Champagne

At the end of the 17th century, Dom Pérignon improved blending and quality control (the "invention of bubbles" is a legend rather than a historical fact); in the 19th century, Madame Veuve Clicquot developed the riddling and disgorgement, and the champagne process took shape.
The scope of the production area was defined in 1927; the name "Champagne" is strictly protected and can only be used for traditional sparkling wines in the area.

49 degrees north latitude, one of the northernmost production areas in France; the chalk soil (chalk) stores water and reflects light, and the underground chalk wine cellars are matured at a constant temperature.
Three major varieties: Chardonnay (delicate, citrusy white flowers - Blanc de Blancs), Pinot Noir (skeletal red fruits), and Pinot Meunier (round and fruity).
Traditional method (Méthode Traditionnelle): secondary fermentation in the bottle, lees aging (autolysis produces bread and biscuit aroma), riddling, disgorgement, and dosage (dosage determines the sweetness of Brut/Extra Brut, etc.).
Classification: 17 Grand Cru and 42 Premier Cru; mainly non-vintage (NV) blending, and vintage champagne is only released in good years.

Observe the fineness and persistence of the bubbles; smell green apple, citrus → toasted bread, hazelnuts (yeast autolysis); taste the acidity, body and finish.
Teaching comparison group: Blanc de Blancs ↔ Blanc de Noirs; NV ↔ Vintage Champagne; Champagne ↔ Italian Franciacorta/Spanish Cava (same method, different terroir).
It can be used with the existing textbook "Boizel Champange.pptx" in the course library for example teaching.

Shipments: 271.4 million bottles in 2024 (−9.2%); about 266 million bottles in 2025 (−2%, three consecutive years of decline; 114 million bottles in France, 152 million bottles exported) (Comité Champagne; Drinks Business 2026-01).
2025 production cap (yield): 9,000 kg/ha – lowest since 2020, deliberate destocking (10,000 in 2024, 11,400 in 2023) (Drinks Business 2025-07).

Six benchmark wines