Rosé Champagne

A pink Champagne. The rosé color, which actually ranges from translucent pink to coppery salmon, is obtained either by blending a bit of still red wine into the Champagne blend before the SECONDARY FERMENTATION or by leaving the base wines in contact with the grape skins for a brief period of time to absorb color. Because rosé Champagnes are difficult and risky to make, production is limited and the wines are generally more expensive than golden Champagnes.

In Champagne bottles, the punt (the indentation in the bottom of the bottle) is intentionally larger than other bottle styles, so that it forms a handhold for pouring the Champagne into glassware.

Answer: False.

The punt in a Champagne bottle is usually larger than in regular bottles, but the reason is to prevent the Champagne bottle from exploding. During the second fermentation, which ultimately gives Champagne its bubbles, six atmospheres of pressure are built up inside the glass wall of the bottle. The Champagne bottle’s prominent punt allows for more even distribution of pressure inside the bottle, preventing an explosion. Originally, however, the punt was a way of preventing the jagged pontil mark—the point left over after a glass bottle was blown and shaped—from scratching the surface of a table. Later, when bottles were made using a mold, the punt was kept to add stability to the bottle when upright, and in the case of Champagne, to disperse the pressure inside the bottle over a larger surface of glass area.

Muselet

Meaning “muzzle” in English, a muselet is the wire cage that holds a Champagne or sparkling wine cork firmly in place. The muzzle is important when it comes to safety. Even though most people quickly… Continue reading

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