The Origins of Champagne, the soil

Producing an exceptional wine like champagne demands an exceptional raw material - the grape.
The grape can only bear the promise of a great wine if it meets three fundamental requirements, the combination of which will go to make wines with a fine and delicate aroma, whose complexity will be enriched by ageing.
Producing an exceptional wine like champagne also demands exceptional climate, soil and grape varieties. This is the fundamental concept of TERROIR.
The vines of Champagne are subject to a harsh climate. This severe constraint, however, has its own very special compensation: slow, regular maturing which favours the finesse of the aromas; and an excellent balance between acidity and sugar.

The Champagne Vineyards

Lying between latitudes 48.5 and 49.5 North, the vineyards of Champagne are the most northerly of all the high quality vineyards in the world.
In addition they lie inland, 150 km east of Paris, and so do not benefit from the milder weather conditions prevailing nearer the coast or along main river valleys where the microclimate is more favourable; it is a continental climate that reigns in Champagne. The vines suffer all the effects of that climate as each season comes round.

special links

How to make wine...
UpperCrust gets you a scoop from Moet & Chandon on the art of Wine Making
And how to serve it!
UpperCrust shows you how to enjoy a perfectly matured champagne