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
Seven 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.
Cooper’s son Edouard Brun founded this House in 1898. Some 30 years later he was joined by an experienced winemaker called Edmond Lefevre, who took over the helm when Edouard died, before passing the baton to his daughter, Claude Delescot and her husband. Their two sons Emmanuel and Philippe are now writing a new chapter in the life of the House.
The Champagne Houses
