Korbel Champagne Cellars

Korbel Champagne Cellars

F. Korbel Brothers, Inc. is a winery based in Sonoma County, California. Established in 1882, Korbel primarily produces sparkling wine and sells the largest volume of premium methode champenoise sparkling wine in the United States. Owned and managed by the Heck family since 1954, Korbel produces several California champagnes and a limited amount of still wine. Since 1889, Korbel has produced one of California's most respected brandies. It uses the semi-generic term Champagne preceded by the appellation (California or Sonoma County) on its label as permitted by U.S. law. Since 1965, Brown-Forman has been the marketing and sales agents for the winery and distributes Korbel's California champagnes domestically and internationally. This page is a blatant advgertisement for Korbel. Look at everything printed

The History of American Champagne

The Korbel story is more than a part of the history of winemaking in Sonoma County, California. It is the saga of two enterprising families with pioneer spirits and old-world resourcefulness who had a vision of what could be done with the great opportunities emerging from the development of this country. Although generations apart, the Korbel and Heck families created and preserved a singular tradition of champagne-making excellence that has now been in existence for 125 years.

The Pioneering Korbels

In the mid-1800’s, America offered new hope to three brothers seeking to escape political unrest in their European homeland. Emigrating from Czechoslovakia to the United States, brothers Francis, Anton and Joseph Korbel found success in exchange for their hard work and innovation. F. Korbel & Bros. began as a manufacturing business in San Francisco that produced materials for the building industry. As their enterprise expanded, the brothers eventually acquired a sawmill and began a full-scale lumber operation near the town of Guerneville in Sonoma County.

The Korbels, born in the farmlands of the province of Bohemia (today’s western Czechoslovakia), found the remote and rugged redwood country in Sonoma County irresistible. Lured by the beauty and opportunity of the mountainous timberlands, the brothers eventually moved their families from San Francisco and settled in the Russian River Valley. As Northern California’s lumber boom slowed, the Korbels turned their attention to farming the bottomlands of their Russian River Valley ranch. Here the soil was sandy, the mornings were filled with fog from the nearby Pacific Ocean, and summer days were long with sunshine.

“A tradition that was to become a legacy was well under way”

It would be in this valley that the Korbels’ love of the land, their unmatched enthusiasm for hard work and their spirit for enterprise would lead them to create a great American champagne. During the late 1870’s, the Korbels raised prunes, beets, wheat, corn, alfalfa, and operated a commercial dairy.

During this time, they planted their first vineyards and began experimenting with different grape varieties, including Pinot Noir – early evidence of the Korbels’ ambition to become champagne producers. Pinot Noir was an unusual variety for California; it was known primarily as the principal grape of the Champagne region of France.

In 1882, the three brothers began a small winemaking operation at their ranch and produced some 20,000 to 30,000 gallons of wine from their vineyard yields. Korbel wines were so well received that two years later the brothers closed their dairy, converted all of their ranch lands to vineyards, and devoted all of their energy to winemaking. A tradition that was to become a legacy was well under way.

The First Korbel Champagnes

The Korbel winery continued to grow throughout the 1880’s. It was during this time that the Korbels sent for winemaker Frank Hasek in Prague to come to the United States to be their champagne master. Employing the time-honored French method of producing champagne, méthode champenoise, the Korbels quietly, but aggressively, experimented with cuvées. By the mid-1890’s, the Korbels shipped their first champagnes, and by the turn of the century Korbel was an internationally known, award-winning label.

Korbel Survives Prohibition

Prohibition in the 1920’s forced the permanent closing of many wineries across the country. The era tested the family’s ingenuity, but the Korbel winery survived by depending on the brothers’ other business ventures and accumulated resources. Sadly, Francis, Joseph and Anton all passed away before Repeal in 1933, and none of them lived to see champagne production resume at the winery. They died not knowing their champagne creation had become an enduring legacy.

Fortunately, a second generation of Korbels successfully carried on the family’s commitment and produced méthode champenoise champagnes from the late 1930’s to 1954. By the 1950’s, the large winery building constructed from the Korbel brothers’ own hand-made bricks nearly 70 years earlier had been expanded, and more vineyards had been planted. The home place that had once been the center of the family’s life was still standing - a quiet reminder of the early days of ranch life at Korbel.

Eventually, each of the seven Korbel cousins who owned Korbel Champagne Cellars agreed it was time to sell the winery and vineyards -- but only on certain terms. The surviving Korbels, seeking to preserve the legacy begun by their fathers, would insist that the buyer carry on the Korbel tradition of producing fine champagne by the méthode champenoise. They would also insist that the winery must operate as a family business, and that the company would be forever known as Korbel Champagne Cellars.

The one buyer who satisfied all of those conditions was a determined young winemaker named Adolf Heck. In 1954, 72 years after it was founded by the Korbel brothers, Korbel Champagne Cellars was sold to Heck, thus introducing a new chapter and a new family into the Korbel story.

First Champagne For American Tastes

Adolf Heck brought a new spirit to the internationally known Korbel Champagne Cellars. The Korbel home place was alive once again, this time with a new family. Planting methods and production facilities were updated, and new products began to emerge with the famous Korbel label.

As the new owner of Korbel, Adolf set out to pioneer what he described as “California-style” champagnes. These wines displayed more fruit and less yeast than was typical of European champagnes. In 1956 he reintroduced Korbel Brut in a style that was lighter and drier than any American champagne on the market, making it the first champagne developed specifically for American tastes. Adolf’s energetic creativity as champagne master continued with the introduction of additional cuvées. Taking advantage of Sonoma County’s ability to produce high quality Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes, Adolf introduced Korbel Natural’, Korbel Blanc de Blancs (100% Chardonnay) and Korbel Blanc de Noirs (100% Pinot Noir) --all of which he created using champagne yeasts he had developed himself.

Innovative and determined, Adolf worked constantly to improve the production and technical aspects of champagne making. In 1966, Adolf invented and patented the first automatic riddling machine. In the past, riddling was done by hand at wineries -- a costly and time consuming method that left the champagne’s quality vulnerable to the variability of many human hands. Adolf’s invention allowed each bottle of Korbel champagne to undergo exact turns at precise times. The introduction of his riddling machine into the production of Korbel champagnes ensured consistent taste and quality in every bottle.

Second Generation: Gary Heck Korbel grew impressively during Adolf’s 30 years of leadership. That growth has continued since Adolf’s son, Gary Heck, was appointed the company’s president in 1982 and named the chairman of the board in 1984.

In keeping with his promise that Korbel would remain family-owned and operated, Adolf had prepared Gary for his role by requiring him to learn the champagne making business from the vineyards to the marketplace. Consequently, Gary has been active in nearly every aspect of the winery operation, from harvesting grapes by hand to sales administration. Growing up in the original home place of the Korbels and working daily at the winery, Gary has a lifetime of experience to guide him as he continues the legacy of Korbel.

Gary shares his late father’s pride and passion for Korbel -- a key ingredient in the brand’s success. Under Gary’s guidance, Korbel enjoyed double-digit growth during the 1980’s, and the brand currently sells more than 1.3 million cases annually.

Korbel. It is a name that tells the unique story of two families – their dreams, determination and dedication -- and it is a name that stands for 125 years of fine méthode champenoise champagnes.

Production and the Method Champeniose

Champagne. It christens ships. Toasts love. Celebrates happiness. Harmonizes with food. No other beverage is more versatile, fun or intriguing.

Champagne owes all of its superlative attributes to its unique characteristic -- bubbles! Bubbles are key to the quality of the champagne. Although there are several methods used to make sparkling wines -- wines with bubbles -- there is only one method that world class producers use to make fine champagne: méthode champenoise.

The méthode champenoise (maytud shom-pun-woz) is the only process that Korbel has used in its 125 years of champagne-making. French for “champagne method” classic méthode champenoise is the traditional champagne-making process developed by winemakers in the Champagne region of France during the 1700’s and 1800’s.

Méthode champenoise champagnes are those sparkling wines produced with the second fermentation taking place in the bottle (when the bubbles form), followed by a long, intensive process to rid the wine of yeast sediment before final corking. Excellent champagne, however, begins long before a single drop of wine is produced.

Quality In The Vineyards

Korbel’s vineyards lie along the sloping hills of Sonoma County in California’s Russian River Valley. Its sandy soil, foggy mornings and long, warm growing season make it an ideal area for growing grapes. Here the vineyards yield grapes high in acidity, which is a valuable and desirable attribute for champagne grapes.

Harvest

As late summer stretches into fall, Korbel begins harvesting its champagne grapes – primarily Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Chenin Blanc and Colombard. Grapes are hand-picked -- just as the Korbels did 125 years ago – when their “brix,” or sugar content, has reached 18-20 degrees.

After the grapes are crushed, only the free run juice of the first press is used for Korbel champagnes. The process takes 45 seconds from skins to grape juice or “must.” This quality-control step ensures freshness and keeps the must from picking up unwanted color from red grapes. The must is stored in cooled tanks as soon as possible to avoid oxidation. The first or primary fermentation takes place in these temperature-controlled tanks.

After this first fermentation is complete, the wine is clarified and then aged in either oak or stainless steel. During the clarifying time, the wine undergoes “racking,” a natural clarification that removes sediment by transferring the wine from one cask to another until it is judged by Korbel’s champagne master to be a fine still wine. At Korbel, a percentage of the wine from each harvest is held back and blended with the following year’s wine to lend consistency of quality and taste to every bottle of Korbel champagne.

Blending And Liqueur De Tirage

Before all of the magic of the second fermentation can begin, a critical and challenging process must take place: the blending of the still wines to create a cuvée. The cuvée resulting from the blending process, or l’assemblage, is bottled with a precisely measured amount of liqueur de tirage, a solution of sugar and yeast. Every bottle of Korbel champagne is created with special proprietary yeast strains used exclusively by Korbel. It is important to add the precise amount of liqueur de tirage to achieve the desired effervescence in each bottle of Korbel. Too much liqueur de tirage and the bottle explodes; too little and the champagne is flat.

“The method champenoise is the only process that Korbel has used in its 125 years of champagne making.”

Méthode Champenoise

The secret to the perfect, pinpoint bubbles seen in every glass of Korbel champagne is the méthode champenoise. The exacting steps of this seemingly magical process begin as the still wines undergo a second fermentation. Because the second fermentation takes place in the same Korbel bottle that will be opened and enjoyed, the carbon dioxide becomes well integrated with the wine. This process produces smaller bubbles that rise more slowly and last longer than those in champagnes produced by other methods. Remember, the smaller the bubbles, the finer the champagne!

Two other methods are used to create sparkling wines: the transfer method and the Charmat process. Both methods, however, are considered less exacting than méthode champenoise because of the way the wine is handled during and/or after the second fermentation. Unlike méthode champenoise, the transfer method transfers the wine to large tanks for filtering after second fermentation in the bottle. Sparkling wines produced by the Charmat process are fermented in large tanks six to eight weeks. Soon after that, the yeast is filtered out and the champagne is put into bottles.

Riddling

After the second fermentation, Korbel champagnes are aged on the yeast for up to four years, depending on the cuvée style. The bottles are arranged in special automated racks for the process of riddling, or remuage, which brings the dead yeast down to the necks of the bottles so that it can be removed.

In the past, riddling was done by hand at wineries -- a costly, time consuming method that left the champagne’s quality vulnerable to the imprecision of the human hand. During riddling, the bottles were slowly tipped down to a vertical position over a period of four to five weeks and slightly turned once each day to work the sediment down to the cap.

In 1966, Adolf Heck invented and patented the first automatic riddling machine. Korbel has continued to improve upon Adolf’s idea, and today the winery has a highly specialized riddling, bottling and packaging production flow that produces a champagne of consistent high quality. At Korbel, the bottled cuvées are placed upside down in shipping cases that are arranged on automatic riddling racks. These racks gently vibrate the bottles in their cases for one hour, four times a day. During this period of vibration, the cases are gently rocked every two minutes, which eventually works the yeast down into the neck of the bottle. Thus, the process of riddling is carried out with great precision and consistent quality is ensured.

Disgorging, Dosaging and Finishing

After riddling, the bottles are delicately dipped, neck down, into a brine solution at zero degrees. This freezes the dead yeast into a plug. The bottles are placed upright and their temporary caps are removed. The pressure in the bottle is just enough to push out the yeast plug without losing any significant amount of champagne.

A mixture of sugar and wine is added -- liqueur d’expédition --to replace liquid lost during disgorging and bring the sweetness of the Korbel champagne up to a desired level. This process is called dosage. After dosage, each bottle is corked. At Korbel, this entire process takes only 25 seconds, allowing the product an absolute minimum exposure to air. Korbel champagnes are held at the winery for one month after corking to allow the cork to soften and the liqueur d’expédition to blend thoroughly.

Korbel Méthode Champenoise Champagnes

All Korbel champagnes are produced using the méthode champenoise process and are proudly labeled with the designation “Fermented in THIS bottle.” Sparkling wines and champagnes produced by the less quality-oriented transfer method and Charmat process are labeled “Fermented in the Bottle” and “Bulk Method” respectively.

Korbel California Champagnes for all Occasions

KORBEL BRUT (NV)- Korbel's most popular California champagne, Brut is medium-dry with a light, crisp, perfectly balanced cuvee.

KORBEL BLANC DE NOIRS (NV) - Palm salmon in color, this premium California champagne owes its rich, full balance to Korbel's special blend - 75% of which comes from Pinot Noir grapes.

KORBEL BRUT ROSE (NV) - A medium-dry California champagne with a deep blush color and a delicately fruity style.

KORBEL EXTRA DRY (NV) - Delicately crisp with a just a hint of sweetness, Korbel Extra Dry is a supreme blend of the finest premium California grapes, creating a rich, medium dry cuvee.

KORBEL SEC (NV) - A supreme blend of the finest premium California grapes, Korbel Sec is the first champagne created by the Korbel Family over 125 years ago, and continues to be created in its original style.

KORBEL CHARDONNAY CHAMPAGNE (NV) - A revolutionary product that combines America's favorite varietal, Chardonnay, with the extra sparkle of California champagne. Chardonnay Champagne is suitable for everyday use.

KORBEL ROUGE (Vintage) - This medium-dry California champagne, possessing intense black cherry and strawberry-plum aroma and flavor, has a dramatic red color - created from Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.

KORBEL NATURAL (Vintage) - Made entirely from premium Russian River Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes, our driest cuvee has a flawless balance and a satiny elegant finish.

Source-Korbel Champagne Cellars

External links

* [http://korbel.com/ Korbel's official website]