Korbel Champagne Cellars

Champagne. It christens ships. Toasts love. Celebrates happiness. Harmonizes with food. No other beverage is more versatile, fun or intriguing.

Champagne owes all of its superlative attributes to its unique characteristic — bubbles! Bubbles are key to the quality of the champagne. Although there are several methods used to make sparkling wines — wines with bubbles — there is only one method that world class producers to make fine champagne: méthode champenoise.

The méthode champenoise (maytud-shom-pun-woz) is the only process that Korbel has used in its 125 years of champagne-making. French for “champagne method” classic méthode champenoise is the traditional champagne-making process developed by winemakers in the Champagne region of France during the 1700’s and 1800’s.

Méthode champenoise champagnes are those sparkling wines produced with the second fermentation taking place in the bottle (when the bubbles form), followed by a long, intensive process to rid the wine of yeast sediment before final corking.

Excellent champagne, however, begins long before a single drop of wine is produced.

For more on the champagnes and vineyards of Korbel, look here.