Champagne is a specific place and not a wine style. Located 90 miles NE of Paris, the region is split into 5 main districts:

Montagne de Reims - Pinot Noir/Pinot Meunier
Vallee de la Marne - Pinot Meunier/Pinot Noir
Cotes des Blancs - Chardonnay
Cotes de Sezanne - Chardonnay
Cotes des Bars (Aube) - Pinot Noir

The soil in the area is composed primarily of porous chalk covered with drift. This soil drains well and has a high lime content which promotes a higher acidity level in the grapes.  The climate here is Atlantic influenced, cold and wet with variation across the seasons.

Champagne is governed by a regulatory body called the CIVC, or Comite Interprofessionel du Vin de Champagne which was formed in 1941.  The primary varieties of Champagne are Pinot Noir (black), Pinot Meunier (black) and Chardonnay (white). Other varieties that may also be used, though rarely seen, include Pinot Blanc Vrai, Petit Meslier and Arbane. Villages (not vineyards) are graded by a percentile based system called the Echelle des Crus.  The echelle establishes a proportionate price for grapes; with the max. echelle of 100% constituting grand cru villages, 99%-90% premier cru, 89%-80% is AOC level.  There are four main types of pruning used, which include Guyot simple, Guyot Double, Chablis and Cordon de Royat.

The 17 Grand Cru villages on the echelle scale include:

Montagne des Reims:
Ambonnay, Beaumont-sur-Vesle, Bouzy, Louvois, Mailly-Champagne, Puisieulx, Silery, Verzy and Verzenay.
Valle de la Marne
Ay-Champagne, Tours-sur-Marne (red grapes only)
Cotes des Blancs
Avize, Chouilly(white grapes only), Cramant, le Mesnil sur Oger, Oger, Oiry


The 41 Premier Cru Villages include:

Avenay, Bergers-les-Vertus, Bezannes, Billy-le-Grand, Bisseuil, Chamery, Champillon, Chigny-les-Roses, Chouilly (red grapes), Coligny (red grapes), Cormontreuil, Cuis, Cumieres, Dizy, Ecueil, Etrechy (red grapes), Grauves, Hautvillers, Jouy-les-Reims, Ludes, Mareuil-sur-Ay, Montbre, Mutigny, Pargny-les-Reims, Pierry, Rilly-la-Montagne, Sacy, Taissy, Tauxieres, Tours-sur-Marne (white grapes), Trepail, Trois-Puits, Vaudemangers, Vertus, Villedommage, Villeneuve-Renneville, Villers-Allerand, Villers-aux-Noeuds, Villers-Marmery, Voipreux


CIVC codes found on bottles of Champagne tell you the type of producer. The codes are as follows:

NM = Negotiant Manipulant: Champagne containing grapes purchased from vineyards and regions other than those of the house.
RM = Récoltant Manipulant: Champagne containing grapes from vineyards owned by the house the house, though up to 5% may be purchased.
RC = Récoltant Coopérateur: A grower sells his grapes to a cooperative and then buys some wine from the communal vats to sell under his own name.
CM = Coopérateur Manipulant: Champagne made and sold by a cooperative.
MA = Marque d'Acheteur: 'mark of the buyer'. This is a Buyer's Own Brand (BOB) style of Champagne.
SR = Sociéte de Récoltants: An association of growers making a shared Champagne but who are not a co-operative.
ND = Négotiant Distributeur: Merchant selling other producers wine under their own brand.


La Methode Champenois
Simply stated, it is a method of producing a sparkling wine by inducing secondary fermentation to take place in the bottle. This term may only be used in the region of Champagne. The steps involved are as follows:

Pressing and Yields:
A limit of 2550 litres of must from 4000kg of grapes, with a standard press holding 4000kg.

Base Wines:
The first fermentation takes place usually in large stainless steel or glass lined tanks. Some house’s still complete the first fermentation in the traditional manner in oak casks. Around February or March following harvest the Cuvee is prepared. NV can be blended from many different years and wines. Vintage Champagne must me made almost entirely from a blend of one year with a small quantity allowed from other years.

Second Fermentation:
Measured amounts of liquid sugar, yeast, fining and tannin called the Liqueur de tirage is added to the wine.  Nowadays the wine is topped with a crown cap with a small plastic cup fitted into the neck.  The wines are laid to rest while secondary fermentation is completed, producing carbon dioxide and sediment.

Aging on the Lees:
Non-vintage wines are aged on the lees (sediment) for a minimum of 15 months, while vintage must complete a minimum of 36 months.  During this time a process called autolysis is taking place.  Autolysis the process of wine gaining complex flavor compounds the longer it rests on the dead yeast cells. A minimum of 18 months is usually required for any true effect.

Riddling/Remuage:
Traditional methods and modern methods are both used dependent upon the producer in this step.  Traditional methods involve the use of a pupitres (riddling rack- holds 60 bottles) in which a bottle is held in a horizontal position and turned and shook by hand over a period of 12-24 weeks until the bottles are in an inverted position with the wines sediment nestled within the white cap fitted into the bottle top.  Modern methods incorporate a machine called a gyropalette which holds 504 stacked bottles in a metal crate where riddling is completed in a matter of 3 days.

Disgorgment and Dosage:
Disgorgement a la glace – Involves the immersion of the bottle neck into a shallow bath of freezing brine, freezing a small pellet of wine below the plastic cup.  Bottle is turned upright and the pressure forces out the sediment along with a small amount of wine.  At disgorgement the wine is completely dry since the sugar has been used up by the secondary fermentation.
Here the Liqeuer d’expedition or dosage is added corresponding to the following:
1. Brut Naturelle - Absolutely Bone Dry 0-3gm/litre
2. Extra Brut - Bone Dry 0-6gm/litre
3. Brut - Very Dry 0-15gm/litre
4. Extra Sec - Dry to medium dry 12-20gm/litre
5. Sec - Medium sweet 17-35gm/litre
6. Demi Sec - Sweet 35-50gm/litre
7. Doux - Very Sweet 50+gm/litre





I’ll follow up with other areas and production soon, also so I can break them up a little so that it isn’t terribly long. If anyone sees any inaccuracies let me know so I can edit, as I typed this up at a coffee shop and didn’t have any of my references (though I did have to copy the 1er cru, just too damn many for me to remember.

Methods of Producing Sparkling Wine

Other than Methode Champenois some other methods used to produce sparkling wine include:

Charmat (Tank Method or Cuve Close)
Second fermentation takes place in large tanks. It is then filtered and bottled under pressure. Primarily used for mass or bulk produced products. (Quite a few Prosecco’s etc)

Bottle-Fermented (or Transfer Method)
Not to be confused with Methode Champenois or methode traditionnelle, the secondary fermentation takes place in bottle, but not in the bottle in which the wine is finally sold in. Example would be 187ml, 375ml, greater than 3L of Champagne.

Methode Rurale
Only one fermentation, bottled without liqeuer de tirage before fermentation stops. No liqeuer d’expedition is added so any sweetness left is from the original grape sugars. (Example Gaillac Mousseux)

Other names for Methode Champenois include in Italy Metodo Classico, South Africa Cap Classique, Methode Traditionnelle & Methode, Classique in France (other regions besides Champagne),

Italy

Main Sparkling Wines include:

Franciacorta DOCG
Located in the Lombardy region, Franciacorta gained its DOCG in September of 1995. Produced from Pinot Bianco, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and in the methodo classico. Wines must be a minimum of 11.5% alcohol by volume. Three types of are produced:

Saten = NV
Pinot Bianco, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir
Aged for 25 months with a minimum of 18 months in bottle.

Rose
Pinot Bianco, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir (min. 15%)
Aged for 25 months with a minimum of 18 months in bottle

Millesimato = Vintage
Pinot Bianco, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir
Minimum 85% of vintage listed
Aged for 37 months with a minimum of 30 months in bottle

Sweetness Levels include:
Extra Brut, Brut, Dry Extra, Sec or Dry, Demi-sec

Asti DOCG
Gaining it’s DOCG in November of 1993, it is produced from 100% Moscato Bianco with a minimum alcohol of 12%. It is produced by the cuve close method in a sweet style coming in at around 7.5%-9.0% abv.

Braquetto di Acqui DOCG
Gaining DOCG in June 1996, Braquetto di Aqui is a sparkling or frizzante wine produced from 100% Braquetto (red) grape in a sweet style.

Moscato d’Asti DOCG
A DOCG since November 1993 it is produced from 100% Moscato Bianco in a frizzante and frizzantino style with an abv of around 5.5%-8.0%. It is a sweet wine, with a lower pressure then Asti DOCG.

Arneis Roero Spumante DOCG (Roero Sparkling)
Located in Piemonte it along with the Rosso and Bianco gained DOCG status in December of 2005. It is produced from 100% Arneis with a minimum of 11.5% alcohol.

Prosecco
Located in the Veneto region in the two main villages of Valdobbiadene DOC and Conegliano DOc. Produced from the prosecco grape with chardonnay allowed in the blend. Usually rough and rustic they are produced in dry through semi-sweet styles in either metodo classico, though mostly in the charmat method

Oltrepo Pavese DOCG
Two styles of Lombardy sparkling wine were granted DOCG in September 2007.
Bianco Metodo Classico & Bianco Metodo Classico Rose
70% min. Pinot Nero, 30% max. Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio
Aged 15 months minimum in bottle
Min. abv of 9.5%
Minimum of 85% from the vintage listed, can be made in no-dosage to demi-sec


Spain

Cava DO
Located within the region of Penedes. The area is split into three districts:

Bajo (Baix) Penedes
Medio (Mitja) Penedes
Alta (Alt) Penedes

Traditional Method Sparkling Wine produced from:
Traditional - White - Macabeo, Parellada, Xarel.lo, Subirat; Red - Garnacha, Monastrell
Non-Traditional - Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Trepat(rose only)
Alcohol Min. 10.8%; Max 12.8%
Brut Nature, Extra Brut, Brut, Dry(Sec), Semi-dry (Semi-sec), Sweet

Good stuff. I'm definitely interested in more information on French sparklers from around the country. I've enjoyed several Cremants de Loire recently from Baumard as well as a Cremant de Borgougne. Are these strictly value wines (I didn't pay more than $20 for any of them), or are there serious, Champagne-quality Cremants?

I get to those areas mid next week as I am flying out to Napa soon.