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.
Edmond Cheurlin planted his first vines in 1898 in Celles-sur-Ource on the Côte des Bar. Veuve Cheurlin was established by his grandson Alain in the following century (1978). Ten years later he took command of Jean Arnoult, the oldest Champagne House in the Aube region (1919), owned by his wife Chantal Sandrin.
The Champagne Houses