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 monthEvery 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