The northern most wine making region in France, about 1.5hrs northeast of Paris, is Champagne. This region is known for its high acidity.

Some interesting facts; the pressure in a bottle of Champagne is 3x the pressure in a car tire. There are about 49 million bubbles per bottle.

4 Main Areas of Champagne
Valley of the Marne
Mountain of Reims
Cote des Blancs
Cote des Bar

The three main grapes used to produce Champagne are Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay. These three grapes can be blended. One way to tell the blend is to check the label. Champagne labeled Blanc de Noir is made from 100% Pinot Noir. Champagne labeled Blanc de Blanc is made from 100% Chardonnay. Any bottle that is not labeled with a vintage, comes from multiple vintages. Typically 60-80% of the grapes from the current harvest, and 20-40% of another. All vintage Champagne is 100% from that year listed on the bottle.

If you see “prestige cuvee” on the label, it signifies the highest quality Champagne. It is always made from a single vintage and has longer aging.  It is made from the best grapes and only the first press is used. Typically these Champagnes are made in small quantity.

Terms
Taille: 2nd press used to make vintage and none vintage Champagne
Brut: dry
Extra Dry: semi dry (confusing, right?!)
Sec: semi sweet
Demi sec: sweet
Degorgement: when the bottle neck is frozen to remove sediment
Dosage: combination of wine and cane sugar added to the bottle after degorgement