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 month
Every 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.
The House of Delamotte was established in Reims in 1760 by François Delamotte and renamed Delamotte Père & Fils when the company was joined by his two sons, Alexander and Nicolas-Louis (a former Knight of Malta). Operating under the motto, vive et me ama (live and love me), they built their House a reputation that resounded throughout Europe.
The Champagne Houses
