Higher temperatures and light intensity trigger the sap to flow anew in the vine. The first buds emerge, covered with a downy coating called bourre, then swell and eventually flower. Bud-burst has arrived!
The year’s fruit-bearing canes are tied up by hand to regulate the growth of the vine.
The Champagne month by monthThe Avenue de Champagne in Epernay, formerly known as the Avenue de la Folie (“crazy avenue”), extends for nearly a kilometrer, lined on both sides by magnificent private dwellings lovingly constructed by the Champagne Houses, some as Head Offices, others as the private homes of proprietors. But the real glory of this avenue lies in the treasure trove of Champagne bottles beneath the surface – some 200 million bottles in all, slumbering quietly in the avenue’s 110 kilometre network of cellars.
Founder Joseph Krug’s philosophy still holds sway over these premises at 5 rue Coquebert, Reims – the historic headquarters of the House he founded in 1843 and now part of the LVMH group. Today, Oliver Krug is the sixth generation of his family to curate the legacy of his forebear.
The Champagne Houses