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.
Founder Joseph Krug’s philosophy still holds sway over these premises at 5 rue Coquebert, Reims – the historic headquarters of the House he founded in 1843 and now part of the LVMH group. Today, Oliver Krug is the sixth generation of his family to curate the legacy of his forebear.
The Champagne Houses