Focus on... champagne preservation

Preserving Champagne: Classic or Vintage?

When it comes to storing Champagne, it's essential to distinguish between vintage champagnes, which reflect a single year, and classic champagnes, which are blends of several vintages. Shelf life varies according to the type of champagne:

• A classic champagne, usually delivered ripe and ready to drink, can be kept for four to five years.
• A vintage champagne can be kept for up to ten years, or even thirty years for the cuvées of the great houses.

The role of grape varieties and blending

The ageing potential of a champagne also depends on the grape varieties used and their blend. Champagnes containing a small proportion of Pinot and a predominance of Chardonnay, such as "Blancs de Blancs", are often the finest and the most ageable.

Although champagne changes little over time, if it is stored well, its appearance and aromas will change. With age, it gradually loses effervescence and develops more wine-like notes. Some old vintages may even have similarities with great Burgundy wines, which can be a pleasant surprise for wine lovers!

Good Preserving Practices

For optimum preservation, champagne should be stored horizontally. This keeps the cork soaked and avoids loss of gas, thus preserving effervescence.

How do I know if a Champagne is still good?

If the label doesn't mention the year of production, it's probably a non-vintage Champagne. Unlike wines, these champagnes are not intended for long aging. How long they are kept depends on the producer, whether a champagne house or an independent winemaker.

If your bottle has been stored for more than five years, chances are it has lost some of its quality. In this case, rather than enjoying it on its own, you can use it in cooking to add a refined touch to your dishes.

Recipes for Enhancing Old Champagne

If your champagne has lost some of its liveliness, it can still add a touch of elegance to your culinary preparations. Here are a few recipe ideas:

• Warm oysters au gratin with champagne sabayon
• Scallop carpaccio with champagne butter
• Trout with champagne
• Champagne sabayon