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 monthIn spring, the leaves of the Pinot Meunier are covered in a flour-like, dusty white down – hence the name Pinot Meunier, "meunier" meaning "miller" in French.
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