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 monthSuch has been the success of Champagne wines that by the early nineteenth century the Champagne name was being misused by producers of sparkling wines from other French regions. In 1844 the Champagne Houses responded by taking joint action in the courts to restrict use of the name to a particular production process specific to the Champagne Region. The Appellation is now officially recognized and protected in 122 countries around the world.
In 1831, Auguste Boizel married Julie Martin, who came from a long line of Aÿ winegrowers dating back to the 17th century. In 1834 they founded Champagne Boizel, which is now into its fifth generation with brothers Lionel and Florent Roques-Boizel at the helm upholding the House’s motto: “Avec Boizel, la vie est belle” (with Boizel, life is beautiful).
The Champagne Houses