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 World War I, the Champagne House cellars were repurposed as shelters for local civilians and military personnel. Makeshift schools, hospitals, chapels and sleeping quarters were set up – even the Reims City Council moved its headquarters there. So began a whole new underground way of life, safe from the bombs that rained down from above.
Champagne House Besserat de Bellefon was established in 1843 and sailed through the 20th century gracing the best tables in France, from swinging Parisian cabarets to the frenzied nightclubs of ’sixties St Tropez. The House’s slogan says it all: “Choisir l’élégance de la vie dans la simplicité de sa beauté, c’est être libre selon BB” (to choose the elegance and beauty of simple living means to be free BB style).
The Champagne Houses