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by Manos Angelakis
The New Champagne?
The new millennium looks good for Champagne.
The worldwide demand for genuine Champagne is constantly rising, especially now that the nuveau-riche of China and Russia are drawn to the prestige that serving genuine Champagne represents. The winemakers of the region are producing at full capacity, and the strictly defined wine regulations do not allow sparkling wines from any other areas to be labeled as Champagne. What are Champagne producers to do? This is a serious concern, since the industry had sales of $6 billion last year; more champagne is being drunk, by more people, than at any previous time in history. The answer of course is to expand the authorized Champagne territory to include areas bordering the present land that were not deemed suitable when the initial area determination took place.
The Champagne region is about 100 miles east of Paris. The exact boarders of the area (approximately 35,000 hectares) were determined in 1927 by a law that took into consideration slope exposure, soil quality, and groundwater availability. The administrative province was split into five wine producing districts, the Aube, Côte des Blancs, Côte de Sézanne, Montagne de Reims, and Vallée de la Marne. The towns of Reims and Épernay are the commercial centers where the headquarters of most Champagne producers are located. Since 1927, the cultivated acreage has expanded to the current 32,000 hectares under mostly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vines. According to the Champagne Growers Committee, there is almost no more space to plant new vines.
For 18 months, a group of researchers that included a geographer, a historian, a geologist, a plant biologist, and an agricultural engineer examined potential new areas by testing the soil, talking to vintners in the proposed areas, and sampling their product. Last month, the group submitted its report to the French National Institute for Origin and Quality (INAO). In February 2008, the institute’s national committee will determine whether, and by how much the authorized territory will expand.
I don’t know how much the new terroir will affect existing producers. Right now, the Moët & Chandon pinot noir vines are about a yard away from Veuve Clicquot’s pinot noir vineyard, and most other premier producers are cheek to jowl with their competitors.
It will probably take at least 5 years before the owners of the new acreage can bring their product to market with the Champagne designation. Who knows, perhaps in a few more years we will be opening bottles from the new areas with the same quality as Moët & Chandon, Peiper Heidsiek, Heidsieck & Co. Monopole, or Perrier Jouët.
À Votre Santé!
© December 2007 The Oenophile Blog. All rights reserved.
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