E-Mail This Article to a Friend Bring on the bubbly Shedding the mysteries of Champagne BY RUTH TOBIAS

Aw, quit your bellyaching. So you’ve got six graduations, three showers, and 148 weddings to attend this summer. By my count, that’s at least 157 free glasses of Champagne. When you look at it that way, you’re in the blooming pink (or better yet, the blush).

What’s that you say? You don’t know Champagne from shinola? Good thing that, for all the drink’s intimidating glamour, it’s not so hard to get acquainted. Here’s a little cheat sheet to help you bone up on the bubbly.

What exactly is Champagne, anyway?

The simple answer: Champagne is a sparkling wine from Champagne, the northernmost viticultural region of France. If a sparkling wine is not from Champagne, it’s not Champagne (see final question).

But thanks to the strict laws governing Champagne’s production, there’s a more complicated answer, too. The Champagne label signifies compliance with all kinds of regulations, from yield limits to minimum aging times. Here’s the one to remember when you’re aiming to score points at a wedding reception: by law, Champagne must contain some or all of only three grape varieties — chardonnay, pinot noir, and pinot meunier. Yes, in case you didn’t know, you can make white wine from red grapes like these two pinots. At France’s official Champagne Web site, www.champagne.fr, you’ll find a joli account of what each variety brings to the bottle: boldness and "power" from pinot noir, roundness and fruitiness from pinot meunier, and "finesse" from chardonnay. So depending on the blend (to be explained tout de suite), you can expect these qualities in varying ratios.

How is Champagne made?

Again, the short answer is: according to the traditional méthode champenoise. Producers start with their own special blend, or cuvée, of still (non-sparkling) wines; to this they add the first or bottling dosage ("mixture") — a solution of sugar in more wine — as well as yeast. The wine is then corked and bottle-aged; meanwhile, according to the same process by which bread rises, the yeast and sugar react to create carbon dioxide and hence form bubbles (the reaction also produces more alcohol). Finally, the Champagne receives a second or shipping dosage without yeast, which means that in the final bottling, the added sugar doesn’t convert to alcohol but rather sweetens the whole.

Are there different types of Champagne?

Mais oui. As I’ve just implied, Champagnes can vary in sweetness. The majority by far are classified as brut; the driest of the bunch, they’re the classic apéritif sparklers, traditionally served, of course, with caviar, oysters, and the like. The moderate Champagnes include extra sec and sec, while the sweetest, labeled demi-sec or doux, warrant uncorking at meal’s end to accompany dessert (demi-sec being more appropriate for light, fruity desserts, doux for richer ones).

Color is also a function of type. The term blanc de blancs refers to the palest Champagnes, containing 100 percent chardonnay grapes; a tinge of pink tells you that pinot’s in the house, and the result is a blanc de noirs. Fully pink Champagne, or rosé, gets its color from an added splash of red wine or maceration of red skins.

A further distinction is made between non-vintage and vintage Champagnes — but to assume the latter are automatically better is to oversimplify unjustly. Rather, non-vintage Champagnes contain a blend of cuvées — blends themselves, remember — made in different years to create an amalgam that expresses the house style most comprehensively and convincingly. A vintage Champagne, on the other hand, is the product of an exceptional harvest, containing cuvées made almost entirely from a given year’s bumper crop. So while vintages are in a sense "superior," the non-vintages are the true signatures of a winery.

How can I tell good Champagne from bad Champagne?

Well, you can certainly tell by the labels themselves (and, invariably, by the price tags) which bottles a given winery holds dearest, as well as the level of esteem in which the Institut National des Appellations d’Origine holds said winery. If you see the term grand cru or premier cru, you know the bottle hails from a highly regarded estate. And if you see cuvée de prestige or cuvée spéciale, you’re looking at the estate’s own "It" bottle. To name names, among the more celebrated brands are Dom Pérignon from Moët & Chandon (maybe you’ve heard of it?), Taittinger and its Comtes de Champagne, and Perrier-Jouët’s Belle Epoque.

But the surest sign of quality is actually bubble size — the smaller the better. (Bubbles trap Champagne molecules as they form, only to set them free when they pop; so the more there are, the more bouquet and flavor will be released.)

Finally, you can always just ask the experts. If money is no object, Angela Denstad of Martignetti Liquors recommends a ’93 Dom, a Veuve Clicquot "La Grande Dame," or a Louis Roederer Cristal; if it is, a Moët & Chandon Nectar Impérial will serve nicely.

So if Champagne’s the belle of the ball, are the other sparkling wines wicked stepsisters?

Au contraire! While Champagne sets the standard, there are Italian spumanti, Spanish cavas, Californian sparkling wines, and even a few German Sekts that definitely deserve to dance with somebody who’ll love ’em, too. (Denstad suggests a Carpenè Malvolti Prosecco.)

In short, hurray for invitation number 158.

Ruth Tobias can be reached at ruthtobias@earthlink.net