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 monthIn spring, the leaves of the Pinot Meunier are covered in a flour-like, dusty white down – hence the name Pinot Meunier, "meunier" meaning "miller" in French.
Gérard Soutiran first put his name on a label in 1950. Three generations later, Valérie Soutiran and her husband Patrick Renaux now steer the fortunes of this House in the heart of the Grand Cru village of Ambonnay, on the Montagne de Reims.
The Champagne Houses