Pop a cork! No, it’s not New Year’s Day already, but who would know as all of the days seem to run together, don’t they? Tomorrow, June 6, is National Bubbly Day, a day set aside on the first Saturday of June to celebrate all there is to love about that glass of effervescent goodness. Bubbly can come in the form of sparkling wine from the United States, Prosecco from Italy, Sekt from Germany and Austria, or Cava from Spain. Today, however, we are going to focus on the self-styled king of sparklers, Champagne from France.
History
Wine making can trace its roots back to Mesopotamia to a period as early as 6000 - 4000 B.C.E. While ancient Egyptians were the first to document wine making processes, the interest in wine making soon spread to Greece and throughout Europe. In France, wine making dates back to the earliest days of Christianity where it was used in the celebration of the Eucharist. Since that time, the methods of pruning vines; improved techniques with respect to irrigation, fertilization, and harvesting; and a clearer understanding of how the terroir, or complete natural environment or location of the vines, affects the quality of the grape, and in the end, the wine itself.
The hallmark of champagne or what distinguishes it from other wines is the effervescence. When the sugar found in the grapes is combined with yeast, fermentation occurs, whereby the yeast breaks down the sugars in the grapes and converts it to alcohol and carbon dioxide. In the making of champagne, however, the wine is fermented a second time - this time in the bottle. The carbon dioxide becomes trapped, thus creating the effervescence or bubbles for which champagne is known. (Another popular method of fermentation known as the Charmat method differs from the méthode champenoise in that the wine is fermented in pressurized steel tanks.) For more information about the making of champagne, its history, and its terroir and appellation, visit the website of Comité Champagne.
Regulations
The production and sale of sparkling wines, especially champagne is regulated here in the United States as well as overseas in France. Let’s have a brief look at some of the important rules governing the creation of this luscious libation.
France
France, not surprisingly, treats its food and wine very seriously. Following the demands of wine-growing associations throughout France, the principles of Appellation of Controlled Origin (AOC) and the Institut National des Appellations d’Origine (INAO) were created in July 1935. (The INAO has since been renamed the Institut National de l’Origine et de la Qualité.) On June 29, 1936, champagne was declared an AOC.
With this designation comes responsibility and regulation. Specifically for the Champagne AOC, there are regulations enumerating approved grape varieties; citing specific methods of pruning; establishing the maximum permitted yields per hectare, the maximum permitted press yield, and minimum potential alcohol content of newly harvested grapes; secondary fermentation in the bottle, and minimum periods of maturation. Thus, for a wine to rightly be designated as champagne, it must adhere to these specific rules and regulations and come from grapes traditionally grown in the Champagne region of northeastern France. (Apparently, though, there is a loophole that permits sparkling wines from California to be called California Champagne.)
To ensure the continued quality of wines with the Champagne AOC and to protect consumers from misleading claims, the Comité Champagne or Comité Interprofessionel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC), a professional organization of wine growers, reports any misuse of the champagne name and prosecutes any party that misappropriates the reputation that the wine growers in the Champagne region worked so hard to establish. Their authority to prosecute these cases is authorized by Article 13 of the Revised Law of 12 April 1941 (France). The CVIC is active in ensuring that consumers are not duped by products claiming to be champagne. Its website cites significant victories it has achieved in combating counterfeiting and misuse.
United States
In the United States , regulations governing of “champagne” can be found in several sections of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). Most of the regulations involving champagne address designations and labeling.
27 C.F.R. § 4.21 (2019) - This section addresses the standards of identity for several classes and types of wine. Champagne is a Class 2 , sparkling grape wine, which “derives its effervescence from the secondary fermentation of the wine within glass containers of not greater than one gallon capacity, and which possesses the taste, aroma, and other characteristics attributed to champagne as made in the champagne district of France.” Wines not conforming to the “champagne” standard may, in addition to sparkling wine, be designated as “Champagne style” or “Champagne type.” Furthermore, 27 C.F.R. § 4.21(b)(3)(ii) (2019) discusses the labeling of sparkling wines that do not conform to the champagne standard or use the “charmat method” instead.
27 C.F.R. § 4.34 (2019) - This section further addresses the class and type of wine and indicates that in the case of champagne, the type designation may appear in lieu of the class designation of sparkling wine.
27 C.F.R. § 4.24 (2019) - Geography also plays an important role in wine regulations. This particular section of the CFR regulates generic, semi-generic, and non-generic designations of geographic significance. Champagne, like Burgundy and Sherry, is an example of a semi-generic name that is also a type designation for a grape wine. The semi-generic designation is generally used for wines that have an origin that differs from that which the name indicates. For instance, using the example we have given above, wines designated as Champagne, Burgundy, or Sherry are typically more closely associated with the regions in which they originated.
27 C.F.R. § 24.257 - The last significant regulation governing champagne in the United States involves the labeling of wine containers. In general, the volume of the bottle determines the minimum type size that must be used on the wine container’s label. The label must also show the name and address of the location at which the wine was bottled and packed, the brand name, the alcohol content as percent by volume or in accordance with 27 C.F.R. Part 4, an appropriate designation of the kind of wine, and the net content of the container. With respect to champagne, the use of its semi-generic designation may appear on the label if there also appears an appropriate appellation of origin and the wine conforms to the standard of identity set forth elsewhere in 27 C.F.R. Part 4.
We hope you have enjoyed our little trip into the history and governance of champagne production as we celebrate National Bubbly Day. Wine making is a highly regulated field, indeed, but these regulations ensure that consumers are not being misled and are being treated to a sparkling wine or champagne of the highest quality. So, no matter what your bubbly of choice is, be it prosecco, cava, or Champagne, simply relax and enjoy this sunshine in a glass.
Cheers!
À votre santé!