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 monthSeven 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.
Louis Roederer inherited this House in 1833 and named it after himself. In the 1920s Léon Olry-Roederer gave it new impetus, followed by his widow Camille from 1932 to 1975. Their grandson, Jean-Claude Rouzaud and his son Frédéric now pursue the work of their forebears, with the same innovative spirit.
The Champagne Houses