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 month
Every year on 22 January, Champagne celebrates the feast of St Vincent, patron saint of winegrowers. Fancy-dress parades, banquets, church services and traditional ceremonies are held to give thanks for the previous year’s harvest and to invoke the saint’s protection for activities in the coming year.
In 1811, a 24-year old man from a family of master glassblowers established his own Champagne House in Avize, in the heart of Champagne’s Côte des Blancs. His name was Charles-Gabriel de Cazanove but it was his son, Charles Nicolas (born in 1818) who really established the reputation of the Charles de Cazaanove brand.
The Champagne Houses
