Does Champagne Go Bad?
With its fine persistent bubbles, Champagne is the ultimate festive drink. How do you know if a Champagne is still good when you open it? How can it be preserved so that it retains its flavour and effervescence? Vinatis will shed light on the matter!
Champagne best-sellers
HOW TO RECOGNISE A GOOD CHAMPAGNE?
Synonymous with festivity with its fine persistent bubbles and beautiful golden colour, Champagne is the essential drink to surprise your guests. But how do you recognise a good Champagne? Which glass should you choose to drink Champagne in? A visual, olfactory and taste analysis will enable you to recognise a good Champagne on opening.
The strength of effervescence
Champagne owes its fame to its fine carbon dioxide bubbles that make it sparkle in the mouth. But do you know where Champagne bubbles come from? The first characteristic of a good Champagne is its effervescence. Observe the size of the bubbles, how many there are, how regularly they appear, and the how the beads act. Very fine bubbles are often a sign of quality, long ageing and a beautiful aromatic richness. Next, the colour of the Champagne, whether pale yellow or golden, must be clear and sparkling. Note that a colour that is too deep may indicate the beginning of maderisation of the Champagne, or green, a sign of a lack of ageing. The effervescence of the Champagne, its clarity, the finesse and persistence of the bubbles, as well as the stability of the bubble rings, are the characteristics of a very good Champagne.
The freshness of the aromas on the nose
The olfactory analysis takes place in two stages and allows us to identify the freshness of the different aromas of the Champagne, depending on the grape variety, the vinification and the ageing. Citrus fruits and white flowers for Chardonnay, for example, raspberry and apple for Pinot Meunier, or red fruits and peony for Pinot Noir. By smelling the wine, the first nose will immediately identify the general characteristics of the Champagne and ensure that it is not corked. Then comes the second nose, which consists of swirling the glass to air it out and release new aromas.
A lively tension on the palate
The bubbles play an essential role in the perception of Champagne by your palate. The palate must be balanced by a lively effervescence revealing a freshness of taste and a finesse of aromas. The amount of time on the palate is also an indicator of quality. Like wine, the persistence of aromas on the palate is measured in Caudalies, the number of seconds during which the aromas remain in the mouth. A good persistence can be appreciated from 6 to 8 Caudalies, beyond which you are tasting an excellent Champagne!
The shape of the cork
The corks of old Champagnes sometimes lose their "mushroom" shape and adopt a cylindrical one. By observing the cork, you can easily spot if a Champagne is out of date without even tasting it.
CHAMPAGNE DEFAULTS ARE RARE
In some extremely rare cases, Champagne can present certain defects or imperfections. It is important to emphasise that Champagne, after the secondary fermentation, benefits from good conditions to resist diseases, because the carbonic gas protects it thanks to its natural acidity.
The various Champagne defaults
- Maderisation: the Champagne has taken on an amber colour and its flavour is reminiscent of Madeira wine.
- Corky taste: this defect gives the wine a corky taste and a pronounced musty smell which comes from a poor quality cork.
- Taste of reduction: Unpleasant smell of sulphur (rotten egg) due to a lack of oxygen during vinification and maturation.
- Taste of light: abnormal taste that develops after too much exposure to light.
- Taste of ferment: a very rare defect that comes from a bursting of the yeast cells.
- Oxidation: an oxidised Champagne is the result of too much contact between the wine and the air. Oxidation will develop aromas such as overripe apple, coffee, or caramel. A lack of finesse and freshness is a sign of an oxidised Champagne.
HOW DO YOU PRESERVE CHAMPAGNE AFTER OPENING IT?
How do you preserve Champagne bubbles? Champagne loses its bubbles in the hours following the opening of the bottle. The ideal way to preserve an opened bottle of Champagne until the next day is to use a Pulltex Champagne cork and place it in the refrigerator. This prevents the loss of bubbles fand allows the Champagne to be enjoyed the next day or within 48 hours. Unfortunately, the trick of the teaspoon in the neck of the bottle is a myth. A scientific study has proven that it is absolutely useless, even if this preconceived idea about Champagne is still anchored in our minds.
THE RIGHT CONDITIONS FOR STORING CHAMPAGNE
Champagne is a wine that can be stored in the same way as a Burgundy or a Bordeaux wine. However, an important difference lies in the cork used; Champagne is better protected from oxidation. Sold at maturity to be consumed quickly, some Champagnes can also be kept for several years in the cellar, depending on the type of cuvée and its ageing potential. For this reason, a distinction must be made between non-vintage and vintage Champagnes. A non-vintage Champagne can be enjoyed within 3 to 5 years, while a vintage Champagne can be kept for 10 to 20 years!
How do you store Champagne? For a good Champagne conservation, you should make sure to preserve it under the best conditions.
Temperature
It is recommended that Champagne be stored at a constant temperature of between 10 and 12°, whatever the time of year. Thermal shocks and high temperatures (20°C and above) should be avoided as they accelerate the ageing process and harm the quality of the wine. Cold temperatures slow down the development of the wine and prevent it from gaining complexity. If you have a cellar, this is the ideal place!
Noise and vibrations
The vibrations caused by noise in particular will stir up the sediment and spoil the ageing of the wine. Keeping the wine away from noise and vibrations will allow it to age better.
Light
Champagne is a wine that is particularly sensitive to strong light. Light exposure should be avoided as it can alter the taste and accelerate the oxidation of the wine. Transparent glass bottles must be particularly well protected. It is therefore recommended to store your Champagnes in the dark.
The position of the bottle
Storing Champagne horizontally allows the wine to come into contact with the cork. Thus, to prevent the cork from drying out and the gas from escaping, Champagne bottles should be stored lying down.
DOES CHAMPAGNE EXPIRE?
As with wine, not all Champagne cuvées have the same ageing potential. In addition to the storage conditions, which have a direct impact on the quality of the wine and the way it develops, the blend, size and capacity of the bottle also determine the development of the Champagne over the years.
There are three types of Champagnes that do not have the same ageing potential:
Non-vintage Brut Champagne
The most common Champagnes are non-vintage Bruts, blends from several different years and intended to be consumed quickly. These cuvées offer a continuity of taste at each bottling, they are a signature of the style of each House. With time, after 5 to 10 years in the bottle, the bubbles become more refined, the floral and fruity notes of the first years become more complex and evolve towards more vinous aromas.
Vintage Brut Chamapagne
Vintage Champagnes are the most suitable to be kept in the cellar. The production of these cuvées is longer. The ageing period is a minimum of 36 months as opposed to 15 months for the non-vintage. Vintage Champagnes can easily be kept for 20 to 30 years after bottling, the style will simply develop towards more vinosity and toasted notes.
Grandes cuvées and big formats
The Grandes Cuvées of the Champagne Houses reveal an immense capacity for conservation and the large formats of Champagne offer better conservation conditions. By limiting the area of contact with the oxygen in the air and the volume, Magnums and Jeroboams guarantee a slower development.
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