This is how Queen rules our Hearts.......

Méthode Champenoise is the traditional method by which Champagne (and some sparkling wine) is produced. After primary fermentation and bottling, a second alcoholic fermentation occurs in the bottle. This second fermentation is induced by adding several grams of yeast (usually Saccharomyces cerevisiae although each brand has its own secret recipe) and several grams of rock sugar. According to the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée a minimum of 1.5 years is required to completely develop all the flavour. For years where the harvest is exceptional, a millesimé is declared. This means that the champagne will be very good and has to mature for at least 3 years. At this time the champagne bottle is capped with a crown cap. The bottle is then riddled, so that the lees settles in the neck of the bottle. The neck is then frozen, and the cap removed. The pressure in the bottle forces out the lees, and the bottle is quickly corked to maintain the carbon dioxide in solution. The Vintage: The grapes are hand-picked in September – mechanical harvesting is forbidden as might mangle the black grapes and cause discoloration of the juice. Only grapes prime condition are gathered. This selectivity, so important for quality, is called epluchage. The premier producers use only the juice from the fist pressing, known vin de cuvee, to make their champagne. A subsequent pressing – premier taille – which gives slightly darker juice, is often sold to co-operatives to make their champagne or sold to concerns who specialize in making BOB champagne. In 1992 the authorities abolished the use of the deuxieme taille – thin pressing of the grapes – to be used for making champagne. This usually fermented and distilled into local brandy – Marc de Champagne. Fermentation: When the pressure juice emerges it is allowed to settle for about 12 hours, so that impurities and solid matter descend to the bottom as the vat. Fermentation follows in stainless steel vats at a temperature of 20oC (68oF). The resulting dry white wine will have an alcoholic strength of 11%. The wine is rested until the following spring when cuvee or blend is made. Ones the blend agreed by the principles of champagne house, the still wine is pumped into large vat. A controlled proportion of liqueur de tirage – mix of old champagne, sugar and yeast – is added. The wine is immediately bottled and crown caps are attached. Methode Champenoise: A second fermentation, which can last up to three months, takes place within each bottle and as the carbon dioxide is unable to escape chemically bonded in the wine. This slow process, known as presse de mousse (capturing the forth) produces a continuous stream of minute bubbles – the smaller and more intense they are the better. It also raises the alcohol content from 11% to 12% and the internal pressure to a peak of about six atmosphere (one atmosphere = 15 pounds per square inch). The bottles lie horizontally, piled high, resting on wooden slat dividers – sur lattes. The wine is now powerfully effervescent but it is not clear, as an opaque deposit of dead yeast, tannin and other matter has settled along the inside of the bottle.

Remuage: Remuage or riddling is the traditional method used to clear the wine. The bottles, still horizontal, are taken to a holed wooden frame call a pupitres. This is made up of two rectangular boards hinged together to from an inverted V shape. The holes can accommodate the bottles (necks inwards) in any position from the horizontal to the vertical. The remueur (the removal person) manipulates the bottles, turning oscillation and tilting each one gradually to encourage the sediment into the neck of the bottle. At the end of this skilful but labour-intensive operation, which takes up to three months, the bottles will be almost vertical and the sediment resting on the cap. Many firms have now replaced their remueurs with mechanical, computerized gyropalettes which can do the some job equally well in one week. The bottles may be rested –upside down (the neck of one in the punt of another) for some time. The minimum ageing for non-vintage and vintage champagne is one year and three years respectively. However, the maturing period is more likely to be three years from non-vintage and five years for vintage quality. Champagne producers: There are over 100 champagne houses and 15,000 smaller vignerons (vine-growing producers) operating in Champagne. These companies manage some 32,000 hectares of vineyards in the region, and employ over 10,000 people. Annual sales by all producers total over 300 million bottles per year, equating to roughly €4.3 billion of revenue. Roughly two-thirds of these sales are made by the large champagne houses and their grandes marques (major brands). 58% of total production is sold within France, with the remaining 42% being exported around the world – primarily to the UK, the U.S., and Germany. At any one time, champagne producers collectively hold a stock of about 1 billion bottles which are being matured, equating to more than three years of sales volume. The type of champagne producer can be identified from the abbreviations followed by the official number on the bottle: Degorgement a la Glace: When required for sale the bottles, still upside down, are passed along an automated line and necks are immersed in a freezing liquid of brine for seven minutes. The sediment is frozen into a pellet of ice which is removed by the process of degorement (disgorging). The degorgeur (the discharger) removes the temporary crown cap and the pressure of carbon dioxide within the bottle expels the pellet of ice. What is left behind is brilliantly clear champagne with an internal pressure of about five to six atmosphere. The little champagne lost by discharge is replaced by a dosage or solution of cane sugar and older champagne called liquor d’ expedition. The amount of sugar in the dosage will determine the style and relative sweetness of champagne. This will be indicated on the label. The bottles are now sealed with best-quality corks from Portugal or Spain and wire cages are affixed to hold the corks in place. They may get a little more ageing before being dressed - neck foil and label – for sale.

To be Continued..........

.......contd.....

"Champagne" and the law The Champagne appellation highlighted in red In the European Union and many other countries, the name "Champagne" is legally protected as part of the Treaty of Madrid (1891) to mean only sparkling wine produced in its namesake region and adhering to the standards defined for that name as an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée. This right was reaffirmed in the Treaty of Versailles following World War I. Even the term méthode champenoise, or champagne method forbidden following a court case in 1994. As of 2005 the description most often legally used for wines produced like champagne is méthode traditionnelle. There are sparkling wines made all over the world, and many use special terms to define their own sparkling wines: Spain uses Cava, Italy calls it spumante, and South Africa uses Cap Classique. A sparkling wine made from Muscat grapes in Italy uses the DOCG Asti. In Germany, Sekt is a common sparkling wine. Other regions of France are forbidden to use the name Champagne; for example, wine-makers in Burgundy and Alsace produce Crémant. However, some Crémant producers label their product in a manner apparently designed to mislead consumers into believing that they are actually purchasing Champagne. Other sparkling wines not from Champagne sometimes use the term "sparkling wine" on their label. While most countries have labeling laws which prevent the use of the term Champagne on any wine not from the region, some – including the United States – permit wine producers to use the name “Champagne” as a semi-generic name. One reason U.S. wine producers are allowed to use the European names is that the Treaty of Versailles, though signed by President Wilson, was never ratified by the U.S. Senate. The Treaty of Versailles included a clause designed to limit the German wine industry and to allow the use of the term Champagne only on wines from the Champagne region of France (which had been in the middle of numerous WWI battles). As the U.S. Senate never ratified the Treaty, this language never was implemented in the United States. Current U.S regulations require that what is defined as a semi-generic name (such as Champagne) shall be used on a wine label only if there appears next to that name the appellation of "the actual place of origin" in order to prevent any possible consumer confusion. Because the quality of their wines are now widely recognized, many US producers of quality sparkling wine no longer find the term "Champagne" useful in marketing. In addition, some key US wine growing areas such as Napa, Oregon and Washington now view semi-generic labeling as harmful to their reputations (see Napa Declaration on Place). The Champagne winemaking community, under the auspices of the Comité Interprofessionel du Vin de Champagne, has developed a comprehensive set of rules and regulations for all wine that comes from the region in order to protect the economic interests of that community. They include a codification of the most suitable places for grapes to grow; the most suitable types of grapes (most Champagne is produced from one or a blend of up to three varieties of grapes - chardonnay, pinot noir, and meunier - although five other varietals are permitted); and a lengthy set of requirements that specifies most aspects of viticulture. This includes vine pruning, the yield of the vineyard, the degree of pressing applied to the grapes, and the time that wine must remain on its lees while after bottling. It can also limit the release of Champagne into the market in order to maintain prices. Only if a wine meets all these requirements may the name Champagne be placed on the bottle. The rules that have been agreed upon by the CIVC are then presented to the INAO for final approval. Soviet Champagne: Sovetskoye Shampanskoye (Советское Шампанское, Soviet Champagne') is a generic brand of sparkling wine produced in the Soviet Union and successor states. After the USSR was dismantled, the champagne ceased production for a time, until private corporations in Russia and Belarus purchased the rights to use "Soviet Champagne" as a brand name and began to manufacture once again. "Soviet Champagne" is still being produced in Russia and Belarus today, using the original, generic title. Sovetskoye Shampanskoye is now available in Britain under the Sparkling 1917 brand. It is produced in Belarus at the Minsk sparkling wine factory, Minskaya Zavodvin. Sparkling 1917 is imported by Iron Wolf Ltd who state the product it is premium sparkling wine with all the qualities of fine champagne. To be continued in the Honour of Her Highness........

To Her Highness The BUBBLY QUEEN.....

Bubbly Queen

Prelude to Her Highness: You are in a wine shop looking for that “special” wine to serve at a dinner party. Before you walked in, you had at least an ideal of what you wanted, but now, as you scan the shelves, you’re overwhelmed. “There are so many wines,” you think to yourself, “….and so many price.” You take a deep breath, boldly pick up a bottle that looks impressive, and buy it, of course “Champagne”. Then you hope your guest will like your selection. Does this sound a little farfeched ? For some of you, yes. The truth is, this is very common occurrence for the win beginner, and even the intermediate, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Wine should be an enjoyable experience. By the time you finish this reading......., you will be able to buy with confidence from a retailer, or even look in the eye of a wine steward and ask with no hesitation for the selection of your choice. But first let’s start with the basics – the foundation of wine knowledge. Read carefully that follow. You may even want to refer back to this section occasionally to reinforce what you learn. In the Honor of Her Highness The Bubbly Queen , Champagne, Wine is a fermented juice of grapes. Fermentation : Fermentation is the process by which the grape juice turns into wine. The simple formula for fermentation is: Sugar + Yeast = Alcohol + Carbon Dioxide (CO2). The fermentation process begins when the crushed grape ends with all of the sugar has been converted to alcohol or when the alcohol level has around 15%, which kills off the yeast. Sugar is naturally present in the ripe grape. Yeast also occurs naturally, as the white bloom on the skin. However, this natural yeast is not always used in today’s winemaking. In many cases, laboratory strains of pure yeast have been isolated, each strain contributing something unique to the style of wine. The carbon dioxide dissipates into the air, except in the case of Champagne and other sparkling wine, where this gas is retained through a special process. Champagne Champagne is a sparkling wine produced by inducing the in-bottle secondary fermentation of wine to effect carbonation. It is named after the Champagne region of France. While the term "champagne" has often been used by makers of sparkling wine in other parts of the world, many claim it should properly be used to refer only to the wines made in the Champagne region. This principle is enshrined in the European Union by Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status. In Russia, Belarus and much of the former Soviet Union the name Sovetskoye Shampanskoye continues to be used, with the governments of those countries claiming that the rights to the use of the word “Champagne” were granted in perpetutity to the Russian Imperial Government by the French and that this cannot be rescinded. Champagne is a sparkling wine produced by inducing the in-bottle secondary fermentation of wine to effect carbonation. It is named after the Champagne region of France. While the term "champagne" has often been used by makers of sparkling wine in other parts of the world, many claim it should properly be used to refer only to the wines made in the Champagne region. This principle is enshrined in the European Union by Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status. In Russia, Belarus and much of the former Soviet Union the name Sovetskoye Shampanskoye continues to be used, with the governments of those countries claiming that the rights to the use of the word “Champagne” were granted in perpetuity to the Russian Imperial Government by the French and that this cannot be rescinded. Champagne is unquestionably the greatest and most famous sparkling wine in the world. It is produced 145 kilometers (90 miles) north-east of Paris in the following zones: the Mountains of Reims the Valley of the Marne around Epernay the Aube department; the Cotes des Blancs - so called because it is entirely planted with the white Chardonnay grape. The total area permissible for the cultivation of the vine is 34000 hectares (84000 acres) of which 28000 hectare (60000 acres) are in actual production. The soil is generally chalk of belemnite which offers good drainage and is ideal for producing light, white wines. The climate is chilly and cool with an average annual temperature of 10oC (50oF) - just one degree above the extremity for the ripening of grapes. The three grapes permitted are Pinot Noir (black), Pinot Meunier(black) and Chardonnay. The black grapes give richness, softness and predominance of flavor and the white Chardonnay adds elegance and balance to the bend. Most blends are two parts black to one past white, but sometimes champagne is made entirely from black gapes labeled Blance de Noirs. When made from Chardonnay grape only it is sold as Blance de Blancs. The vineyards are grade by champagne governing body, the Comite Interprofessional du Vin de Champagne (CIVC), from 100% (grand crus) to 80% (preiers crus). With relativ prices for the grapes per at harvest time. The CIVC are responsible for ensuring that the traditionally high production standards are maintained. They also deal with the general marketing are promotion of the wine – including the protection of the name Champagne.

Origins - Jean François de Troy's 1735 painting Le Déjeuner d'Huîtres (Luncheon with Oysters) was the first time sparkling champagne was depicted in a painting. The Black Sea is the cradle of wine-making and drinking in a tradition which archaeologists suggest goes back well over 5000 years. The Cossacks on the River Dom in the Crimea where documented as developing a sparkling wine some 50 years before the monk Dom Perignon first produced sparkling wine in France. The first commercial sparkling wine was produced in the Limoux area of Languedoc about 1535. They did not invent it; nobody knows who first made it, although the English make a reasonably good claim in that they added sugar and molasses to imported wine and bottled it. The English claim is given some substance as they had developed sufficiently strong bottles to withstand the very high pressures created by fermentation. Contrary to legend and popular belief, the French monk Dom Perignon did not invent champagne, although it is almost certainly true that he developed many advances in the production of this beverage, including the method in which the cork is held in place with a wire collar due to pressure building up during the fermentation process. Some people believe that champagne was created quite by accident, but no one has been able to prove that this is the case. Some others believe that the first champagne was made with rhubarb but was changed due to the high cost. Somewhere in the end of the 17th century, the sparkling method was imported to the Champagne region, associated with specific procedures for production (including smooth pressing and dosage), and stronger bottles (invented in England) that could hold the added pressure. Around 1700, sparkling Champagne was born. "The leading manufacturers devoted considerable energy to creating a history and identity for their wine, associating it and themselves with nobility and royalty. Through advertising and packaging they persuaded the world to turn to champagne for festivities and rites de passage and to enjoy it as a luxury and form of conspicuous consumption. Their efforts coincided with an emerging middle class that was looking for ways to spend its money on symbols of upward mobility." In 1866, the famous entertainer and star of his day, George Leybourne began a career of making celebrity endorsements for Champagne. The Champagne maker Moët commissioned him to write and perform songs extolling the virtues of Champagne, especially as a reflection of taste, affluence, and the good life. He also agreed to drink nothing but Champagne in public. Leybourne was seen as highly sophisticated and his image and efforts did much to establish Champagne as an important element in enhancing social status. It was a marketing triumph the results of which endure to this day. In the 1800s Champagne was noticeably sweeter than modern Champagne is today with the Russians preferring Champagne as sweet as 300 grams per litre. The trend towards drier Champagne began when Perrier-Jouët decided not to sweeten his 1846 vintage prior to exporting it to London. The designation Brut Champagne, the modern Champagne, was created for the British in 1876. Background: The wines of Champagne always had a tendency to sparkle. The cold weather of autumn would mute the fermentation process and the warmer weather of spring would rejuvenate the yeasts, causing a second fermentation to develop. At the age 30, Dom Perignon (1638- 1715), a blind Benedictine monk and head cellarer at the Abbey of Haut–Villers, recognized that this prickly wine had potential for improvement. He experimented with compensatory blending of grapes from different locations. He got bottle-makers to make stronger bottles so as to withstand the pressure better. He introduced the use of proper corks instead of the previously used oil-soaked hemp or rag stoppers. The combined initiatives were successful. Today Champagne can be a blend from the products of as many as 40 different vineyards. The bottles are strong enough to withstand as internal pressure of 6 kg per cm2, equivalent to the tyre pressure of London Transport Bus. Corks, of the finest quality, are assiduous in their confinement of sparkle to a life sentence in the bottle. History Statue of Pope Urban II in Champagne The Carolingian reign saw periods or prosperity for the Champagne region beginning with Charlemagne's encouragement for the area to start planting vines and continuing with the coronation of his son Louis the Pious at Reims. The tradition of crowning kings at Reims contributed to the reputation of the wines that came from this area. The Counts of Champagne ruled the area as an independent county from 950 to 1316. In 1314, the last Count of Champagne assumed the throne as King Louis X of France and the region became part of the Crown territories. Military Conflicts: The location of Champagne played a large role in its historical prominence as it served as a "crossroads" of sort for both military and trade routes. This also made the area open to devastation and destruction during military conflicts that were frequently waged in the area. In 451 A.D. near Châlons-en-Champagne Attila and the Huns were defeated by an alliance of Roman legions, Franks and Visigoths. This defeat was a turning point in the Huns invasion of Europe During The Hundred Years War, the land was repeatedly ravaged and devastated by battles. The Abbey of Hautvillers, including its vineyards, was destroyed in 1560 during the War of Religion between the Huguenots and Catholics. This was followed by conflicts during the Thirty Year War and the Fronde Civil War where soldiers and mercenaries held the area in occupation. It wasn't till the 1660's during the reign of Louis XIV that the region saw enough peace to allow advances in sparkling wine production to take place. History of wine production: The region's reputation for wine production dates back to the Middle Ages when Pope Urban II, a native Champenois, declared that the wine of Aÿ in the Marne département was the best wine produced in the world. For a time Aÿ was used as a shorthand designation for wines from the entire Champagne region, similar to the use of Beaune for the wines of Burgundy.[6] The poet Henry d'Andeli's work La Bataille des Vins rated wines from the towns of Épernay, Hautvillers and Reims as some of the best in Europe. As the region's reputation grew, Popes and Royalty sought to own pieces of the land with Pope Leo X, Francis I of France, Charles V of Spain, and Henry VIII of England all owning vineyard land in the region. A batch of wine from Aÿ received in 1518 by Henry VIII's chancellor, Thomas Cardinal Wolsey, is the first recorded export of wine from the Champagne region to England. The still wines of the area were highly prized in Paris under the designation of vins de la rivière and vins de la montagne- wines of the river and wines of the mountain in reference to the wooded terrain and the river Marne which carried the wines down to the Seine and into Paris. The region was in competition with Burgundy for the Flemish wine trade and tried to capitalize on Reims' location along the the trade route from Beaune. In the 15th century, Pinot Noir became heavily planted in the area. The resulting red wine had difficulty comparing well to the richness and coloring of Burgundy wines, despite the addition of elderberries to deepen the color. This lead to a greater focus on white wines. The Champagne house of Gosset was founded as a still wine producer in 1584 and is the oldest Champagne house still in operation today. Ruinart was founded in 1729 and was soon followed by Taittinger (1734), Moët et Chandon (1743) and Veuve Clicquot (1772). Moët & Chandon is a well known Champagne house in the region The nineteenth century saw an explosive growth in champagne production going from a regional production of 300,000 bottles a year in 1800 to 20 million bottles in 1850. Rivalry with Burgundy: A strong influence on Champagne wine production was the centuries old rivalry between the region and Burgundy. From the key market of Paris to the palace of Louis XIV of France at Versailles, proponents of Champagne and Burgundy would spar to get the upper hand. For most of his life, Louis XIV would drink only Champagne wine with the support of his doctor Antoine d'Aquin who advocated the King drink champagne with every meal for the benefit of his health. As the King aged and his ailments increased, competing doctors would proposed alternative treatments with alternative wines, to sooth the King's ills. One of these doctors, Guy-Crescent Fagon conspired with the King's mistress to oust d'Aquin and have himself appointed as Royal Doctor. Fagon quickly attributed the King's continuing ailments to champagne and ordered that only Burgundy wine must be served at the royal table. This development had a ripple effect throughout both regions and in the Paris markets. Both Champagne and Burgundy were deeply concerned with the "healthiness" reputation of their wines, even to the extent of paying medical students to write theses touting the health benefit of their wines. These theses were then used as advertising pamphlets that were sent to merchants and customers. The Faculty of Medicine in Reims published several papers to refute Fagon's claim that Burgundy wine was healthier then champagne. In response, Burgundian winemakers hired physician Jean-Baptiste de Salins, dean of the medical school in Beaune, to speak to a packed auditorium at the Paris Faculty of Medicine. Salins spoke favorably of Burgundy wine's deep color and robust nature and compared it to the pale red color of Champagne and the "instability" of the wine to travel long distances and the flaws of the bubbles from when secondary fermentation would take place. The text of his speech was published in newspapers and pamphlets throughout France and had a damaging affect on champagne sales. The war of words would continue for another 130 years with endless commentary from doctors, poets, playwrights and authors all arguing for their favorite region and their polemics being reproduce in advertisements for Burgundy and Champagne. On a few occasion, the two regions were on the brink of civil war. A turning point occurred when several Champagne wine makers abandoned efforts to produce red wine in favor of focusing on harnessing the effervescent nature of sparkling champagne. As the bubbles became more popular, doctors throughout France and Europe commented on the health benefits of the sparkling bubbles which were said to cure malaria...............

My Prayer....

MY PRAYER..... THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE AND WE WILL BE GLAD IN IT. O LORD OUR HEAVENLY FATHER, WE THANK YOU FOR THE SLEEP AND LIFE IN THE MORNING. WE THANK YOU FOR THE RESOURCES WE HAVE. O GOD YOU ARE SUPREME. WE SEEK “WISDOM” , FOR WHICH YOU ARE THE SOURCE, PLEASE REAP THE SEED OF “LOVE”, IN OUR HEARTS AND RESPECT TO OUR ELDERS. BLESS US WITH THE GIFT OF “SERVICE”, WHICH WE LEARN & OFFER TO OTHERS. O LORD, WE ARE YOUR CREATIONS. WE ASK FOR FORGIVENESS, FOR ALL WHAT WE HAVE DONE WRONG. AND ALSO MAKE US TO FORGIVE OTHERS. DELIVER US FROM THE HANDS OF EVILS. O LORD WE OFFER THE DAY TO YOU. ABIDE & GUIDE US. AMEN.

A.K.HAMILTON