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The Champagne Method Video Transcript

Written By: ClassicWines.com Team on Monday, December 4, 2006

Brian Freedman: So Rosa, one of the wines that you’re most renowned for here at the Old Field is your Blanc de Noir Champagne Method Sparkling wine. It’s a very unique thing to be producing here on Long Island. Can you take us through that production and explain the wine to us a little bit?

Rosamond Baiz:Absolutely. So, when you make a wine in the méthode champenoise fashion, which is a traditional French method, which means solely that the second fragmentation takes place in the bottle and which we sell it to you. The initial fermentation takes place in the tank, then we bottle the wine, we add another bunch of yeast to the wine; we cap it with the beer bottle, we lay it down in the cellar where it sits in the dark undisturbed, and during that time, the yeast does what it needs to do, which is primarily make the bubbles. Obviously, that makes it into a sparkling wine. The yeast then dies and sits in the bottom, in this case on the side of the bottle.

So, at some point you’ve got to get that yeast out, and that’s done by riddling, which is the turning of the bottle and then ultimately until -- it takes about a week, a-week-and-a-half, ultimately the bottle ends up, upside down. The dead yeast cells are down in the neck of the bottle, at which point the bottle neck is frozen, the bottle is turned upright, the cap comes off, there’s just enough -- the bottle is cold, so the bubbles aren’t terribly active, but there’s just enough pressure to push that now frozen plug up and out of the bottle. But in the meantime when it’s sitting down there, all those yeasts are adding that marvelously nutty-bready flavor to the wine, plus the fact that you’ve got this wonderful cherry which comes out of the Pinot Noir, and it ends up making this marvelously silky, fruity, yeasty, nutty…

Brian Freedman:...goodness in the bottle.

Rosamond Baiz:Absolutely, you gotcha.

Brian Freedman:And we were talking earlier that most Americans at least, they’ll only open up a bottle of champagne or sparkling wine for a celebration - and Perry, you were saying that’s not necessarily the right way.

Perry Weiss:No, it should always be enjoyed as a wine that could be with every meal essentially - it should be - and it’s getting that way, it definitely is.

Brian Freedman:Yeah, you don’t need to buy your $200 bottle of fancy champagne; it’s perfectly acceptable to open up some wonderful méthode champenoise or Proseccos and -- really gets you a wide range of pairing options, but I think what’s special about your Blanc de Noir here is that, it’s wonderful to drink just on its own as well.

Rosamond Baiz:Can I add a quick note?

Brian Freedman:Please do.

Rosamond Baiz:Okay. The label on this is actually very special; it was taken by Chris’ great grandmother, it was taken back in the 20’s, and this is actually looking out through the orchards that are down, looking out on to Peconic Bay, and the boats on here, all the old scallop dredgers, because you’ve heard of Peconic Bay scallops?

Brian Freedman:Yes.

Rosamond Baiz:That’s what they were dredging. So, it’s this wonderful old photo that Perry actually made into our label. Absolutely.

Brian Freedman:Really does make it a unique experience. So thank you for joining us.

Perry Weiss:Thank you.

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