Choose the right champagne. What champagne to choose for the New Year - a rating of inexpensive and elite wines. Italy - sparkling traditions

Before we tell you how to choose real champagne, we need to find out what is meant by the word "real".

We used to call all drinks that have bubbles as champagne. But this is far from the case, and everything that is produced outside of France is just sparkling wine. And some of them are a miserable parody of a noble drink.

Everything you need to know about real champagne

Champagne is produced only in the French province of Champagne and its four sub-regions: Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne, Côte des Blancs and Côte des Bar.

French champagne is always expensive.

Champagne by the amount of sugar content is

Brut Nature / Zéro Dosage (brut nature / zero dosage).

Brut (brut).

Extra-Sec (extra dry).

Sec (dry).

Demi-sec (semi-sweet).

Doux (sweet), which is almost never found and is very rare.

In the province of Champagne, only 7 grape varieties are grown and the most popular of them are: Chardonnay (Chardonnay), Pinot Noir (Pinot noir), Pinot Meunier (Pinot meunier).

Real champagne is produced using a unique patented technology - "Méthode Champenoise" - this is when champagne, that is, filling the product with carbon dioxide, occurs in a natural way, by secondary fermentation in a bottle and subsequent exposure in a horizontal position for at least 9 months.

Now let's move on to the most important thing, how to buy real champagne and not fall for a fake. We have collected recommendations from the best sommeliers to help you choose a noble drink.

First of all, pay attention to the price, real champagne cannot be cheap. The minimum price can start from 1500–2000 rubles.

Try to buy champagne from small specialty shops or large supermarkets with a good reputation.

Be sure to look at the manufacturer's country on the label. Champagne is only France, the Champagne province and its four regions (we talked about them at the beginning of the article).

The inscription “Méthode Champenoise” must be present on the label. If you did not find this inscription, then this only indicates that you have sparkling wine in your hands, not champagne.

Also, pay attention to the presence of an excise stamp, an exception may be drinks purchased in the duty free zone.

Shake the bottle, if a uniform foam appears that fills the entire empty space of the bottle, then this good sign... The main thing is not to overdo it with shaking.

Cork is also an important element. It should be made only from natural materials so that the champagne can "breathe". The material of the cork can even be identified through the foil with a simple push. Natural material will be softer than synthetic.

The bottle should be made of thick and dark glass. If the glass is thin, then it can simply break, and thanks to the dark glass, champagne does not deteriorate when hit sun rays.

Another important factor is bubbles. After filling the glass, the same bubbles should be of the same size and rise upward. In a quality drink, bubbles can come out of the glass for hours.

Be careful when choosing Demi-sec (semi-sweet) and Doux (sweet) champagne, as well-known Champagne houses produce only 7-10% of this type of drink and you can run into a fake. Since with the help of a sweetener, many technological errors can be hidden (only applies to counterfeit products).

Use the Vivino app. It is enough to take a photo of the bottle, and you will immediately receive comments and an overall rating based on the rating from people who have already tried this drink. You can download it from Google Play and iTunes.

Veuve clicquot ponsardin

And remember: "Not all champagne has bubbles."

On the eve of the holidays, a reasonable question arises - what kind of good champagne to buy? And is it true that only white wine can rightfully be called champagne, while other frothy semi-sweet drinks of pink and red color are just sparkling wine?

Let's figure out which champagne is better, dry, semi-sweet, elite or Soviet.

Which champagne is real and which is fake

The bulk of sparkling wine, which we call champagne, is made using a simplified method. Without reading the label and being tempted by the affordable price, the buyer risks buying, at best, wine artificially saturated with carbon dioxide instead of real champagne. And at worst, an effervescent flavored drink that's been made with sugar, alcohol and water.

So, how does real champagne differ from beautifully frothy ones poured into graceful "curvy" bottles of wine?

Real champagne is made from three grape varieties: Pinot Noir, Pinot and white chardonnay in the Champagne region of France. Only such sparkling wine can be called champagne. The rest of the alcoholic drinks labeled "champagne" produced in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and other countries of the world - no more than good analogue famous French product.

The estimated cost of real sparkling wines in Russia from the world famous brands Louis Roederer, Pierre Gimonnet & Fils, Chanoine is from 3,000 rubles to 500,000 per bottle. At the same time, numerous reviews indicate that our compatriots, for the most part, prefer Russian semi-sweet champagne to overseas. It is also produced according to old French technology, but domestic products are several times cheaper.

The prices of champagne wine depend on the technology of production, grape varieties, aging and range from 200 rubles for semi-sweet white wine to 2300 rubles for extra brut white sparkling wine.

It is customary to classify champagne not only by sugar content (brut, ultra-brut, semi-dry and dry), but also by the year of production - vintage. So, more affordable and light drinks do not last for several years and are ready for use within a couple of months after production. (Producers of such wines achieve "sparkling" through the mechanical addition of carbon dioxide). And vintage sparkling wines made from one grape harvest and passed the strictest control, withstand 5 years or more. Moreover, the whole process of "champagne" occurs naturally.

Which champagne is better, brut or semi-sweet?

The purest taste in dry champagne with the least added sugar. Those who once chose brut nature for themselves are unlikely to ever be able to drink anything else. Dry sparkling wine is an ideal accompaniment to seafood and white meat. Brut goes well with peach and pear.

But in our country there are many who contemptuously call brut "sour" and enjoy using semi-sweet brands of champagne on holidays. This unfair treatment of dry champagne is partly due to the wrong product choice. Genuine Brut with the richest palette of flavors and amazing aftertaste cannot be cheap a priori.

Cuvee Royale AOC Joseph Perrier, Brut Rose Deutz, Ayala Blanc de Blancs and many other brut should be drunk correctly, without eating at the same time herring, chocolate and chops. For, knocking down its amazing taste with coarse food, it is easy to spoil all the gastronomic pleasure.

But in the countries of the post-Soviet space, consumers give the main preference to brands of champagne from the economy segment. Bottles worth 200 rubles are sold much faster than expensive and elite wines, and occupy about 80% of the entire market.

Champagne for New Year

V New Year a bottle of semi-sweet on the table is a tradition. And most often the glasses are not filled with elite Moët & Chandon, Dom Pérignon and Piper-Heidsieck, but at best affordable Lambrusco dell'Emilia and Martini Asti, at worst - “Soviet” white semi-sweet for 170 rubles. Although, if original, then not everyone will pay attention to its contents.

Rating of the most popular inexpensive champagne in Russia:

ABRAU-DURSO champagne of Russian production.
Champagne Bosco, white and sweet. The range of the Italian manufacturer Bosca includes both inexpensive sparkling wines and innovative drinks.
Champagne wines "New World" are rightfully called one of the best examples of Crimean champagne. We especially love Novosvetsky "Pinot Noir".
Asti champagne. Asti Martini is a light sparkling wine with natural fruity sweetness and a range of flavors.
Soviet champagne. When buying it for the next holiday, you need to keep in mind that Soviet champagne produced in the classical way tastes much better than a sparkling drink made in a quick bottle way. You should be guided by the price.

What good quality champagne doesn't have a headache in the morning?

Why does my head hurt after champagne? Producers often mask poor sparkling wine with insufficient taste with excessive sweetening. One bottle of sugar can contain three times more sugar than lemonade! And sugar, as you know, increases fermentation in the gastrointestinal tract and inhibits the processing of alcohol. That is why the toxic effect of semisweet and sweet champagne is higher (and therefore the head hurts more) than from dry brut. In addition, the surrogate production of sweet fizzy in 2015 in Russia broke all records. Draw conclusions.

On the eve of the New Year, it's time to talk about a wonderful sparkling drink, without which most Russians simply cannot imagine the chimes. Of course, we will not in any way belittle the merits of the Veuve Clicquot or Dom Perignon champagne, but we will take for consideration the products that the average Russian can afford. Our champagne rating will help you choose the best and tell you what ingredients should be present in it.

New World

This is real champagne made in the Crimea by the bottle method. The first place in our ranking of champagne is deservedly given to this brand.

Prince Golitsin himself, more than a century and a half ago, had a hand in ensuring that Russian champagne could compete with French. These traditions have survived to the present day.

Champagne is made from Pinot Noir, Aligote, Chardonnay and Riesling grape varieties, according to the classical canons, with aging from 9 months to 3 years. All processes are carried out manually. Champagne "Novosvetskoe", "Pinot Fran" and "Crimean Sparkling" have long been loved by customers for the sophistication of taste and rich aroma. It is also cheaper than French.

CJSC Sparkling wines, St. Petersburg

CJSC "Sparkling Wines" St. Petersburg

"Russian Champagne" has been produced using classical technologies for over 80 years. Raw materials are delivered to them from all over the world and from the Crimea as well.

All alcohol meets GOST standards and is produced by three common methods, and an innovative recipe for continuous fermentation in a stream was even sold to the French at one time.

The company produces only 3 types of white sparkling wines: brut, semi-dry and semi-sweet.

The brand "Lev Golitsin" was created in memory of the outstanding winemaker. The prince's fame was so great that the St. Petersburg brand decided to use his name to create a new brand.

Cricova

Moldovan champagne with an optimal price-quality ratio (from 500 rubles). All products are created using the classical method, the drink is aged in oak barrels and stored in basements.

In "Soviet Champagne" - there is little foam, the bubbles play in the glass for a long time, the aftertaste is wonderful. And then there is “Muscat”, “Rose”, “de Luxe” - the choice of drinks is quite decent.

Collectible drinks are offered in rhinestone bottles.

Golden Beam

The Sevastopol company, one of the oldest on the market, occupies a significant segment of the sparkling wine market. All products are created exclusively from our own grapes, harvested by hand.

Today, the tastes of consumers have changed - more than half of the production is semi-sweet champagne, and the other half is divided between brut, semi-dry and dry.

The basic collection is made according to the Sharma method (from 350 rubles). They don't bother with names here, so the label immediately makes everything clear - white or nutmeg.

The premium line is mono-varietal, aged from 6 to 9 months.

Tsimlyansk wines

The Don steppes gave birth to this champagne, produced mainly by the reservoir method. But there are also three brands produced according to the recipe of classic champagne - "Victory Bouquet", "Onegin" and "Tsimlyanskoe sparkling".

Today the vineyards cover more than 1000 hectares, used specifically for sparkling wines. At one time, this was another Russian response to the French.

The main assortment: the "Soviet Champagne" series, aged for at least 6 months, and "Tsimlyanskoe Zolotoe" with a high content of nutmeg.

ABRAU-DURSO

The production is located in the Caucasus, at the same latitudes as the famous Champagne province. The sparkling drink is produced in several ways - bottled and in tanks.

The first assumes the classics: aging and infusion of the drink in glass containers - the brands "Victor Dravigny" and "Imperial" (from 600 rubles). But the reservoir method produces "Russian Champagne" and "Light", which are with a black label (from 500 rubles).

Fanagoria

These are Taman wines of the brand of the same name, including the Numbered Reserve and Madame Pompadour lines. Drinks are easy to drink, quite pleasant, and at a ridiculous price (from 200 rubles).

Brut "Madame Pompadour" for lovers of dry from habit seems sweetish, but "Fanagoria", which has the best reviews, is produced by secondary fermentation in tanks and aged in bottles.

Asti

Asti is the territory of the same name in Piedmont (Italy), which served as the name for this fragrant champagne. “Asti Martini” is a light and pleasant drink made only from white nutmeg. It has no sugar at all, just the natural sweetness of the grapes.

At its core, Asti is a sparkling wine with one stage of fermentation, since secondary fermentation takes place in steel vats, and not in bottles. This is the only reason why it takes the penultimate place in our ranking of champagne.

Nevertheless, the floral-fruity aroma is liked by all, without exception, the fair sex. Cinzano Martini and Mondoro are well-known and popular lines.

The price of the product starts from 700 rubles. per bottle.

Bosca

Inexpensive sparkling wines from an Italian manufacturer. The brand has more than 15 names, but in the vastness of Russia white and sweet are especially popular, on which is written "sparkling wine drink". The alcohol content of the Anniversary brand is 7.5% due to the fact that sugar has been replaced by malt. Foaming is moderate, without carbon dioxide beating in the nose. Price - from 300 rubles.

Stronger drinks - Chardonnay, Red label, Asti. They are produced according to the classical technology, and the price is correspondingly more expensive (from 400 rubles).

There is also a premium segment - "Verdi spumante", "Classic", "Anniversary double" and "Moscato".

Champagne is a sparkling wine produced by secondary fermentation in the French Champagne region. As you might have guessed, they named this drink after the province where it comes from, but in the countries of the post-Soviet space, almost any carbonated drink can be called champagne, which is of course wrong.

Interesting fact. Real champagne glasses have inner walls with a microscopic embossed layer so that the bubbles stick to the walls.

Often, difficulties arise when choosing champagne for a wedding or other festive events, where the main task is to combine good quality and reasonable price. We will help you not to be mistaken when choosing an effervescent drink and will reveal many nuances.

Adhering to these tips, you will definitely choose a good champagne, but remember that the taste and color will not please everyone, so you can choose your ideal option only by trial and error.

Interesting infographics on the topic of champagne. Lots of interesting facts and useful tips.

Champagne variety

The production of a particular variety is influenced by the amount of sugar added after fermentation and aging. Champagne is divided into:

Sweet (Doux / Du) - very high sugar content. More than 50 g / l
Semi-dry (Demi-sec / Demi sack) - contains about 33-50 g / l
Dry (Sec / Seq) - sugar content in the range of 17-35 g / l
Extra dry (Extra sec / Extra sec) - sugar content in the range of 12-20 g / l
Dryest or brut (Brut / Brut) - sugar content less than 15 g / l
Exta-brut (Extra brut) - no sugar is added to such champagne

The most widespread variety in the world (but not in Russia)- brut. In Russia, they prefer sweet or semi-dry sparkling wines; choose these varieties if you arrange events with a large number of guests. If you are on a diet, then it is better to choose brut, because it contains almost no sugar

I really like champagne, namely French, real, not "Soviet", Spanish, etc. But I agree, you need to get used to brut a little, especially after many years of “Soviet sparkling wine”.
Feedback from the forum

Champagne quality

Manufacturers divide champagne into:

Champagne no year (champagne sans annee)- on the this moment occupies a huge share of the wine market. This is a champagne that has not even matured for a year. Only the type of champagne is written on these bottles. (white, pink, etc.) and be sure to indicate the sugar content.
Millesimnoe (millesime)- such wine is wholly or partly made from grapes of the harvest of the year indicated on the label.
Prestigious (cuvee de prestige)- champagne made from wort of the highest quality, the year of production must be indicated and often the bottle can have an individual name.

It is also worth paying attention to the presence of the abbreviation, if it is, then you are holding real, French champagne in your hands and you can be sure of its quality.

NM: Negociant manipulant. These are companies (including most of the big brands) that buy grapes and produce wine;
CM: Cooperative de manipulation. Cooperatives producing wine from grapes grown by members of the cooperative, with the entire harvest being pooled together;
RM: Recoltant manipulant. Producers who independently grow grapes and produce wine from them. They are allowed to purchase no more than 5% of the grapes from outside;
SR: Societe de recoltants. Association of winegrowers producing common champagne, but not forming a cooperative;
RC: Recoltant cooperateur. A member of a cooperative selling champagne produced by the cooperative under his own brand;
MA: Marque auxiliaire or Marque d'acheteur. Brand not associated with producers or growers; the name of the wine that belongs to someone else, for example, a supermarket (like a Private Label);
ND: Negociant distributeur. A merchant selling wine under his own brand.
Wikipedia

Grape sort

Traditionally, champagne is made from white chardonnay, very rarely red grapes are used and these varieties are also rarely mixed.

Good to know. Champagne is almost always white (possibly yellowish) color, even if it was made from red grapes. This is because the juice has very little contact with the skin, which gives the grapes their color.

Bottle size

Most often, champagne is bottled in standard bottles. (750 ml) and large bottles (1.5 l) they are called magnums. Champagne in large bottles, usually of the best quality (since they have less oxygen), respectively, it costs much more than champagne in a standard bottle.

It is very difficult to find magnum bottles in Russia, since their production is very difficult and costly. (this can only be done by experienced glass blowers). If done incorrectly, this bottle is more likely to burst due to high pressure, so manufacturers use a more reliable option, a standard bottle of 0.75 l

Video about choosing champagne

The video will tell you how to choose the right champagne (a sparkling wine) in the store, they will also tell you what better grade and what appetizer to use when serving it.

Conclusion

You have learned enough about champagne in order to match it to the festive table or just buy it for dinner. Now you can feel free to experiment and search for your own taste without worrying about which champagne to choose.

It is difficult to imagine a festive meal without such an attribute as a bottle of good champagne. It is this sparkling and foaming drink that brings a special atmosphere of celebration and fun. Modern retail chains and specialized wine shops offer a huge range of champagne and sparkling wines from a variety of manufacturers. Therefore, the question of how to choose champagne, which really enhances the feeling of the holiday, and does not bring disappointment, inevitably arises every time you buy this drink.

Only a foaming drink produced in the French province of Champagne, according to the international rules of winemakers, can be called champagne. All other producers are required to position their products as sparkling wines. However, outside the province of Champagne, a fairly large number of sparkling wines are produced, the taste of which is often not inferior to the famous French sparkling wines.

Types of sparkling wines

Of course, the main criterion for choosing champagne is the taste preferences of a particular customer. However, before buying a bottle of sparkling wine, you should determine exactly for what occasion you need a drink, and with what dishes you plan to serve it to the table.

First of all, the distinctive features of each type of champagne are determined by the grape varieties from which the drink is made. Typically, two varieties of red and one variety of white grapes are used for production. Differ different kinds champagne and the amount of sugar contained in a liter of finished product:

ultra (extra) brut - no more than 6 grams;
brut - 6-15 grams;
dry extra - 15–20 grams;
dry - up to 35 grams;
dry seven - 33–35 grams;
semi-sweet - up to 50 grams.

True connoisseurs of champagne believe that in order to understand the taste of the classic drink, you should definitely try sparkling brut wine. This type of alcohol is served as an aperitif or with seafood, white meats. The sweeter varieties are perfect accompaniments to desserts, fruits or baked goods.

Real champagne can only be golden or pink. French sparkling wine producers believe that the tannins in red wines do not mix well with carbon dioxide and can spoil the taste of sparkling wine. Pink champagne is considered to be a rather rare variety. According to the latest statistics, such alcohol accounts for only 1% of the total volume of sparkling wines produced in the world.

When choosing sparkling wine, you should be aware that currently there are two methods of champagne wine:

classic - the fermentation process takes place directly in champagne bottles, which are kept in special cellars;
acratophoric - provides for the fermentation process in special stainless steel containers.

Elite, expensive types of champagne are prepared in the classical way. Sparkling wines produced with acratophores are distinguished by a much lower price. The way in which champagne is made is necessarily indicated on the bottle label. In addition, there are alcoholic wine drinks that are artificially carbonated. They have nothing to do with real traditional champagne.

carefully study the information on the labels on both sides of the bottle, which should indicate: manufacturer, composition, aging period, nutritional and energy value, color, production date and shelf life;
buy sparkling wine bottled in dark glass, as the alcoholic drink loses its organoleptic qualities under the influence of sunlight;
it is best to choose bottles sealed with a cork bark cork. The plastic stopper can allow air to pass through and thereby alter the taste of the champagne;
refuse to buy if there is sediment in the bottle;
pay attention to the color of sparkling wine, which must be transparent and fully correspond to the color indicated on the label;
carefully examine the labels, which must be of high quality and glued perfectly evenly, without glue smudges;
make sure sparkling wine does not contain flavors, flavor enhancers or colors.

It should be understood that really good champagne cannot be cheap. Only carbonated wine drinks, which completely lack real grape material, can have a low price. Therefore, when choosing sparkling wine for a wedding or other celebration, with a limited budget, you should buy champagne of the middle price segment.

There are three levels of champagne quality:

sparkling wine of the lowest quality, which does not indicate the year of production. Such alcohol makes up the majority of the sparkling wines presented in retail chains today;
vintage or vintages champagne is made from grapes harvested in good years, which has undergone secondary fermentation and has been aged for three years;
special or prestigious types of champagne, prepared in compliance with all the subtleties of the technological process from selected, hand-picked grapes, have the highest price.

On the labels of shamanic traditional technologies you can always find the inscription "Classic" or "Aged". If you approach the procedure for choosing such an alcohol correctly and take into account all the recommendations, you can always choose a sparkling wine of decent quality at an affordable price.