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Types of Wine for Investment - Champagne

True Champagne can only come from the Champagne region, which is to be found northeast of Paris. The region is divided into four main areas, the Aube, Vallee de la Marne, Cote des Blancs and the Montagne de Reims. Champagne has traditionally been made from a blend of grapes from these areas.

A successful sparkling wine must come from fairly acid grapes and should be refreshing and light. A chalky soil gives the lightest, most delicate white wines. The majority of the northerly vineyards are planted with black grapes, which have to be picked and pressed very gently so that the white juice is not stained by the skins, which contain the colour. The next stage is to ferment the juice from each vineyard separately. At this point these wines are light, slightly sour and completely still. The next stage is to make a blend (cuvee) in the particular style of the company and secondly to create the bubbles. During the first three months of the year, the still wines are taken to the cellar master or chief blender who will blend the wines. Bubbles are created in the wine by inducing a second fermentation in the bottle. The second fermentation can take anything from ten days to three months. Once this process is complete, the bottles are kept in a dark place to develop for at least a year, but preferably three.

 

Champagne continues to become more and more popular. In the 1970s, 50 million bottles were sold per year but today this has increased to over 300 million bottles a year and the producers are working at almost full capacity to try and keep up with demand. With an increasing demand and a finite supply, Champagne should be a good investment for the future. A good vintage really needs seven years to mature properly and a great deal of Champagne is drunk early rather than being allowed to age. Buying at the right time and being prepared to wait could deliver a very good investment return. The Grandes Marques include Bollinger, Veuve Clicquot, Krug, Lanson, Laurent Perrier, Mercier, Moet & Chandon and Mumm but the current favourite among the fashionable is Louis Roederer Cristal which is produced in small quantities but often drunk early.

Below are links relating to Champagne:

 

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As with many types of investment, there are no guarantees that wine will make you a profit and a very small percentage of all wine produced will go on to increase in value. Taking good advice is always recommended as well as thorough research. Click on our Quick Enquiry Form for more information or independent advice.

 

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