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Champagne

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Four sub-regions, three grapes, the traditional method and dosage ladder, house and grower codes, then two verified producers.

All levels 119 min 16 steps About Champagne AOC

Part of France

Start

  1. Champagne AOC

    Region 12 min

    Start with the appellation: about 34,300 hectares in northeastern France, made only by the traditional method from three main grapes.

  2. Montagne de Reims

    Region 8 min

    Begin the sub-regions on the Montagne de Reims, the chalk plateau south of Reims planted mostly to Pinot Noir.

  3. Vallée de la Marne

    Region 7 min

    Follow the Marne west from Épernay into the valley with the largest Meunier plantings in the appellation.

  4. Côte des Blancs

    Region 7 min

    Then the Côte des Blancs, a chalk scarp running south from Épernay, almost all Chardonnay, with six Grand Cru villages.

  5. Côte des Bar

    Region 8 min

    Finish the map in the Aube with the Côte des Bar, on Kimmeridgian limestone and planted mostly to Pinot Noir.

  6. Chardonnay

    Grape 8 min

    Meet the grapes, starting with Chardonnay, which gives Champagne backbone, freshness and the Blanc de Blancs style.

  7. Pinot Noir

    Grape 8 min

    Then Pinot Noir, a thin-skinned black grape known for silken texture, vibrant acidity and transparency to site.

  8. Pinot Meunier

    Grape 7 min

    The third Champagne grape, Meunier: frost tolerant, late to bud, and the rounding fruit in many non-vintage house blends.

  9. Traditional Method / Méthode Champenoise (Méthode Traditionnelle)

    Wine term 8 min

    Next, the process: a second fermentation in bottle, ageing on lees, then riddling and disgorgement.

  10. Dosage: The Final Touch in Sparkling Wine Production

    Wine term 7 min

    Dosage, added after disgorgement, sets where a Champagne sits on the sweetness scale.

  11. Blanc de Blancs Champagne (100% Chardonnay)

    Wine term 7 min

    See Chardonnay on its own in Blanc de Blancs, the style most closely tied to the Côte des Blancs.

  12. Blanc de Noirs Champagne (Pinot Noir and/or Meunier)

    Wine term 8 min

    Its counterpart, Blanc de Noirs, a white Champagne made only from Pinot Noir and/or Meunier.

  13. Maison vs Grower-Champagne (RM/NM/CM/RC codes)

    Wine term 7 min

    Learn the two-letter codes on every bottle (NM, RM, CM, RC) and the house versus grower split behind them.

  14. Grower Champagne / Récoltant-Manipulant

    Wine term 6 min

    Then grower Champagne itself: vignerons who grow, vinify and bottle their own grapes under the RM designation.

  15. Krug

    Producer 5 min

    Now producers: a Reims house founded in 1843 whose Grande Cuvée blends at least 120 wines from more than 10 years.

  16. Pierre Péters

    Producer 6 min

    Close in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger with a family grower making Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs from its own Chardonnay vineyards.

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France

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