It is difficult to imagine a festive meal without such an attribute as a bottle of good champagne. It is this sparkling and foaming drink that brings a special atmosphere of celebration and fun. Modern retail chains and specialized wine shops offer a huge range of champagne and sparkling wines from a variety of manufacturers. Therefore, the question of how to choose champagne, which really enhances the feeling of the holiday, and does not bring disappointment, inevitably arises every time you buy this drink.

Only a foaming drink produced in the French province of Champagne, according to the international rules of winemakers, can be called champagne. All other producers are required to position their products as sparkling wines. However, outside the province of Champagne, a fairly large number of sparkling wines are produced, the taste of which is often not inferior to the famous French sparkling wines.

Types of sparkling wines

Of course, the main criterion for choosing champagne is the taste preferences of a particular customer. However, before buying a bottle of sparkling wine, you should determine exactly for what occasion you need a drink, and with what dishes you plan to serve it to the table.

First of all, the distinctive features of each type of champagne are determined by the grape varieties from which the drink is made. Typically, two varieties of red and one variety of white grapes are used for production. Different types of champagne also differ in the amount of sugar contained in a liter of the finished product:

• ultra (extra) brut - no more than 6 grams;
• brut - 6-15 grams;
• dry extra - 15–20 grams;
• dry - up to 35 grams;
• dry seven - 33–35 grams;
• semi-sweet - up to 50 grams.

True connoisseurs of champagne believe that in order to understand the taste of the classic drink, you should definitely try sparkling brut wine. This type of alcohol is served as an aperitif or with seafood, white meats. The sweeter varieties are perfect accompaniments to desserts, fruits or baked goods.

Real champagne can only be golden or pink. French sparkling wine producers believe that the tannins found in red wines do not mix well with carbon dioxide and can spoil the taste of sparkling wine. Pink champagne is considered to be a rather rare variety. According to the latest statistics, such alcohol accounts for only 1% of the total volume of sparkling wines produced in the world.

When choosing sparkling wine, you should be aware that currently there are two methods of champagne wine:

• classic - the fermentation process takes place directly in champagne bottles, which are kept in special cellars;
• acratophoric - provides for the fermentation process in special stainless steel containers.

Elite, expensive types of champagne are prepared in the classical way. Sparkling wines produced with acratophores are distinguished by a much lower price. The way in which champagne is made is necessarily indicated on the bottle label. In addition, there are alcoholic wine drinks that are artificially carbonated. They have nothing to do with real traditional champagne.

• carefully study the information on the labels on both sides of the bottle, which should indicate: manufacturer, composition, aging period, nutritional and energy value, color, production date and shelf life;
• buy sparkling wine bottled in dark glass, as the alcoholic drink loses its organoleptic qualities under the influence of sunlight;
• it is best to choose bottles sealed with a cork bark cork. The plastic stopper can allow air to pass through and thereby alter the taste of the champagne;
• refuse to buy if there is sediment in the bottle;
• pay attention to the color of sparkling wine, which must be transparent and fully correspond to the color indicated on the label;
• carefully examine the labels, which must be of high quality and glued perfectly evenly, without glue smudges;
• make sure sparkling wine does not contain flavors, flavor enhancers or colors.

It should be understood that really good champagne cannot be cheap. Only carbonated wine drinks, which completely lack real grape material, can have a low price. Therefore, when choosing sparkling wine for a wedding or other celebration, with a limited budget, you should buy champagne of the middle price segment.

There are three levels of champagne quality:

• sparkling wine of the lowest quality, which does not indicate the year of production. Such alcohol makes up the majority of the sparkling wines presented in retail chains today;
• vintage or vintages champagne is made from grapes harvested in good years, which has undergone secondary fermentation and has been aged for three years;
• special or prestigious types of champagne, prepared in compliance with all the subtleties of the technological process from selected, hand-picked grapes, have the highest price.

On the labels of a shaman made using traditional technologies, you can always find the inscription "Classic" or "Aged". If you approach the procedure for choosing such an alcohol correctly and take into account all the recommendations, you can always choose a sparkling wine of decent quality at an affordable price.

In the presented article, you will learn by what criteria you can determine which champagne is real and which is a surrogate. After carefully studying it, you will receive a lot of useful information and tips, thanks to which you will quickly learn to distinguish between the original and the fake. Also, this article will acquaint you with the most common mistakes made by counterfeiters, knowing about which, you can avoid purchasing a fake product.

In fact, the production of real champagne is a rather laborious and long-term business, and manufacturers of a surrogate often “speed up” this process by using additional additives and changing the fermentation technology, which results in a product that is not tasty and often hazardous to health. Let's take a look at a few tips together to help you avoid buying a fake.

How to identify real champagne in a store

It is possible to distinguish original champagne from a fake one at an early stage of choosing a product in a store. To do this, you must follow the following tips:

Place of purchase

First of all, purchase an alcoholic drink exclusively in proven retail outlets - specialized wine stores or well-established large supermarkets.

Label

Pay close attention to the label:

• It must be printed on high-quality paper, neatly and evenly glued to the bottle, it must contain information about the country, manufacturer and region of the manufacturer of the drink.
• Check the spelling of the name of the champagne - the letters should be clear and even, and the text should be free of errors. There are cases when counterfeiters replace only one letter, which is not always immediately striking.
• The label should indicate the type of champagne - sparkling, sweet, semi-sweet, semi-dry, brut, and so on. Also look for information on strength, bottling date, volume, year of manufacture, grape variety, and aging.
• The presence of an excise stamp indicates that the product has passed state registration, and the number and barcode indicated on the excise tax can be easily checked by the ESPAR.
• The name of the champagne indicated on the label must fully correspond to the region and country of production: sect is made in Austria and Germany, champagne - in Champagne, cremant - in France, outside the province of Champagne, spumante - in Italy.

Bottle and cork

• The champagne bottle is always made from dark glass.
• The container has no visible defects such as chips, inclusions, cracks and the like.
• The cork of real sparkling wine is cork made of cork wood, which provides a much better seal than the plastic version.

How to determine at home whether champagne is real or not

If the visual inspection of champagne in the store satisfied you, then it remains to check the quality of the alcoholic drink itself at home. I recommend using the following tips:

• First, shake the bottle well, and then carefully look at its lumen - the original alcohol always has a transparent consistency and does not even contain a hint of sediment.
• After removing the cork, be sure to smell it - the aroma of high-quality real alcohol is very generous and rich in shades, and the cork from fake alcohol will certainly have an alcoholic smell.
• Pour champagne into a glass and evaluate the color of the liquid - a good wine has a light amber or pinkish tint, and the surrogate has a more pronounced color, which indicates the use of chemical dyes.

• The last tip, of course, is related to the tasting of the drink - the taste of real champagne is a balanced bouquet of sophisticated shades, it in no way gives off an alcoholic aftertaste and cannot be sugary. Also pay attention to the sensation of the bubbles - the original alcohol will give you a slight disturbing tingling sensation on the tip of your tongue.

I would like to draw your attention to the brands of champagne that are most often counterfeited by counterfeiters:

• - a sparkling dry alcoholic drink with a minimum sugar content;
• - elite champagne, highly respected among connoisseurs of high-quality alcohol, produced by Louis Roederer;
• - a sparkling alcoholic drink of mass production, which is created by the secondary fermentation method;
• - an exquisite, harmoniously balanced wine that uses a combination of three grape varieties: Pinot Black, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier.

The harm from a poor-quality drink

The fact is that the quality of champagne is determined by two components: the production technology and the characteristics of the raw materials used. If any of them are violated, the properties of the final product change for the worse., which can adversely affect the health of the consumer:

• cause alcohol dependence and intoxication;
• activate or continue the process of destruction of internal systems and organs (heart, brain, liver, and so on);
• provoke a severe disorder of the digestive system;
• entail pathologies of pregnancy, as well as intrauterine development.

These and many other negative consequences can occur when drinking original sparkling wine in large dosages, however, the use of a substitute will lead to disastrous consequences much earlier and faster. Therefore, it is very important when buying champagne to be able to distinguish a real product from a fake.

Of course, it is obvious that only a professional taster will be able to establish for certain whether you are holding real or fake champagne, but following the above recommendations will help you reduce the likelihood of purchasing a low-quality product. I wish you from now on to taste only real champagne and avoid drinking various fake alcoholic beverages. Also, do not forget that excessive alcohol consumption can lead to disastrous consequences for your body. Good luck!

On the eve of the New Year, it's time to talk about a wonderful sparkling drink, without which most Russians simply cannot imagine the chimes. Of course, we will not in any way belittle the merits of the Veuve Clicquot or Dom Perignon champagne, but we will take for consideration the products that the average Russian can afford. Our champagne rating will help you choose the best and tell you what ingredients should be present in it.

New World

This is real champagne made in the Crimea by the bottle method. The first place in our ranking of champagne is deservedly given to this brand.

Prince Golitsin himself, more than a century and a half ago, had a hand in ensuring that Russian champagne could compete with French. These traditions have survived to the present day.

Champagne is made from Pinot Noir, Aligote, Chardonnay and Riesling grape varieties, according to the classical canons, with aging from 9 months to 3 years. All processes are carried out manually. Champagne "Novosvetskoe", "Pinot Fran" and "Crimean Sparkling" have long been loved by customers for the sophistication of taste and rich aroma. It is also cheaper than French.

CJSC Sparkling wines, St. Petersburg

CJSC "Sparkling Wines" St. Petersburg

"Russian Champagne" has been produced using classical technologies for over 80 years. Raw materials are delivered to them from all over the world and from the Crimea as well.

All alcohol meets GOST standards and is produced by three common methods, and an innovative recipe for continuous fermentation in a stream was even sold to the French at one time.

The company produces only 3 types of white sparkling wines: brut, semi-dry and semi-sweet.

The brand "Lev Golitsin" was created in memory of the outstanding winemaker. The prince's fame was so great that the St. Petersburg brand decided to use his name to create a new brand.

Cricova

Moldovan champagne with an optimal price-quality ratio (from 500 rubles). All products are created using the classical method, the drink is aged in oak barrels and stored in cellars.

In "Soviet Champagne" - there is little foam, the bubbles play in the glass for a long time, the aftertaste is wonderful. And then there is “Muscat”, “Rose”, “de Luxe” - the choice of drinks is quite decent.

Collectible drinks are offered in rhinestone bottles.

Golden Beam

The Sevastopol company, one of the oldest on the market, occupies a significant segment of the sparkling wine market. All products are created exclusively from our own grapes, harvested by hand.

At the moment, the tastes of consumers have changed - more than half of the production is semi-sweet champagne, and the other half is divided between brut, semi-dry and dry.

The basic collection is made according to the Sharma method (from 350 rubles). They don't bother with names here, so the label immediately makes everything clear - white or nutmeg.

The premium line is mono-varietal, aged from 6 to 9 months.

Tsimlyansk wines

Tsimlyansk wines

The Don steppes gave birth to this champagne, produced mainly by the reservoir method. But there are also three brands produced according to the recipe of classic champagne - "Victory Bouquet", "Onegin" and "Tsimlyanskoe sparkling".

Today the vineyards cover more than 1000 hectares, used specifically for sparkling wines. At one time, this was another Russian response to the French.

The main assortment: the "Soviet Champagne" series, aged for at least 6 months, and "Tsimlyanskoe Zolotoe" with a high content of nutmeg.

ABRAU-DURSO

The production is located in the Caucasus, at the same latitudes as the famous Champagne province. The sparkling drink is produced in several ways - bottled and in tanks.

The first assumes the classics: aging and infusion of the drink in glass containers - the brands "Victor Dravigny" and "Imperial" (from 600 rubles). But the reservoir method produces "Russian Champagne" and "Light", which are with a black label (from 500 rubles).

Fanagoria

These are Taman wines of the brand of the same name, including the Numbered Reserve and Madame Pompadour lines. Drinks are easy to drink, quite pleasant, and at a ridiculous price (from 200 rubles).

Brut "Madame Pompadour" for lovers of dry from habit seems sweetish, but "Fanagoria", which has the best reviews, is produced by secondary fermentation in tanks and aged in bottles.

Asti

Asti is the territory of the same name in Piedmont (Italy), which served as the name for this fragrant champagne. “Asti Martini” is a light and pleasant drink made only from white nutmeg. It has no sugar at all, just the natural sweetness of the grapes.

At its core, Asti is a sparkling wine with one stage of fermentation, since secondary fermentation takes place in steel vats, and not in bottles. This is the only reason why it takes the penultimate place in our ranking of champagne.

Nevertheless, the floral-fruity aroma is liked by all, without exception, the fair sex. Cinzano Martini and Mondoro are well-known and popular lines.

The price of the product starts from 700 rubles. per bottle.

Bosca

Inexpensive sparkling wines from an Italian manufacturer. The brand has more than 15 names, but in the vastness of Russia white and sweet are especially popular, on which is written "sparkling wine drink". The alcohol content of the Anniversary brand is 7.5% due to the fact that sugar has been replaced by malt. Foaming is moderate, without carbon dioxide beating in the nose. Price - from 300 rubles.

Stronger drinks - Chardonnay, Red label, Asti. They are produced according to the classical technology, and the price is correspondingly more expensive (from 400 rubles).

There is also a premium segment - "Verdi spumante", "Classic", "Anniversary double" and "Moscato".

Before we tell you how to choose real champagne, we need to find out what is meant by the word "real".

We used to call all drinks that have bubbles as champagne. But this is far from the case, and everything that is produced outside of France is just sparkling wine. And some of them are a miserable parody of a noble drink.

Everything you need to know about real champagne

Champagne is produced only in the French province of Champagne and its four sub-regions: Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne, Côte des Blancs and Côte des Bar.

French champagne is always expensive.

Champagne by the amount of sugar content is

Brut Nature / Zéro Dosage (brut nature / zero dosage).

Brut (brut).

Extra-Sec (extra dry).

Sec (dry).

Demi-sec (semi-sweet).

Doux (sweet), which is almost never found and is very rare.

In the province of Champagne, only 7 grape varieties are grown and the most popular of them are: Chardonnay (Chardonnay), Pinot Noir (Pinot noir), Pinot Meunier (Pinot meunier).

Real champagne is produced using a unique patented technology - "Méthode Champenoise" - this is when champagne, that is, filling the product with carbon dioxide, occurs naturally, by secondary fermentation in a bottle and subsequent aging in a horizontal position for at least 9 months.

Now let's move on to the most important thing, how to buy real champagne and not fall for a fake. We have collected recommendations from the best sommeliers to help you choose a noble drink.

First of all, pay attention to the price, real champagne cannot be cheap. The minimum price can start from 1500–2000 rubles.

Try to buy champagne from small specialty shops or large supermarkets with a good reputation.

Be sure to look at the manufacturer's country on the label. Champagne is only France, the Champagne province and its four regions (we talked about them at the beginning of the article).

The inscription “Méthode Champenoise” must be present on the label. If you did not find this inscription, then this only indicates that you have sparkling wine in your hands, not champagne.

Also, pay attention to the presence of an excise stamp, an exception may be drinks purchased in the duty free zone.

Shake the bottle, if a uniform foam appears that fills the entire empty space of the bottle, then this is a good sign. The main thing is not to overdo it with shaking.

Cork is also an important element. It should be made only from natural materials so that the champagne can "breathe". The material of the cork can even be identified through the foil with a simple push. Natural material will be softer than synthetic material.

The bottle should be made of thick and dark glass. If the glass is thin, then it can simply break, and thanks to the dark glass, champagne does not deteriorate when exposed to sunlight.

Another important factor is bubbles. After filling the glass, the same bubbles should be of the same size and rise upward. In a quality drink, bubbles can come out of the glass for hours.

Be careful when choosing Demi-sec (semi-sweet) and Doux (sweet) champagne, as well-known Champagne houses produce only 7-10% of this type of drink and you can run into a fake. Since with the help of a sweetener, many technological errors can be hidden (only applies to counterfeit products).

Use the Vivino app. It is enough to take a photo of the bottle, and you will immediately receive comments and an overall rating based on the rating from people who have already tried this drink. You can download it from Google Play and iTunes.

Veuve clicquot ponsardin

And remember: "Not all champagne has bubbles."

Not everyone has the opportunity to purchase real champagne for the celebration, produced in the French province of Champagne. These brands of sparkling wine belong to the highest price category. However, with a limited budget, there is always the opportunity to buy inexpensive champagne. Many manufacturers now offer affordable sparkling wines. We invite you to familiarize yourself with the list of alcoholic beverages that have a low cost, decent quality characteristics and can decorate a festive feast.

Assortment of inexpensive Russian sparkling wines

Affordable brands of champagne are produced both in Russia and in other countries where wine grapes are grown. Russian sparkling wines that are inexpensive in cost and quite good in quality include the following products.

Abrau-Dyurso. In the collection produced by the manufacturer of champagne, there are inexpensive sparkling wines. The cost of one bottle depends on the production technology and the quality of the wine material. The range of inexpensive drinks from this brand includes dry, semi-sweet and sweet types of champagne.

Tsimlyanskoe. One of the best varieties of popular light alcohol produced in Russia. In addition to ruby-colored sparkling wine, the manufacturer offers pink and white champagne. You can buy a fairly high quality sparkling wine of the extra brut class, semi-sweet or sweet.

Fanagoria. In the production of sparkling wine, the traditional technology of natural champagne is used. This good Russian champagne can be white or pink. The manufacturer offers dry and semi-sweet varieties.

Dolce Vita. Sparkling wine, which is especially popular among young people. Champagne is distinguished by its bright design of bottles, has raspberry, strawberry and cherry flavors.

Santo Stefano. Refers to sparkling wines. There are two types of semisweet alcoholic beverage produced: white and pink. Alcohol is made from imported wine materials. Despite this, the wine is light and tasty. It has no characteristic alcoholic notes.

Rachelle. The technology by which Rachelle products are manufactured meets all international standards. The result is an affordable, tasty champagne. The manufacturer offers white alcoholic beverages, which can be dry, semi-sweet and sweet.

Lavetti. Sparkling sparkling wines of this brand can be semi-sweet or sweet, pink or white. In the process of their production, they use elite grape varieties.

Villa Blanco. The manufacturer's collection includes white sparkling wines of brut, semi-dry and sweet rosé varieties. This champagne is distinguished by its extraordinary lightness and is especially popular among women.

Each brand that produces inexpensive brands of champagne tries to keep the best balance between price and quality of the product as much as possible. Such alcoholic drinks will make any event solemn and memorable at relatively low material costs.

Budget brands of imported champagne

You can pick up relatively inexpensive, but high-quality champagne for a wedding or any other celebration from the assortment of such foreign brands.

Cricova (Moldova). The manufacturer's collection includes white, rosé and red sparkling wine brands. Sweet, semi-sweet, dry and dessert types of champagne are produced.

Lambrusco, Asti, Prosecco (Italy). Foamy alcoholic drinks, the quality of which is at a fairly high level. At the same time, the price is significantly lower than for champagne produced in France.

Cava (Spain). Champagne is produced by secondary fermentation. Alcohol is fermented and saturated with carbon dioxide directly in the bottle. The assortment includes brut, semi-sweet and dry drinks.

Cremant (France). This is the name of champagne, which is produced in the French provinces of Burgundy, Alsace and Bordeaux. Such alcohol is referred to as sparkling wines. It has a completely democratic cost.

In addition, to date, affordable champagne of relatively good quality is offered by manufacturers from Portugal.

There is always a choice. You should never buy the cheapest champagne. Because of this, the planned holiday can be ruined.

The price of champagne, which is bought for the celebration, depends on the financial capabilities of the buyer. However, even with a limited budget, you can always find a decent option that will be affordable. Inexpensive, but high-quality sparkling wine will allow you to fully experience the solemnity of the moment and will bring guests only positive emotions.