key buyers of Nicolas Ruinard's textiles - this is how champagne entered the European market. However, the wine was such a success that from 1735 Nicolas Ruinard left the manufactory and concentrated entirely on the production of champagne.
In 1768, Claude Ruinard (son of Nicolas) bought 8 kilometers of Gallic chalk quarries for his cellars - an ancient labyrinth at a depth of up to 38 meters near Reims, recognized in 1931 as a historical monument of France. These quarries are still used to age Ruinard champagne.
From the prestige cuvée, the house of Ruinart released the blanc de blanc "Dom Ruinart" in 1959 - in honor of the uncle of the founder of the champagne house - the monk of the House Thierry Ruinart, who “infected” his nephew Nicolas with a love of champagne.
Released today, "Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs Millesime Brut" (House of Ruinart Blanc de Blancs Millesime Brut) is made exclusively from Chardonnay from grand cru vineyards and is aged for a minimum of 10 years. Chardonnay is the main variety in the production of Ruinard champagne.
"Crystal"
"Crystal" ("Crystal", if you stick to the French pronunciation) is a brand of champagne produced by the house of Louis Roederer from Pinot Noir (60%) and Chardonnay (40%) varieties with a mandatory six-year aging on the lees.
Champagne “Crystal” is bottled in crystal bottles with a gold label, which are wrapped in UV-proof film (since crystal, unlike glass, allows ultraviolet radiation that is harmful to wine to pass through).
"Cristal" was created in 1876 specifically for the Russian Emperor Alexander II. For this champagne, the best cuvées from the house of Louis Roederer were selected, which was an atypical technique for champagne producers. This practice was later called “prestige cuvée” ( prestige cuvée ).
Legend has it that the use of a flat-bottomed crystal bottle was dictated by our emperor's fear of being poisoned during the "Dinner of the Three Emperors" at which this champagne was first introduced. The crystal transparency of the bottle and the absence of bends in the bottom allegedly made it possible to detect poisons that could have been added to the drink by ill-wishers.
However, if we consider that Cristal was one of the eight great wines on the menu for this dinner (including Jerez and Madeira), then doubts arise about the historicity of this version. It is not mentioned on the Roederer website either. One way or another, Crystal champagne is exceptional among champagnes in general, and for the Roederer house in particular. It went on sale for free only in 1945.
"Moët & Chandon"
Moët-Chandon is the largest champagne producer today.
The house was founded in 1743 by Claude Moet as Moet et Cie, and is now part of the luxury brands holding LVMH (Louis Vuitton - Moët Hennessy). The surname Moët is of Dutch origin and is pronounced "Moet". In 1832, the management of the champagne house was shared by Victor Moët (Victor Moët is a direct descendant of the founder) and the son-in-law of the retired Jean Remy Moët - Pierre-Gabriel Chandon de Briailles. From that moment on, the champagne house became known as Moet and Chandon.
For most of its history, this champagne has gone hand in hand with the royal families of Europe: from the iconic favor of Napoleon Bonaparte (who was a family friend) to the recognition “on the other side” of the English King Edward VII and the Russian Tsar Nicholas II.
At the end of the 18th century, the house acquired the vineyards of the famous Hautvillers Abbey, where the legendary House of Perignon once worked.
In 1973, Domaine Chandon was founded, a branch of the champagne house in California (in the Napa Valley). In 1986, the department of the same name (>Domaine Chandon) began operating in Australia.
Since 1842, this champagne house has produced more than 70 vintages.
"Dom Perignon"
Vintage (and only vintage) champagne produced by the house of Moët-Chandon since 1936 (that year the 1921 vintage was released onto the market).
The first prestige cuvée champagne to hit the open market. The first in history was “Crystal”, but it appeared on public sale later.
Champagne is named, of course, in honor of the legendary Benedictine monk Pierre Perignon, who made a huge contribution to the development of champagne winemaking. The vineyards of the abbey, which was “raised” by the house of Perignon, today belong to the champagne house Moët-Chandon.
The 1961 vintage was on the tables during the wedding of Lady Di and Prince Charles in 1981.
This champagne is produced only from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay varieties, in approximately equal proportions (with the exception of certain vintages).
"Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin"
Veuve Clicquot is the second largest champagne house (after Moët-et-Chandon), founded in 1772, with headquarters in Reims.
Nowadays it is part of the luxury brands holding LVMH (Louis Vuitton – Moët Hennessy). But during the time of Napoleon, Jean Remy Moët, who was a personal friend of the emperor, was her main rival in the champagne market.
The founder of the house was Philippe Clicquot Muiron, whose son married Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin, who at the age of 27 became Clicquot's widow, taking over the management of the family business involved in banking, textile trading and champagne production.
Veuve Clicquot became the first woman to head a champagne house and one of the first female entrepreneurs in France. Her husband, before he died of fever at age 30, laid a good foundation for Madame Clicquot's future business. As we already know, the enterprise of the Clicquot family under the leadership of the widow focused on the production of champagne. And under her leadership it grew into a prosperous, innovative (as they would say now) production.
Madame Clicquot turned out to be a truly inventive woman and a talented entrepreneur. Modern champagne production owes a lot to Veuve Clicquot. Among the developments that saw the light of day thanks to Veuve Clicquot are such important things as the muzlet and the remuage table (in the picture).
Veuve Clicquot “penetrated” into Russia even before the war of 1812, and during the Napoleonic wars, Veuve Clicquot’s champagne was the only one that overcame the blockade and ended up on the tables of the Russian nobility, thanks to the foresight of her attorney, Mr. Louis Beaune: his ability to negotiate and, of course, bribes. And later, when Russian officers burst into the cellars of Veuve Clicquot, she uttered her famous phrase: “Let them drink, and all of Russia will pay.” At the same time, the manner of opening champagne with a saber appeared.
Napoleon's defeat was to Madame Clicquot's advantage, since it deprived her main competitor, the Moët house (at that time without Chandon), of her most influential patron. And before the ink had even dried on Napoleon’s abdication, a shipment of Veuve Clicquot bottles under the Dutch flag (so as not to run into trouble) was already heading to Königsberg.
"Comet" by Veuve Clicquot
After a series of unsuccessful vintages in the early 19th century, 1811 marked a turning point for French winemakers.
For Cognac, this year is generally considered one of the best in history, and a bottle of Château d'Yquem 1811, opened in 1996, received the maximum 100 points from Robert Parker (one of the most recognized wine critics).
The "Great Comet" of 1811, which was visible to the naked eye for almost 260 days, was perceived as a sign from above and a symbol of a great harvest. Veuve Clicquot released her Cuvée de la Comète, which is called the pioneer of “modern” champagne, since the remuage method invented by Veuve Clicquot (collecting sediment in a bottle of champagne for its further removal) made it possible to produce champagne, which was revolutionary in transparency and purity of taste, as we know it Now.
In July 2010, a group of Finnish divers discovered the remains of a ship with a cargo of 168 champagne bottles from the second quarter of the 19th century at the bottom of the Baltic Sea near the island of Öland. Most of them turned out to be Juglar champagne (now Jacquesson & Fils), and a few were non-vintage Veuve Clicquot champagne from the early 1830s. To date - this is the oldest champagne.
Since 1987, the Veuve Clicquot champagne house has been part of the LVMH empire and the holder of a controlling stake in Cloudy Bay Vineyards (New Zealand, Marlborough)
Of course, champagne wines are one of the most expensive categories of alcoholic beverages. And if you want to try them, you have to choose a decent option. For those who are not very well versed in the range of sparkling wines, this can be difficult.
The list below is a kind of reminder for lovers of champagne wines.
Most people use the term “champagne” to include sparkling wines from other regions. In fact, it is fair to call only drinks from the Champagne region of France “champagne”.
Often, when people talk about “champagne” wines that are not related to the Champagne region, they mean sparkling wines made using the “champagne method” (Méthode Champenoise).
Names of champagne wines
Champagne producers typically produce more than one brand: they are differentiated by price and style. For example, the world-famous premium vintage brand Dom Perignon is produced by the house Moët et Chandon, the same house that produces the quite ordinary White Star and the American sparkling wine Domaine Chandon, which is made using the champagne method, but is not champagne.
Within the brand, different types are created, differing from each other in belonging to a specific harvest (vintage or single), sugar content (for example, brut) and the types of grapes used in production (for example, blanc de blancs or rosé). .
So,
- AR Lenoble (A.R. Lenoble)
AR Lenoble produces relatively inexpensive champagnes that have fairly high ratings. The line includes both single and vintage drinks, there are pink versions and banc de blanc.
What to try: Try Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru, which is made from Chardonnay grapes. This champagne costs around $35 and generally receives good reviews from critics. - Krug
Krug is the name of the most respected producer of sparkling wines in France. This brand of champagne wine is one of the top brands and is distinguished by its high cost. For example, one of the Krug champagnes is included in the Forbes list of the most expensive champagnes: the cost of a bottle of this manufacturer's Clos du Mesnil Blanc de Blancs 1975 is $750.
What to try: If you decide to celebrate in full, a relatively inexpensive option is the Krug NV (non-vintage) Grand Cuveé, costing just under $200. This expensive wine has the characteristic features of champagne: biscuit aroma, delicate and fresh bubbles. - Moët et Chandon
This champagne name is famous primarily for its Dom Pérignon brand. Dom Perignon is a vintage champagne wine that is produced only in years when the harvests are considered good or great. In the mid-price segment, Moet et Chandon produces White Star and NV (non-vintage) champagne wines.
What to try: If you're dying to try Dom Pérignon but are on a budget, keep in mind that different vintages have different prices: good vintages are cheaper than great years. For example, Dom Pérignon 1998 costs from $150, while the 1996 vintage costs from $350. - Salon
Salon is a small manufacturer that pays special attention to quality. Salon produces exclusively vintage wines from white grape varieties (blanc de blancs).
What to try: The 1997 vintage is considered the most famous. The cost of one bottle starts from $250 from the manufacturer. But the 1996 harvest is no longer so valuable. A bottle of this wine will cost you only $30 per bottle. - Veuve Clicquot (Veuve Clicquot)
The name “Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin” is another one of the most famous brands of French champagne producers. Veuve Clicquot is known for its relatively affordable and high-quality Yellow Label brands, as well as its premium line of La Grande Dame wines, which are produced only in good and great years.
What to try:“Yellow Label NV Brut” is a very worthy drink, combining the highest level of taste and not too high a cost (for champagne). The cost of this drink is about $50. - Louis Roederer (Louis Roederer)
This producer is known for the names of its expensive vintage wines “Cristal”. However, producer Louis Roederer also produces affordable wines such as NV Brut and NV Rosé (costing about $50)
What to try:“Louis Roederer Brut Rosé” 2004 is an excellent option for your first acquaintance with excellent high-quality rosé champagne. There are flowers, caramel and notes of fried wheat bread. Cost of pleasure: about $65. - Perrier Jouet
Perrior Jouët is a producer known for its Belle Epoque Cuvée (floral bottles) and Fleur de Champagne vintages. The lines also include pink, NV (non-vintage) and blanc de blanc.
What to try: A very worthy option that will allow you to get acquainted with the wines of this producer is “Perrier Jouët NV Grand Brut”. This drink has good expert ratings, and its cost is about $45. The appearance of a bottle of this drink is in no way inferior to its contents, and the wine itself will not disappoint you. - Bollinger
Bollinger is a treasure of France. While the major champagne producers have fallen under the influence of large corporations, Bollinger remains independent and is still managed by the descendants of the family that created the brand.
Bollinger offers both affordable NV wines and premium vintage wines (for example, Vieille Vignes Françaises blanc de noirs).
What to try: Bollinger Champagne Special Cuvée with the aroma of baked apples and orange blossom. Cost from $80 per bottle.
Champagne is a French invention. No wonder that French brands still hold the palm to this day. When choosing them, you can not doubt the contents of the bottle for a second.
1. “Louis Roederer”, “Laurent-Perrier” - from 3000 rubles.
2. “Veuve Clicquot”, “Moet & Chandon”, “Bolinger” - from 2500 rubles.
3. Budget French champagne - “Jean-Paul Chenet” (J.P. Chenet) - from 700 rubles.
Italian wines
The Italians have never lagged behind the French in winemaking. Their sparkling wines have a fruity aftertaste and more affordable prices.
1. Dry sparkling Prosecco is closest in taste to champagne. Cost - from 400 rubles.
2. Wines of the province of Asti - “Martini Asti”, “Cinzano Asti”, “Asti Mondoro” and others - are sweeter and less strong. Prices - from 500 to 1000 rubles.
3. Sparkling “Lambrusco” can be white, red, pink, dry, semi-dry and semi-sweet, that is, for every taste. From 200 rub. A worthy option for a budget celebration.
4. “Bosca Anniversary” costs only 200 rubles, the taste is close to “Asti” and has become a popular alternative to cheap domestic champagne. But this is an artificially carbonated wine, and it is produced mostly in Russia and Lithuania, and not in the brand’s homeland.
Domestic wines
If you are not a professional sommelier, you are unlikely to notice the difference between real French and good domestic champagne.
1. “Abrau-Durso” is a legendary wine. “Brut” brands “Imperial” and “Dravigny” are practically in no way inferior to French wines. Cost - 300-800 rubles.
2. “Tsimlyanskoe” brand “Onegin” is also considered one of the best. Price - 500-1100 rub.
3. Crimean wines “New World”. Price about 700 rub.
4. The Chateau Tamagne and Fanagoria wines are worthy of attention. Price from 350 rub.
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How to choose and serve champagne?
Read the label carefully, especially the small print on the back. Wines of the correct technology - “aged”, “classic”, “sparkling”. Bottles with the inscriptions “carbonated”, “carbonated”, “fizzy” and “sparkling” should be immediately put back in their place.
If you choose an inexpensive drink costing up to 400 rubles and want to avoid setting your teeth on edge, give preference to semi-dry or semi-sweet wines. Sugar masks obvious flavor deficiencies. And in general, dry wines are not for everyone, even expensive ones.
The sweetness of the drink should also be matched to the menu. Dry drinks are drunk as an aperitif. Semi-dry is suitable for the main meal, and leave semi-sweet for dessert.
A bottle of champagne must be cooled to 6-8 ° C in a refrigerator or a bucket of ice. Before removing the wire, slowly turn the bottle upside down. Pour the champagne into crystal clear tall glasses. With new happiness!
10 brands – 10 champagne houses, the most famous of all. Eight of them are listed in his book about the great wines and great estates of the world by Robert Parker, and we added two brands to this list at our own discretion, one is “the most Hollywood brand”, and the other is “the most sports-adrenaline brand”.
1. Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin
Women - go ahead. The most famous “female” champagne brand in the world is Veuve Clicquot. At the beginning of the 19th century, the heroic 27-year-old widow Clicquot, whose maiden name was Barb Nicole Ponsardin, inherited a mediocre winery from her husband - and raised it to unprecedented heights. She filled 18 km of dungeons with her wonderful product, buying them from the city and turning them into wine cellars. She is the author of the method of purifying champagne until crystal clear, which is still used by all winemakers in the world.
She also invented a wire bridle that is put on a cork - the liquid in the bottle is under pressure 3 times higher than the pressure in a car tire.
She even took... space as her allies. The “Comet of 1811” that visited the solar system gave the widow an excellent idea - to send a ship with a batch of 10,000 bottles of “comet wine” - champagne from the 1811 harvest, with a tailed star on the label - to Napoleon’s victorious Russia. And this was the beginning of a long successful commercial relationship between the widow and the distant northern empire.
This woman lived for 88 years and deprived relatives who were indifferent to winemaking of their inheritance, transferring her thriving business to the one who worked with her until the very end - her manager and friend, Eduard Verde, whose descendants strengthened the fame of the brand after her death - today this brand is one of the most famous, it is drunk in 150 countries around the world.
PRICES
In Moscow the bottle is 0.75 l. Veuve Clicquot Brut costs from 2500 rubles.
Veuve Clicquot Grande Dame - with an orange branded label on a black bottle - already costs around 10,000 rubles. According to legend, the loud color of the label was personally invented by the widow herself.
And today this champagne house attracts the best designers, such as Kerim Rashid, to design the brand, so the cost of the best wines in exclusive packaging can amount to tens of thousands of dollars.
2. Moët & Chandon
Everyone knows this black bow with a gold border, sealed with a red round seal under the neck of the bottle. It was invented in 1886, and since then it has remained a constant, recognizable design detail of Moet & Chandon branded products.
For 250 years, this company has been producing one of the most famous and prestigious brands of champagne. From the very beginning, the house of Moet & Chandon has been one of the main official suppliers to the royal courts. At one time, his wine was supplied to Louis XV, and Napoleon Bonoparte himself visited the estate when he found himself in Champagne.
Among the clients to whom Moët and Chandon supplied their wines was Thomas Jefferson, and King Edward VII of England loved this champagne so much that he went everywhere accompanied by a servant who carried a basket with a couple of bottles behind him. And today the house of Moet and Chandon has Royal permission as a supplier of champagne to Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain.
In the modern era of pop culture stars, Moet and Chandon champagne is actively exploring the world of cinema. For almost two decades, Moët has been the official champagne of the Golden Globe Awards.
and in the spring of this year, the company held a sensational campaign in the press with the choice of “the face of the champagne house of Moet and Chandon” - it was the rising Hollywood star Scarlett Johansson.
PRICES
Champagne house Moet & Chandon is the largest champagne producer in the world. It produces up to 30 million bottles a year, which is twice the volume of its closest competitor, Veuve Clicquot. Due to the large circulation, it is quite affordable in price.
Main wines of the house:
Moet & Chandon Imperial, first released back in 1860, in honor of Napoleon - 2000-6000 rubles depending on the year of harvest (in Moscow),
Moet & Chandon Dom Perignon– exclusive vintage champagne, produced since 1936 in honor of the “inventor” of sparkling wines, Dom Perignon – from 7,000 rubles.
3. Dom Pérignon
This “shield” label is known all over the world. Moet & Chandon has been producing this exclusive vintage champagne since 1936.
The brand is named after a famous figure in winemaking - the Benedictine monk Pierre Perignon, who lived in the 17th century. House is an address to a clergyman in France. He is credited (by the French, the British think differently) with the glory of inventing a sparkling, foamy drink - before him, no one had figured out how to turn ordinary fermented wine into a new wonderful drink.
He was probably not absolutely the first, but, of course, he was at the origins of champagne production technology, which in general terms was inherited by our contemporaries. He came up with the ideas for secondary fermentation of still wine, selecting a mixture of white wines and aging it in thick-walled bottles, as well as sealing bottles with cork stoppers. When he was thirty years old, Pierre Perignon took charge of the wine cellars of the Benedictine Abbey of Auvilliers, declaring that he would create the best wine in the world. And he succeeded - rumors about the excellent quality of the fizzy monastery drink reached Versailles. Wines from Dom Pérignon began to be supplied to the royal court of Louis XIV, the “Sun King”.
Modern Dom Perignon, from Moet and Chandon, is produced in accordance with the tradition established by the legendary monk - to create the best wine in the world. Its quality is such that the wine probably does not need additional advertising.
However, the manufacturing company recently hired Karl Lagerfeld to work on the brand image. The campaign was an extraordinary success and brought the brand to a new level of popularity. It also became an exemplary example of wine branding, and - a kind of cult event in the world of fashion and lifestyle - Lagerfeld attracted catwalk stars Eva Herzigova and Claudia Schiffer to photo shoots with Dom Perignon. The overall idea of the campaign: Dom Pérignon is a magical drink that liberates sexual fantasies.
PRICES
There are three wines:
Dom Perignon – Dom Pérignon, Dom Pérignon Rose and Dom Perignon Oenotheque
Dom Pérignon is somewhat cheaper, it can be found for 7,000-9,000 rubles. per bottle.
Dom Pérignon Rose and Dom Pérignon Oenotheque are highly prized and are considered among the finest and most expensive wines in the world. Prices in Moscow – from 17,000 to 22,000 rubles
4. Louis Roederer
The whole world knows this brand for its most famous wine - Louis Roederer Christa l. “Luxurious wine”, “stunning quality” - these are the epithets Robert Parker uses about him. And of course, this is the most prestigious and most expensive champagne wine in Russia in general. “Royal drink” - it was first produced in 1876, especially for Alexandra II.
Until the revolution, the house of Louis Roderer was the official supplier of wine to the court of the Russian Emperor. More than 60% of its products were sent to the Russian Empire. Crystal got its name because it was supplied in crystal bottles specially made for Alexander II.
In today's “golden” design of the appearance of the bottle, with elegant font and monograms on the label, the association with the royal crown, aristocracy, sophistication and wealth is maintained. All over the world it is considered a luxury drink, intended for winners and leaders. The policy of the champagne house of Louis Roderer is also distinguished by aristocracy and independence - not a single international corporation has yet succeeded in trying to take it over - it is almost the only house in Champagne that remains in family ownership.
The value of the champagne house's products was once again confirmed in July of this year - at an auction in the United States, a bottle of Louis Roederer Cristal Rose 2002 champagne was sold for $12,000. Proceeds from the auction were used to support contemporary art. What is symbolic is that a wine with such a history, level of prestige and such a price is no longer so much a wine as such, but an object of high art.
PRICES
The champagne house produces quite a bit of wine for the family enterprise - up to 3 million bottles per year, which, however, is 10 times less than Moët and Chandon. Moreover, Louis Roederer Cristal - only 500 thousand bottles for the whole world.
The limited production volume, as well as the extraordinary quality and prestige of the brand, determine quite high prices for wine, including in Moscow:
Louis Roederer Brut Premier – from 4300 rub.
Louis Roederer Cristal - from 10,000 to 35,000 rubles, depending on the year of harvest.
This wine is known as the wine of Hollywood. Almost from the very beginning of the Oscar award ceremonies, it accompanies these festive events.
It was Marilyn Monroe's favorite drink, and she was photographed more than once with a glass of champagne in her hand. And this champagne most often was Piper-Heidsieck.
In 1965, Piper-Heidsieck created the largest bottle of champagne in the world - 1 m 82 cm, which corresponds to the height of American film actor Rex Harrison. The bottle was intended to celebrate Harrison's Oscar win for his role in My Fair Lady, opposite Audrey Hepburn. The giant bottle contained the volume of 64 regular bottles of magnificent vintage Piper-Heidsieck Brut champagne from the 1959 vintage.
Piper-Heidsieck distinguished himself with a new design and PR move - together with Christian Louboutin, he released a limited edition gift set - a bottle of his wine accompanied by an elegant lady's slipper with a crystal heel, which simultaneously refers us to both Cinderella and the romantic custom of drinking champagne from a slipper ladies of the heart.
The Piper-Heidsieck company has made festive red and gold colors the recognizable and memorable colors of its brand, and very successfully uses them in the design of its corporate identity - both the label of the wine itself, and all related advertising products, and the official website of the company.
PRICES
Naturally, you won’t find a gift set with a shoe in Moscow; the entire limited edition is made to order.
But the usual Piper-Heidsieck branded champagne is sold annually in the amount of 5 million bottles, and is quite available here, at low prices for such a level of promotion of the brand:
Piper-Heidsieck Brut –
from 1500 rub. per bottle
6. Mumm (G.H. Mumm)
The style of the MUMM label is easily remembered by the diagonal red ribbon - this is a symbol of the legion of honor - with which one of the first owners of the champagne house decorated his wine back in the 18th century. This trademark of the brand is immediately recognizable on the shelves of wine boutiques and on commercials. And on balloons, which the company loves to launch for advertising purposes.
In general, MUMM is the wine of adrenaline, extreme sports, travel and discovery. Throughout the history of its existence, the G.H.MUMM company has been a sponsor of various events related to technical breakthroughs and sporting achievements of mankind. The company's slogan is “Courage and the desire for extraordinary discoveries.”
At the beginning of the last century, the company carried out its first sponsorship project: the famous traveler Captain Charcot “baptized” his ship “Le France” by breaking a bottle of MUMM Cordon Rouge champagne on its side. On July 14, 1904, on an ice floe in Antarctica, Captain Charcot and his crew celebrated Bastille Day with a glass of MUMM champagne.
When you watch a Formula 1 broadcast, pay attention to the champagne the winners pour on each other. This year the company announced the release of the GH Mumm F1 box “Limited Edition”, which became part of the Formula 1 champagne collection from Mumm, the official sponsor of the race.
And recently, this champagne received a kind of artistic advertising support - extraordinary glass Mumm-balloons were produced - something average in size between champagne bubbles and airship balloons.
PRICES
MUMM is the third largest brand in the world in terms of product sales, after Moët and Chandon and Veuve Clicquot.
About 8 million bottles are sold annually in more than 100 countries.
Prices are at the price level of leading competitors.
In Moscow - from 2500 rubles for a standard 0.75 liter bottle. MUMM Cordon Rouge
7. Circle
Quality and endurance - this is how one could formulate the credo of the Krug champagne house. “Their strict and very conservative policy of aging wine for many years before releasing it for sale seems almost incompatible with the pace of the modern world,” Robert Parker marvels, “but fortunately it ensures their highest quality, ripeness and complexity.”
These people are not chasing numbers. The house produces only about 100 thousand bottles per year, which is 300 (!) times less than the production volume of the mastodon of the champagne market - Moët and Chandon.
The company's own vineyard area is extremely limited - only 20 hectares, and it purchases the best grapes from another 56 hectares of the best vineyards in Champagne. The mixture is fermented in small wooden barrels and then aged in bottles for at least 6-8 years. This provides the wine with a unique, recognizable, complex taste and the ability to undergo further noble aging in the bottle.
The wines of this champagne house are among the most “long-lasting”, their quality remains unchanged or even improves over time. These are so-called “late release” wines, as they can be aged for 30 or 40 years. This is an excellent long-term investment in wine. Robert Parker, having tasted the 1947 vintage of Krug, declared that this was the most outstanding champagne. that he has ever tried.
At a wine auction in Hong Kong, a 750 ml bottle of an even older wine - 1928 champagne from the Krug Collection - was paid $21,200 - making it the most expensive champagne ever sold. According to Sotheby's auction house expert Serena Sutcliffe, this wine is one of the best champagnes in the history of winemaking.
PRICES
Despite the small production volumes, Krug can also be found in Russia. Not in every wine boutique, but it is there, and it is not a cheap drink, in Moscow - from 12,000 to 25,000 rubles for a 0.75 liter bottle.
8. Paul Roger
Founded in 1849 by Paul Roger, the Pol Roger champagne house remains family-owned, resisting the general process of mergers and acquisitions of small family businesses by large holdings such as LVMH. And today the house is managed by two great-grandsons of its founder, who even managed to change their surname in honor of their great-grandfather - now it is spelled with a hyphen - Paul Roger.
This is one of the best companies in Champagne and one of the best champagne wines in the world. Robert Parker, the world's leading wine critic, is extremely enthusiastic about it: "If there is one vintage Brut champagne that can clearly lay claim to being one of the world's greatest wines, it is Pol Roger."
The exceptional quality of this vintage wine is its ability to age for 30 years or more, something that even many of the great red wines of Bordeaux cannot achieve. This circumstance makes Pol Roger very attractive to wine collectors and for reliable and profitable wine investments.
Paul Roger is known as Sir Winston Churchill's favorite champagne. He once said: “I can’t live without champagne. After a win I deserve it, and after a loss I need it.” And this was not a general remark about all champagnes - Churchill was a loyal fan of this particular brand. The Pol Roger company even supplied him with its wine in a unique container - specially made bottles with a volume of 1 imperial pint (0.57 l). This champagne was served to Churchill by his butler at 11 o'clock in the morning when he woke up.
Later, in honor of Churchill, the company included a special brand in its line of wines, Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill, which is made from grapes from the best vineyards of the best years, and which Robert Parker rates extremely highly.
PRICES
One of the best champagne houses, being a local family enterprise, nevertheless operates at the level of mastodons in the champagne market - it produces about 1.5 million bottles of wine per year. And keeps world-class prices.
Pol Roger champagne can be found in Moscow, although not in every boutique.
Pol Roger Brut
starting from 3000 rub.
Pol Roger Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill – about 10,000 rubles.
9. Bollinger
Bollinger is another wine from Olympus from the best wines of Champagne. Experts - Robert Parker, Hugh Johnson, Jancis Robinson and many other world-famous wine critics - include him in five leaders in quality, along with Dom Perignon, Louis Roederer, Pol Roger and Krug.
And critics especially highlight the brand Bollinger Grande Année (Bollinger of the Great Harvest Year), ranking it among the most elite brands with impeccable quality.
All other champagne fans, paying tribute to the taste of Bollinger, know and remember this wine also as the favorite drink of James Bond, which he sipped with a very aristocratic air in almost half of the twenty-odd Bond films.
On the eve of the premiere of the new film with Daniel Craig, the Bollinger company decided to support this association - “Bollinger - James Bond” - by releasing a limited edition of champagne, only 207 bottles. A bullet-shaped steel case engraved with “Bollinger 007″ houses a bottle of Bollinger Grande from 1999.
And one more fact from the history of the brand, which brings it closer to the Veuve Clicquot brand. Surprisingly, in the history of winemaking there is such a phenomenon - the “famous Widows of Champagne.” Veuve Clicquot-Ponsardin, widow Laurent-Perrier, widow Pommery, widow Henriot... Their names became trademarks. This list includes the legendary Lily Bollinger.
Widowed at the age of 42, Madame Lily Bollinger devoted all her extraordinary energy to improving the technology of champagne production, maintaining the tradition of the highest quality of the brand, which was admired by Thomas Jefferson.
The modern heirs of the House of Bollinger maintain these traditions of quality - the house is known for its famous “Charter of Ethics and Quality”, which it promulgated in 1992, and which it follows at the expense of production volumes. However, this is bearing fruit - the demand for elite Bollinger champagne exceeds supply so much that it is distributed across countries in accordance with quotas established by the company.
PRICES
The company produces 1 million bottles a year, which is quite a lot for a family business. Some of these products are also available in Moscow:
Bollinger Special Cuvee Brut – from RUB 3,000.
Bollinger Grande Annee – from 6,000 rubles.
Bollinger Grande 1999 in bullet-shaped packaging for agent 007, in a wooden box weighing 22 kg - $5765.00 - you are unlikely to find it in Moscow.
10. Salon
Salon is one of the smallest of the great champagne houses, which began with a 1 hectare vineyard purchased in 1911 by a charismatic figure named Eugene Aimé Salon. Having previously worked as a teacher, a fur trader and many others, having amassed a million-dollar capital, Salon decided to become a winemaker, producing wine like nothing had ever been before.
It is not difficult to reconstruct his motivation - being a regular at restaurants and a connoisseur of the best French wines, Salon felt that there was a niche for him in winemaking - he could create something completely unique, a wine of unsurpassed quality and extraordinary properties. The idea was to create wine, firstly, based on Chardonnay alone and, secondly, only in the years of the best harvests. In not very brilliant years, he did not want to make wine.
And thus, for almost a century, the house he founded in 1921 produced only 37 vintage wines until 2006. Which, of course, from the very beginning gave them the reputation of a luxury drink - extremely rare, prestigious and expensive. Already his first vintages made his name; in the 20s, his Salon was the “wine of the house” in the legendary Maxim restaurant, a meeting place for the Parisian elite.
After Salon's death, his ownership was resold twice, and today it belongs to the Laurent-Perrier group. The new owners are trying to maintain the Salon brand; wine is still made only from grapes from the best years; over the past 30 years, only one out of three harvests has been turned into wine. Robert Parker, characterizing the quality of all Salon wines as “indisputable,” especially highlights his favorite vintage – the 1990 harvest.
PRICES
The production volume of the Salon champagne house is extremely small - about 50,000 bottles per year of production, and this, as was said, does not happen every year.
Naturally, such a rare wine is not a frequent guest in Moscow boutiques and online stores, and it can be difficult to find.
Prices, however, are relatively low for such an exclusive product - starting from 13,000 rubles for a bottle of standard volume 0.75 liters.
Treaty of 1891, and later confirmed by treaty after the end of the First World War. Even the method of making sparkling wines can be called “ champagne» ( méthode champenoise or “champagne method”) only in , in other countries and regions you can only indicate “méthode traditionelle” - the traditional method.
Sparkling wines of the world
Despite the fact that champagne wines are produced not only in Champagne, in other countries the word “champagne” cannot be used, so their names are used:
- Other ( , ) -
- Italy - spumante(from the Muscat variety called Asti in Piedmont)
- Spain - Cava
- Germany - Sekt
- South Africa - Cap Classique
However, in some countries the term " champagne" is registered as part of trademarks, such as the famous " Soviet champagne«.
Requirements for champagne wines
Correct champagne is carried out according to strict rules developed by " Interprofessional Committee of Champagne Wines", designed to ensure the high quality of the resulting drink. The rules regulate the most suitable places for and define 7 varieties that are allowed to be used in.
As a rule, champagne wines are made from one or a mixture of three varieties: chardonnay, pinot noir And pinot meunier (chardonnay, pinot noir, pinot meunier). The rules also regulate the process of growing grapes: the degree of pressing of the berries, the minimum period of aging on lees, the yield of the vineyard, pruning the vines. Name " Champagne"can only stand on wine that is produced in accordance with all the rules.
Types of champagne wines
Champagne wines are made mostly from three grape varieties:
- chardonnay
- pinot noir
- pinot meunier
Small additions of other grape varieties are used quite rarely.
- More details:
If champagne wines are made only from grapes chardonnay, he is called blanc de blancs (white from white).
If champagne is made only from red grapes, it is called blanc de noirs (white from black).
Champagne color
Shapanskoye, as a rule, is white a sparkling wine. Even if it is made from red grapes, the berries are pressed so carefully that the skin, which gives the red tint, has almost no contact with the squeezed juice. But they also do rose champagne wines: in this case, prolong the contact with the red skin, or simply add it to a little red wine.
Types of champagne wines
Depending on the amount of sugar and aging, there are several types of champagne:
- sweet - "doux"
- semi-sweet - “demi-sec”
- semi-dry - “sec”
- extra-semi-dry - “extra sec”
- brut - “brut”
- extra brut / brut cuvée - “extra brut” / “brut nature” / “brut zero” (no liqueur or sugar is added at all).
Initially, champagne was rather sweet, since sugar made it possible to hide flaws in production or the low quality of wine. But now the most popular champagne in the world is brut champagne. However, according to historical tradition, the most popular champagne in the territory of the former USSR is semi-sweet champagne.
Standards for the amount of sugar in champagne may vary depending on the country:
Sweet champagnes
Sweet champagnes(as an example - the famous brand of Italian Asti) are considered dessert wine. They don't require any snack, but are more likely to cause a hangover headache.
Carbon dioxide not only enhances the taste of champagne: bubbles and small drops of wine formed when the bubble bursts increase the evaporation of the drink’s aromatic substances. Bubbles should form at the bottom of the glass and rise to the top like a fountain, creating a “belt” along the walls of the glass. If the champagne is good, then the bubbles should be small and last for several hours. Large bubbles indicate additional carbonation of the drink.
How to drink champagne
The right champagne glasses have a narrow, tall shape with a long stem to prevent the heat of your hands from warming the wine. Flat, wide glasses are more suitable for sweet champagne wines, but they are inferior to narrow and tall glasses, as they do not retain the bubbles and aroma of the drink. It is better then to use large glasses for red wine with a wide belly and a narrowed neck: it prevents the aroma from evaporating and allows you to enjoy the whole bouquet to the fullest. The walls of champagne glasses are made thin so that the champagne does not heat up from them.
The glass is two-thirds full. The champagne should be well chilled, at least up to 7 degrees. The drier the champagne you drink, the lower the temperature should be. They often cool the champagne to 1-2 °C and even add a piece of ice. It is advisable to continue cooling the opened bottle: for example, in a bucket of crushed ice.
If the champagne is sealed with a natural cork, then when opening the bottle you should turn not the cork, but the bottle clockwise. Hold the cork a little when it has almost come out of the bottle: the pressure in the bottle will slightly normalize and the champagne will not flow like a fountain from the bottle. Immediately after opening, the glasses are filled: it is advisable to tilt the wine glass slightly and pour champagne along the wall so that foam does not form. The glass is filled 2/3 full. They drink champagne holding it by the stem, without touching the body of the glass, so as not to heat the wine with the warmth of their hands.
Dry champagne wines are often served in restaurants as an aperitif. Sweet champagne is suitable for sweet dishes and cake. Dry champagne is perfect with seafood with a delicate taste: crabs, oysters, white fish in sauce, with vegetables such as artichokes and asparagus. Champagne goes well with fruits and desserts.
Labeling of French champagnes
Real champagne must be labeled Champagne.
The bottle indicates the name of the champagne, the manufacturer and its registration number. Depending on the size of the company, there may be markings like:
— N.M.— wineries selling wine through their distribution network;
— M.A.- implementers only;
— R.M.— small wineries;
— C.M.- small cooperatives.