On the occasion of the exhibition Champagne Tasting May 24, 2025, let's dive into the history of champagne, its appellations, its characteristics and its emblematic houses.
A symbol of elegance and celebration, champagne embodies French winemaking excellence. From its monastic origins to festive and gastronomic tables, this sparkling wine continues to fascinate wine lovers and gourmets around the world.
The Champagne Tasting 2025 Salon: the Parisian event not to be missed
On Saturday, May 24, 2025, the Maison de la Mutualité in Paris will host the 8th exhibition Champagne Tasting, organized by Lands of WinesThis event will bring together major houses, independent winemakers and hand-picked cooperatives.
On the program: exceptional tastings, masterclasses, and meetings with champagne artisans. A unique opportunity for enthusiasts and professionals to discover the richness and diversity of this legendary beverage.
A Story of Effervescent Bubbles
Champagne, a wine-growing region in northeastern France, has a winemaking tradition dating back to Gallo-Roman times. However, it was in Seventeenth century that sparkling wine as we know it today begins to emerge. Dom Pérignon, Benedictine monk of the abbey ofHautvillers, is often credited with improving blending and winemaking techniques, although natural effervescence had been observed before.
Over the centuries, Champagne has refined its methods, particularly with the secondary fermentation in the bottle, to produce a superior quality sparkling wine. In 1927, the appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) was granted. Champagne is officially recognized, guaranteeing the authenticity, origin and quality of the product.
The Champagne wine region is thus divided into five main zones:
Montagne de Reims : renowned for its powerful pinot noirs.
Vallee de la Marne : dominated by the meunier, offering fruity champagnes.
White Coast : specializing in chardonnay, producing elegant wines.
Sézanne Coast : known for its supple chardonnays.
Cote des Bar : to the south, with expressive pinot noirs.
These terroirs, with their varied soils and climates, contribute to the diversity and complexity of the champagnes.
How to choose a champagne?
The specific characteristics of a good champagne are based on several sensory and technical criteria, which reflect the quality of its production and aging. The main elements to consider are:
The finesse of the bubbles:
A good champagne is distinguished by fine, regular and persistent bubbles, forming a beautiful foam (the “rope” or the “pearl necklace”).
This finesse is the result of prolonged aging on lees, typical of quality champagnes.
An expressive and elegant nose:
The bouquet must be clean, fresh and complex, with an evolution according to age:
Young champagne : aromas of citrus, white flowers, green apple.
More mature : notes of brioche, hazelnut, honey, dried fruits, toast.
The balance in the mouth between freshness and aromatic richness is crucial.
A good champagne is balanced between acidity, sugar (dosage) and substance.
He must be lively without being aggressive, with a nice length in the mouth, revealing successive layers of flavors.
The style of the grape variety or blend
A champagne can be single-varietal (white of whites, white of blacks) or from a blend:
Chardonnay : finesse, freshness, floral and mineral notes.
Pinot Noir : structure, power, red fruits.
Miller : roundness, fruitiness, suppleness.
Aging duration:
A good non-vintage champagne must age at least 15 month on lees (often more). A vintage requires at least 36 month, but the big houses often wait 5 to 10 years for the prestige vintages.
The expression of the terroir:
The best champagnes express the character of their terroir: minerality, salinity, tension, depending on the soil (chalk, clay, sand).
Champagnes from winegrowers or plots often highlight this typicity more.
In summary, a good champagne seduces with its balance, its complexity, its freshness and the persistence of its bubbles. It must offer both immediate pleasure and aging potential, a sign of his nobility.
The iconic champagne houses
Among the most famous champagne brands, some stand out for their history, their consistent quality and their ability to combine tradition and innovation.
Dom Pérignon, the prestige cuvée from Moët & Chandon, embodies elegance and depth, with only vintage champagnes. Bollinger, a house with a strong style, appeals to lovers of full-bodied and vinous champagnes, particularly with its “Grande Année” vintage. Louis Roederer, with his famous Crystal, offers a refined and precise style, highly prized in the world of luxury. Salon, exclusively vintage blanc de blancs, is the icon of exceptional champagnes, rare and sought-after. Alongside them, houses like Circle, Perrier-jouët, Veuve Clicquot ou Ruinart continue the tradition of excellence, each with a recognizable aromatic signature and international renown.
Wine expert's opinion
Here are distinctive features of the greatest champagne houses, which illustrate their style, their heritage and their aromatic signature:
Champagne Dom Pérignon Moët & Chandon
Style : Elegance, precision, harmony.
Specificity : Only vintage, made from grape varieties selected in the best years.
Profile : Complex aromas of ripe fruit, white flowers, sweet spices and toasted notes. Creamy texture, long finish.
Champagne Bollinger
Style : Powerful, structured, vinous.
Specificity : High proportion of Pinot Noir, partial fermentation in oak barrels.
Profile : Aromas of baked apple, gingerbread, roasting. Very good aging potential.
Champagne Louis Roederer
Style : Purity, balance, finesse.
Specificity : Integrated production (own vineyard), Cristal produced only in good years.
Profile : White fruits, citrus fruits, mineral notes, great tension, silky texture.
Champagne Salon
Style : Mineral, crystalline, racy.
Specificity : A single cru (Le Mesnil-sur-Oger), a single grape variety (chardonnay), a single vintage.
Profile : Lemony, chalky, floral notes, extremely fine and taut, intended for aging.
Champagne Pol roger
Style : Balanced, classic, refined.
Specificity : Family house, known for its attachment to the Champagne tradition.
Profile : Fresh fruit, brioche, lovely liveliness, fine bubbles. A more intense and complex Winston Churchill cuvée.
Champagne Perrier-jouët
Style : Floral, delicate, romantic.
Specificity : High proportion of chardonnay, famous for its Belle Époque cuvée in an Art Nouveau bottle.
Profile : Notes of white flowers, pear, honey, silky texture, very elegant.
Champagne Circle
Style : Richness, complexity, intensity.
Specificity : Blend of several vintages, extended aging, great attention to detail.
Profile : Full, deep mouthfeel, with notes of hazelnut, toast, dried fruit, with a fine and persistent mousse.
Champagne Veuve Clicquot
Style : Rich, structured, accessible.
Specificity : Pinot noir dominant, consistent quality.
Profile : Yellow fruits, brioche, vanilla, ample mouthfeel with a lovely freshness.
Champagne Ruinart
Style : Fresh, pure, luminous.
Specificity : Oldest champagne house (1729), renowned for its blancs de blancs.
Profile : Aromas of lemon, green apple, white flowers, creamy texture and lively finish.
Champagne Piper–Heidsieck
Style : Generous, fruity, dynamic.
Specificity : Historic house founded in 1785, very present in the world of cinema (official champagne of the Cannes Film Festival).
Profile : Notes of ripe yellow fruits, red fruits, pastry. On the palate: A generous, full-bodied champagne with a lively effervescence.
Champagne Barons of Rothschild
Style : Refined, pure, elegant.
Specificity : Recent house (2005), founded by the three branches of the Rothschild family. Premium positioning, with an approach focused on precision and quality.
Profile : Lemony, floral notes, fresh hazelnut, marked minerality. On the palate: great freshness, finesse, chiseled texture, beautiful persistence.
Champagne GH Mumm
Style : Lively, energetic, structured.
Specificity : Founded in 1827 in Reims, the Mumm house is famous for its Cordon Rouge vintage, recognizable by its red ribbon inspired by the Legion of Honor.
Profile : aromas of fresh fruit (peach, apricot, citrus), white flowers, fine yeasts. On the palate: frank attack, lively bubbles, clean and refreshing finish.
On the gastronomic side:
Champagne isn't just for aperitifs. A non-vintage brut is a perfect accompaniment to seafood, sushi, or roast poultry.
A blanc de blancs will enhance a sea bream tartare or a hard cheese like comté.
A fruity and structured rosé will be ideal with duck breast, red fruit desserts or even spicy Asian cuisine.
The more complex vintage or prestige cuvées are perfect with refined dishes such as grilled lobster, truffle risotto or Bresse poultry in cream sauce.
Champagne, more than a wine, is a cultural and sensory symbol. Its prestigious history, its unique terroirs, the diversity of its styles and the renown of its houses make it a treasure of French viticulture. From festive vintages to the most confidential, it seduces with its ability to evolve, to surprise and to sublimate each moment. From aperitif to dessert, champagne is an inspired table companion, a wine of celebration but also of great gastronomy. An invitation to savor life andlifestyle French style, a cup in hand.
Ema Lynnx
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