few words about champagne AGAIN preserved the story of the letter, which in 1840 came to Paris. The envelope bore the inscription "To the greatest poet of France," and then lived in the capital several illustrious. Alfred de Musset, who was awarded first shipment, ordered it to take Alphonse'owi de Lamartine'owi with the respect owed oldest, courteously told that this would give a letter to Victor Hugo. Finally, when all three collectively opened the envelope and found it with a certain dismay order for there iluś bottles of champagne, which came the well-known wholesaler.
Coupe or flute?
Although in the New Year and carnival beaded becomes the subject of liquor on duty, and trivial, but for two reasons I go back now to the issue. Firstly, at the end of the cycle of the labels announced separately to discuss the sticker on champagne - that word has been said - and secondly I thought that, although in general it has been written about as many words as the bubbles can be obtained from one-set, but it may have been in the bottle something on one or more of the coupe, or rather just flute.1
Well, coupe or flute? The old controversy, but you should drink champagne in flat bowls on a high leg, or in long glasses similar in shape to a V or large, narrow tulip-like, such as those used for white wines bordoskich? Opponents argue passionately flute that in the narrow and long drink pots of money is too abundant, and its enthusiasts show that in wide cups a coupe very soon die invaluable bubbles. Personally, I favor a cylindrical slenderness. Moreover, this kind of glasses are now used most often, but no rigid label in this matter is not included. Champagne is associated with freedom, carefree relaxation and do not need him to impose any rigid framework of morals, but because of his generosity certainly deserves a beautiful setting.
Bubbles dry and sweet
Which of the inscriptions on the bottle of champagne are most important? First of all, the word "champagne." As is known, only sparkling wines from precisely defined regions of the old French province of Champagne have the right to the name. It is rigorously respected. There is the world's many wonderful frothy drinks, various Italian frizzante and spumante or refined crémanty Luxembourg, but a true champagne is French, and only and only from Champagne. Therefore, the prudent manufacturer shall affix labels still on the place name and country of manufacture, for example, "Bouzy France" or "Reims, France."
Another standard information on the label applies to the type of wine, its taste:
"extra-brut" or "brut integral", or "brut zéro" - a very dry,
"brut" - a classic dry,
"extra-sec" - between dry and półwytrawnym,
"sec", also referred to as "gout américain" - semi-dry,
"demi-sec" - semi-sweet,
"doux" - sweet.
relevant terms in English, are
"extra-brut", "brut", "extra-dry",
"dry", "semi-dry" and "sweet."
The type determines the sugar content of wine, almost everything so he decides to end the stage production called "dégorgement. It is a procedure designed to remove accumulated in a traffic jam, and the resultant yeast sediment. You need to quickly open the bottle and cork as quickly, in addition to the loss drink the same amount of liqueur d? Expédition, otherwise - liqueur de dosage, solution of cane sugar, the old champagne, sometimes with a touch of brandy. In the case of extra-brut champagne only adds, sometimes sometimes underlined postscript "sans dosage. When szampanach brut happens differently vintage never sweetened, for the other, a tolerance of 0.25 to 0.5% sugar. Next percentages increased: extra-sec from 1 to 2 sec from 2 to 4, demi-sec from 4 to 7, doux from 8 to 12.2
It may be worth noting that sweet champagne, very fashionable 100 years ago, the favorite drink of the court Russian tsars, has lost much popularity. In the USA and England do not drink it almost did, and apparently Winston Churchill, when he accidentally tasted it, he ran just brush my teeth, although insiders say that this was the denture. This does not mean After all, that sweet champagne had its fans and to propose it, of course, the dessert cases, testified about a lack of expert knowledge, or a social nieobyciu.
Decides
brand of champagne on the label will not find the name of the tribe, but because it does not make sense to look for it. All are produced only in three varieties - chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier, usually mixed in a variety of carefully chosen proportions. The words "blanc de blancs" 3 means that the liquor was obtained only from white grapes, or chardonnay. It will usually finezyjniejszy, lighter, grateful to the traditional and "blanc de noirs", made from red vine varieties, characterized by greater wealth and power.
Champagnes are not covered by the general system of AOC (Appellation d? Origine Contrôlée), guaranteeing the authenticity of origin is the same word "champagne", and so have guided its selection from among thousands of wine bottles? Brand. Commercial brand of liquor. It just so happens that it will generally be the name of the manufacturer, founder of time, sometimes the company name. Here are some examples: Charles Heidsieck, Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin-, Pommery, GH Mumm, if less famous, though excellent Duval Leroy, Paul Pierre de Richebourg or Gimonnet. These inscriptions conspicuous capitalization, and at the bottom, now its fine druczkiem, we find, often preceded by the words "élaboré par plus company name and two letter abbreviation followed by numbers. This is a valid registration code, while specifying the status of the manufacturer. And they are different and we know about selecting wine.
NM - négociant-manipulator - is a merchant-producer, who for the production of champagne can use either the raw material from its own vineyards, as well as purchased from other winogradników. Actually All known labels fall into this category.
RM - récoltant-manipulator - is the owner of the vineyard, usually small, he produces wine from its grapes. It is worth to be careful, because among these small producers, which are crowds, there are artists and enthusiasts, the real creator of a little-known rarities. Some Ministers also place the company under the name of the word "propiétaire-récoltant" like René Geoffroy, a supporter of the old and the already rare production methods.
CM - Cooperative-manipulator - a cooperative production and trade. They are quite numerous, and many of them are an excellent reputation, such as the Union of Champagne Avize.
RC - récoltant-coopérateur - small grower seller under his own label, although wine from their grapes, but produced some of the cooperative.
MA - marque d? Acheteur. This period occurs when the buyer wishes to champagne wearing his name. Is a good recommendation? It depends. If the client is Paris' Maxim? S ", one of the most famous restaurants in the world, it certainly would be worthy drink, but if any of the big supermarkets - I suggest to remain vigilant. And what can
say about the wines, which, besides the word "champagne", wear only the name of the town or municipality, for example Avize, Ay, Sollery, and do not mention the manufacturer? In fact, they are also trademarks, so that common for a few very small producers. The buyer, if it is not superkoneserem, must be reckoned with surprises, as in plus, as in minus.
Cuvée
Company talks about its reputation and prestige, which of course is related to the class of the product and how to find information about both the quality differences in taste? In general, it appears on the label, albeit in a somewhat encrypted. The French term "cuvée" in relation to champagne has many meanings. One of them corresponds to the word "mixture". Specifically, although in simple terms, it comes to being a result of years of work and research kiperskich set of grapes and other components, from which comes the szampan.4 Any such compound has a different name, usually printed on slightly smaller letters than the name of the company. For example, Charles Heidsieck
. Blanc de Millénaires,
Pol Roger. Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill,
Pommery. Brut Royal,
Drappier. Carte d? Or. (It is worth noting that a particular fan of the champagne company, located close to Colombey-les-Deux-eglises, he was General de Gaulle). Sometimes the composition of the cuvee
is well known, you sometimes need to closely guarded secrets, but the name always is a clue. You just have to remember that a mixture of a certain brand I tasted more. Naturally, the proportions of the cuvee are not static, they are modified from year to year in order to reach the finals the same result.
For the sake of explaining that the term "cuvee anglaise" has a slightly different meaning - it determines the special blend, extra dry champagne, destined for export to England. It's basically extra-brut. Again
cru
Zawiłemu concept of "cru" I spent almost the entire episode in a series of labels (RA 3 / 2001), but I wrote it solely for peaceful wines. With regard to the champagne it actually about the same, which is a particularly good vineyard, as well as derived from its special quality wine, but there are some differences. You need to know that the community of Champagne and individual plantations are classified according to a scale known as the "Echelle de crus." The quality of the grapes are expressed as a percentage. The classification takes into account to some extent geography is primarily all price index, which will receive the fruits of this or other plantations. Winogradnicy commonly refer to her, vintners and merchants, and this is done every year before the harvest. The best grapes are entitled to 100% of the fixed tariffs correspondingly less vulnerable, while the lower threshold is 77%.
course, this classification have a significant impact on the price of champagne later, but whether for the amateur, has some value, since the origin of the material, and so it is hidden under the brand of wine, and the product is generally a blend of different crus? May have when dealing with récoltant-manipulator, because It produces almost exclusively from its own grapes. So, if the winery is located in the municipality listed highly in, say, Ay, then the probability of hitting the perfect drink is higher than in the poorly evaluated Château-Thierry. Some RM affix labels or inscriptions on its "grand cru" or "premier cru". They are allowed by law to determine the first scheduled for the champagne at 100%, the second at 90% - 100%. Aliści knowledge of wines, which I had the opportunity to find out for yourself, boring on the label, "is not an easy or a little science", in addition, again and again come up with paradoxes. Here is one of them, related to the production of champagne, which is the essence of art even after composing the various crus. One would expect that a bottle with the words "grand cru" will be more wonderful than that, bearing only the brand of the company, but often the opposite is true. Why? Therefore, the good coordination between the composition of several crus, each rated at 95%, can give a total of more than a qualitative effect of 100%. Whew! Odpocznijmy for a moment at these complexities.
Millésimes and diplomacy
This story I heard from one of my uncles further that before the Second WW participated in a variety of delicate diplomatic missions. How many of his relations took much skonfabulował for camouflage - I have no idea - I just know that he was a very zemocjonowany after reading the memoirs of a Briton linked to history:
- Just imagine - this cheeky Limey writes that the "code of champagne" invented a Czech ! But it's typical for them, if they can not assign the same idea, let the splendor of fall on everyone, not just on the Pole.
The Enigma was similar. And yet I knew very well the author and many a bottle, wysuszyliśmy Warsaw together in pubs!
intrigued me, this mysterious and dramatic entrance, so I pulled out the memories of his uncle. The history dates back to the early thirties, and her main character is always keeping some in the shade of a diplomat, a great connoisseur of wine, which initially treating the whole thing as fun, laid something like a secret code, used for mutual recognition to communicate and transmit messages. The system based on combinations of different vintages of champagne, its brands and other data from the labels. The idea was to be later used for some time, and how - will tell, but first you explain what it means in the case of champagne, the term "vintage wine." Well
for vintage millésime French, English vintage, it is only exceptionally good champagne collection. In general, the compositions are different crus, but always with one very successful year. When the vineyard for the year is weaker or even average - and a capricious climate of Champagne, it happens - its production to maintain the quality levels out older wines and labels make no mention of any vintage, in any case they should not. The recognition of the product for rocznikowy, or passing it to the category rarities, the manufacturer decides. I basically can have confidence in major companies, although some time multiplying voices, some szafują this distinction is too generous. There are a great year for the whole of Champagne and then many companies can let their millésime, tend to be such when they do it only a few manufacturers and the bad, when it decides to none. Wine vintages are always original, because they reflect the nature of the year in which they originate.
It must be borne in mind that everyone is born a long champagne, his perfection is achieved somewhere in the 3 - 6 years dégorgement, and then sometimes differently. Some are, some continue to szlachetnieją and worth to leżakowały a long time, but eventually they stop the development. Since then, the passage of time does not make the drink better, but the sooner the danger is growing maderyzacji. There are often old bottles, which opened after more than 20 years appear to be phenomenal, but it can happen to unpleasant surprises. Happens to it and rocznikowym.
I return now to the "code of champagne." He had to use it to require more knowledge than me drobiazgowszej short labels to describe, because the information was not only individual data, such as year, make, status as a producer, but their calls, all kinds of combinations. So let's say a password of your name, year and the term "extra-sec" constituted a form of information to the contrary, because millésime can only be brut. This is obviously a very simple example of the use of a code, but showing that it was not only a set of passwords used to identify (as in the Parisian adventures of Captain Kloss episode - "The best chestnuts are Pigalle"), but a more complex system of communication messages, mark the places, people, dates, and I do not know what else, because that ends all my knowledge about the case. I do not know why, as a large group of people with it posługiwało and where, I guess at most that the game would come mainly social situations, when the conversation or mention of champagne were justified. Curiosity struck me as interesting, so I decided to mention it in the hope that, as the Italians say - se non é vero Ben Trovato.
So many digressions about champagne and diplomacy - what else can I look for a label? Dates dégorgement. This infrequent information, and shall It is usually on high-grade trunkach. Manufacturer spaces to give the alcohol content of wine, which did not really matter, because almost always it is 12%, and the volume of the bottle. This is a pattern:
Quart (or quarter) 18.7 cl
Demi (or half) 37.5 cl
Bouteille (or bottle) 75 cl
Magnum 1.5 l 3 l
Jéroboam
Rehoboam 4.5 l
Mathusalem 6 l 9 l
Salmanzar
Balthazar 12 l 15 l
Nabuchodonosor
Personally, I would recommend when buying Demi Bouteille and Magnum, because it only takes them directly in the secondary fermentation, the remaining filled with bottles, pouring wine from the standard. Naturally, the Salmanzar whether dwunastolitrowy Balthazar look pretty smart as a gift, but for their content connoisseur looks suspicious. Therefore, they are still rare, and probably Nabuchodonosory in general have fallen into disuse.
Do we have anything else to check? Yes, eventually the cork. Under French law, it must bear the word "Champagne", as an additional guarantee of authenticity. But since you mentioned about traffic jams let me remind you at the end of that shooting them is not a good tone. The French say that champagne should only sigh, do not make noise and truly elegant opening is quiet. Of course there are exceptional circumstances and at their head the New Year. On the occasion of the one who is coming, I offer you, as a nice means of "Markets of Alcohol, wishes of many joys. As many as the bubbles can not sparkle in the coupe or flute, but throughout the Magnum.
Jacek Kunicki
first "Coupe" in French, goblet, flute - the flute.
second Arrow buttons are slightly different from the English translated gives a guide by M. Edwards Fri "Champagne". I resisted the French sources, roughly consistent with each other, though, and among them there are some differences.
third The term "blanc de blancs" is not reserved for champagne, more and more can be found on the labels of white still wines from other regions of France.
4th Such an example can be Krug Grande Cuvée forming a masterful blend of several wines from more than 20 crops and 6 - 10 vintages.
came from: http://www.e-drinks.com.pl/alkohole/szampan2.htm
