Champagne
Champagne is the cool, chalky region 90 miles east of Paris where the méthode champenoise was perfected. Limestone subsoil reflects light up to grapes that barely ripen, producing the high-acid base wine sparkling needs. Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier add body; Chardonnay provides finesse. The grand maisons (Krug, Bollinger, Roederer) sit alongside thousands of grower-producers releasing terroir-driven récoltant champagnes.
Signature grapes
Defining styles
Famous appellations
- Montagne de Reims
- Vallée de la Marne
- Côte des Blancs
History
Roman vineyards predate the Middle Ages. The reputation for sparkling wine grew through the 17th and 18th centuries; the Dom Pérignon legend overstates one monk's role, since English bottlers and the Marne's natural cool-cellar refermentation also drove the style. Madame Clicquot codified riddling in the 19th century. The 1927 delimitation set the boundaries; phylloxera, two world wars, and a modern grower-champagne movement followed.