Les Grandes Lignes

Champagne

A word synonymous with luxury, champagne is the purist's choice when it's time to celebrate. To be called champagne, a wine has to come from the Champagne region in northeastern France, about an hour from Paris. Winemakers must also follow specific rules to call their wine champagne. Only certain grapes can be used—principally Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Secondly, the wine needs to be made in the traditional method (méthode champenoise) involving a second fermentation in the bottle. Finally, wines have to age for a certain amount of time: 15 months for non-vintage, and 36 months for vintage. Available as white or rosé, champagne comes in a range of sweetness levels and tends to have bready, cookie-like flavors alongside fresh fruit notes of apple and pear.