Hi everyone, I will go ahead and kick this off for the quarter.
I've been reading the Bottlenotes text and have been fascinated by the way Champagne is produced. It is extremely tedious and capital-intensive if done properly, with the phased rotation of bottles over time, the aging of bottles neck-down, and the process of collecting sediment and disgorging. I did a few Youtube searches on the disgorgement process and it is quite intriguing.
It's clear to see why there is such a price disparity between fine Champagnes and low-end, mass produced sparkling wines that don't follow this same method of production.
Looking forward to continuing the conversation in class!
Some use the term Champagne to refer to sparkling wine. However, in many places in the world, it is illegal to label any product Champagne unless it is from the Champagne region in France, and produced as per the rules dictated by the appellation.
ReplyDeleteI am curious to what extent is pricing for Champagnes supported by the branding label "Champagne"?
Answer: a lot. To be continued...
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAnd to what degree does that pricing actually reflect a consistent delta in quality vs. other sparkling wines?
ReplyDeleteVery interesting topic. And there is a distinction to be made between (1) méthode champenoise, a production method which can be used to make sparkling wine and (2) the sparkling wines which are made in this method in the region of Champagne specifically. As an example, I have recently been impressed by some of the cavas from Catalonia. The more unique aspects of Champagne come from the effects of the terroir on flavors, aging ability, and acidity, among other characteristics. So although the terroir cannot be exactly replicated, the method can.
ReplyDelete