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 Louis Massing stands in the heart of the famous Chardonnay Grand Cru in Avize. It is run today by Jean-Bernard and Estelle Moroy, now joined by their son Julien who firmly intends to write a new page in the House’s history.
The Champagne Houses