The French don’t have it easy either. The climate crisis and falling demand for wine are threatening not only their beloved Bordeaux, but now the entire growing areas south of Lyon. Nevertheless, the winegrowers continue to produce, so that last year they had to destroy four million hectoliters, i.e. convert them into vinegar and ethanol. A disgrace for the wine-loving Grande Nation.
The whole of Gaul appears to be in imminent danger of destruction. All of Gaul? No! A small region defies all odds, adapts to the new conditions and even tries to increase its sales. In Champagne, winegrowers are currently benefiting from the higher temperatures thanks to the northern location.
“Climate warming is currently producing wonderful grapes in Champagne,” says Elise Losfelt, Charles Heidsieck’s cellar master. “However,” adds Sébastien Crucifx, “it will be more difficult to find acid in champagne in the future. But this can be corrected through careful expansion.”
Crucifx runs a comparatively small estate in Avenay-Val-d’Or, attaches great importance to organic cultivation, ages its wines in wooden barrels and takes advantage of the fact that its grapes ripen more quickly, become larger and have a higher alcohol content. The higher quality of the grapes allows him to concentrate on the top products Brut and Brut Nature, whose added sugar, the dosage, is almost zero. “In the past, it was hardly possible for us to produce such products because the grapes were often not of such quality.”
While the standard champagnes of large houses often have a dosage of over five grams because they have to offer a product that tastes reliably the same for mass tastes, more and more smaller winemakers are working on keeping the dosage as low as possible. The Swiss pleasure journalist Peter Jauch has taken on these new trends, traveled to Champagne, interviewed numerous winemakers and experts and is now presenting his findings in time for the festival in an opulent illustrated book entitled “Champagne”.
Climate change is changing champagne production
And in fact it is clear that climate change is favoring the rapidly growing number of small houses that produce between ten and seventy thousand bottles a year. Many descendants of those winegrowers who used to sell their harvest to the big houses are taking advantage of the increased quality of their grapes and creating their own brands. Many have switched to organic cultivation and are thus ensuring a previously unknown diversity by highlighting their special terroir, the individual soil properties that previously only played a role in the absolute top locations in Champagne.
This means they are in tune with the times, as consumer tastes have also changed in recent years. Today they appreciate individual characters and try to choose the right one for the occasion. The winemakers respond to this with differentiated products and offer the three
The main grape varieties are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, not only pure as Blanc de Blancs and Blanc de Noirs, but also as cuvées in a wide variety of variations, white or rosé.
More texts from Gunter Blank go out to eat
At the same time, the industry is trying to broaden consumption options. While champagne was previously reserved for large occasions and extravagant parties, the trend is now to establish it primarily as an accompaniment to meals. It is almost considered standard with seafood, but it works just as well with fish, poultry and, if it is stronger, with red meat and many Asian dishes. The most sophisticated people even recommend it with burgers, pizza and currywurst.
We wouldn’t necessarily go that far, but we recommend serving a champagne menu for the holidays: a Blanc de Noirs with raw scallops, a Blanc de Blancs with a squid risotto or a veal ragout, and a rosé cuvée made from Chardonnay for dessert , Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.