UNDERSTANDING CHAMPAGNE

[Music] know your champagne Vine has been growing on the slopes of champagne ever since the age of the tradit traces of vine plants are found in the Indigenous Stone in the proximity of fossils of prehistoric animals the wine has subsisted Through the Ages men have fostered its growth here in this ancient Province called champagne 80 mi from Paris the Galls of pre-roman times were making wine 2,000 years ago today and for the last three centuries champagne the wine has been produced from Vineyards spread over a surface of 50,000 Acres [Music] any wine can be made to Sparkle but in these villages on these slopes and nowhere else in the world the combination of soil climate vine plants and man's devotion makes champagne nowhere else not even in any of those other famous French Vineyards one cannot make champagne in Bordeaux in burgundy nor in AAC for a wine to earn the name champagne it must come from these Vineyards of champagne precisely defined by French law the mountain of [Music] R the mar Valley the C de [Music] BL the Valley of the OB this area lies at the extreme climatic limit Beyond which the grape will not ripen and the vine will perish the covering of top soil is thin here the Earth must be frequently restored to compensate for loss by erosion why then have they struggled through the centuries to cultivate the vine here in the cold and in the soil that is so poor the reason is that the grapes which grow here are that much more refined underneath the top soil the roots of these vine plants are enriched by the substratum consisting of a very special kind of chalk which confers on champagne its inimitable bouquet and taste although growing under constant threat from the climate the champagne Vine is the best tended in the world before spring comes the plants are pruned pruned short in order to obtain less grapes but of higher quality that's not only the tradition it's the law for French law protects both both quality and tradition as late as May Frost can destroy the budding Vines the crop must be saved quickly in the cold of dawn [Music] at the end of May or the beginning of June the flowering of the vine is a harbinger of the Bunches of grapes to be picked a 100 days later from flower to fruit work in the vineyard is uninterrupted there is work to be done on the soil in protecting the plants against disease and parasites from Spring to Fall the slopes of champagne are dotted with workers some use Ancient methods others new as many as 10 treatments of sulfate may be needed during the season the grapes must be healthy champagne depends upon their well-being then as soon as the grapes begin to form the the vine is trimmed the long choots cut the foliage clipped back so that all the sap and all the precious light is concentrated on the fruit summer in Champagne is generally bright but not hot 10° centigrade is the annual mean temperature at 9° Centigrade the fruit will not ripen not a single ray of sunshine must be wasted a whole Year's work is rewarded by these ripe grapes these and no other black grapes from Pon NOA or p stock white shardon only these grapes are admitted to the aristocratic Circle only from these May champagne be made an age-old tradition has established them because in the soil of champagne these vine plants produce the maximum delicacy and Bouquet it is only at the end of September or the beginning of October that the grapes are picked in Champagne 30,000 Pickers come in from the surrounding regions of France to help the local workers very precise rule govern grape picking each bunch is examined and any unhealthy grapes are rejected before they are taken away to the presses as each small parcel of Vineyard is assessed for its particular qualities according to its soil its situation its exposure to the sun each basket of fruit known as the manin is individually labeled only grapes from the same parcel are pressed together for centuries the presses have stood in The Villages near The Vineyards so that the grapes do not have to be transported far and thus be impaired technical progress is only acceptable to the vine grower in Champagne if it in no way damages the traditional and natural quality of the grapes the work of pressing the grapes is subject to very strict rules first of all the presses themselves must have a large diameter so that the skin of the black grapes which helps to give champagne its individual taste does not stain the juice and allows it to retain its clear paleness a press normally holds about 8,800 lb of grapes called AAR then in order that only the best of the juice can be drawn off French law stipulates that several pressings should be made successively the two or three first pressings yield 2,000 L of juice known as the cuvet two further pressings produce what is termed the first and second tie or cut all these operations must never produce more than 2,666 L of juice for 8,800 lb of grapes classified by c as CU or Thai the must will undergo its first fermentation and become wine a great wine yes but only the raw material of a great wine for in the spring this wine will be selected and Blended Blended just as one Blends the odor of a perfume and just as perfumes are invariably faithful to themselves in their distinctive qualities so the blending of the wines permits each champagne to adhere faith each year to its traditional quality and taste the Blended wines to which a little cane sugar and fresh yeast have been added are then bottled the bottles are firmly corked and placed Below in deep cellers dug in the chalk these cellers first dug in Gall Roman Time Stretch far and wide today under the towns of Rance of of AI of shanos and the slopes of champagne a network of galleries extends for more than 125 miles at a constant temperature of 50° F sheltered from vibration of the ground in complete Tranquility the essential transformation of champagne is slowly achieved this is the second fermentation lasting 3 to 4 months the yeast particles acting on the sugar produce alcohol and Carbonic gas which imprisoned in the bottle causes the sparkling froth the bottle is at that time under an internal pressure of between five and six atmospheres thereafter it will rest quietly for about three years so that the wine May age the gas is then integrally mixed with the liquid slowly all the ferment all the impurities of the wine come to rest in order that these deposits May slide towards the neck the bottles are placed head down on racks this is where the expert r or bottle Turner starts his work each day he handles each bottle shaking it rhythmically until the impurities gradually collect in the neck 6 weeks to 3 months work for the r a good Solon can treat 30,000 bottles a day and there are 400 million bottles in the sellers of [Applause] champagne now come the final tasks the bottles are brought up to the discouragement area in order that the champagne may be perfectly clear the bottle must be freed of the deposit accumulated in the neck to achieve this the necks of the bottles are frozen in baths at minus 20° centigrade so that the deposit is imprisoned in a block of ice it is then easy to open the bottle eject the ice and with it the impurities in the course of this operation some five or six Cen of wine are lost they are replaced by a mixture of old wine and sugar the latter in growing proportion according to the requirement of an extra dry a dry a semi- dry or a sweet champagne next the bottle is corked with the cork which you will later draw with joyful anticipation one last check for clearness and Purity then the production of champagne is completed Now All That Remains is dressing the bottle but before offering its Delights to the Drinker the bottle must be allowed to rest a few weeks in peace and quiet in the cool stacked horizontally as you yourself would store it every year from the French province of champagne more than a 100 million bottles are shipped to more than 140 countries when you serve champagne cool the bottle well don't freeze it 44 to 46° F is the ideal temperature open the bottle carefully without popping the cork pour the wine slowly into fine thin glasses not saucer-shaped glasses but the elegant slender glasses as elegant as the wine itself which will enliven your f festivities [Music]