Champagne fans know that there are many sizes of champagne bottles. For example, the Champagne A Champagne comes in 750ml, 1.5L, 3L, 4.5L, 6L, 9L, 12L and even 30L giant bottles. So is the size of the bottle important for champagne? How does it affect the style of champagne?
Michel Drappier is the leader of the Aub River region in the Champagne region in the south. He is an expert in the production of large bottle (15L) champagne. Therefore, he has many interesting insights and facts about the size of champagne bottles.
Oxidation problems
Drappier observed that large bottles and standard bottles have a large gap in the capacity of wine, but their mouth sizes are the same, so the oxidation of oxygen on the wine during the aging process will be It is different. That is to say, the super style and standard style of the same champagne will have different tastes.
Fermentation problem
Drappier emphasizes the fact that every wine bottle is a fermentation container for champagne. Champagne has to be fermented twice, the first time is the same as the ordinary wine fermentation process, but the second fermentation is different. When the base wine is prepared, the winemaker will add a certain amount of sugar and yeast to it, and then place it in a closed wine bottle for the second alcohol fermentation. Due to the sealed environment, the carbon dioxide produced by the fermentation dissolves into the liquor, which in turn generates bubbles. The larger the size of the wine bottle, the longer the fermentation time, resulting in more complexity and a better texture. The second is oxidation. The larger the specification, the less oxidation. So by comparison, a large bottle of champagne has a better balance of complexity, freshness and strength.
Remove sediment
But the most common ones are standard bottles (750ml) and double bottles (Magnum, 1.5L). If the size of a common static wine bottle is just a matter of volume, then for champagne, the size of the bottle far exceeds the meaning of the volume. Because champagne has to remove sediment, when champagne removes sediment, a part of the wine will be sprayed out, no matter how big the bottle is, the amount of wine lost is always not too much. Wine bottles are relatively large, and the proportion of liqueur added to the wine in the bottle is relatively small, so when comparing the same champagne of the same brand in bottles of different sizes, especially when comparing half-bottles and double-bottles, You will find that the champagne in the big bottle is more dry and delicate.
Ageing problem
In order to test whether the size of the bottle can really affect the ageing problem of champagne, Epernay winemaking scientists conducted a comparative study on the same champagne samples collected, made and paid attention to in a specific environment, and put in a classic cork and Add a metal cap. Then after a year of aging, they offered the wine to professional tasters. Consistent with the previous results, the champagne in the big bottle is older than the standard bottle of champagne.
