Having just wrapped up the holiday season when a lot of Champagne and sparkling wines are enjoyed, I came across a Blanc de Blanc Champagne. At first it seems that ‘Blanc de Blanc” is just a fancy name for a French Champagne. But, this is just another example of something in the wine world that is seemly complex or confusing that is really rather simple.

If you took high school French, which I didn’t, you’d know that ‘Blanc de Blanc’ literately translates as ‘White from White.” Okay, you might ask, but what does that have to do with Champagne? The answer to that question requires a very quick review of how Champagne is produced. French Champagne is traditionally produced from three grapes - Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier (Pee-noh Mehr-n'yay). The Chardonnay is a white grape, while the Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes are black.

So, you may have already gotten ahead of me. A ‘Blanc de Blanc’ or ‘White from White’ means that this type of Champagne is made solely from white grapes, namely Chardonnay.

Conversely, a ‘Blanc de Noir’ simple translates as ‘White from Black.’ Thus, it is a Champagne made from black grapes - Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. And, as we’ve learned, the juice from all grapes is clear - it’s the grape skins that give it the red color. So, in a ‘Blanc de Noir’ the Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes are pressed but the juice is not given any time in contact with the dark grape skins and therefore remain ‘white.’

So, in summary, you can have Champagne in three different styles:

• Traditional Champagne - Produced with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier

• Blanc de Blanc Champagne - Produced with Chardonnay

• Blanc de Noir Champagne - Produced with Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier