Swide Magazine by Dolce&Gabbana

Love Champagne and fancy bubbles, but have you ever really been taught the art of champagne tasting? Do you have an idea of the world of possibilities you have when it comes to pick a bottle for a special occasion?

 

Following wine writer Peter Liem, tasting champagne is like going on a glamorous discovery journey where we finally understand why we love it golden or rosé. A real love for this fine sparkling wine made this born American journalist move to the actual Champagne region. His knowledge and his cultural background explain his genuine approach and place him as a reference among the champagne masters. If he does not produce any, he tastes them for us and reveals the brew from avant-garde growers.

 
Thanks to Peter we will be savouring and enjoying our sparkling “appellation controlee” wine this festive season. Why not organising a home tasting for some delightful moments of pleasure with friends and family? Follow Peter and get inspired.

1/ What is the daily routine of a Champagne writer?
PL: Actually, I don’t sell champagne, I only write about it. My daily routine involves a lot of writing, and also tasting a great deal of champagne. Among the world’s various job descriptions, I suppose that mine doesn’t sound all that bad.

2/ Could you describe to us the different steps in Champagne production?
PL: It’s important to remember that champagne is a wine, just like any other. It begins in the vineyard, where the grapes are picked and pressed to make a light white wine. After this, the sparkle is created in the bottle: the wine is bottled with a small amount of yeast and sugar, and the yeast consumes the sugar, creating carbon dioxide. These yeast cells also contribute to champagne’s inimitable character and complexity, and champagne is aged together with its yeasts for anywhere between 15 months to ten years or even longer. Afterward, the yeasts are removed through a process called disgorgement, and the bottle is corked and packaged for shipment to the consumer.

3/ What are the rules to follow when tasting champagne?
PL: I’m not a big believer in rules: the most important thing about wine is to enjoy it. With champagne, I do encourage people to think of it as a real wine rather than as simply a drink for parties or celebrations. Champagne is much more diverse and complex than most people give it credit for, and within the world of champagne there is a great deal to explore.

4/ What is the discovery path, does it start with the smell, the sparkling level, the first taste, and the long lasting second taste?
PL: Champagne stimulates all the senses: it begins with the sounds of the bottle being opened and the wine being poured, and continues with the visual element of the bubbles, which other wines don’t have. The aromas entice you before you even take a sip, and then of course you enjoy the flavours, along with the tactile feel of the wine on your palate.

5/ Any Champagne tasting tours you would recommend?
PL: I don’t know of any tours in Champagne, but if you’d like to go on your own, my friend Wink Lorch has an informative and inexpensive travel guide that you can find at www.winetravelguides.com.

6/ Do you believe in seasonal or yearly trends for champagne?
PL: Champagne has the fortune of being an elegant, refreshing wine, one that doesn’t tire you. Because of this, it’s enjoyable all year round. However, there are widely diverse styles within the world of champagne: some are lighter, some are richer, some are drier, others sweeter. I think that in the summer it’s nice to drink a youthful, vivacious blanc de blancs, for example, or a light-bodied rosé. In the colder months we eat heavier foods, and so the richer or more mature styles of champagne become more appropriate.

7/ How do you explain the recent and lasting popularity of champagne rosé?
PL: It’s been remarkable to see the increasing prominence of rosé champagne over the last decade. Part of the reason it’s popular is because it’s delicious! And it’s pretty to look at. But also, I think that rosé can form a bridge for many wine drinkers: some people prefer to drink only red wines, and find white champagnes to be a little too light. Rosé can give these wonderful pinot noir aromas and flavours while still retaining the elegance and sophistication of champagne.

8/ Any upcoming trends that you could reveal?
PL: The overall style of champagne is changing today, very subtly and slowly. Generally speaking, champagnes are becoming richer in body, with more prominent fruit flavours than they had in the past. Many producers are releasing younger wines, to preserve a freshness and youthful vitality that balances this ripe fruit. And many types of champagne are made with a little less sweetness now.

9/ What is it that you love about your job? And hate?
PL: It’s difficult to hate a job that involves drinking champagne! What I love most is exploring the diversity of champagne: there’s always something new to discover. As I live in the Champagne region itself, I have excellent access to the winemakers and personalities behind the wine, and it’s been rewarding to get to know these people and understand their wines better.

10/ What is it about the bubbles? Do you have some special criteria to evaluate them?
PL: People talk a lot about the bubbles in champagne, but to be honest, it’s very difficult to assess them accurately. You must have a very clean and well-polished glass, and any residual detergent affects the bubbles negatively. The shape of the glass also plays an important role. Personally, I don’t pay a lot of attention to the bubbles. A bottle of champagne contains an enormous number of bubbles—about 250 million according to one scientific study—and there are always plenty to be found in the glass. Even when a glass has been sitting on the table for a while and it looks like there is no more mousse, you’ll find that when you put the wine in your mouth, it’s still effervescent.

11/ Is the colour tone important?
PL: Colour can tell you a little about a champagne: a blanc de blancs, for example, will tend to have a pale and perhaps slightly green-tinted tone, while a champagne with a high pinot noir content might be slightly darker. But overall, I don’t think that it’s very important.

12/ For Christmas Eve in Milan, Paris, London, Shanghai and New York, what kind of champagne would you recommend for each one of these cities?
PL: Milan: Here, you’ll need highly sophisticated champagne that’s also a little bit out of the ordinary. Charles Heidsieck’s Blanc des Millénaires would be lovely, or a top-class grower champagne such as Jacques Selosse or Vilmart.

Paris: You can buy many types of champagne in Paris that are difficult to find elsewhere. Never heard of Benoît Lahaye or Roses de Jeanne? Look for them here, and many others, too.

London: Mature champagne would be ideal, one to savor slowly, to enjoy its complexity and character. Look for an old vintage, and if it happens to say Bollinger or Krug on the label, so much the better.

Shanghai: You’ll want to impress those you’re drinking with, so splurge for the Dom Pérignon or Roederer Cristal here.

NYC: New Yorkers are highly knowledgeable and like to be on the cutting edge. Try a wine from an avant-garde grower such as Jacques Lassaigne, Bérèche et Fils or Vouette et Sorbée.

13/ Is champagne to celebrate only or to enjoy anytime and anywhere?
PL: Champagne is certainly not just for special celebrations. In fact, few wines are as versatile as champagne is. Champagne is as delicious at lunchtime as it is late in the evening. It can be enjoyed on its own or paired with food, and it’s equally appropriate in the most formal settings or for the most casual of weekday nights. Don’t wait for a special occasion to drink champagne: opening a bottle of champagne is a celebration in itself.

14/ Do you like champagne cocktails or would you say that they spoil the preciousness of the champagne?
PL: I don’t typically drink champagne cocktails myself, but I have nothing against them. I would say that it’s a pity to use really fine champagne, though. Drink the Cristal on its own and use inexpensive champagne for mixing.

15/ If you should do an entire meal with champagne which one would you drink to start, for main and to end?
PL: As with other wines, it’s best to progress from lighter champagnes to richer ones. Start with a blanc de blancs and work your way up to champagnes with more pinot content, or perhaps vintage-dated champagnes that have been aged a little longer. Mature champagnes can be marvellous later in the meal, as age contributes a wonderful richness and complexity. Rosé champagne can also work well with certain meat and poultry dishes. Unless your champagne is sweet, though, it should not be served with dessert. A good rule of thumb is that the wine should always be sweeter than the dessert—if this is not the case, then it’s better to drink the wine on its own.

16/ What does a woman drinking a “flute” tells you?
PL: First of all, that she is a woman of good taste, as she is drinking champagne! It’s undeniable that champagne projects an image of elegance and sophistication. A woman in evening dress holding a glass of red wine just seems wrong, somehow.

Swide’s 5 Q/A:

 1/ A flute or a glass?
PL: Contrary to current fashion, most champagnes actually show better in a flute than in a wine glass, provided that the flute is neither too small nor too narrow. But for richer styles of champagne, particularly those fermented in oak, a white wine glass is often preferable.

2/ Magnum or bottles?
PL: As my friend Charles likes to say, “A magnum is the perfect size for two people, particularly when the other person isn’t drinking!”

3/ Crystals or diamonds?
PL: Diamonds, displayed discreetly, reflect the elegant sparkle of champagne.

4/ Sparkling or bubbling?
PL: Sparkling sounds so much better, don’t you think?

5/ One nightstand or one life stand?
PL: To have someone special to share champagne with for the rest of your life would be a wonderful thing.

Interview by Delphine Hervieu.

Follow Peter Liem on his blog: peterliem.com

Sources: champagneguide.net

TAGS: Peter Liem Champagne region france champagne appellation controlée wine writer wine journalist champagne rosé roederer crystal dom perignon benoit lahaye roses de jeanne bolling krug charles heidsieck's blanc des millenaires jacques selosse vilmart lassaigne bereche et fils vouette et sorbée rosé champagne flute magnum dolce&gabbana xmas 2010 xmas christmas 2010