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 monthIt is a myth that putting a teaspoon in an open bottle of Champagne will keep it sparkling. What does work is a sparkling wine stopper – a specialized reusable stopper thatwill keep the Champagne bubbly for several hours.
The House of Ayala was established in 1860 by Edmond de Ayala – a bold entrepreneur who quickly made his mark in Champagne, not least as a founding member of the Syndicat du Commerce des Vins de Champagne (1862) or what is now the Union des Maisons de Champagne.
The Champagne Houses