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The GILBERT & GAILLARD International Magazine : Make some room in your lounge for WINE REGIONS from around the world
The GILBERT & GAILLARD International Magazine :
Make some room in your lounge for WINE REGIONS from around the world
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CHAMPAGNE<br />
– STYLES –<br />
Denis Bunner, deputy cellar master at Bollinger<br />
is deeper on the Montagne de Reims and in the Marne<br />
Valley the soils are more marly or siliceous. Generally<br />
speaking though, Champagne contains and displays a<br />
hallmark ‘chalk taste’.<br />
SPECIFIC TECHNIQUES<br />
To transform such lively juice and cope with the<br />
vagaries of the weather some years, Champagne<br />
producers use a specific method. The first fermentation<br />
turns the juice into still wine. Then time plays its part.<br />
By maturing these still wines, followed by a secondary<br />
fermentation in the bottle, the bubbles are formed but<br />
the wine also improves. Its sharp acidity makes way for<br />
appetising freshness. Also, the secondary fermentation<br />
produces more complex, idiosyncratic aromas which<br />
add extra palatability.<br />
Blending wines from different vineyard blocks, as well<br />
as batches of reserve wines from previous vintages, also<br />
opens up a complex array of aromas. Lastly, dosage –<br />
the final addition of sugar to balance the wine – offers<br />
12 WINTER 2021 GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE FRENCH EXPERTS ON WINE
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