Champagne making processBenjamin Cochain

IntroductionDom Perignon wines refermented during spring birth of Champagne

Champagne is the most northerly of the major wine growing regions in France, and is one of the oldest vineyards in Europe. 

The trade name Champagne can only be used for sparkling wines produced in this region

The Champagne making process

Harvesting

To obtain the name Champagne, the grapes must be harvest manually and the harvesting must be done in one time to insure the homogeneity of the juice

White and black grapes champagne

White Blancs de blanc Champagne

Red and White pink and red Champagne

Black and white grapes grow in separate vineyards throughout the champagne region

The Champagne making process Pressing

Each specific grape pressured independently extraction of juice (rape)Appellation Champagne grapes must be unbroken and entire

Specific criteria of the champagne production wine press :•The loading must be easy, fast and with a short fall of the grapes •The area of pressuring must be large•The juice must be extracted at 90° from the pressure axe to grant rape auto filtration

Limited productivity : 102 l of rape for 160 kg of pressured grapes

The Champagne making process Five different kind of wine-press are used in Champagne region:

•The traditional vertical wine press (before 1950)Load capacity : 2000-4000 kgManual maintenanceProducer : Coquard, Darc, Dol-lat et Marmonier

•The mechanical horizontal wine press (1950)Manual intervention limitedLoad capacity : 2000-12000 kg

•The pneumatic horizontal wine press (1950)Load capacity : 6000 kgUse pneumatic energy

•The pneumatic horizontal wine press with lateral membraneUse very easyLoad capacity : 2000-12000 kgOne of the most used in Champagne productionProducer : Bücher, Diemme, Jouglet, Mazancourt, Péra, Siprem et Willmes

•The hydraulic horizontal wine press (1985)Load capacity : 2000-8000 kgEntirely automaticStill expensiveProducer : Coquard

The Champagne making process First Fermentation

Before fermentation control of the acidity of the grapes juice insure a good ageing process

Fermentation in stainless steel cylinders or barrels

Add of yeast to the grapes juice fermentationThe yeast feeds on the sugar in the grape juice and releases

alcohol (as ethanol), heat and carbon dioxide

C6 H12 O6 + yeast ---------> 2 C2 H5 OH + 2 CO2 + Q

Chemical change during fermentation :sugar = glucose (C6H12O6 ); converted in pyruvatepyruvate converted in alcohol by yeast

The Champagne making process

Blending

From each of the fermented batches of wine a small sample is taken and tasted by the wine makers.  The selected samples are then taken and combined to give a final master blend, which is called the cuvée

Very difficult process wine makers must predict the final flavour

Remaining blocks of wine not used in blending auctioned off to other vineyards.

The Champagne making process Bottling, Second Fermentation and Ageing

This second fermentation is called the malolactic fermentation:

(COOH)² - CH2 - CHOH --------> CO2 + CH3 - CHOH – COOH

Wine bottled and capped

With the yeast : increases level of alcohol add CO2 = bubbles

Process = about four to eight weeks

The yeast must now remain in the bottle for at least a year to allow the champagne to age

The alcohol content of the wine is limited because at a certain concentration the yeast becomes "drunk" and can no longer ferment

The Champagne making process

Riddling

Aged wine task of removing the yeast from the bottle

Bottles placed at 45° on automatic or manual turning rackBottles periodically rotated

Yeast fall down the cap of the bottle

Manual process : about one monthAutomatic process : one week

The Champagne making process Riddling

In the Champagne region, four machines are principally used to riddle:

•The Champarex :Capacity = 183 or 381 bottlesHexagonal metallic containerManual rotation of the container

•The Pupimatic

•The Rotopal :Capacity = 297 bottlesMetallic container Manual rotation of the container

•The Gyro :Capacity = 504 bottlesAutomatic rotationVery short cycle of riddling

The Champagne making process Disgorging

After riddling the yeast is ready to be removed

Manual process (old but still used) :

CO2 bubble in the neck of the bottle claw to remove the metallic capsule The yeast was also expulsed with the gas

Automatic process :Tops of the bottles frozen disgorging machine removes the cap yeast ice plug

The Champagne making process Dosage

Obtain with add of sugar and sulfur compounds :cuvée non-dosée, brut, extra sec, sec, demi-sec or doux

Corking, “dressing”and selling

Corking similar to brewery corking

Dressing and selling specific for each producer

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