Coupe, flute or what? Champagne celebrates a new trend

Champagne has been related to luxury and festivities since the time when France still crowned its kings in Reims, in the heart of the Champagne region. Champagne also became popular among the bourgeoisie in the 19th century because it had become affordable. Production increased from 300,000 bottles in the 18th century to some 20 million bottles in 1850, and it continued to increase until the end of the 19th century. In 2008, 405 million bottles were produced.

Champagne producers have set in motion a campaign at the end of this year to remind consumers that champagne is not just an elegant drink for festivities, but can also be a fine and expressive wine. Wine critic Michel Bettane and wine journalist Thierry Desseauve have been hired to convince wine enthusiasts and wine experts at special champagne tastings.

"We hate coupes, because we know that our noses are not able to appreciate the subtleties, regardless of the wine served in this kind of glasses. We cannot get the aromas, and that is half the pleasure. We definitely do not recommend using coupes to enjoy champagne," said Philippe Guillon, export manager of Riedel, whose glasses were being used at these tastings. While Riedel still offers flute-glasses, Guillon considers the optimal champagne glass to be some kind of regular wine glass, slightly thinner and with a suitable diameter, and which somewhat elongated with a narrow opening.

"The best glass for champagne supports effervescence and forms the aromas," Guillon continues to explain. "However, the diameter of the glass should not be too narrow, otherwise bubbles and aromas can be overwhelming. The diameter of the perfect glass plays a key role in the perception of the tannins, acidity and bitter tastes."

Andreas Larsson, who was voted Best Sommelier of the World in 2007, said the following: "I think the optimal glass for champagne is a version of the flute with a slightly wider body and slightly narrower opening: Both could improve aroma. However, there is still a lot of champagne worldwide which is being served in inferior, thus wrong glasses."

To banish the use of the coupe, producers and wine experts point to the complexity of champagne. "The assemblage is used in the Champagne region," explains Mathieu Kauffmann, head of the Bollinger wine cellar. "We use grapes from 40 different vineyards and 200 different wines of the last five vintages to create our champagne-cuvee. Given the climate, we cannot assure our style of the house without reserves. My aim is to produce complex, aromatic, and balanced champagnes which customers can all night long and in an old age."

The renowned champagne producers Moet et Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, Piper Heidsieck or Bollinger agree that enthusiasts cannot understand complexity of champagne when served in the flute or even worse the coupe. "We tested 30 different glasses," explains Kauffmann. "We tried all the cuvees and vintage champagnes and found out that an optimal champagne glass is a blend between a flute and a classic wine glass."

Accompanied by the discussion which glass would suit best for champagne, more controversies arose. "Suddenly, the debate is more about decanting champagne and if we should, could or not do it," says Kauffmann. "I have to admit, I was skeptical at first but we did some very interesting experiments."

Philipe Jamesse, head sommelier at Les Crayeres, a two-star Michelin restaurant in Reims, is strongly against decanting champagne. "This cannot be right," thinks Jamesse. "If you decant champagne, bubbles would be lost completely in a short amount of time. However, effervescence is important to champagne. It is that quality which, in the end, allows us to taste the aromas. The champagne needs a glass which is wider in the middle and narrower at the top."

"However, decanting champagne also offers advantages," ponders Guillon. "We should not forget that champagne is a type of wine and should be revealed as such to everyone. If you have a dinner for example, putting the champagne in a decanter will reduce effervescence, which will make it easier to digest."

Larsson took a more sophisticated approach. He thinks: "A high-quality, but young champagne which is still in a closed phase, could benefit from gentle decanting. However, there is a risk for older champagnes that oxidation and a quicker loss of the bubbles could occur."

At least one champagne house has managed to face the avant-garde trend. Charles Heidsieck offers a mouth-blown, lyre-shaped decanter for their prestige cuvee "Blanc de Millenaires". This, it is believed, will let the cuvee show its extraordinary aromatic complexity. (aw.yoopress)