While the majority of drinkers may argue over Talisker versus Macallan, Belvedere or Grey Goose, Bordeaux or Burgundy, or even just white versus red, for those who love their champagne, there is nothing other than champagne. (And no, prosecco does not count.) And there are a lot of champagne lovers: statistics from the house of Moët & Chandon show a bottle of Moët is opened every second of every hour around the world. But is our love of champagne just the product of clever marketing? Or is there really something magical about this bubbly golden liquid? We ask several leading champagne experts in Hong Kong, just what is it about champagne that makes it so alluring?

Origins

Champagne is only ever champagne if it comes from Champagne, a rich viticultural region (which includes Aube, Côte de Blancs, Côte de Sezanne, Montagne de Reims and Vallée de la Marne) with strict regulations enforcing the region's grip on the naming, quality control and most importantly, quantity, of this illustrious produce. Perhaps it's this belief of champagne only coming from one small, veritable garden patch on Earth which makes it so bewitching.

In the 5th century B.C., the Romans planted vineyards in this area of northeast France, or as the Romans called it, Gaul. This region, 160 kilometres east of Paris, faced numerous obstacles its more distinguished Burgundy and Bordeaux brethren to the south lacked. Cold temperatures prevented effective fermentation crucial to the removal of unwanted carbon dioxide, a by-product from the yeast cells in the grapes breaking apart. As a result, wine from the region was predominantly a fizzy one, with early bottles frequently exploding due to the pressure. As late as the 17th century, the house of Dom Perignon was still trying, without success, to remove the bubbles from its wine.

The Brands

In Hong Kong, we have access to the very finest champagnes from the region. The main contenders include Bollinger, Dom Perignon (produced by the house of Moet & Chandon), Krug, Louis Roederer's Cristal and Veuve Clicquot. Christophe Orlarei (pictured above), head sommelier at the Grand Hyatt compares these "top" houses of champagne to the first-growth vineyards of Bordeaux such as Lafite or Domaine de la Romanée-Conti in Burgundy. "Each have an amazing terroir, heritage and winemaking systems," says Orlarei, a view shared by Hubert Chabot, head sommelier at the Mandarin Oriental. According to Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia, there are 19,000 grape growers in Champagne, of which roughly 5,000 sell champagne under their own house. There are, the encyclopedia claims, more than 12,500 champagne brands. However, one particular house, Champagne Salon, has been produced only 36 times in 100 years according to Orlarei, a fascinating glimpse of the rigours set by independent champagne houses.

Click here to read more about grower champagnes, wines made by the people who grow the grapes themselves (instead of selling it to the big houses) and in minute quantities.

Vintage or Non Vintage?

For many, there is confusion between vintage and non-vintage champagnes. A non-vintage utilises a blend of grapes from different years to produce a signature taste, providing a "consistent reflection of the style and taste of the house," says Orlarei. Vintage champagne, however, is a blend of grapes from a particular year deemed worthy of being declared "vintage." "Not every year is a vintage year," says Jerry Kwan, head sommelier at The Peninsula, who has its own brand of Salon de Ning champagne, pictured below. "But the vintage is left to the individual champagne houses to declare themselves." Vintage champagnes are generally considered to be more complex, richer and with a more distinctive, unique flavor than non-vintage – and with prices to match.

Interested in starting your own champagne house? Here's how.

Food Pairing

While most people will know to pair red wine with meat, and white with seafood, champagne is a little more difficult. Orlarei has been working with Dom Perignon's Chef de Cave Richard Geoffroy in an effort to develop a series of Cantonese tasting menus paired with Dom Perignon and Krug. "The possibilities seem endless and we now have different menus ranging from six to sixteen courses paired with champagne," he enthuses. But it's not just Cantonese food, with its delicate flavours and textures, which matches well.

Read our previous interview with Geoffroy here.

The Mandarin Oriental also has The Krug Room helmed by chef Uwe Opocensky, who trained under Ferran Adria at El Bulli, and one of only three Krug Rooms worldwide. A fixed tasting menu there has each course carefully matched to the Krug champagnes on offer. Often, chef Opocensky will create champagne-inspired dishes, for example the whimsical Krug dessert pictured below. Oysters and lobster both go extremely well with a good glass of champagne, says Kwan.

Just like wine, there are some basic rules to follow: champagne should always be served quite cold, preferably between seven to twelve degrees Celsius. "Temperature of service and glassware are important," says Orlarei, as cold temperatures dull flavours, meaning a cheaper bottle can be served colder than a more complex wine. The best champagnes, including vintage bottles and blanc de blancs – made entirely from white chardonnay grapes – should never be served at less than seven degrees Celsius. Good champagne should not be chilled for more than two hours before serving; prolonged chilling can dull flavour and bouquet. The ideal glass of champagne is the tall, slender flute as its relatively small surface permits only a few bubbles to escape at a time. The perfect measure is a "4c serving in a half-full glass with a balance of fine bubbles," says Kwan.

The Sparkling Rivals

While the French fiercely hold on to the belief that only sparkling wines from Champagne are worth the calories, do other regions really not produce any worthy bubbly? Not necessarily, it turns out. Even the French Orlarei highlights Bellavista Franciacorta from the Lombardy region of Italy as producing some amazing sparkling wines. "They definitely deserve more recognition," he continues, a view shared by Chabot. Aside from Franciacorta, Kwan highlights Green Point Domaine Chandon from Australia and Schramsberg from California's Napa Valley as potential contenders to their cousins from Champagne.

Historically, champagne has always been in a class of its own. However, as supply and distribution chains spread and a rising, universal standard of wealth occurs, the numbers of champagne producers and varieties appear to rise. Champagne is no longer the exclusive drink it once was: more than 335 million bottles of genuine champagne are produced annually and ironically, this previously decadent drink can now be available for just a few hundred dollars, appreciably less than a moderately priced Bordeaux or Napa Valley cabernet. Much like how caviar can now be found at supermarkets (to the detriment of wild sturgeon stocks worldwide), champagne is no longer just for the privileged few.

However, there have been rumors of a controversial proposed extension to the official champagne-growing boundaries, thereby allowing a greater number of champagne producers to help quench this seemingly unstoppable rise in demand. Whether or not the proposal is successful, one thing is for sure: this grand old dame, once a drink fit for only kings – and purportedly consumed in place of water by Louis XIV – does not look set to be going anywhere soon. Chabot himself firmly believes, "Morning, afternoon or evening, there is no special time or occasion to drink a good glass of champagne." Love it or hate it, this is one bubble that shows no sign of popping any time soon.