How do champagne at the factory? How to make champagne at home?

Probably everyone knows this delicious and festive drink. In the CIS countries, it is also an indispensable attribute of the New Year table in many families - a tradition that developed during the Soviet past. But as to how champagne is made, which standards must be observed in its manufacture, as a rule, one knows. Let us fill the gap. About what is commonly called an effervescent drink in the whole world, and how to make champagne at home, we will tell in our article.

Terminology and technology

But first of all, what is considered to be champagne according to the international European brand classification. How do champagne in Europe and what is considered an authentic drink? This wine is sparkling, which comes from the region of Champagne in France. It is made from strictly defined varieties of grapes (we'll discuss this in more detail below) using the method of secondary bottled fermentation. And although the term itself in different countries (for example, in Russia, and also in Canada, and in the US) can be used by producers of sparkling wines, according to the rules of the brand it can only be applied to frothy drinks produced only in a certain area - Champagne.

"Code of honor"

For the production of a set of rules that determine the quality. Grapes and places of their cultivation are determined. Also, a list of requirements is set for the very process of collecting raw materials, pressing, minimum aging, draft. All of them are approved by a special institution, only with full observance of the drink has the right to be called "champagne".

How do they make champagne? Preparation for exposure

But what is the originality of the process itself? How do real champagne in France? Typically, for production can be used grape varieties Chardonnay, Pinot noir and Meunier (although the code and allows for as many as seven varieties). Sometimes it is manufactured and monosortovoy, where only one sort of vine is used as raw material. And the whole harvest of sunny berries must be collected by hand! After that, easy extraction of raw materials is used.

How do champagne at the factory?

Then everything happens according to strictly regulated technology. Professionals call this method bottle fermentation. It requires close attention and considerable expenses, being very labor-intensive and specific, but, as they say, the end justifies the means. After all, only this method, experts say, winemakers, you can get a real fizzy drink.

1. From the juice that is obtained by pressing, first make dry wine. Its acidity is high, but rather low content of alcohols.
2. Wines are mixed in proportions (recipes are kept secret and are a trade secret), a bouquet of wines is brought to taste perfection. In some cases, as already noted above, sparkling can be produced from wine of one kind.
3. The mixture of wines is moved to thick-walled bottles, specially designed for champagne. In each of the tanks is additionally laid the so-called circulation liqueur. It consists of a syrup based on grapes, yeast of wine, more aged wines.
4. Bottles tightly closed and laid in the cellar in a horizontal position.
5. Thanks to the liquor added to the raw materials, fermentation starts again, the result is the release of carbon dioxide in the form of gases. But since the containers are tightly sealed, carbon dioxide saturates the wine itself, making it effervescent, sparkling.
6. The fermentation process is completed, and a powdery precipitate appears in the bottles (on the walls).
7. Further, the bottles are kept for quite a long time in the cellars (this is called "aging on sediment"). During this time, the drink acquires a full taste, saturated with aromas of nuts and bread notes, flavors of sweet baking. All these factors are factors by which true connoisseurs then determine the taste of a genuine drink.

First remedy

Here in brief and the whole description of the process, as do champagne. The only thing you forgot to mention: after the wine finally ripened, to remove the sediment from the bottle, apply a special procedure called remuage. Remur (specialist, its producer) sets the bottles down with a neck in special music stands, which support a 45 degree angle of inclination. The bottles are rotated so that the sediment moves to the plug, neatly and daily. Usually this process takes 2 to 3 months. The result is that all the impurities are removed to the plug.

Then disgorge

Disgorging is to quickly remove the sediment from the bottle without releasing carbon dioxide. To do this, the precipitate in the neck is frozen, and the master must quickly uncork the container and discard the sediment. Then the bottle is topped up and re-sealed.

At home

Now some tips on how to make champagne at home, if you want to make a famous foam drink with your own hands. Of course, the true French taste is difficult to achieve, because it requires strict adherence to blending and technology. But quite a decent sparkling wine with a certain effort of the winemaker will necessarily. There are several ways. Let's consider each of them in more detail.

Natural

First, you need to prepare a young wine from the grapes of the above varieties (you can take one - Chardonnay). Then, a weak young wine is bottled in champagne bottles (with thick walls). How to make homemade champagne? In each container, pre-sprinkle a spoonful of sugar and throw a few unwashed crumpled fresh grapes (they have on the surface are wine yeast). We cork the bottles. We lay them horizontally in a warm place, where they should lie for 2-3 months (and more). After that, we set the bottles with the neck down, so that the formed sediment passes to the plug and gathers there. It will be removed fairly simply, but you need to try to do it without loss, and then add wine and cork. Put in a cool place for further exposure (2-4 months).

Artificial

The next way is like doing "Soviet champagne" (but not what was in stagnant years, according to GOST, and "burned" - after the collapse of the Union of Republics). This wine is artificially saturated with carbon dioxide. Do it at home, you can, bay in the siphon (who he still survived) wine and refilling the can of gas. When the lever is pressed, a carbonated liquid that resembles champagne will escape. There are more modern methods of saturation. But I think this method of champagne is suitable only for those who do not appreciate the taste and aromatic qualities of a genuine French drink.