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Let’s make a reservation right away that the term “Champagne” can officially only be applied to white sparkling wine from the French province of Champagne, however, this name has long become a household name for all “carbonated wine”, especially in the territory of the former USSR, so in this material we will sometimes use the term according to tradition.
Definition
To be called sparkling, wine must contain carbon dioxide, in other words, CO2, ordinary carbon dioxide, which enters the drink in three ways:
- natural bottle fermentation;
- secondary fermentation in tanks (Sharma method);
- artificial saturation with gas (such wines are called “sparkling”).
The first method is the most expensive and slowest, the latter is the cheapest and fastest, respectively, the price per bottle depends on the production method.
Origins of sparkling wines
Apparently, the history of Champagne began in antiquity: then no one knew how the wine becomes sparkling, the saturation of the drink with incomprehensible bubbles was attributed to the phases of the moon, and even to the tricks of the gods. However, in the writings of professional oenologists of that time, there is no mention of “fizz”.
In the Middle Ages, sparkling wines were considered a hopelessly spoiled product, they were even called “devilish”. There was something: the nature of the bubbles still remained unclear, but the bottle that burst under the influence of increased internal pressure not only brought loss to the owner, but also gave rise to a chain reaction, as a result of which up to 90% of all cellar stocks could suffer.
Until the invention of the muzzle—a special wire bridle to hold the cork more securely—and strong glass (made in coal-fired ovens rather than wood-burning ones), such accidents were the rule rather than the exception.
In 1662, the Englishman Christopher Merret read a report in which he explained that wine begins to “play” because of sugar, and so the saturation of alcohol with carbon dioxide ceased to be a matter of chance and became a creation of human hands.
History of Champagne
Today it is hard to believe, but Champagne was not always sparkling: it was originally the name of a sour rosé wine from the Pinot Noir variety, which was made mainly by peasants. The appearance of Champagne is associated with the climatic features of the Champagne region: due to low temperatures in winter, the fermentation of wine was suspended, and in the spring, after warming, it resumed, and secondary fermentation was obtained.
It is documented that already in 1531 there was sparkling wine in France (made by the “rural method” without the addition of sugar), and in the XNUMXth century, the English nobles, who were fed up with luxury, who wanted to distance themselves from the common people as much as possible, began to pay increased attention to the French “pop”.
The seventeenth century is associated with the name of the house of Perignon – a monk who allegedly contributed to the development of sparkling wines in general and champagne in particular. In fact, the duties of the venerable Benedictine included just the opposite: he had to fight the devilish bubbles, because of which the monastery suffered losses, and the holy brothers were even forced to wear special iron masks in the wine cellar so as not to suffer from a fragment of a suddenly bursting bottles. However, Pierre Perignon really significantly improved the winemaking of the region, came up with the idea of corking wines with special corks and developed many technologies that are still relevant today.
Be that as it may, in the 1870th century, the strange, tongue-tingling and dizzying wine ceased to be persona non grata and became fashionable, and in the 1907s winemakers from all over the world came to France to learn champagne. In XNUMX, the Sharma method was invented, which significantly accelerated and reduced the cost of the natural process of saturation with carbon dioxide. Today, sparkling wines are considered a sign of luxury, wealth, an indispensable attribute of a holiday and any celebration.
History of sparkling wines in Russia
Russian winemakers did not lag behind European ones and willingly learned champagne from the French, so that already in 1799 the first official batch of domestic sparkling wines was released in Crimea, although, judging by the records of contemporaries, “effervescent wines” in that region were known as early as 1711 . The history of Russian “champagne” is also associated with the name of Prince Golitsyn, who made a significant contribution to the development of this area of production.
However, the brand “Soviet Champagne” itself appeared in 1936, when the post-revolutionary passions more or less subsided and prohibition was abolished. With all the relevance, the question arose: what should a simple proletarian drink at the end of a working day if he wants to have a cultural rest, and why are Soviet workers worse than their Western “colleagues”?
So in the USSR, the advanced Sharma method appeared according to the Frolov-Bagreev system (then improved to the “continuous flow” method), which allows you to crank out the entire champagne process in 3 weeks, and with it – affordable (albeit not very refined) sparkling wine for workers. The history of “Soviet Champagne” would be incomplete without talking about its name.
This trademark was not assigned to one plant and applied to all sparkling wines of the Union: in fact, from any grape variety and made by any method.
In 1997, the legitimacy of the name was rightly challenged by French winemakers, so now the term “Soviet champagne” can only be found in Russian writing on wines for domestic use. For the international market, the brand “TM Soviet Sparkling” is registered, in literal translation – the Soviet “sparkling” or “sparkling”.
France
In addition to the famous Champagne, the country gave the world other sparkling wines.
- Cremant – wine from regions outside of Champagne, has a light “creamy” taste (hence the name), is made using the champagne method.
- Limu is a sparkling wine from Languedoc.
Italy
An amusing historical curiosity is connected with Italian sparkling wines: in 1570, a doctor from Brescia named Girolamo Conforti wrote a treatise in Latin on the phenomenon and properties of sparkling wines. The very same alcohol “with bubbles” in Rome and neighboring regions appeared much later – after the development of French technology. So far, no one has given a clear explanation for this inconsistency.
Please note that “Spumante” and “Frisante” are not brand names, but the degree of “sparkling” (strong and weak, respectively).
Stamps:
- Asti is, in fact, the Italian analogue of French Champagne, in the sense that this wine is the calling card of national “pops”. Name controlled by origin.
- Prosecco is a light and inexpensive sparkling wine.
- Lambrusco is a red “Italian champagne” with a rich bouquet.
- Franciacorta – the wine of the “major league”, more expensive than Asti. Name controlled by origin.
- Oltrepo Pavese is an elite wine with the DOCG category. Rarely exported.
- Fragolino – the famous “strawberry compote” is not of the highest quality.
Spain
Spanish winemakers, like many others, were also inspired by the experience of the French, and the first sparkling wine that appeared in 1872, as one would expect, was called “champagne”.
In the 1883s, the name had to be abandoned, so Espumoso appeared, which later became the famous Cava (Cava).
