At VIP Bottles, we stock a wide selection of non-vintage and vintage Champagnes from exceptional houses including Armand De Brignac, Dom Perignon, Laurent Perrier and Moet & Chandon.
The official drink for any celebration, nothing beats the popping of a champagne cork and a bit of bubbly to mark a special occasion!
A drink of protected origin, Champagne has a delicate and complex flavour that marks it as an exceptionally fine type of sparkling wine. Champagne can only be made in the Champagne region of Northern France using Champagne grapes.
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- One 75cl bottle of Champagne holds over 50 million bubbles
- The largest size of Champagne available is the Melchizedek, which holds 30 litres, or 40 bottles of Champagne
- The pressure in a Champagne bottle is three times higher than the pressure in a car tire
Champagne is named after the area it comes from, a region of Northern France known for its fertile chalky soil and premium grape-growing conditions.
Three types of grape are grown in Champagne, a blend of which is used in every bottle of fizz. These are:
- Chardonnay – Sweet and floral flavours
- Pinot Noir – earthy, stone fruit flavours
- Pinot Meunier – fresh, appley and acidic
These three flavour profiles are blended to produce a harmonious tasting Champagne.
All three grape types have a lot of acidity, which makes them the perfect base for a sparkling wine. The wine is then bottled with a measure of sugar and yeast before being stored on its side in a cool cellar.
This is where the magic happens. The yeast and sugar ferment together during storage, producing Co2 which forms into bubbles. Champagne is stored for at least a year (and often much longer) before the yeast sediment is removed and further sugar is added to balance the acidity in the grapes.
There are many different types of Champagne, separated into Non-Vintage and Vintage lines. The most common type of Champagne is non-vintage, where the blend of grapes remain consistent year-on-year. A Vintage bottle is a bottle made from a single year’s harvest.
Does Champagne Go Out Of Date?
Champagne does not have an expiry date, but non-vintage bottles as a general rule should be drunk within three years of purchase. Vintage bottles have a longer date and can be drunk within 5 to 10 years of bottling.
Once open, a bottle of Champagne should be finished in three days.
Does Champagne Go Off?
There is often a common misunderstanding that Champagne gets better with time. This is false – Champagne does develop further complexities and depth in its flavour but does eventually spoil.
Champagne does not age and improve with time like red wine. In fact, Champagne can spoil and get dark and sour with time.
How Do I Store Champagne?
If you have purchased a bottle of Champagne for a special occasion in the near future, it is best to store your bottle in a cool, dry place (a pantry or a cellar is ideal) with no direct sunlight. Store the bottle on the side to keep the cork wet.
If you have a bottle of Champagne which you want to open in the next few days, simply store in the fridge.