Just because New Year’s Eve is over doesn’t mean that we can’t still drink some tantalizing bubbles! As I will continue to say, you can drink Champagne whenever you feel like it! The fun thing about Champagne and other sparkling wine is that there is a style for every mood and occasion. Keep reading for a quick guide to choosing the right bottle based on sweetness level, grapes used, and winemaking style. All three play an important role in what the final Champagne will taste like.
Champagne is one of the only regions in France that allows winemakers to add sugar into the wine after fermentation for the purpose of making it sweeter. One of the final stages of making Champagne is called Dosage, the addition of varying amounts of sugar syrup and wine. The winemaker decides how much sugar to add to the bottle to determine the final sweetness level of their wine. Most Champagne houses make several different wines with different dosage levels (measured in grams per liter).
Here is the breakdown of what the label will say and what that means in terms of added sugar:
| Labelling | Dosage |
| Brut Nature | 0-3 g/L, no added dosage |
| Extra Brut | 0-6 g/L |
| Brut | 0-12 g/L |
| Extra Dry (or Extra Sec) | 12-17 g/L |
| Dry (Sec) | 17-32 g/L |
| Demi-Sec | 32-50 g/L |
| Doux | > 50 g/L |
Most people will begin to detect some amount of sweetness at around 8g/L (the upper end of the Brut level). It’s not exactly that simple, though, because detecting sweetness in a wine also depends on its acidity. A Champagne with lower acidity will taste sweeter than one with higher acidity, even if they have the same dosage levels. Two different Brut champagnes could express quite different levels of sweetness on the palate, but using this chart is a good starting point to help you select a bottle you’ll enjoy. If you know you enjoy sweeter wines but don’t want something that’s sweet enough to be dessert, you’ll want to hang out in the Extra Dry to Demi-Sec range. Brut Champagnes have been the most popular in recent years, and are probably what you’ll see the most of in your local wine shop.
Besides the sweetness level, the label can also provide you with information on what grapes went into the bottle, which can give you more insight as to what your Champagne is going to taste like.
Blanc de Blancs: Made from all white grapes (usually means 100% Chardonnay, though Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Petit Meslier, and Arbane are also allowed) Champagne made from Chardonnay tends to be lighter, brighter, and a bit drier than ones made with the red grapes. I personally love starting my evening with a Blanc de Blancs; they make a perfect aperitif!
Blanc de Noirs: Made from the red grapes (Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier). These tend to have a bit more depth, and richness compared to Blanc de Blancs. Because of this, these are usually more enjoyable with savory foods.
These few distinctions are broad generalizations based on the grapes, but what the winemaker does with those grapes will affect the final outcome of the wine just as greatly as the varieties. From here, things get a little harder to ascertain, because each Champagne House (Maison) has its own unique style that isn’t necessarily written on the label.
Let’s a take a look at a few different Champagne producers, starting with the very well-known Veuve Clicquot. They specialize in Pinot Noir, and almost always use it as the dominant grape in their blend. Their most famous and most prolific bottling, known as their Yellow Label, uses 50-55% Pinot Noir, whereas their prestige cuvée (the best champagne of a house), La Grande Dame, has around 90%. In addition to highlighting Pinot Noir, Veuve Clicquot also chooses to use a 30-45% (the exact amount varies each year) of reserve wines into their blend. Reserve wines are base wines (wines that have not gone through a second fermentation in bottle) that are held back from a current vintage and aged longer. The higher percentage of reserve wine and the longer they have aged will deliver a wine that is deeper, more complex, and have more pronounced flavors of bread dough, mushroom, and bruised fruit.
Ruinart, another well-known house, uses Chardonnay as the “essence” of all their Cuvées. They make a Blanc de Blancs which is 100% Chardonnay but blend in about 20-25% reserve wines that are only 1-2 years old. They also choose to use stainless steel in all steps of the fermentation and aging process, so as to retain the freshness and elegance of the Chardonnay grape. This style of winemaking is referred to as reductive, and yields a brighter and more focused style of wine. The opposite winemaking style would be oxidative, which indicates the use of oak in their production. Krug is one well-known producer crafting oxidative wines, and this results in a vastly different finished product from Ruinart.
Finally, let’s learn about a house that highlights Pinot Meunier. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are definitely the most famous grapes in Champagne production, but there are a handful of people doing some magical things with Pinot Meunier. Christophe Mignon is one such producer who is helping Pinot Meunier shed its underdog status. The ADN de Meunier bottle is 100% Pinot Meunier, and is fermented in stainless steel. Additionally this wine does not undergo malolactic fermentation, which is a different kind of fermentation that converts tart malic acid (think tart green apple) into soft lactic acid (think milk). It is also the cause of those buttery flavors you might be familiar with in California Chardonnay. Mignon chooses to block this type of fermentation, and therefore this wine will be quite tart and crisp.
As you can see this small region has something for anyone and everyone’s taste. Here are just a few recommendations to get you started:
Light and Bright:
Ruinart, Blanc de Blancs, Brut, Non-Vintage: $60-$70
Christophe Mignon, ADN de Meunier, Extra Brut Non-Vintage: $50-$60
Pierre Peters, Blanc de Blancs, Grand Cru, Extra Brut: $80-$100
Gaston Chiquet, Special Club, Grand Cru, Brut, 2009: $75-$80
Medium and Well-Rounded:
Veuve Clicquot, Yellow Label, Brut, Non-Vintage: $45-$55
Louis Roederer, Brut Premier, Non-Vintage: $50- $60
Pol Roger Brut Reserve Non-Vintage: $50-60
Toasty and Rich:
Duval-Leroy, Brut Reserve, Non-Vintage: $45-$55
Bollinger, Brut, Special Cuvée, Non-Vintage: $50-$60
Krug, Grande Cuvée, Non-Vintage: $150-$160
