Looking for an updated Korbel champagne price guide? Korbel California Champagne is a much-loved brand of high-quality Sparkling Wines produced at the Korbel Winery located in Guerneville, Samona County, California, USA.
Wine lovers the world over will know that the word “Champagne” may only be used to describe Sparkling Wines wholly produced from grapes grown in, and the final product bottled in the Champagne region of France.
However, a quirk of law in the USA permits the use of the term “California Champagne” on the label.
Interestingly, the name Champagne originates from Roman times when that particular piece of countryside in Roman-occupied France so resembled the region South of Rome then known by the Latin name “Campania”.
Korbel produces its sparkling wines from top-quality Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes grown in the cooler climes of the nearby Russian River Valley.
The fermentation process begins in wine barrels and then progresses to a second fermentation, which takes place in the bottle in which the product is sold.
This wine-making process is known as the “méthode champenoise”, which is a title strictly reserved for the products of Champagne in France, but legalese again permits its use in the USA.
In other countries, those who use this process are required to refer to it by a different name such as the “méthodetraditionalle”.
A Brief History of Korbel California Champagnes
This enterprise was originally established as a milk-producing farm prior to 1882. Later, the three Korbel brothers, Joseph, Anton, and Francis turned the operation into a Wine farm that produced fine wines from their own home-grown grapes.
The enterprise floundered and was closed down during the prohibition period when the production, transportation, and sale of alcoholic products were banned by law in the USA in 1920.
The prohibition was finally repealed in 1933. The brand was eventually revived early in 1950, coincidently, by another three brothers, who bought out the defunct company.
The Heck brothers, Paul, Ben, and Adolf then took the business to a new level, increasing production from around 150 000 cases per annum to close on 1.3 million cases per annum.
This was a staggering entrepreneurial achievement that turned Korbel into one of the bigger wine producers in the USA.
Korbel Champagne Price, Variations, and Sizes
Korbel California Champagne offers its products in three price ranges namely, Amber, Silver, and Platinum.
They are available in four-bottle sizes, the Mini at 187 ml, the Regular in the standard 750 ml bottle, the Magnum at 1.5 liters, and the Double Magnum at 3 liters.
Worldwide the most popular bottle size is the standard 750 ml bottle and will usually rate at 12 to 12.5 % Alcohol by Volume (ABV)
The following is the range of California Champagne products that are produced by the Korbel Winery:
- Korbel Sweet Cuvée
- Korbel Brut
- Korbel Extra Dry
- Korbel Brut Rosé
- Korbel Sweet Rosé
- Korbel Brut Organic
- Korbel Natural
- Korbel Blanc de Noirs
- Korbel Rouge
- Korbel Prosecco
Korbel California Champagne Prices
| Name | Size | Average Price |
| Korbel California Champagne Chardonnay | 750 ml | Club Price – Amber $11.19 |
| Club Price – Silver $10.49 | ||
| Club Price – Platinum $9.09 | ||
| Other Tiers $9.09 | ||
| Korbel California Champagne Rouge | 750 ml | Club Price – Amber $12.79 |
| Club Price – Silver $11.99 | ||
| Club Price – Platinum $10.39 | ||
| Other Tiers $11.19 | ||
| Korbel California Champagne Brut | 750 ml | Club Price – Amber $10.39 |
| Club Price – Silver $9.74 | ||
| Club Price – Platinum $8.44 | ||
| Other Tiers $9.09 | ||
| Korbel California Champagne Brut Premier | 750 ml | Club Price – Amber $29.99 |
| Club Price – Silver $22.49 | ||
| Club Price – Platinum $19.49 | ||
| Other Tiers $20.99 | ||
| Korbel California Champagne Extra Dry | 750 ml | Club Price – Amber $10.39 |
| Club Price – Silver $9.74 | ||
| Club Price – Platinum $8.44 | ||
| Other Tiers $9.09 | ||
| Korbel California Champagne Blanc de Noir | 750 ml | Club Price – Amber $10.39 |
| Club Price – Silver $9.74 | ||
| Club Price – Platinum $8.44 | ||
| Other Tiers $9.09 | ||
| Korbel California Champagne Brut Rose | 187 ml | $4.49 |
Alternatives
- Korbel, with their California Champagne range, now dominates the US market both in quality and affordability. Alternative brands, in this price range, can compare favorably at both quality and price so you may wish to try some (or all) of the following popular products:
- Roget Champagne, also produced in California, is sold at a very reasonable price of approximately $5 per bottle.
- Cupcake, produced by a winemaker of Italian origin, produces this fine Prosecco that sells for around $9 per bottle. A particular variety of grape, called Glera, is used in the manufacture of Prosecco Wines.
- Yellow Tail presents some white and rose sparkling options priced in the $7 per bottle range.
- Menage a Trois (The name says it all) is a popular Prosecco wine choice priced in the $10 per bottle range.
Pairing
With such a wide variety of Korbel Champagnes available, there will always be a perfect choice to be served with your favorite foods, be it white fish, oily fish, pasta, vegetables, fruits, red meats, etc.
Some serving suggestions are:
- Korbel California Champagne Chardonnay White Fish dishes
- Korbel California Champagne Rouge White Fish dishes
- Korbel California Champagne Brut White Fish dishes
- Korbel California Champagne Extra Dry Root Vegetable and Squash dishes
- Korbel California Champagne Blank de Noirs Meat and Oily Fish dishes
- Korbel California Champagne Brut Rose Meat and Oily Fish dishes
How to Drink Korbel California Champagne
For best results before drinking, place an unopened bottle of Champagne in the fridge a day or two before drinking. Over refrigeration will affect the quality of the final product.
The ideal temperature range for drinking is 45 to 48 degrees F. Unopened bottles of non-vintage champagne can be stored for 3 to 5 years, or longer provided the storage conditions are optimal.
Ideally, they should be stored in an environment that has a humidity level of 70% plus, with the bottles stored on their sides to keep the corks moist and airtight.
Temperature is a vital storage consideration as well and 45 to 65 degrees F is the range to keep them. At the very least they should be stored on their sides in a cool dark place out of direct sunlight.
Light will damage your Champagne.
Non-vintage Champagne is classed as such where it has been made from grapes harvested over two or more seasons and therefore no specific date of production will appear on the label.
Interesting Facts and Myths
As the chosen sponsor for the massive Year 2000 New Millennium celebrations in Times Square, New York, Korbel set about producing the world’s largest single bottle of “California Champagne”.
In October 1998 it took the skills of seven glass-blowers from Demptos Glass, Jihlava, Czech Republic, to create a champagne bottle 1.39 meters tall (4 ft 6 in) by 1.32 meters in circumference (4 ft 4 in) which holds a staggering 117 liters of the finest Korbel Bubbly.
This would serve about 1000 happy people with a glass each. (Guinnessworldrecords.com)
Beginning with Ronald Reagan’s Inauguration as President of the USA in 1985 several USA presidents have been traditionally toasted into their posts with Korbel California Champagnes.
This tradition continued through to the 2017 inauguration of President Donald Trump despite the fact that he does not drink alcoholic beverages.
Korbel Wine products have also been the Champagne of choice at innumerable sporting occasions, including the Olympic games, political events, and the choice of many a celebrity choosing to impress.
The now world-renown Korbel California Champagnes have won numerous awards in prestigious wine producer’s competitions.
The Korbel Brut Rose, for instance, received 97 points out of 100 giving them a double gold certification at the San Francisco International Wine Competition. No mean feat for any wine producer.
A little-known fact is that Korbel Wineries also produce a notable Brandy, which is not unusual in the wine industry as the initial production processes and raw material input of wines and brandies are similar.
Brandy however moves away completely at the distillation stage. Korbel Brandy is not a strong brand throughout the USA but, strangely enough, only in Wisconsin, is it a favored choice as an alcoholic beverage.
Conclusion
Korbel California Champagne is universally well known as a top-quality sparkling wine and it is an excellent choice for any social gatherings where fine wines can be appreciated.
