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.
The House of Duval-Leroy was born in 1859 when a merchant called Armand-Edouard Leroy joined forces with a winegrower called Jules Duval. It became a family business when Duval’s son married Leroy’s daughter. Their descendants Carol Duval-Leroy and her three sons now steer the House’s fortunes.
The Champagne Houses
