Why Is Champagne Considered The ‘Classiest’ Alcoholic Beverage?

Most people would agree that Champagne stands as the classiest alcoholic beverage. While certain wines may have taken longer to produce and can reach phenomenal prices, whisky can be aged and serve as a real collector’s item, and culturally rich options like sake are served in three-star Michelin restaurants around the world, most people would consider Champagne as the ultimate treat, and a symbol of celebration and excess.

The production process is partly responsible for that. It involves two fermentation stages – the second one occurs inside each sealed bottle, trapping the bubbles within and providing a special bottled presence that contributes to its famous pop – and we tend to associate that with athletic achievement and podium finishes.

In this post, we hope to explore why Champagne has long been associated with the top-level of alcoholic luxury. This way, the next time you reach for a bottle or designed personalised Champagne, you’ll feel confident in your your choice through and through.

The Premium Pricing & Limited Supply

Access to genuine Champagne is generally restricted by its premium pricing and limited availability, the latter of course informing the former. Champagne grapes must be cultivated according to strict guidelines in that specific French region carrying the same name.

Not every sparkling wine qualifies to be called Champagne – the label is protected, and as such, exclusivity attracts attention. Due to that highly regulated production, the supply does not meet global demand, commanding relatively high prices that have made Champagne a luxury item. Sure, you can buy sparkling wine from any supermarket, and it will undergo similar production, but the genuine article is of course superior and its limited quantities add a regal sense to its reputation.

Glamor In Celebrations

Champagne’s festive bubbles and indulgent taste have only helped its symbolic status at major events and joyous milestones like weddings, anniversaries, New Year’s Eve festivities and more. It’s not hard to picture the winner of a Formula 1 Grand Prix race event pop a bottle and coat his competitors, we’ve seen Lewis Hamilton do this many times before.

That joyful pop of opening the bottle with the fun flight of the cork adds to the senes of the occasion. We also tend to think of Champagne in pop culture, such as in films where individuals celebrate success or make romantic gestures. “Let’s pop a bottle!” can refer to a celebration even without the inclusion of alcohol, meaning that the term and activity has entered common vocabulary.

Skill & Crafting Insight

Crafting a genuine Champagne requires artful skill in blending grape varieties and overseeing the step-by-step process from the basic fermentation to the concluding “remuage” and ‘disgorgement’ steps.

Like any good art and craft, it takes patience, with the wine spending years ageing in bottles while being regularly turned and angled by experienced individuals known as remueurs. Sure, beer might take a while to ferment also, but there’s something much more romantic about the gentle bled of grapes fermenting under the watchful eye of artisans, and we’ve all fallen under its spell.

Regal, Refined & Royal Flavours

None of our explanations above would have any real impact if Champagne wasn’t delicious and refined. It would just be another drink with a little more pomp and circumstance attached to it.

When your Champagne is good, it should avoid being overly sweet or bitter with an aftertaste that stays too long (we’re looking at you, cheap wines). Those premium, genuine Champagnes showcase delicate yet complex flavour profiles which can alter from citrus to notes of freshly baked bread and even berries. It’s all in the art of development, and yes, it’s delicious.

Moreover, with the indulgence of the bubbles, the elegance of a good flute, and the gentle but not too creamy mouthfeel, a bottle of Champagne is there to be savoured but remains thoroughly drinkable. It’s a social drink, one you can enjoy at a well-to-do party or celebration without losing your cool. It’s no wonder the drink has achieved a place among affluent circles or in some of the very best restaurants in the world, as it remains a beautifully crafted drink that doesn’t spoil or interfere with any event, dish, or social obligation you might attend.

To conclude, Champagne has achieved its status as the ‘classiest’ alcoholic beverage due to a combination of compounding factors. Its limited supply from the renowned Champagne region of France lends it exclusivity and luxury. The careful production process, involving skilled artisanal work and years of patient aging, grants a sense of beauty. Moreover, Champagne is delicious and refined. What more could you ask for?

With this advice, we hope you can see why and how Champagne is considered the classiest alcoholic beverage.