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 monthNon-vintage Champagne wines are blended from different crus (growths), different cépages (grape varieties) and different millésimes (years). In exceptional years, the winemaker may decide to blend only the grapes from that year. This is what is known as a "Champagne Millésimé", or Vintage Champagne.
When it comes to Champagne, the word "cuvée" may refer either to the first-pressed juice (20.5 hectoliters per 4,000kg marc) or to the finished blend.
The House of Ayala was established in 1860 by Edmond de Ayala – a bold entrepreneur who quickly made his mark in Champagne, not least as a founding member of the Syndicat du Commerce des Vins de Champagne (1862) or what is now the Union des Maisons de Champagne.
The Champagne Houses