Wine myths
Champagne is a white wine, so it is made from white grapes
“Champagne is white, so obviously it is made from white grapes.”
Two of Champagne’s three principal grapes are black. Pinot Noir and Meunier together account for the majority of plantings; the juice is pale because it is pressed off the skins immediately.
The full answer
Grape juice is essentially colourless whatever the skin colour. Red wine gets its colour from fermenting on the skins, so pressing black grapes gently and taking the juice away at once yields a white wine.
Champagne’s three main varieties are Chardonnay (white), Pinot Noir (black) and Meunier (black), and the two black varieties together make up more of the region’s vineyard than Chardonnay does.
This is what "Blanc de Blancs" and "Blanc de Noirs" are telling you: white wine from white grapes, and white wine from black grapes respectively. If all Champagne were made from white grapes the terms would be pointless.
It is also why gentle, rapid pressing matters so much in the region, and why the press fractions are regulated.
A biochemical or physical process that has been demonstrated experimentally and is not seriously contested — the sort of statement that appears in enology textbooks without hedging.
What would settle it: A controlled experiment failing to reproduce the process.
Sources
Sources consulted
- Comité Champagne — Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne
- WSET educational materials and the Systematic Approach to Tasting — Wine & Spirit Education Trust