Production and shelf life of champagne

Champagne is the most favorite drink that is consumed during the holidays. Now this sparkling wine is produced by many manufacturers. And to understand this assortment is not an easy thing. It can be vintage and not vintage. The shelf life of champagne can be two years, and maybe twenty-five years. There are many more nuances associated with this drink.

Champagne is a sparkling wine made in France in the province of the same name. As early as 1891, the Madrid Treaty was concluded, according to which only the wine of French producers can bear such a name. Although some countries are also engaged in the production of sparkling wines and call them champagne. But by right this name can be worn by wine, which was made according to very strict rules. These rules were established by a committee of champagne wines, and approved by INAO.

Grapes, according to these rules, should be grown only in the province of Champagne. There are some requirements to the technology of its cultivation. These are such as correct pruning of vines, harvesting and storage of crops, and other similar nuances. For the production of this sparkling wine , grape varieties such as Pinot Lesser, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir should be used. For this drink you can take both one and several of these varieties. And after manufacturing the storage period of champagne for its endurance should be not less than one and a half year. More than 19 thousand manufacturers are currently engaged in its production directly in France. They have their own professional committee, which deals with the development and protection of the production of this noble drink.

Each specific grape variety is suitable for the production of a particular type of champagne. Grapes of Chardonnay are white grapes. And from it, respectively, produce white champagne blanc de blanc, which in translation means: white from white. And of the red varieties Pinot Mignier or Pinot Noir produce white sparkling wine blanc de noirs, which means - white from black. Pink champagne is obtained by adding red wine to the drink.

A great influence on the quality and shelf life of champagne has its endurance. During this process, the drink acquires its own taste and unique properties. And although the deadline is a minimum of one and a half years, experts still disagree about which one is better. Some people like young and fresh champagne, others are aged and with a rich aroma. Many manufacturers have found a way out of this situation. They make their drinks from a mixture of old and young wines. These fluctuations in taste are somewhat smoothed out. And many of them manage to maintain the quality and uniform taste of their wines for many years. This is real art, which increases the shelf life of champagne.

Vintage champagne is called millezimnym. It has an exposure of not less than three years. And for its manufacture take grapes of the year when there was a good harvest. He has excellent quality and therefore a high price. On its label indicates, not only what shelf life is at the champagne, but also put the year in which they harvested a crop for it. And only on bottles with millezim champagne you can indicate the year of the harvest. It is manufactured using special technologies, and each manufacturer has its own name for this vintage wine.

It is desirable to store champagne for not more than three years. An exception is only its millezimous species. They can stand for more than a dozen years and it becomes even more delicious. But for this it is necessary to create certain conditions that significantly affect the shelf life of champagne. First of all, this is the temperature regime. It should be within 5-15 degrees. Also in the room should be high humidity, not less than 75%. Another room where champagne is stored should be dark and well ventilated. And only then this drink will remain tasty and bring a festive mood to your table.