Choose The Right Champagne For Your Celebration

Champagne is a key part of how many people celebrate special occasions. Whether welcoming in the New Year, or toasting to the bride and groom at a wedding, Champagne is a must for many celebrations. 

Choosing the right Champagne for your celebration can be confusing unless you know what to look for. Much like wine, there are dry, sweet, fruity, spicy and other aromas of Champagne, depending on what ingredients were added before aging. The age of a Champagne also determines flavour and character, and the type of grapes or fruit used to make the wine base should also be considered. 

Champagne is a sparkling wine that is created through a second fermentation which causes the carbonation. Champagne is derived from and produced with the same grapes, fruits or ingredients that wine is, but the secondary fermentation adds a different dimension. 

Champagne was originally named for the region in France where it originated. Now many are produced in other areas, yet they still use the name Champagne to define the type of sparkling wine they produce. Typically it is a term for white sparkling wines, although some may also be rose wine. 

The traditional method for producing champagne involves adding more yeast and several grams of sugar for the second fermentation. Typically, a minimum of 1.5 years is required for the flavour to develop and the best Champagne is aged at least 3 years. 

In the 1700’s Dom Perignon was ordered to figure out how to get rid of the bubbles since the pressure was causing some cellars to lose 20-90% of their aging wine. In fact, cellar workers had to wear heavy iron masks for protection from the explosion of breaking glass. Today, Dom Perignon Champagne is considered one of the best ways to celebrate a special occasion, and it is also one of the more exclusively priced labels too. It is matured in cellars for seven years and has blending hints of angelica, dried flowers, pineapple, coconut, cinnamon, cocoa and tobacco added to give it an earthy, smoky and pearly taste that includes a peppery spice undertone. 

There are cheaper Champagnes and there are more expensive ones. Cristal Rose Vintage Champagne is one of the ones that are more expensive than Dom Perignon, and it is only available in limited stock, which is the primary reason for its pricing – along with quality of course. Since champagnes are blended and aged using different flavouring techniques and aging time, their taste can vary greatly, with only the second fermentation carbonation in common. 

Typically, Champagnes from the same region will have some of the same characteristics. French Champagne is still considered some of the best and some of the less expensive ones may go by the name of sparkling wine instead of Champagne. To choose the right Champagne for your celebration, you have to decide whether you want drier, spicier Champagne or prefer a sweeter, fruitier one. Often it is determined by what it is going to accompany, for example wedding cake would be better with a sweeter or fruiter one. 

Whatever Champagne you choose, it is considered a part of many special occasion celebrations, and there is good Champagne to fit any budget.