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 monthIn World War I, the Champagne House cellars were repurposed as shelters for local civilians and military personnel. Makeshift schools, hospitals, chapels and sleeping quarters were set up – even the Reims City Council moved its headquarters there. So began a whole new underground way of life, safe from the bombs that rained down from above.
In 1785 a young German from Westphalia called Florens-Louis Heidsieck established a trading company in Reims specialising in wool and wine. Very soon however, his newly founded company “Heidsieck & C°” began to focus entirely on the production of Champagne. The House now belongs to the Groupe Vranken-Pommery Monopole.
The Champagne Houses