OTILIE* – CHAMPAGNE UNPLUGGED
Those who know us a little know that we enjoy good champagne, especially as a companion to cooking. So it was obvious: We need a house champagne. And a good one at that. That’s the theory.
In practice, things came together easily: With Rüdiger Flik from FLIK Sektmanufaktur in Mainz Laubenheim, we found an excellent partner for this exciting project. Together, we developed a limited special edition of Rüdiger’s BLANC DE NOIRS as BRUT NATURE.
The result is a top-class and pure manufactory champagne, full of intense aromas and complexity. At the same time, it is smooth and easy to drink like hardly any other champagne we have encountered in our career as sparkling wine and champagne enthusiasts.
The champagne is made in a way defined by what you do NOT do, which is otherwise the usual standard in the industry. Hence the working title "CHAMPAGNE UNPLUGGED".
Rüdiger Flik produces with organic certification, gives his excellent base wines as much peace as possible, and intervenes only minimally throughout the process. This requires foresight and a lot of experience. You can taste the success of this philosophy with every sip, which impressed us greatly.
For us, our favorite side project of 2020, which we hope will be followed by several more editions!
As always with our passion, we are eager to hear your feedback: How did you like our first sparkling wine? Write us your impressions at manufaktur@frankfurter-brett.de
Further down in the blog article, you will find details about the FLIK Sektmanufaktur, the production, and some background knowledge about sparkling wine—for those just getting into the subject.
Enjoy tasting it – Cheers!
Best wishes from Offenbach
Joseph, Johannes
& Team
P.S.: Otilie, Princess of Offenbach, is Joseph’s daughter and the first child of our family.
And now probably one of the few children with their own sparkling wine. She has earned it.
FLIK SEKTMANUFAKTUR
Rüdiger Flik produces his champagne organically certified, without any additives or fining agents. "We strengthen our vines, the soil, and the entire vineyard ecosystem through natural vineyard greening," he explains. Various wild herbs grow between each vine, serving the vines as useful herbs. Among other things, they provide nutrient storage and enrich soil life. "As a result, we have to do considerably less plant protection." According to Flik, this is a key aspect of making champagne: "The healthier the grape, the clearer the fruit, which is later recognized in the aroma of the wine."
Flik is now known for his uncompromising champagne, which is rarely available in this quality in Germany. Produced using the Champagne method, with traditional bottle fermentation and without any additives. The basic products (the grapes) are already of such high quality that the champagne is at least EXTRA BRUT. So almost completely without added sugar.
So, it is no surprise that FLIK manufactory champagnes regularly outperform even renowned champagne brands in blind tastings. And as it sometimes is – Rüdiger is like his champagne: straightforward, without being banal, heartwarming, and simply sunny.
OTILIE* – Champagne Brut Nature
The vineyard from which OTILIE* originates is a 100% limestone site that produces finely fruity wines. The soil texture is very mineral, similar to that found in Champagne. OTILIE’s vine consists of 100 percent pure Pinot Noir with a rich primary aroma of orange and strawberry. "We focused on bringing out this natural aroma – supported by vinification in traditional barriques with micro-oxidation. A fine and balanced acidity framework accompanies the whole process." explains champagne maker Flik.
OTILIE* is a so-called Brut Nature champagne – it has a very low natural sugar content. Due to the high quality of the grapes, no potential weaknesses need to be compensated for in the subsequent sparkling wine refinement. This means that adding sugar in the final production step can be completely avoided. Instead, Flik preserves and enhances the already existing aromas through natural and gentle refinement.
BACKGROUND
The FLIK champagne manufactory produces sparkling wine using the traditional champagne method. The base wine is aged in barriques. After the harvested grapes are pressed directly, the base wine is naturally settled for 24 hours and then filled into the barriques. There, the musts are inoculated with a selected yeast and fermented.
At FLIK, sparkling wine is produced semi-manually. Here, the wine is refined by storing it on the fine yeast in wooden barrels and maturing in the classic bottle fermentation process. The processed raw champagne is taken to the cool cellar for fermentation and maturation, where it is placed on the yeast to achieve the desired mousseux after long storage.
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In most cases, alcoholic fermentation is followed by a so-called malolactic fermentation, in which bitter malic acid is converted into softer lactic acid by bacteria. Meanwhile, batonnage is used – a process in which the yeast is stirred in the barrel. At this point, Rüdiger Flik can already assess the product for the first time and control the formation of diacetyl and acetaldehyde.
Other important aspects are the controlled fermentation process and constant cool storage conditions, which are available in the cellar of the sparkling wine factory. Here the wines mature until May of the following year. Then further steps are taken such as racking, staggered sulphurisation, filtration, and creating microbial stability. Only in early summer are the base wines finally ready for sparkling.
GLOSSARY
Racking is a cellar technique in which the clarified wine is separated from the sediment (dead yeast cells, undissolved parts of fruit pulp and grape skins). It takes place after fermentation is complete by pumping or draining the wine into another barrel.
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Acetaldehyde is formed during alcoholic fermentation with the release of carbon dioxide as a precursor to the final product, alcohol. Towards the end of fermentation, its proportion usually decreases sharply. Acetaldehyde is present in all wines in normally small quantities and, in low concentrations, does not negatively affect taste.
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Vinification is the term for all cellar work between the end of fermentation and bottling of a wine. During aging, the wine develops complexity and structure. This aging can take place in barrels, barriques, or tanks of various sizes, depending on grape variety, quality, style, and wine tradition. Depending on the type of wine, quality, potential, and vintage, the aging process can last from several weeks to years. The longer this maturation lasts, the more expensive it is.
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Barrique is an oak barrel mainly used today for aging wine, but also whisky and beer. Mostly barrique barrels in the Bordelais size of 225 liters are used.
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Batonnage is the process of stirring the yeast that remains in the barrel during aging. This protects it from decomposition. During storage, the winemaker constantly stirs the young wine in the barrel. This movement clarifies the wine. Batonnage also makes the wine rounder, giving it more body and flavor. It is therefore a process to improve wine quality during storage.
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Brut Nature: Simply put, a manufactory champagne is a still wine that undergoes a second fermentation in the bottle by adding yeast and sugar. This produces carbonic acid, which binds in the wine under pressure. Since the yeasts completely consume the sugar during fermentation, the wine is effectively completely dry after this process. The yeast dies off and, after storage, is shaken into the bottle neck and expelled from the bottle. During this process, some wine is lost, which is then refilled. This is usually done with a mixture of sugar and wine – the shipping dosage. If a winemaker produces a Brut Nature champagne, he refrains from adding sugar and refills the bottle with this champagne instead.
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During disgorging, the yeast is shaken into the bottle neck after storage and then expelled from the bottle.
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Diacetyl is a flavor compound formed in wine during malolactic fermentation by lactic acid bacteria reacting with citric acid. It is also found in beer, butter, coffee, cocoa, and honey and gives a buttery taste. From a dilution of 1:1,000,000, this odor- and taste-intensive substance can be perceived by the senses.
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The young wine is cleaned by filtration. This means filters are used to remove turbidity and small particles in the wine. These substances are removed because they could trigger secondary fermentation after bottling.
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Staggered sulphurisation is a preservation method mainly used to prolong the life of the wine. The sulfur dioxide or sulfite formed in aqueous solution has a preservative effect.
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Malolactic fermentation is the chemical transformation of malic acid into lactic acid. The process is also known as malolactic fermentation, bacterial malic acid degradation, or malo-lactic fermentation. The transformation is carried out by a bacterium called "Micrococcus malolacticus" and lasts from 10 to 40 days.
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Micro-oxidation is a winemaking technique in which the color or flavor development of the wine is optimized by finely dosed addition of pure oxygen to the must or young wine.
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Mousseux describes the foaming of the wine in French.
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Sedimentation or settling is the depositing of particles from liquids or gases under the influence of weight or centrifugal force. The layer of suspended matter that forms is called sediment, sedimentary deposit, or loose sediment.
