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 monthThe marketable yield for Champagne, meaning the quantity of grapes destined for sparkling wine production, is set by the joint body of Growers and Champagne Houses in line with sales forecasts, but capped at 15,500 kg/ha for AOC production.
Champagne House Henriot was founded in 1808 when Nicolas Henriot ‘s widow Apolline took over the running of the estate. The 19th century saw a notable growth in the number of Chardonnay Grand Cru holdings. In 2022 Maisons & Domaines Henriot, owners of fine wine properties and estates in France and the USA, merged with Artémis Domaines.
The Champagne Houses