Champagne holds its breath until the Saints de Glace (Ice Saints) are safely past (11, 12, 13 May), dreading a spring freeze that might destroy the future harvest’s fruitful buds.
Desuckering removes the non-fruitful buds (suckers or gourmands). Any unwanted growth is removed to optimise sugar concentration and encourage good sap flow.
The Champagne month by month
Champagne, site of the first great, record-breaking experiences in flight, now enjoys an international reputation as the cradle of aviation. Much of the credit is owed to the Champagne Houses whose support for aviation dates back to the beginning of the twentieth century. As the sponsors of numerous awards and prizes, not to mention spectacular airshows, the Champagne Houses played a pivotal role in encouraging the exploits of early aviators.
In 1912 winegrower’s son Henri Lhopital decided to create his own Champagne House. In 1952 his own son André devised the brand name “J. de Telmont”, taking inspiration from a particular vineyard plot and adopting the motto, Nec Pluribus Impar (rarely matched). In 2020 André’s grandchildren sold their majority stake to Rémy Cointreau, marking that group’s comeback in Champagne.
The Champagne Houses
