Blanc de Blancs

Blanc de Blancs. Champagne produced on White Grapes only.

Typical Flavors

Blanc de Blancs has less Fruit and more Citrus than traditional Champagne:

Lemon

Lime

Apple

Pear

Fermentation Flavors

Vanilla

Bread

Almonds

Citrus and Green Fruit are typical Blanc de Blancs flavors.

Fermentation flavors of Vanilla, Yeast, and Almonds.

Profile

Blanc de Blancs is lighter and dryer than Champagne.

Dry

Light

Low

High

Serving temperature:
8-10°C (46-50°F)

Food Pairing

You can drink sparkling wine to almost everything.

Whether it is French Champagne, Spanish Cava or Italian Prosecco.

Aperitif

Salads

Tapas

Fries

Seafood

Oysters

Fish

Sushi

Chicken

Pork

Egg Dishes

Pasta

Sparkling wine pairs well with salty food, because the bubbles break up the salt in the mouth.

The acidity and bubbles also pair well with light dishes and fried seafood.

Pairing Suggestions

Excellent Pairing:
Green Salad. Fries.
Seafood. Oysters. Clams.
Fried Fish. Fried Chicken.
Egg Dishes. Pasta.
Sushi. Sashimi.

Cheese:
Soft and Fresh Cheeses.
Brie. Camembert. Washed-Rind. Chaource.
Feta. Chèvre. Creamy Blue.

Blanc de Blancs

Blanc de Blancs means "White from Whites".

Only White grapes are used in the production.

The main grape is Chardonnay.

It can also be another grape like Pinot Blanc, or a blend.

In Spain they use Spanish grapes like Macabeo, Parellada, and Xarel-lo.

In Germany they often use Riesling.

In South Africa they often use Chenin Blanc.

Blanc de Noir

Blanc de Noir means "White from Blacks".

Only Black grapes are used in the production.

The main grape is Pinot Noir.

It can also be another grape like Pinot Meunier, or a blend.

In Spain they often use Monastrell.

Méthode Champenoise

Méthode Champenoise is the method used to produce French Champagne.

With Méthode Champenoise (the production method of Champagne), the first fermentation takes place in a tank, and a second fermentation takes place in the bottle.

Adding CO₂ (Carbon Dioxide) is not allowed.

The second fermentation starts by adding yeast (Saccharomyces Cerevisiae) and sugar to the bottle, and after about 1 year, the bubbles are completely developed.

The legend credit a Benedictine monk, Dom Pérignon (1639-1715), for inventing sparkling wine when he bottled a wine before fermentation, but the oldest recorded sparkling wine is Blanquette de Limoux from 1531.

The method is used for:

French Champagne
French Crémant
Spanish Cava
Italian Franciacorta
German Sekt
Portuguese Espumante

Méthode Champenoise is now reserved (by EU) for wines produced in Champagne:

Country	Must Use
England	Traditional Method
France	Méthode Traditionnelle
Spain	Método Tradicional
Portugal	Método Tradicional
Italy	Metodo Classico Metodo Tradizionale
Germany	Klassische Flaschengärung

Sugar Levels

Regulation EC 607/2009	Sugar gram/litre	Calories /glass
Brut Nature (Brut Zero)	0-3	3
Extra Brut	0-6	5
Brut	0-12	7
Extra Dry (Extra Sec, Extra Seco)	12-17	10
Dry (Sec, Seco)	17-32	20
Demi (Semi)	32-50	30
Doux (Sweet, Dulce)	50+	30+