{"id":5594,"date":"2020-06-03T10:02:57","date_gmt":"2020-06-03T09:02:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comptoirdesmillesimes.com\/blog\/?p=5594"},"modified":"2020-06-03T15:11:06","modified_gmt":"2020-06-03T14:11:06","slug":"how-to-choose-a-good-champagne","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comptoirdesmillesimes.com\/blog\/en\/how-to-choose-a-good-champagne\/","title":{"rendered":"Champagne Guide: How to choose the right Champagne?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p lang=\"fr-FR\" style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"CENTER\"><span style=\"font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\">Welcome to the Comptoir des Mill\u00e9simes blog. Today, we're going to talk to you about the world of Champagne, and in particular, give you a few tips to help you make the right choice. <strong>tips and tricks for choosing the right bottle of Champagne<\/strong>. To your bubbles! ?<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 lang=\"fr-FR\" align=\"CENTER\"><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\">How to understand a Champagne label?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p lang=\"fr-FR\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\">Whether it's for an aperitif, a dessert, or to celebrate good news, there are a multitude of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.comptoirdesmillesimes.com\/champagne\">Champagne<\/a> to meet your needs. There are many indications on a <strong>Champagne label<\/strong> to help you choose the right bottle.<\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"fr-FR\" align=\"JUSTIFY\">\n<blockquote>\n<p lang=\"fr-FR\" style=\"text-align: center;\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><strong style=\"font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.comptoirdesmillesimes.com\/champagne\">\u00a0&gt; Discover our Champagne in stock<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2 lang=\"fr-FR\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><\/h2>\n<h2 lang=\"fr-FR\" style=\"text-align: center;\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\"><b>What are the Champagne grape varieties?<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p lang=\"fr-FR\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\">The three main <a href=\"https:\/\/www.comptoirdesmillesimes.com\/blog\/cepage\/\">grape varieties<\/a> that go into making Champagne are as follows:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p lang=\"fr-FR\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\"><strong>Chardonnay<\/strong>\u00a0The noble grape variety of the region, which gives finesse and delicacy to Champagne. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p lang=\"fr-FR\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\"><strong>Pinot Noir<\/strong>\u00a0which adds character and fruitiness to wines. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p lang=\"fr-FR\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\"><strong>Pinot Meunier<\/strong>\u00a0which adds fruitiness and roundness to wines. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\"><span lang=\"fr-FR\">You've probably seen the words \"Blanc de Blancs\" or \"Blanc de Noirs\" on a label. Ultimately, this refers to the color of the grapes used to produce Champagne.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"fr-FR\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\">A Blanc de Blancs comes exclusively from the Chardonnay grape, which gives a white juice and has white skin.<\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\"><span lang=\"fr-FR\">A Blanc de Noirs can be a blend or a single-varietal Pinot Noir and\/or Pinot Meunier, as the grape juice is white but the skin is black.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 lang=\"fr-FR\" style=\"text-align: center;\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\"><b>Champagne Brut or Demi-sec?<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"fr-FR\">In fact, there are 6 different sugar dosage levels to choose from. <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">But in 99% of cases, only 3 are used. <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"fr-FR\">The Champagnes <\/span><span lang=\"fr-FR\"><b>EXTRA BRUT<\/b><\/span><span lang=\"fr-FR\"> or <\/span><span lang=\"fr-FR\"><b>GROSS ZERO<\/b><\/span><span lang=\"fr-FR\"> are Champagnes with a sugar content of 0 to 6 grams per liter. They are therefore very dry Champagnes, much appreciated by connoisseurs as an accompaniment to an aperitif or a meal. <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"fr-FR\">The Champagnes <\/span><span lang=\"fr-FR\"><b>GROSS<\/b><\/span><span lang=\"fr-FR\"> must contain less than 12 grams of sugar per liter. This is the label most often used in Champagne, and one that will appeal to the greatest number of people.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"fr-FR\">Then there are the Champagnes <\/span><span lang=\"fr-FR\"><b>HALF-SEC<\/b><\/span><span lang=\"fr-FR\"> which must contain between 32 and 50 grams of sugar per liter. These are sweet Champagnes, ideal for desserts.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\"><span lang=\"fr-FR\"><b>Where does this Champagne come from?\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<p align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\"><span lang=\"fr-FR\">There's one way to tell whether the Champagne you're about to buy comes from a r\u00e9coltant, a n\u00e9gociant or a cave coop\u00e9rative. Find the little letters that follow, they're usually found on the label or back label and will tell you where the Champagne comes from:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>NM: N\u00e9gociant Manipulant : <\/b><\/span>These are the best-known brands which, unable to produce sufficient quantities of grapes, buy them from other growers in order to blend them.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>RM: R\u00e9coltant Manipulant : <\/b><\/span>Indicates that the Champagne comes from a winemaker's own vineyards and premises.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>RC : R\u00e9coltant Coop\u00e9rateur : <\/b><\/span>He brings his grapes to the cooperative and then takes back must from the winery, either in the process of being made or ready for sale.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>CM: Cooperative Handling : <\/b><\/span>This is a Champagne produced from grapes grown by members of the Cave Coop\u00e9rative.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>SR: Soci\u00e9t\u00e9 de R\u00e9coltant : <\/b><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">It's the same principle as a cooperative, except that the company's members are from the same family.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li lang=\"fr-FR\"><span style=\"font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>ND: N\u00e9gociant Distributeur : <\/b><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"fr-FR\">It's a merchant who buys a finished bottle, and sticks the label on his premises.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li lang=\"fr-FR\"><span style=\"font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>MA: Buyer's Brand : <\/b><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"fr-FR\">Very similar to ND. This is a Champagne that has undergone relabeling following the purchase of a finished bottle.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\"><strong>&gt; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.comptoirdesmillesimes.com\/champagne\">Buy the finest Champagne vintages<\/a> &lt;<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 lang=\"fr-FR\" style=\"text-align: center;\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\"><b>Why are some Champagnes vintage?<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p lang=\"fr-FR\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The mention of a vintage on a bottle means that <strong>Champagne comes from a single harvest year<\/strong>This is rare in Champagne, where the tendency is to blend different years.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Vintages are only made in great years, and above all on grapes and terroirs that can withstand long ageing. <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">A vintage Champagne must age for 3 years in the cellar after bottling, but all the great Champagne houses extend their maturation periods, in some cases up to 10 years. <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">This adds finesse and complexity to the wines. <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">If you see this wording on a label, you can be sure you're dealing with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.comptoirdesmillesimes.com\/champagne\">grand Champagne<\/a> with very fine bubbles.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\"><span lang=\"fr-FR\"><b>And where does terroir fit in?<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<p lang=\"fr-FR\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">It is possible to have a geographical indication on a Champagne label, and therefore an indication of terroir. In the 20th century, the 317 communes that could produce Champagne were given a score out of 100, which each year determines the price of grapes that a merchant must pay if he wants to buy from a winegrower. <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"fr-FR\">Of these 317 communes, 17 have received a score of 100, earning them the classification of \"Grand Cru\".\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"fr-FR\">44 communes were rated between 99 and 90, giving them the \"Premier Cru\" classification.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">For other communes with a lower score, no mention is made. <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The terms \"grand cru\" and \"premier cru\" are not the same as \"grand cru\". <a href=\"https:\/\/www.comptoirdesmillesimes.com\/bourgogne\">Burgundy<\/a>It's not a question of parcels, but of communes. It is therefore possible to have the words \"Grand Cru\" on a Champagne label, meaning that the Champagne is made from grapes from communes classified as Grand Cru, but it may be a blend. On the other hand, if a denomination is added to Grand Cru, then the grapes must come exclusively from the commune indicated. The same applies to \"Premier Cru\".<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 lang=\"fr-FR\" style=\"text-align: center;\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">A few must-taste houses<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Our cellarman recommends some of the great Champagne houses. Prestigious vintages from the estate on Comptoir des Mill\u00e9simes :<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.comptoirdesmillesimes.com\/champagne-tarlant\">Champagne Tarlant<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.comptoirdesmillesimes.com\/jacquesson\">Champagne Jacquesson<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.comptoirdesmillesimes.com\/barrat-masson\">Barrat Masson<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.comptoirdesmillesimes.com\/champagne-bollinger\">Bollinger<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 lang=\"fr-FR\" style=\"text-align: center;\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Order a Grand Champagne<\/span><\/h2>\n<p align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"fr-FR\">You now have all the tools you need to choose your bottle.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"fr-FR\">It goes without saying that each winemaker or house has its own way of vinifying its wines. So you'll need to try out several houses or styles of Champagne to find the one that's right for you. If you're looking for a place to buy the finest champagnes, whether brut, extra-brut, vintage or non-vintage, you'll find the most beautiful and the most affordable. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.comptoirdesmillesimes.com\/champagne\">Champagne cuv\u00e9es<\/a> on Comptoir des Mill\u00e9simes.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><span style=\"font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.comptoirdesmillesimes.com\/champagne\">&gt; Champagne's finest vintages<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome to the Comptoir des Mill\u00e9simes blog. Today, we're going to talk to you about the world of Champagne, and in particular, give you a few tips and tricks for choosing the right bottle of Champagne. To your bubbles! How to understand a Champagne label? Whether it's for an aperitif, a dessert, or to celebrate...<\/p>","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":5600,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-champagne"],"gutentor_comment":2,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.comptoirdesmillesimes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/comment-choisir-le-bon-champagne.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comptoirdesmillesimes.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5594","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comptoirdesmillesimes.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comptoirdesmillesimes.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comptoirdesmillesimes.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comptoirdesmillesimes.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5594"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.comptoirdesmillesimes.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5594\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5613,"href":"https:\/\/www.comptoirdesmillesimes.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5594\/revisions\/5613"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comptoirdesmillesimes.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5600"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comptoirdesmillesimes.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5594"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comptoirdesmillesimes.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5594"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comptoirdesmillesimes.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}