Lots of people have written, blogged and videoed (is that a word?) about how to ‘read’ a champagne label, but they’re all talking about the label on the FRONT of the bottle.
Here are a few thoughts on why what’s on the BACK label is potentially much more important....
It’s odd to me that people so often speak of “wine and champagne” as if they are two totally different things. They’re not of course.
I‘m not suggesting that champagne isn’t a bit special – I love champagne and for me it has an extra magic that is hard to put your finger on - but when all is said and done champagne is only a wine with bubbles in it.
Yet some of things that you’d normally expect from a wine seem not to apply to champagne; take the labels for example.
The front label of a champagne bottle is always reasonably standard.
No matter what shape, or colour or size it is there are certain bits of information that must be there:
the word ‘Champagne’ for starters,
then the name of the producer and his registration code,
the content (usually 75cl / 750ml),
the strength in abv ( alcohol by volume, usually 12%),
the degree of sweetness, (brut, demi-sec or whatever)
and there are a few more things besides which can appear on the front label.
If you ask me, a lot of this stuff is there more to satisfy the regulatory authorities than to give any really useful information to the consumer, but there you go. The point is that there’s little or nothing, in all this lot that tells you what the champagne tastes like, which is really what you want to know in the first place.
That leaves you hoping that there’ll be a back label with some more detailed stuff to help you understand what’s inside the bottle and what it tastes like, but have you ever looked at the back label on a champagne bottle?
Actually it would be more accurate to ask ‘ Have you ever looked FOR the back label on a champagne bottle? The chances are there’s no back label at all.
Even when there is, it’s rare to find one that’s any help.
Yes, I know that part of the appeal of champagne is all about mystique, prestige and all that, but all too often what you see on a champagne back label is nothing more than marketing speak.
It might go something like this...
Champagne XXX is a blend of the 3 classic champagne grapes made with the utmost respect for nature and for tradition. Carefully blended by our Chef de Cave before being slowly aged in our cellars. Enjoy on any occasion especially as an aperitif.Sounds sort of warm and fuzzy I agree, but what does this actually tell you about the champagne and how is it any different from say 75% of all the other champagnes that are made ?
On a school report this sort of woolly nonsense wouldn’t deserve any more than a ‘Could do Better’.
This is a real shame and a missed opportunity for champagne makers because these days people want to know more about their wine (same with food and all sorts of things too) and they expect some sensible information.
Most wine makers seem to have cottoned on to this and put some helpful stuff on their labels, but not so when it comes to most of the big champagne brands.
Fortunately some makers are doing something a bit more switched on and I have to say that’s it’s often the smaller champagne makers who are leading the way- the so-called Grower Champagnes.
So what should the label tell you?
Recently I came across a back label that’s one the best I’ve ever seen so I thought I’d share it with you. It’s from Champagne Laherte Frères which has really caught my attention recently, but if they can do it, so can everyone else.
Don’t worry if you don’t get all the significance of what follows or if it some things seem a bit detailed – if you follow my blogs and especially if you join our champagne club, then all will gradually become clear
The Blend: 85% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Meunier
The type of grapes and more importantly, the proportion in which they have been blended, is very good indication of the style and so it’s one of the key things to know about a champagne.
The Ageing: 6 months in oak barrels followed by at least 42 months in the bottle in the cellars.
This is another crucial piece of the jigsaw
The yeasty, toasty aromas that many people associate with great champagne, only develop after a good few years ageing on the lees.
At the other end of the scale, a champagne that’s aged for the minimum time and no more may be what’s called ‘Green’: sharp, thin and too acidic.
So you need to know how long the champagne has been aged for, but very few makers tell you.
The quality of the grapesAnother good pointer to the quality of the champagne.
If the words Grand Cru or Premier Cru appear on the label, it means that the grapes used were top-notch. This is not an absolute guarantee that the champagne will be great too, but it’s definitely a plus point.
On the label of the bottle I am talking about, neither wording appears. That’s because there is 15% Pinot Meunier in the blend and no champagne with Pinot Meunier in it can be either Grand or Premier Cru ( champagne afficionados please don’t shoot me down on this one; I know there are some exceptions but the rule still holds true and this is only a short blog, not a book)
The dosage: 5 grams / litre
The Dosage is the small amount of liquid sugar added just before the bottle leaves the cellars so as to adjust the level of sweetness.
Most champagne is in the Brut category, but anything under 15 grams of sugar/litre can still be called Brut – that’s quite a variation, so you could buy a brut and find it’s not quite what you expected at all and worse, you wouldn’t understand why not.
So Yes. Brut is a good starting point, but something more precise is needed.
In the case of the champagne I’m refering to the dosage is only 5 gr/litre. That’s low, in fact it’s just into the extra brut category (<6gr/l) ) so you know that the champagne is going to be pretty dry with a distinct edge to it.
To add even more confusion, if you can bear it, 0-6 gr/litre can be Extra Brut as well Brut. Work out the logic of that if you can,
So all that information was conveyed in just 3 lines of short text and if there were nothing more than that on the back label, that would still be amazing and far more than most champagne makers tell us, but Laherte Frères are nothing if not perfectionists and for real champagne enthusiasts they add a little more:
Origin of the GrapesThe grapes come from vineyards in 3 villages in the area called Les Coteaux Sud d’Epernay.
This relates to the quality of the grapes mentioned above and, after a while, you get to know what grapes from different locations can bring to a champagne.
No malolactic fermentation A bit techie this one, but it means that the champagne may tend to have a slightly more fresh acidic bite to it.
Each champagne maker has the choice whether or not, to carry out the malo-lactic fermentation. Most do, which means the champagne may feel a little softer and rounder in the mouth, but some, including big names like Lanson and Krug, don’t; so it’s a question of style and has nothing to do with quality.
Age of the VinesVines aged 40 years or more.
Usually a vine is productive for no more than about 30 years before it is uprooted and a new vine planted. The older it gets the fewer grapes a vine will produce, so that’s not always the best thing from a strictly commercial point of view. But.... fewer grapes usually means more concentrated flavours and that comes through in the champagne, so there’s a real bonus in having old vines.
Wow, a whole story in a few lines and you’re beginning to feel a little bit as if you know the land, the wine and the maker.
If only more makers did that we’d be so much better informed and have a better experience too in my view. So far there are only a few makers who do this, but the trickle is getting bigger and from your point of view that can only be a good thing.
Stay Bubbly
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