Below 20 €, a champagne is it good?

Yes, but by opting for a winemaker's champagne (15 to 18 €, and cheaper if you buy it on the spot!). We find in the wine shop at a better price than the champagnes of big brand "passe-partout" sold in supermarket. You have to follow the advice of your cellar dealer or a guide, or buy a bottle that you have tasted at a friend's house. Of course, there is champagne at 10 € in supermarkets, but impossible to find finesse and length in the mouth at this price!

A great brand of champagne, it is necessarily a guarantee?

We must first identify its own taste, and know if we prefer a wineier champagne (ex: Krug), lighter (eg Moët & Chandon), more woody, etc. Then, yes, we are sure to find a pattern over the years because these champagnes are the fruit of very elaborate assemblies, according to a specific style.

Can we trust the 2 letters (RM, MA, ...) on the label of the bottle of champagne?

Not really that gives a typology, not an indication of quality. Behind "RM" (harvester manipulating) hides a winemaker or a big house, who elaborates a champagne only from his own vines. "MA" (buyer's mark) means that the product was made by a dealer for the mass market: it's a bit of a lottery.

Raw, dry, semi-dry champagne: what's the difference?

These mentions indicate the sugar content: - 12g / l for a crude, 12 to 37g / l for a dry, 32 to 50g / l for a half-dry, 50g / l for a sweet. Low in sugar, the crude is an off-road champagne, which dominates the market (all the basic cuvées of large houses are at 6g / l). But the sweet champagne is not reserved for dessert: with a foie gras, it's a great idea!

Pink champagne is more refined?

Champagne has always been produced by adding a dose of red wine from local grapes (a prohibited method in other wine regions). Today, all wines combined, there is a craze for rosé, especially from women. The champagne, do not escape, but it is a difference of dress more than taste!

Thanks to Pierre Rival, author of Champagne for Dummies , Editions First (380 p., € 14.95).