Agrarian terms - land, soil - transformed by Russian tradition into almost metaphysical concepts, are perceived by the French as they should be - that is, literally. There is more pragmatism than fanaticism in their patriotism: we love them not because they were born here, but because they live well on this land. And “soil” for the French is not a religious and patriotic metaphor, but a very specific substance made of sand, loam, limestone, gravel, suitable not so much for national roots as for grape roots. Moreover, the unique properties of this very soil are used diligently and diligently. For example, to create champagne...
Even though the Champagne province belongs to the “risky viticulture zone” - there are critically few sunny days necessary for grape ripening, cold winds from the Atlantic, frequent frosts, hail - but still there are much more positive components for the production of this luxurious wine: light calcareous soils , softness of water and, finally, traditions. And traditions, as we know, are inseparable from history, which has always been a storehouse of anecdotes and legends.
For example, there is a legend about the monk Pierre Perignon (1639-1715), who made “the soul of wine sing in a bottle.” Either the caretaker of the monastery cellars, as he was supposed to, did not oversee all the stages of preparing the October wine, or did not notice that the yeast was frozen - in a word, the unfermented wine was poured into bottles. That is, to put it simply, Dom Perignon made some kind of technological absurdity, which became the reason for the appearance of sparkling foaming wine. The monk devoted the rest of his life to research and approval of the final version of the methode champenoise. But no matter what they say, no matter what other versions they give, the patent for champagne belongs to Dom Pierre Perignon from the Hautviere monastery and is dated 1670. Today, the monk’s name adorns the great Dom Perignon champagne (Moet&Chandon wine house).
It turns out that champagne, of course, happens, and people who don’t risk anything drink it. But those who take risks drink it much more often.
Russian trace
And if the life of a Benedictine monk is an example of the fact that serving God and earthly joys do not deny each other, then the story of Veuve Cliquot (Veuve Cliquot) is a worthy monument to feminism and female stubbornness.
The young Baroness Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin, after the death of her husband, decided - contrary to the existing rules! - continue the business of the spouse, winemaker and merchant. The twenty-seven-year-old widow got down to business so zealously that a few years later she not only founded her own winemaking house, but also introduced a new technology of “remuage,” which made it possible to get rid of yeast sediments in the finished champagne. By the way, 200 years later, “remuage” is still used by all modern champagne producers.
In 1806, Monsieur Bonnet appeared in St. Petersburg, the widow's personal envoy, who lived in the Russian capital - despite the war with Napoleon - right up to 1814. Many of his dispatches to the Baroness have been preserved. Here, for example, is one of them: “I tell you good news. The Queen is pregnant! If she gives birth to an heir, a sea of champagne will be drunk in this huge country. Just don’t say a word to anyone...”
Monsieur Bonnet was a smart and efficient businessman who not only monitored the demand in the market, but also was wary of competitors. It is on the basis of his reports that this is an excellent example of marketing research! - in 1814, Nicole Clicquot sent the ship “Good Intentions” to Russia with “millesim” champagne from the 1811 harvest. 10,000 bottles of the magnificent wine were decorated with branded labels with the monogram VCP (Veuve Clicquot-Ponsardin) and the inscription Vin de Bouzy 1811 de la Comete (Wine from Bouzy 1811, the year of the Comet). The astronomical phenomenon became a symbol of an excellent grape harvest. Remember: “I walked in: and the plug was in the ceiling, the current of the comet splashed out...”? That's exactly what this champagne is about. It was “Clicquot” that Russian classic bon vivants preferred to all other wines.
What Bonaparte failed to achieve, his compatriot accomplished. The Russian capital was conquered overnight. St. Petersburg was at the charming feet of an efficient widow. And the grateful Nicole Clicquot-Ponsardan - in honor of this “great victory” - decorated the family coat of arms with the anchor of the ship “Good Intentions”.
In the second half of the 19th century, the “widow” was replaced on the Russian market by Louis Roederer (wine house Louis Roederer). The Frenchman managed, by slightly changing the shades of taste, to create a variety of champagne in accordance with the wishes of Alexander the Second. The august person liked the wine so much that he ordered it to be served in a crystal bowl. The cunning merchant, having learned about this, began to pour champagne into... crystal bottles. With the light hand of the Tsar-Liberator, the wine received the name Cristal and to this day is bottled only in clear glass bottles, and its cork and label are crowned with a double-headed Russian eagle and the inscription “Supplier of the Court of His Imperial Majesty.”
It must be said that the Russian trace in the history of champagne is very noticeable. Having first become acquainted with champagne back in the era of Catherine the Great, the Russians after the French campaign of 1812 -1814. turned it into a cult drink.
The owners of the House of Bollinger keep a family legend about how the founder of the company, Admiral Atanas de Villeron, who fled from the sans-culottes to Russia in 1799, met the Russian victors of Bonaparte. The admiral came out to meet the Cossack regiment: “I served the Russian Tsar! How can I be useful?” The answer was brief, and the Russians were immediately allowed into the admiral's cellars. Also memorable is the remark of one of the French champagne growers, who philosophically observed the looting of his own warehouse by the Russian army: “Today they only drink. But tomorrow they will pay!”
The prediction was completely confirmed. In just twenty years, from 1821 to 1841, the import of champagne to Russia increased 4 times, from 205,000 to 823,000 buckets. And a bucket is not a joke to you, gentlemen, but an old Russian metric measure of the volume of liquids, equal to 10 shtofs or 20 bottles, or 100 glasses, or - for those who are completely dull - 12.3 liters.
Having begun its history in the 17th century with an anecdote about the monk Perignon, champagne entered the stage as a character, if not in comedy, then certainly in a sparkling, joyful happening. Agree, it is impossible for him to play any other role! They celebrate victory with champagne, but never capitulation...
Creating masterpieces
Perhaps champagne is the only wine that French legislation has generously allowed to change technological traditions. For example, the regulated use of only white chardonnay grapes was eventually supplemented by red varieties: pinot noir and pinot meunier. From now on, white champagne made from Chardonnay grapes began to be marked on the labels with the inscription Blanc de Blancs (white from white berries), and where red grapes were also used, there are no inscriptions at all. But in addition to the fact that red varieties are also used in the production of white champagne, the production of pink champagne has also been legalized. But what, gentlemen! And here champagne growers are allowed to do what everyone else is strictly forbidden to do - to produce rose wines by mixing white and red.
“Creating masterpieces is hard labor. There is more sweat than inspiration,” stated Alexandre Dumas. True, he uttered this maxim not at the desk, but at the kitchen stove. However, it is quite appropriate to project this thesis onto both literature and winemaking.
In the canvases of the Frenchman Gustave Delibes, intricately decorated with popular prints such as “A ray of sunshine in a glass of wine - a gift to the winemaker Jacques”, “Sing a song, larks! The grapes in the vicinity of Reims have already been harvested”, unshaven peasants more closely resemble coal miners hunched over under the load of full baskets, or sumo wrestlers, strainingly grasping a huge barrel. There's no time for inspiration here! Here - who wins.
And even when the juice is pressed and poured into containers for fermentation, attention does not weaken. Producing unique wine requires attention and diligent execution of every stage of the work. The great champagne houses are conservatively strict in matters of modernization and simplification of technology. In such a delicate matter, any avant-gardeism and innovation in general are categorically unacceptable - everything rests on tradition.
For example, winemakers from Bollinger and Krug companies place the squeezed juice not in metal vats, like many others, but in two-hundred-five-liter oak barrels that have previously undergone a three-year “hardening” in the open air. Otherwise, the fresh tannin of oak wood will overwhelm the delicate grape aroma and taste. After all, it is at this stage that the uniqueness of the taste of their champagne is laid.
But all champagne growers, without exception, pour young wine intended for aging into vacuum stainless steel containers. Here it retains its strength and freshness. Once upon a time, Johann Joseph Krug, the founder of the Krug company, which today produces the most expensive champagne in the world, instructed children: “Never store aged wines in oak barrels - it is too saturated with woody taste and aroma.” There was no stainless steel then, so large glass bottles had to be used.
Only the thoroughness of technological operations guarantees the rarity of the product. And the secret is precisely this, and not some special additives. The French “wine charter” will not tolerate any fantasies, any opportunism. Violation of the recipe is fraught with a “wolf ticket” - you will not be selling “champagne”, but “sparkling wine”. In a word, a step to the right, a step to the left... All manufacturers are placed in the same conditions.
To create their own identity, champagne producers complicate the technology. For example, they take wine material not from any Champagne vineyard, but only from the best cru. A cru is, again, the uniqueness of a particular piece of land - a wedge of land or a hillside. The close to ideal soil composition and microclimate turn this vineyard into a fetish.
The resulting wines are used to make cuvées - a mixture of different wines from different vintages. Creating a decent cuvée is a real art. As a rule, it is made up of wines from different vintages. This is champagne, using the terminology of the champagne makers themselves, “without a year” (sans annee). In good years, a champagne cuvée is composed of wines from the same vintage, and then it is called Champagne millesime. Many well-known companies also produce prestigious (cuvee de prestige) champagne from the best first-press grapes. The price is high, but the quality is excellent.
Finally, a “trage liqueur” made from cane sugar and yeast culture is added to the cuvée, bottled and sealed with a “working” cork.
The bottles are placed in the cellar. A five-week process of secondary fermentation (fermentation) of the wine begins, saturating it with carbon dioxide. After the yeast sediment has formed, champagne “without a year” is aged for at least another 9 months - a very symbolic period! - and “millennial” is at least three years. But in some houses, ordinary champagne is aged for 3-4 years, “millesim” for 5-6 years, and prestigious champagne for 8 years or more.
When the wine has matured and aged, all that remains is to extract the yeast sediment, but... without clouding the wine. Once upon a time, Veuve Clicquot made a rationalization proposal - to place bottles on special music stands with their necks down, regularly turning them clockwise and slightly changing the angle of inclination so that the sediment would slide towards the cork. This process itself requires special skill.
For this purpose, specialists were trained - remuers (literally - “shakers”), who walked around the basement every day for 3-5 weeks and in one motion turned each bottle a quarter turn, slightly changing the angle of inclination. For each bottle - only one movement.
Finally, the bottle assumed a strictly vertical position and sediment accumulated in the neck near the cork. After this, the neck was immersed in ice (nowadays a special liquid is used for this) and the wine froze in it. And the master of disgorgement got down to business. The working plug was removed. Light cotton! And frozen sediment flew out of the neck.
At this stage, liqueur is added again, the amount of which will determine the type of champagne - extra brut, brut, dry (sec) or semi-dry (demi sec). Decent companies do not produce semi-sweet or sweet products even for the sake of huge profits on the Russian market... Champagne is bottled in special bottles of different capacities. And each has its own name. For example, "Nebuchadnezzar" - 15 liters (20 bottles), "Methuselah" - 6 liters (8 bottles), "Magnum" - 1.5 liters (2 bottles), "bottle" - 0.75 liters, "half bottle" - 0.375 liters and so on.
Champagne with radish
Champagne is not the wine of snobs, but of aesthetes. Oscar Wilde, an exalted personality, once said that champagne makes the soul immortal, because it discourages anyone from thinking about earthly abominations and lifts you to the sun. A metaphor worthy of great wine. But to recognize the aroma of frosty brut - if you really want a classic, then only brut, gentlemen! - and people with delicate taste and poetic inclinations are able to catch its fleeting aftertaste.
Gourmets, raised on the piquancy of established flavors, assure: champagne does not require accompaniment. And if they allow it, then just a little - for example, a petal of black radish with coarse salt or some fresh seafood. However, many recognized gastronomic authorities believe that everything goes with champagne: from caviar to fruit. The only exception is chocolate. But let's make some small additions. Brut is a recognized aperitif. And dry and semi-dry are the ideal dessert companion.
Again, drink champagne very cold. And it should be kept on the table in a bucket of water and ice. It probably makes no sense to say that this wine should be drunk not from glasses or mugs, but from narrow flute glasses. Everyone knows about this. And these are not just rules of etiquette or whims of snobs, but a guarantee of pleasure!
And lastly, champagne, like any great object, requires a worthy occasion and an appropriate environment. It is enough for one of those gathered to grimace: what a sour thing, brothers! - the sacred ceremony will not take place and the celebration will turn into a vulgar celebration...
BY THE WAY:
- 26 renowned producers are united in the Syndicate of Luxury Champagne Brands (SGMC), founded in 1882.
- The first champagne house - the famous Ruinart - appeared in 1729. Today he reserves most of his champagne for the domestic market. Only 15% of the wine, bottled in antique-style bottles, is exported.
- The house of Louis Roederer produces 2.5 million bottles a year and uses 75% of grapes from its own vineyards. The double-headed imperial eagle crowns the metal caps of the corks. A Cristal - champagne created in 1876 for Emperor Alexander II - is always present in the wine lists of restaurants that claim prestige and elitism.
- The Krug house produces one of the most magnificent and expensive champagnes in the world. Sales volume is small - 500 thousand bottles per year.
- The Moet & Chandon company is well known, producing 25 million bottles per year. But her main masterpiece is Dom Perignon champagne.
- Champagne Veuve Cliquot-Ponsardin is an equally legendary name for our country. It is noteworthy that, unlike other manufacturers, Veuve Cliquot-Ponsardin uses 2/3 black grapes and only 1/3 white Chardonnay for its champagne.
- Taittinger, one of the oldest Champagne houses, founded in 1734, is also famous for its preference for Chardonnay grapes. Almost all Taittinger bottles are marked with the blanc de blanc indication. And many famous artists create labels for the famous Taittinger Collection champagne.
- All brands of champagne, regardless of manufacturer, belong to the highest category of French wines - AOC. The labels don’t even indicate the mandatory Appelation Champagne controlee - it’s so self-evident!
WITH A GLASS AT CHAMPAGNE
If you decide to buy champagne from an unknown manufacturer, pay attention to its status, modestly indicated in the lower left corner of the label. The six-digit registration number of the chamber of commerce and industry will certainly be preceded by a two-letter abbreviation.
- N.M.(merchant-winemaker) - traditional marking of world-famous companies, indicating that the champagne is made from its own and purchased wine materials.
- R.M.(vinedresser-winemaker) - unexpected surprises can await you here. This is a pig in a poke, which can both pleasantly surprise and annoyingly upset.
- CM(wine-making cooperative) - but here you should think: is collective creativity possible when creating masterpieces?
- R.C.- such a mark indicates a winegrower-cooperator who, not having his own winery, hands over the harvest to a cooperative where champagne is made, returned to the owner, and he sends it to the market under his own brand. Again, there is something to think about.
- ND is a merchant distributor selling champagne to which the true manufacturer refused to give his real name and preferred to sell it as a “merchant product.” Often well-known companies sell the “marriage” in this way in order to avoid large losses and at the same time save face.
- MA- "buyer's brand". The same situation as in the previous case. Either there was a technological miscalculation in the production of champagne, or the wine turned out to be extremely bad. In a word, a creative failure! True, the cost of wines with this label is low. Which, by the way, is another reason for thought.
Many people open champagne only on special occasions: birthdays, New Years, promotions, graduations. If you try one of the most expensive in the world, all the others will pale in comparison. This exclusive alcoholic drink is available only to the rich. Many people pay thousands and even millions of dollars for it. What kind of champagne should be in order to pay a lot of money for it?
10. Bolange Champagne Blanc De Noirs Vieilles Vignes Francaises, $650
Champagne producer Bolanger has always produced expensive, exclusive champagne. The company produces 5,000 bottles per year. Gilles Descotes, Bolanger's manager, said: "Every 500 hours of work in modern vineyards is worth 1,800 hours in our vineyards."
9. Krug Clos Du Mesnil Champagne, $750
Champagne Krug Clos is produced by one of the old wineries. They started their activities in the mid-90s and won over consumers. The stunning turn-of-the-century style bottle costs $750.
8. Champagne Dom Perignon, $1,950
Everyone has heard about this drink. This vintage champagne, produced by Moet and Chandon, costs $1,950. Richard Jofre said that winemaking is a seasonal work that must correspond to its rhythm, the rhythm of nature, the rhythm of winemaking. In addition to the winemaking process, the ability to manage production and technical nuances remain important. He manages a large team, everyone works as one.
7. Champagne Clos d’Ambonnay from Krug, for $3,500
Krug, one of the famous champagne producers, has released the unique Clos d’Ambonnay champagne. The wine is made from red grapes. There are also hints of blueberries, raspberries, licorice and red currants. Those who want to try the champagne should be prepared to shell out $3,500.
6. Champagne Perrier-Jouet, $6,485
The $6,485 Perrier-Jouet Champagne, produced by the Perrier company founded in 1811, is limited to just 12 bottles. The wine was produced on the basis of an ancient liqueur. Perrier, the founder of the company, added the name of his wife Jouet to the name. The wine was popular, and when Perrier's son Charles opened the British branch of the company, the wine became the favorite drink of Queen Victoria and King Edward VII.
5. Champagne Crystal Brut 1990, $17,625
This delicious champagne is known as “Methuselah”. Since production is limited, the price is high. The sparkling drink is decorated with a gold label, which gives it a royal look. A six-liter bottle with a gold label sold for $17,625 at Sotheby's New York to an anonymous buyer.
4. Champagne Dom Perignon White Gold Jeroboam, $40,000
This expensive champagne in a stylish bottle was sold at auction in 2005 for $40,000. It is bottled in 3 liter bottles. One was sold on New Year's Eve. The appearance of the champagne is perfect for the holiday.
3. Champagne Pernod Ricard from Perrier-Jouet, $50,000
$50,000 for a bottle of champagne. Only 12 bottles of Pernod Ricard were produced in different flavors.
2. Sunken Champagne 1907 Heidsieck, $275,000
Champagne is 100 years old. Interestingly, it sank in a shipwreck in 1916, and was found in 1997. A total of 200 bottles were found.
1. Diamonds Champagne, $1.8 million
Here, finally, is the most expensive champagne. Alexander Amosu used 18-karat white gold and Swarovski crystals when developing the bottle design. The wine is made from grape varieties such as Grand Cru Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir, which provides the champagne with a refreshing, floral taste. The Superman-themed logo was made using 18-carat white gold, which was set with a 19-carat diamond. Alexander Amosu noted then that thanks to the natural, recognizable design, champagne has moved to the next level of luxury.
According to strict rules set by the European Union to control the name of a product by its place of origin, only drinks produced in a specific French province are entitled to be called “champagne”. They are the ones who bear on their label a sign of their noble pedigree - the letters DOC. All other drinks, even if they accurately copy the blend and production technology, are called “sparkling wines.” In some countries they also have their own names. In Catalonia it is “cava”, in Italy it is “proseco”, in Languedoc it is “blanquette”. And these drinks also bear the elite acronym DOC. But often the law is not written to manufacturers. And in the old fashioned way they are called those made, more or less according to the technology that Abbé Perignon invented. Some drinks are an outright mess of waste materials, artificially carbonated. But among the domestic sparkling wines there are also ones worthy of being served at the festive table. In this article we will look at the TOP 10 drinks in the “Elite Champagne” nomination.
Veuve Clicquot ("Veuve Clicquot")
As the British say, ladies first. But it is not the politeness of gentlemen that makes us let the lady go first. This drink really deserves to take first place in the “Elite Champagne” rating. Monsieur Clicquot, an unremarkable winemaker, rendered two great services to humanity: he married the young lady Barb Nicole Ponsardin and died in time to allow the widow to show her abilities.
The lady raised her husband's modest household to unprecedented heights. She invented a method for perfectly cleaning champagne and a bridle on the cork, because the pressure in the bottle is three times higher than in a car tire. In addition, the lady skillfully used natural phenomena for self-promotion. So, in 1811, the inhabitants of the Earth observed a comet. Veuve Clicquot immediately sent a ship to Russia (whose troops had recently defeated Napoleon) with a huge shipment of champagne, the label of which featured a tailed star. A gigantic sales market was secured. The entire aristocracy tasted the “wine of the comet”, and even Pushkin mentioned champagne in his poems. Now the cheapest products from the Veuve Clicquot house cost from two and a half thousand rubles. And the price of some elite bottles amounts to several tens of thousands of dollars.
Moët & Chandon (“Moët and Chandon”)
This company is as old as Veuve Clicquot. Who doesn't know this elite champagne? A photo of a black bow with a gold border, sealed with a round red seal under the neck of a bottle, serves as an example of the French art of living. Moet and Chandon supplied their champagne to the court of the French king. Louis XV liked it, and Napoleon Bonaparte did not hesitate to stop by the wine house for it himself when he was passing through Champagne. Since the reign of Edward VII, Moët & Chandon have mastered the British market. And now the company is the official supplier of champagne to the court of Elizabeth II. Moët et Chandon is not limited to royalty. It is their champagne that pours into glasses when the prestigious Golden Globe cinema award is presented. Thanks to large circulations, the company's products are sold at more affordable prices. In Russia, a bottle of Moet and Chandon can be bought for two thousand rubles.
Dom Pérignon ("Dom Perignon")
It's time to talk about the inventor of champagne as such. “House” is not a name, much less a building. Perignon's name was Pierre. Because he was a Benedictine monk, he was respectfully addressed as a Dom clergyman. Perignon lived in the seventeenth century, and in his spare time from prayer, he experimented with young, foamy wine at his Abbey of Hautvillers. He was the first to think of fermenting still drinks a second time. He aged them in bottles made of very thick glass, sealed with an oak stopper. The elite champagne brand of the Abbey of Auvilliers was very quickly appreciated by the French aristocracy. Soon they began to supply it to the Sun King Louis XIV at Versailles. The firm "Moët and Chandon" bought the abbey's vineyards. The manufacturer continues to create drinks using ancient technology. This brand is called “Dom Perignon”. Since the vineyard area is small, this drink automatically increases in price. A bottle of regular Dom Perignon costs from eight thousand rubles. Dom Perignon Oenotheque - an elite brand of a wine house is valued on the market at twenty-two thousand.
Louis Roederer
In Russia this is the most expensive elite champagne. Its name has become known in our country since the reign of Alexander II. And it’s not surprising: “Louis Roederer Crystal” was made in 1876 specifically for the royal court. The word “Cristal” meant not only the maximum purification of the drink. By order of Emperor Alexander II, champagne was supplied in crystal bottles. About sixty percent of all products from Louis Roederer's wine house went to Russia. And even now our compatriots have remained faithful to tradition. Champagne "Louis Roederer Brut Premier" is the most popular of the French brands. Its average price is four thousand three hundred rubles per bottle. The exclusive drink “Louis Roederer Crystal” is valued much higher. Its cost varies from ten to thirty-five thousand rubles (depending on the year of harvest).
Piper-Heidsieck ("Piper Heidsieck")
The owners of this wine house promote their products through Hollywood stars. Piper Heidsieck champagne was Marilyn Monroe's favorite. And at all Oscar awards ceremonies, the products of this house are invariably present. The company's PR managers seem to have discovered a gold mine. Now the names “Piper Heidsieck” and Hollywood are inseparable. In 1965, the company released a bottle 1.82 meters high, the height of Oscar-winning actor Rex Harrison (for his role in the film My Fair Lady, played opposite Audrey Hepburn). And last year, Christian Louboutin became the designer of the Piper Heidsieck house. This is how elite brut champagne appeared, released in a gift set with a crystal-heeled shoe. This PR stunt takes us back to the fairy tale of Cinderella. But at the same time, it also makes us remember the old wedding tradition when the groom drinks champagne from the bride’s shoe. It is not possible to find a gift set in wine boutiques in Russia. But regular Piper Heidsieck Brut champagne can be found for one and a half thousand rubles.
G.H. Mumm (“Mumm”)
The first owner of the company in the eighteenth century decorated the label of his products with the red ribbon of the Legion of Honor. Now the company advertises itself through sports. The wine house’s slogan is “Striving for achievement and courage.” The company sponsors many sports competitions and scientific achievements. In 1904, this elite champagne was uncorked by the crew of the Le France ship in Antarctica. It is poured on the winners of Formula 1 competitions. "Mumm" is the third manufacturer in the world in terms of sales volume. A bottle of champagne from this company costs an average of two and a half thousand rubles.
Krug ("Circle")
Can sparkling wines be aged? Yes, if they are produced in the Krug cellars. This house initially focused on the quality of the drink, and not on sales volume. The company has only twenty hectares of its own vineyards! The best blend of wort is fermented in small wooden barrels and then aged in bottles for at least six years. Thanks to this method, champagne not only acquires a complex, recognizable taste, but also the ability to “age gracefully.” Such elite champagne can be kept in the cellar for at least forty years and then sold at a profit. Why not an investment? For example, at a wine auction in Hong Kong in April 2015, a bottle of Krug from the 1928 vintage went for twenty-one thousand two hundred dollars. But ordinary champagne from this company costs about twenty thousand rubles.
It is generally believed that Prestige Cuvée drinks should be dry: ultra, extra, nature and sauvage brut. But lately dessert wines have become increasingly fashionable. This trend is reflected in champagne. They began to produce dessert Prosecco and Cava, and German sparkling wine Seeckt. Then the sweet Cremant appeared. This too, but it was produced outside the elite province. The "Crémant" from Jura and Alsace are very famous. Perhaps the most delicious sweet “champagne” can be called “spumati” (sparkling wine) from the Italian province of Asti. It is made from one variety of berries - Moscato.
Domestic brands of champagne
The production of sparkling wines in the Russian Empire began in 1799, when Academician Pallas produced the first bottles of the drink made using the champagne method on his estate near Sudak. In 1804, a school was even opened in Crimea. There they began to conduct experiments on creating champagne wines. Prince Lev Golitsyn made a great contribution to winemaking. In 1900, his New World champagne received the Grand Prix at the World Exhibition in Paris. Golitsyn worked not only in Crimea. In 1870, on the royal estate on the banks of the Durso River and Lake Abrau in the Kuban, he, together with French specialists, grew vineyards and set up a champagne production plant. The first batch was released in 1897. But Abrau-Durso and Novy Svet were not the only brands of sparkling wines in Russia. Among the domestic names during the years of the USSR, “Moscow Elite Champagne” arose and now firmly holds its position.
Is it possible to produce such wine in northern latitudes?
There would be production capacities corresponding to the technological process. In the Moscow region there are mushrooms, berries and flowers, but not grapes. But berries of the Pinot, Riesling, Aligote and Chardonnay varieties are delivered to the Russian capital from the southern regions. At the MKSHV plant, grapes are turned into a drink called “Moscow Elite Champagne”: brut, semi-dry and semi-sweet. The amount of sugar in wine is regulated not by adding crystals, but solely by assemblage. The wort is aged for about six months. The result is a drink of rich light straw color, with a harmonious taste and an interesting bouquet.
In addition, GOST clearly states how the container should be filled
Winemakers will have to bottle champagne exclusively into new bottles. This requirement is specified in the new GOST. And the fizzy drink itself should not have a sour aftertaste. FSUE Standardinform spoke about MK on the eve of Champagne Day, which is celebrated on August 4.
The new standard for the most festive wine has already begun to work and has replaced two regulations at once - 1988 and 2009. According to the new rules, the entire range of champagne is divided into three groups: sparkling, sparkling pearl and sparkling traditional name. Regular sparkling wine can be either white, rosé or red. Moreover, the “white” color in this case is a whole spectrum of shades from golden to greenish. And red - from scarlet to garnet and dark ruby. Gostov pearl wine should be pale pink.
But the so-called wines of the traditional name (that is, with reference to the country of origin) are only white and rosé. This means that the winemaker will no longer be able to stick the “Russian champagne” label on a bottle with red contents. Another important rule in the standard is the ban on the use of secondary products. According to the new GOST, sparkling wine cannot be poured into bottles brought from a glass collection point. Moreover, even when pouring the intoxicating effervescent liquid into containers, manufacturers will have to follow strict rules.
The bottle will need to be filled so that only eight centimeters from the neck remain empty. It is allowed to seal bottles with both natural cork and polymer materials. The most correct sparkling wine is transparent, without a sour aftertaste. There should be no sediment at the bottom of the bottle, although minor inclusions of dust from the cork and materials used to filter the liquid at the winery are allowed.
So that on holiday night not only to pounce, but also to explore the world, we suggest pouring not champagne, but cocktails with it. We found several proven, cool recipes, but we warn you: you can be so stubborn with each one that no amount of servings will save you from a hangover (well, at least how to look better the next morning, we). Note that for convenience, it is better to acquire at least measuring utensils (jiggers), and even better, a basic set for making cocktails: you can, of course, measure everything with a spoon, but this is too fussy, time-consuming and undignified. We also advise you to cool the maximum number of glasses in advance - you can take them out of the freezer right before cooking.
Masha Vorslav
Kir Royal
Ingredients for one serving:
20 ml blackcurrant liqueur “Crème de cassis”
150 ml champagne
Pour liqueur into a tall glass and add all the champagne.
Stir with a cocktail spoon or any other long-handled spoon and serve.
Raspberry, blueberry or peach liqueurs are excellent substitutes
blackcurrant if you can't find it.
Mimosa
Ingredients for one serving:
90 ml orange juice
90 ml champagne
Orange
Squeeze out a sufficient amount of orange juice, best with your hands - this will allow more oils from the peel to get into it, which largely determine the taste of the drink.
Pour juice into a chilled glass, add champagne and stir.
Cut a “leaf” of orange zest, squeeze it over the glass and throw it into it.
Rossini
Ingredients for one serving:
3 strawberries
120 ml champagne
Ice
Mash the strawberries, put them in a shaker or wide-bottomed glass and fill it with ice cubes (two are enough).
Pour champagne into a shaker and stir with a spoon until thoroughly chilled.
Pour through a strainer into a chilled glass.
Martini Royale
Ingredients for one serving:
75 ml champagne
75 ml sweet white vermouth
Lime and its zest
mint leaves
Ice
Squeeze the juice of half a lime into a large wine glass and add vermouth.
Place 5-7 ice cubes in a glass and pour in champagne.
Stir the cocktail with a bar spoon, throw a piece of lime zest and mint into the glass.
Champagne Flamingo
Ingredients for one serving:
22 ml vodka
22 ml "Campari"
Ice
Orange zest
Place ice in a shaker, pour in vodka and Campari, shake well (not to stir, but to shake).
Pour through a strainer into a tall glass and add champagne.
Cut the zest from the orange and throw it into the glass.
Hemingway Champagne
Ingredients for one serving:
30 ml absinthe or pastis
150 ml chilled champagne
Pour absinthe into a tall glass.
Add champagne (no need to stir, the bubbles will do everything).
You can experiment with bitters (a drop or two will be enough) or pass the absinthe through a sugar cube and drop it into the glass.
French 75
Ingredients for one serving:
30 ml gin
7 ml lemon juice
4 ml sugar syrup
150 ml champagne
Sugar syrup is sugar dissolved in water. For the first time, it is better to choose a 1:1 ratio, however, it is better to prepare a semi-finished product and pour the sugar in a bottle with cold water today - by the end of December it will definitely dissolve.
Pour gin, syrup, lemon juice and syrup into a shaker, add 2-3 ice cubes and shake well.
Strain into a tall glass and add champagne.
Black Velvet
Ingredients for one serving:
75 ml stout
75 ml champagne
Pour champagne into a tall glass.
Place a spoon in the glass and pour the stout over it in a thin stream - this way the layers of drinks will not mix and will give the desired gradient.
Ginger Sparkler
2 teaspoons peeled, grated ginger root
120 ml (half a cup) sugar
60 ml water
750 ml champagne
In a small saucepan, heat the sugar, ginger and water for about two minutes until a syrup forms. Place the syrup in a fine sieve to separate it from the ginger pulp.
Distribute the syrup among eight tall glasses (about one teaspoon each), pour the champagne equally and stir gently.
Ginger syrup will keep in the refrigerator for one week, so you can prepare for the party in advance.
Tangerine Punch
Ingredients for several servings:
700 ml tangerine juice
470 ml pomegranate juice
350 fresh or frozen cranberries
Bunch of mint
1500 ml champagne
20 toothpicks
Lots of ice
String three cranberries onto toothpicks, interspersed with mint leaves, and place in the freezer for at least an hour.
Cranberry juice itself is very acidic, so the juice you get from the remaining berries needs to be strained and then mixed with water and possibly sugar. You need to try the drink, but the 1:2 ratio seems universal to us.
Mix all the juices in a large transparent container (at least 5 liters in volume), fill it with ice and mix gently, then add all the champagne.
Place a toothpick with berries on each glass and pour a portion of punch.
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