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 monthLouis Roederer Cristal Champagne was created in 1876 for Tsar Alexander II of Russia. Fearing assassination, the Tsar ordered that the bottle be made of clear glass (so he could detect any poison or “foreign bodies” lurking within), with a flat bottom to expose any bombs hidden in the punt.
The House of Duval-Leroy was born in 1859 when a merchant called Armand-Edouard Leroy joined forces with a winegrower called Jules Duval. It became a family business when Duval’s son married Leroy’s daughter. Their descendants Carol Duval-Leroy and her three sons now steer the House’s fortunes.
The Champagne Houses