Champagne is one of the things the French people pride themselves most on. Thanks to its secret process and its light bubbles this wine has gained worldwide fame.

If you are travelling to Champagne to visit the historic caves, or if you are just a French learner curious about this iconic white wine, today I am sharing some valuable French vocabulary about Champagne that you can use while tasting Champagne and to impress your French friends!

At the end of this post, you will also learn more about Champagne etiquette.

1 -Main Champagne French Vocabulary: get familiar with the names

1 - Assemblage - The blend, both in terms of the blend of different grape varieties or the blend of different base wines for a particular champagne.

2- Blanc de Blancs - A champagne made exclusively from white grapes, almost always 100 % chardonnay.

However, champagne made from other white grapes, such as pinot blanc, are also entitled to this designation.

3- Bouchon - cork. Used to close a bottle, it provides a tight seal retaining the carbon dioxide in the champagne, keeping the wine bubbly.

4- Brut - The most common style of champagne, containing anywhere between 0-12 grams per liter of dosage. Wines that contain no dosage at all are usually called Brut Nature or Non-Dosé rather than simply Brut.

5 - Extra Brut - An Extra Brut champagne must contain no more than six grams of sugar per liter. It can sometimes contain none at all, and in these cases some producers prefer to label their wines as Brut Nature or Non-Dosé. On the other hand, champagnes between 0-6 g./l. of dosage also qualify for the Brut designation, although most producers will label them as Extra Brut rather than Brut.

6 - Extra Sec - A champagne with a dosage level of between 12 and 20 grams of sugar per liter.

7 - Blanc de Noirs - A champagne made exclusively from red grapes. It can be 100 % pinot noir, 100 % pinot Meunier, or a blend of the two varieties.

8 - Champagne - These sparkling wines’ name, which is actually the name of its area of production in the North-East of France, which is registered and protected.

Champagne is made mostly from grapes Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay.

The Champagne region includes 634 villages in five different departments. However, the viticultural appellation is even more restricted, and only 318 of these villages have the right to produce the wine called champagne.

9- Champagne rosé - A pink version of champagne, most often made by the blending of a little red wine with normally vinified white wine. Champagne Rose color is primarily a color from the orange color family. It is a mixture of orange and brown colors.

10- Cépage - Grape variety

11 - Cuvée - Most Champagnes produced by the big houses or maisons are combos of grapes grown all over the region. That final blend is called a cuvée.

12 - Demi-Sec - A relatively sweet style of champagne, containing a dosage of between 33 and 50 grams of sugar per liter.

13- Grandes marques - Champagne’s most famous houses, the term Grande Marque is used for the most important Négociant-Manipulant. Among them : Moët & Chandon, Mumm, Krug, Lanson, Taittinger, Veuve Clicquot, Dom Pérignon, Bollinger…

14 - Magnum- A bottle containing 1.5 liters of wine, considered by many champagne producers and aficionados to be the ideal format for aging champagne.

15 - Millésimé - Vintage Champagne has a year listed on the bottle to indicate that the grapes are from one particular year's harvest. A vintage Champagne must mature for at least three years (though it's often left much longer), while a non-vintage will take just half that.

2- Champagne tasting in French: How to use the right French terms and impress your friends!

**Step 1. Look at what is in the glass and observe the color of the Champage, la robe in French**

The first step is visual. After popping the bottle and pouring the Champagne, we should wait a moment before tasting it and we should admire la robe, its color.

The primary step relates to the intensity of the color which can vary from pale or light to deep. Wines can take several shades: passing through green-yellow, lemon, straw, gold, buttercup, honey for a white Champagne.

We will be interested in the description of the color, la robe in French as well as the bubbles, les bulles. Here is some French vocabulary to describe the color of the Champagne you are tasting.

La robe can be :

Jaune clair - pale yellow

Dorée - golden

Paille - straw

Ambrée - amber

Look at the way the bubbles les bulles form and rise to the surface. The size of the bubbles is an indicator of quality: the smaller the better. Naturally, champagne is renowned for its very fine, elegant bubbles.

Bubbles Les bulles can be:

Fines - fine

Épaisses - thick

Persistent bubbles gathered in a single central cordon are a sign of a very good champagne.

Step 2. Appreciate the aromas with the nose au nez

The next step calls upon our sense of smell, as we explore and enjoy the wine’s complex bouquet of aromas also known as le nez the nose

First, give the champagne a little time to open up in the glass. Hold the rim of the glass just below your nose and inhale gently. Start by letting the aromas wash over you. Then try to pick out and describe some of the distinctive notes les notes principales you can detect in French if you can.

How would you define those aromas? Are they fruity- fruité, floral- floral, woody -boisé ?

On the nose, the primary aromas of champagnes are generally fruity (pear, apricot, grapefruit, etc.) or floral (orange blossom, jasmine, etc.). A young champagne reveals aromas of great freshness, such as citrus fruits (grapefruit) and a mature champagne is characterized by intense and elaborate aromas of wood (burnt wood, undergrowth), or even spices such as pepper or cinnamon, dried fruit, even for the best, candied fruit.

Here are some French terms you can use while describing the aromas of a Champagne:

Aromas - aromes are generally:

Beurré - buttery notes

Fruité - fruity bouquet

Poire - pear

Abricot - apricot

Pamplemousse - grapefruits

Floral - floral bouquet

Fleur d’organger - orange blossom

Jasmin - jasmine

Citron - lemon

Boisé - woody

Epicé - spicy bouquet

Poivré - peperry bouquet

Step 3. Taste en bouche

And now for the final sense, and perhaps the most important of all: taste, en bouche. Take a sip of your champagne and allow the flavors to fill your mouth.

Again, try to pick out and put words to some of those complex flavors. You may detect red berries - des baies rouges, or perhaps hazelnut – noisettes. And what about those fresh citrus notes - notes d’agrumes ?

The radiance of youth is characterized by aromas of great freshness belonging to several families. Let’s go through them in French :

Fleurs blanches - white flowers

Citrus - agrumes

White fruit - fruit blancs

Red fruits - fruits rouge

Vegetal- vegetal

Minéral - mineral

The balance of maturity offers rounder, more intense aromas in the families:

Fruits jaunes - yellow fruit

Fruits secs - dried fruits

Fruits confits - cooked fruits

Pâtisserie - pastry

Épices - spices

The complexity of fullness is expressed through deep aromas:

Fruits murs - ripe fruits

Fruits confits - candied fruit

Fruits de sous-bois - of undergrowth

Torrefaction - roasted

Grillé - grilled

Miel - honey

Notes animales - animal notes

3 - Champagne etiquette: how to serve and drink It

The most important etiquette considerations on how to serve and drink Champagne. Here are tips to be the ideal host or the perfect guest. If you are hosting, follow Champagne etiquette to appropriately serve it to your guests. If you are a guest, respect Champagne etiquette rules to properly drink and enjoy it.

- Tips to store Champagne and prepare Champagne

Store Champagne in a cool and dry place. The temperature should be constant.
You can store Champagne bottles on a side or standing up. Keep them away from light, either artificial or direct sunlight. Keep them away from sources of heat. It’s better not to store Champagne in the fridge or freezer, they are too cold and risk spoiling the wine.
You can put the bottle in an ice bucket for 30-45 minutes before serving or put the bottle in the fridge for 1 or 2 hours. Avoid the freezer as it is too cold and risks popping the cork.
Avoid chilling glasses in the fridge. Condensation waters down the wine and its aroma.
You can mix Champagne in cocktails such as Mimosa, or Bellini.

- Tips to serve Champagne

. You should serve Champagne chilled but not cold. The ideal temperature is 8-10°C (47-50°F). Try to avoid colder temperatures, as they prevent the wine from releasing its full bouquet.

-Tips to open a bottle of Champagne

Present Champagne in its bottle. Etiquette recommends that you open the bottle in front of your guests.
Open the bottle by holding the cork with your palm. Gently rotate the bottle to ease the cork out. Avoid popping the cork, it’s considered as bad manners unless you have a good reason for this.
Be careful about the pressure and don’t shake the bottle before opening it. When you open the bottle, have a couple of empty glasses ready nearby, to pour the wine if it spills.
Never spray champagne unless you are at St Tropez on a beach or a club !!

-Tips to pour Champagne

Hold the bottle by its body, never by its neck or cork.
Serve Champagne in flutes or saucers. Flutes are a better option to keep Champagne sparkling. Saucers are the best option to make Champagne release its full bouquet.
Don’t fill the glasses in one go, rather start by a small quantity first. Then pour some more. Fill the glass beyond half, but not full.

- Etiquette for drinking Champagne

Drink Champagne in a flute or saucer glass. Hold the glass by its stem to avoid warming the wine with your hand.
Drink in small sips. A glass of Champagne should last between 10 and 20 minutes. Never drink shots of Champagne.
Never add ice to Champagne. However, it may be appropriate to add ice to a Champagne-based cocktail.

- When you should serve & drink Champagne

While French drink Champagne for many occasions, it is more common in formal gatherings or celebrations. You can serve it at a formal dinner, a party, or any special occasion appropriate for celebration.
Champagne can accompany an elegant meal, a rich cheese platter, or dessert.

- What to pair Champagne with

Champagne is a prized wine. You can pair champagne with fish and seafood such as lobsters, crabs and oysters.
Champagne goes well with foie gras, or cheese but not any cheese: camembert or parmigiana. You can also match Champagne with dessert, or fruit such as Strawberries, berries.

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Champagne Useful French Vocabulary & Etiquette