🍷 Ratafia de Champagne
A sweet drink from Champagne: grape juice with added spirit.
Ratafia de Champagne is a sweet drink from Champagne. Strictly speaking it is not wine but a mistelle: fresh grape juice to which grape spirit is added before fermentation starts. The spirit stops the yeast, so all the grape sugar stays in the drink.
It is made from the same grapes as champagne: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. The spirit is local too, distilled from Champagne wine or pomace. The drink is then aged, often in barrels, and takes on an amber colour with notes of honey, dried fruit and nuts.
Ratafia used to be made mainly for home use on family estates. Today many champagne houses produce it, and the name is protected as a geographical indication for spirit drinks. It is similar to Pineau des Charentes from Cognac and other mistelles. It is drunk in small servings as an aperitif or with desserts and cheese.
How it connects to Wine
🍷 Ratafia de Champagne → made in → 🗺️ French wine → kind of → 🗺️ Wines of Europe → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Part of
- 🍷 Mistelle
- Where it is made
- 🗺️ French wine
- Similar and different
- 🍷 Mistelle, 🍷 Champagne
Frequently asked questions
Is ratafia a champagne?
No. It is not sparkling; it is a sweet blend of grape juice and spirit from Champagne.
What is Ratafia de Champagne made from?
From the juice of champagne grape varieties and local grape spirit.
How is ratafia served?
Chilled, in small servings, as an aperitif or with dessert.
Similar
🍷 Pineau des Charentes · 🍷 Floc de Gascogne · 🍷 Macvin du Jura · 🍷 Grower Champagne · 🍷 Prestige cuvée · 🍷 Rosé Champagne
⚠️ Wine contains alcohol: adults only, drink in moderation. Wine usually contains sulphites; egg white or milk proteins are sometimes used for fining — important for allergies and for vegans.