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Any advice on conducting a champagne tasting?
Select three different wines from one champagne House. Moet & Chandon's
Brut Impérial, White Star and Nectar Impérial wines are ideal choices.
In a tasting, it's best to begin with the driest wine, such as Brut
Impérial, follow it with a less dry one (White Star), and end with the
least dry wine, such as Nectar Impérial. Use champagne flutes, since
they best showcase the bubbles, clarity, color and aroma of the wine.
It's best to use a different, clean glass for each wine. If this is not
possible, be sure to rinse the flute with hot water between tastings.
(Do not use soap. Traces of detergent inhibit the appearance, rise and
persistence of bubbles in the glass.) This will help keep the wines'
flavors separate and distinct so they can be enjoyed fully. Serve mild
cheeses (perhaps brie or gouda), baguette and slices of green apple.
These clear the palate between wines, but won't conflict with the flavor
of the champagne.
Chill the champagne by placing each bottle in an ice bucket that is
half-full of water and half ice. Thirty minutes in the ice bath will
chill the champagne to the perfect temperature.
While your champagne is chilling, print out a complimentary Moet &
Chandon tasting mat. This will help you take advantage of the full
experience of a champagne tasting. You can take notes of your tasting
and compare them with your friends. This tasting mat lets you more
accurately keep track of each champagne's visual appearance, nose,
palate and your overall assessment.
Once your champagne is chilled, remove the first bottle you want to
taste and dry with a towel.
To open the wine, remove the foil wrap around the cork. Grasp the bottle
around its neck, placing your thumb over the wire muzzle and cork and
holding it tightly. Keeping your thumb over the muzzle and cork, loosen
and remove the wire at the base of the muzzle with your free hand. Grip
the bottle at its widest point and tilt the bottle to a 45 degree angle,
facing it away from yourself and everyone else. Holding the cork
tightly, gently twist the bottle. Once you feel the cork begin to
loosen, slow down and ease the cork out. Keep the bottle at a 45 degree
angle and keep some pressure on the cork so that rather than a pop, the
gasses escape in the form of a gentle sigh. This will prevent the
champagne from overflowing.
Pour a little champagne into each glass. Initially, you'll see the
effervescent ring of mousse just before the froth evaporates. By
swirling the wine up the sides, you will decrease the amount of mousse
when you resume pouring.
Observe the quantity and size of the bubbles. Usually, the finer and
more abundant the bubbles, the finer the champagne. The finest quality
champagne has bubbles that are neither too plentiful nor too big. So
look for tiny streams of lively, active bubbles.
Besides bubbles, color is another good indicator of the style and
character of champagne. An intense golden yellow color is the hallmark
of a fairly powerful, predominantly black grape champagne. A
greenish-yellow color is the sign of a predominantly Chardonnay
champagne. An amber color reveals a champagne that has aged for many
years. Like a diamond, a champagne's color reveals only a part of its
personality. You also need to consider its clarity. Champagne should be
clear and brilliant.
Fill the flute one-half to two-thirds full. This leaves room to enjoy
the wine's bouquet (80% of taste is aroma). The aromas you perceive as
you bring the glass closer to your nose may be discreet or powerful.
Your next step is to define the nature of the aromas.
Champagnes are complex wines which combine aromas attibutable to the
diversity of grapes and growths used, fermentation and tertiary aromas
connected with the aging process. Sparkling wines are less complex and
generally express secondary aromas connected with the fermentation.
Aromas sometimes suggest flowers, sometimes fruit. Some remind you of
red fruits (strawberries, raspberries, cherries and red currants),
citrus fruits (lemon, grapefruit), or white flesh fruits (pears,
apples), or perhaps the sweet smell of lime blossom, or the smell of
fresh baked bread or biscuits. Together, these aromas provide
indications of the three different grape varieties, Pinot Meunier, Pinot
Noir and Chardonnay.
What your nose detects, your mouth will perceive with still greater
precision. After appreciating the bouquet, take a moderate sip of wine.
Inhale a bit of air as well and roll the wine around your palate. The
air opens the flavors and allows all the taste buds (sweet up front and
sour in the back) to fully savor the champagne. Exhale slowly from your
nose to get a bigger flavor of the taste.
During tasting, you will experience three series of impressions, the
attack, evolution and the finish. The attack is the first impression you
experience as the champagne enters your mouth. The evolution is the
phase in which you can appreciate fully the diversity of aromas, the
acidity of the champagne, and its body. The finish (aftertaste) applies
to the impressions left behind after the wine has been swallowed. This
allows you to appreciate the persistence of the aromas.
Take a moment to think about the champagne. Be conscious of the varying
flavors. What was the first thing you felt? Was the attack strong or
subtle? Was it acidic or fruity? How did the tastes change or develop as
you held the wine in your mouth? Did you perceive a cherry flavor? Wood?
Apple? Citrus? How was the finish? Dry or smooth? What aromas and
flavors did the champagne leave you with?
Be sure to record each wine's characteristics on your Moet & Chandon
tasting mat to get the full experience of a champagne tasting. All the
impressions you've experienced with your eyes, nose and mouth allow you
to form an overall assessment of the champagne you've just tasted.
Together, these define a champagne's style. The notion of style is an
important one. It is the signature of the winemaker who blended the
champagne. It serves to define each champagne, as well as to distinguish
one from the other.
Move on to the next champagne, using a fresh flute. Again, if you don't
have enough, rinse your flute thoroughly with hot water, and repeat the
process. Remember, the point of a wine tasting is to determine what you
like in a champagne. It's very personal with no "right" or "wrong"
opinion. The important thing is to relax, enjoy the wine and your time
with friends.
For more champagne 'pop' culture, visit Moët & Chandon.
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