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
Such 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.
Belgian-born Paul-François Vranken founded his namesake House in 1976. Nine years later he acquired Chateau des Castaignes, followed in 2004 by the Villa Demoiselle, whose location inspired the name of the brand’s signature cuvee, Demoiselle. Now the Vranken Head Office, the building is a masterpiece of Art Nouveau, and stands as a tribute to the project management team in charge of the four-year restoration programme.
The Champagne Houses
