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
Seven grape cultivars, or grape varieties, are used to make Champagne wines. Of these the three main varieties are the Pinot Noir (38% of plantings), Pinot Meunier (32%) and the Chardonay (30%). The four other approved cultivars are the Arbane, Petit Meslier, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc – together less than 0.3% of plantings.
Pol Roger began selling Champagne wines in 1849. Two years later he founded his own Champagne House in Epernay, close to his home village of Aÿ. He was succeeded by his two sons, followed by his grandson Jacques and his wife Odette – who became friends with Winston Churchill, the man behind the name of the brand’s prestige cuvee. In 2020, the company welcomed the sixth generation of the family.
The Champagne Houses
