Champagne (beverage)

Champagne is a sparkling wine produced by inducing the secondary fermentation of wine. It is named after the Champagne region of France. While the term "champagne" is often used by makers of sparkling wine in other parts of the world, such as California and Canada, it should properly be used to refer only to the wines made in the region of Champagne, France. The community, under the auspices of the Comité Interprofessionel du Vin de Champagne has developed a comprehensive set of rules and regulations for all wine that comes from the region. These rules are designed to ensure that the highest quality product is produced and include a codification of the most suitable places for grapes to grow, the most suitable types of grapes ? all Champagne is produced from one or a blend of three varieties of grapes: chardonnay, pinot noir, and pinot meunier ? and has identified a lengthy set of requirements that specify most aspects of viticulture. This includes vine pruning, the yield of the vineyard, the degree of pressing applied to the grapes, and the time that bottles must remain on the lees. Only if a wine meets all these requirements may the name Champagne be placed on the bottle. The rules that have been agreed upon by the CIVC are then presented to the INAO for final approval.

External links

• Official site of the Comité Interprofessionel du Vin de Champagne trade association
• Official site of the Office of Champagne, USA
• Article on champagne from The Wine Lover's Companion
• Uncorked: The Science of Champagne, a book by a Université de Reims ? Champagne-Ardenne professor who is also a consultant for Moët et Chandon