Discover Champagne in six wines
‘Tis the season for Champagne wines! Let’s shine the spotlight on this most iconic of wine regions.
The Champagne region lies around 100 miles from Paris in northeastern France, with its main centers the cities of Reims, Épernay, and Troyes. Covering 34,300 hectares of gently rolling hills across four sub-regions of Montagne de Reims, Marne Valley, Côte des Blancs, and Côte des Bar, it encompasses 319 villages and over 280,000 individual vineyard plots cultivated by 320 producers. These range from multi-hectare holdings owned by big houses to plots no larger than a tennis court tended by grower Champagne producers.
The appeal of this traditional method sparkling as a glamorous, celebratory wine is legendary, accounting for 60% of sales coming from exports, an annual production surpassing 300 million bottles, and a revenue exceeding €5 billion. Its name is synonymous with sparkle created from double fermentation and the age-old tradition of blending and aging in deep, vast, cool cellars.
This historic, cultural, and gastronomic tradition is overseen by the umbrella organization, the Comité Champagne, in cooperation with the Syndicat Général de Vignerons de Champagne (SGV) and the Union des Maisons de Champagne (UMC).
With timeless allure driven by prestigious houses such as Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, Bollinger, Krug, and Ruinart, alongside thousands of dedicated grower-producers, it’s not surprising that an estimated ten bottles of this French sparkling wine are popped open every second somewhere in the world!
Fast facts
Name: The region’s name has its roots in the Latin word “campania”, which the Romans used to describe the rolling, chalky hills of the region.
Location: The Champagne region is located in northeast France and covers 34,000 hectares of vines.
Climate & soil: The region enjoys a cool continental climate that ensures the acidity needed for sparkling wine production and the marl, limestone, and chalk soils that support good drainage.
Appellation: The Champagne appellation AOC status was granted in 1936. It was established that only sparkling wines produced in the region could take the name. This was followed in 1973 by Champagne’s PDO registration. The Comité Champagne is vigilant about protecting its famous product's name, spending around $1,150,000 annually on the mission.
Grapes: Pinot Noir (38%), Chardonnay (31%), and (Pinot) Meunier (31%) are the holy trinity of Champagne production. Five other varieties are also permitted in Champagne production: Arbane, Petit Meslier, Chardonnay Rose, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Gris represent around 0.3% of plantings.
Styles: Champagne appears in several styles that reflect the grape blend and year. These are:
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Vintage Champagne: Made in exceptional years.
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Non-Vintage (NV) Champagne: Blends drawn from base wines from multiple years, which, for big names, is often the “house style”.
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Blanc de Blancs: Made 100% from Chardonnay with a finessed, citrusy, mineral profile.
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Blanc de Noirs: Pinot Noir or Pinot Meunier Champagnes, with a red fruit, fuller character.
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Rosé: Made by blending red and white base wine or using skin contact, with fresh, elegant red berry notes.
Dryness: Champagne is made in seven sweetness levels, ranging from bone dry to sweet. These are:
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Brut Nature or Brut Zéro: 0–3 g/L sugar. No added dosage.
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Extra Brut: 0–6 g/L sugar. Very dry.
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Brut: 0–12 g/L sugar. This is the most common style.
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Extra Dry or Extra Sec: 12–17 g/L sugar. Off-dry.
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Sec:17–32 g/L sugar. Noticeably sweet.
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Demi-Sec: 32–50 g/L sugar. Quite sweet and often paired with dessert.
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Doux: 50+ g/L sugar. Sweetest Champagne style.
Food pairing: Champagne is equally at home as an aperitif as on the dinner table. Its versatility makes it ideal for dishes ranging from seafood and creamy pastas to fried chicken and sushi. The sweeter styles are perfect for pavlova, fruit salad, and strawberry shortcake.
Fun fact: The pressure inside a bottle of Champagne is around three times that of a car tire, or 6 atmospheres.
We’ve selected a range of this famous fizz from standout regions and styles for your enjoyment. Santé!
Indulge in the wines:
Blanc de Blancs – Agrapart, Venus, 2013
Admired for its terroir-driven wines, grower-producer Agrapart, based in Avize, is a master of Blanc de Blancs, Chardonnay Champagne styles that combine depth, freshness, precision, and vibrant minerality in every bottle.
This no-dosage Blanc de Blancs is crafted from upper-slope fruit nourished by chalky, clay soils. Aromas of white peach and lemon cream are balanced by gentle savory, nutty hints. On the mouth, it’s satiny and supple, with a creamy heart of blood orange that opens into a long, dry, and chalk-rich, finessed finish.
Blanc de Noirs – Cedric Bouchard, Blanc de Noirs, 2017
Cédric Bouchard is an innovative Champagne grower-producer acclaimed for his minimal-interventionist, terroir-driven Roses de Jeanne wines.
These wines hail from tiny, distinct parcels, with the 2017 Blanc de Noirs Les Ursules displaying refined pear, mandarin and stone-fruit, freshly-baked bread, and pastry cream. A concentration and precision typical of a Blanc de Noirs palate, is lifted by vibrant acidity, a signature feature of the Les Ursules site.
Vintage Champagne – Bollinger, James Bond 007 Millesime, 2009
Bollinger is a legendary Champagne house revered for its Pinot Noir–driven style and association with arch spy, James Bond, a.k.a. 007. Founded in 1829 and based in Aÿ, just outside Épernay, the house produces layered, full-bodied wines with depth, elegance, and complexity.
Bollinger’s 2009 Millésime Edition Limitée 007 features Pinot Noir (68%) and Chardonnay (32%) from Grands Cru sites, displaying refined aromas of ripe fruit, cherry notes in a balanced palate with fine bubbles, and a powerful, elegant finish.
Grower Champagne – Egly-Ouriet, Brut Millesime, 2008
Based in Ambonnay in the Montagne de Reims, Egly-Ouriet is a celebrated récoltant-manipulant (grower-producer), renowned for bold Champagnes displaying elegant precision and a sense of place.
The 2008 Brut Millésime showcases harmonious aromas of pear, apple,citrus, honey, pralines, and fresh mint in an elegantly muscular, full-bodied, complex palate, with lively acidity, and an endless, precise finish. Garnering heady scores, this Champagne showcases the delicious heights that the region’s grower-producers can reach.
Prestige Cuvée – N.V., Krug, Grande Cuvée Edition 166
Krug is a prestigious Champagne house founded in 1843 and based in Reims. It’s famed for producing luxurious, complex, and precisely crafted sparkling wines that balance depth, elegance, and poise.
A blend of Pinot Noir (45%), Chardonnay (39%), and Pinot Meunier (16%), this Grand Cuvée displays intense white blossom, honey, jasmine, yellow fruit, and toasty notes in a concentrated, pure, tense palate with a deep, layered finish.
Rosé Champagne – Billecart Salmon, Elisabeth Salmon Brut Rosé, 2006
Established in 1818, Billecart-Salmon, based in Épernay, is an iconic family-owned house admired for its precise, elegant, and harmonious Champagnes.
This fruity and finessed example of rosé sparkling, the 2006 Elisabeth Salmon Brut Rosé, features fresh and fleshy red cherry, tangy raspberry, and strawberry, with hints of cinnamon, and baking spice, all closing with a hint of chocolate.
There’s so much to explore in the world of Champagne! Which style is going to grace your table over the holidays?
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