In Champagne, the yield for this year’s harvest, 2023, has now officially been set. It is negotiated every year. The Comité Champagne recently announced that the growers can pick 11,400 kg per hectare (73 hl/ha)
Since 2010, a champagne bottle weighs 835 grams. It is down from 900 grams which was previously the standard weight. In other words, it is almost twice as much as a lightweight bottle for still
This month we have selected a rosé champagne from Champagne M-Marcoult in the lesser-known region of Côte de Sézanne and an unusual chardonnay from Domaine La Prut in the exciting “new” wine country of Moldova.
It was only last year (2022) that the Pinault family bought Domaines et Maisons Henriot. The acquisition vehicle was their company Artémis Domaines, which already owns e.g. Château Latour and several other luxury wine estates.
Champagne has quickly recovered from the pandemic. 2021 was already a successful year for Champagne and in 2022 sales increased by 1.6% to 326 million bottles. The value of this was 6 billion euros. The
There is a lot of talk about becoming carbon neutral these days. The EU has the ambition to become the first continent with zero emissions by 2050. But wine regions also have similar ambitions (I
Last autumn, our wine tours took us to a number of wine regions and wine countries, including France, Italy, Portugal, and Austria. We took the occasion to ask some of the winemakers what they thought
Many wine producers struggle to make both ends meet these days. Not so Bernard Arnault, a French businessman, who controls an empire that dominates both champagne and cognac. He is now the world’s richest person
It certainly looks festive with bubbles in the glass of a sparkling wine. It is also beautiful. And then it adds some atmosphere. Small, fine bubbles and lots of bubbles are a sign that it
The harvest in Champagne started early this year; the earliest villages already on August 20. I went to Champagne Chassenay d’Arce in the Côte des Bar, the southernmost part of Champagne, on the first of
Champagne had a successful year – commercially – in 2021, with a record turnover and excellent sales also in volume, a stark contrast from the meagre 2020. From a grower’s perspective, it was a more
Champagne’s largest cooperative has just become even bigger. Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte, that is a co-operative despite its name, has merged with the smaller Coopérative Régionale des Vins de Champagne, better known under its Champagne Castelnau
In today’s tough competition, a little help from friends and colleagues doesn’t hurt. Therefore, wine producers sometimes form associations or clubs with like-minded people. Vignobles & Signatures was created in 1984 after an impromptu meeting
Everyone who tastes wine knows that you learn more if you compare two, or more, wines at the same time. You will often discover things you wouldn’t find if you taste the wines separately. It
No one had dared to hope for such high sales figures. In 2021, Champagne sold 322 million bottles. An excellent result and an increase from 2020 by 32%, which was admittedly the worst year in
Julien and Sarah Launois are champagne producers in the small village of Mesnil-sur-Oger. They started only six years ago but they already export most of their production. We visited Julien and Sarah during the very
The story of Champagne’s price-fixing “l’échelle des crus” system and how it was abolished Grand cru and premier cru are famous words. You see them on many champagne bottles. Probably, most people take it as
People drink a lot of sparkling wine during the end of year holidays. There is a lot to choose from. Admittedly, champagne is still the most prestigious bubble, but in volume, prosecco is the winner.
Champagne Palmer is a fairly small cooperative, counted in champagne dimensions. They have around 400 hectares of vineyards. They are known for the long ageing of the wines and their fondness for magnum bottles. Amazone
Finally. The growers from Champagne visit Stockholm again Meeting the winemakers adds an extra dimension to the wine and the experience. It makes you better understand what they want to achieve. It gives you even
Champagne producers apparently have a lot of concerns right now. The capriciousness of the weather (recent years have been too hot, too cold, too wet, too dry…), the reduction in the number of approved pesticides
Chassenay d’Arce is a small cooperative based in the heart of the Côte des Bar region. A group of growers founded it in 1956. We recently tasted their champagnes together with winemaker Brice Bécard and
The Growers’ Association (Syndicat Général des Vignerons, SGV) in Champagne decided on July 29 to allow vineyards with lower planting density from 2023. Today it is mandatory to have at most 1.50 meters between the
In July every year, the houses and growers in Champagne agree on the year’s harvest yield. A curious regulation in this region. In 2021, it will be 10,000 kilos per hectare (approx. 64 hl/ha). The
To blend a champagne to perfection demands a good nose and experience. When we drink the finished product, the bubbles play a significant part in the overall experience. They add freshness and a special sensation
How noticeable is climate change in the vineyard? The consequences are already visible and are positive for the quality of the must, says the producer association Comité Champagne (CIVC). In Champagne, for the past 30
This is good news, among the bad, for the champagne industry. It turned out that people, after all, needed festive bubbles in the challenging year of 2020. Everybody thought that there would be a 30%
Penfolds makes wine all over Australia. Now they are expanding their horizons overseas. For a few years now, they have been collaborating with Champagne Thiénot. The first joint champagne, a vintage 2012, was released in
Can a small grower compete with big champagne houses? Yes, they can. First they must, of course, make good wine. And then they “only” have to find the right customers. Which, of course, is one
The wine industry is very aware that it needs to adapt to cope with climate change. Champagne has been experimenting with lower planting density for some time. Champagne has a high planting density, 8000 vines
In Champagne, the yield for this year’s harvest, 2023, has now officially been set. It is negotiated every year. The Comité Champagne recently announced that
Since 2010, a champagne bottle weighs 835 grams. It is down from 900 grams which was previously the standard weight. In other words, it is
This month we have selected a rosé champagne from Champagne M-Marcoult in the lesser-known region of Côte de Sézanne and an unusual chardonnay from Domaine
It was only last year (2022) that the Pinault family bought Domaines et Maisons Henriot. The acquisition vehicle was their company Artémis Domaines, which already
Champagne has quickly recovered from the pandemic. 2021 was already a successful year for Champagne and in 2022 sales increased by 1.6% to 326 million
There is a lot of talk about becoming carbon neutral these days. The EU has the ambition to become the first continent with zero emissions
Last autumn, our wine tours took us to a number of wine regions and wine countries, including France, Italy, Portugal, and Austria. We took the
Many wine producers struggle to make both ends meet these days. Not so Bernard Arnault, a French businessman, who controls an empire that dominates both
It certainly looks festive with bubbles in the glass of a sparkling wine. It is also beautiful. And then it adds some atmosphere. Small, fine
The harvest in Champagne started early this year; the earliest villages already on August 20. I went to Champagne Chassenay d’Arce in the Côte des
Champagne had a successful year – commercially – in 2021, with a record turnover and excellent sales also in volume, a stark contrast from the
Champagne’s largest cooperative has just become even bigger. Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte, that is a co-operative despite its name, has merged with the smaller Coopérative Régionale
In today’s tough competition, a little help from friends and colleagues doesn’t hurt. Therefore, wine producers sometimes form associations or clubs with like-minded people. Vignobles
Everyone who tastes wine knows that you learn more if you compare two, or more, wines at the same time. You will often discover things
No one had dared to hope for such high sales figures. In 2021, Champagne sold 322 million bottles. An excellent result and an increase from
Julien and Sarah Launois are champagne producers in the small village of Mesnil-sur-Oger. They started only six years ago but they already export most of
The story of Champagne’s price-fixing “l’échelle des crus” system and how it was abolished Grand cru and premier cru are famous words. You see them
People drink a lot of sparkling wine during the end of year holidays. There is a lot to choose from. Admittedly, champagne is still the
Champagne Palmer is a fairly small cooperative, counted in champagne dimensions. They have around 400 hectares of vineyards. They are known for the long ageing
Finally. The growers from Champagne visit Stockholm again Meeting the winemakers adds an extra dimension to the wine and the experience. It makes you better
Champagne producers apparently have a lot of concerns right now. The capriciousness of the weather (recent years have been too hot, too cold, too wet,
Chassenay d’Arce is a small cooperative based in the heart of the Côte des Bar region. A group of growers founded it in 1956. We
The Growers’ Association (Syndicat Général des Vignerons, SGV) in Champagne decided on July 29 to allow vineyards with lower planting density from 2023. Today it
In July every year, the houses and growers in Champagne agree on the year’s harvest yield. A curious regulation in this region. In 2021, it
To blend a champagne to perfection demands a good nose and experience. When we drink the finished product, the bubbles play a significant part in
How noticeable is climate change in the vineyard? The consequences are already visible and are positive for the quality of the must, says the producer
This is good news, among the bad, for the champagne industry. It turned out that people, after all, needed festive bubbles in the challenging year
Penfolds makes wine all over Australia. Now they are expanding their horizons overseas. For a few years now, they have been collaborating with Champagne Thiénot.
Can a small grower compete with big champagne houses? Yes, they can. First they must, of course, make good wine. And then they “only” have
The wine industry is very aware that it needs to adapt to cope with climate change. Champagne has been experimenting with lower planting density for
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