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Champagne

La Champagne

Champagne Houses | Fizz | Styles | Sweetness
Champagne Tasting Notes | Other French Wine Regions  

Champagne is both a province and a wine.  La Champagne is the region; le champagne (short for le vin de la Champagne) is the wine. The name is derived from the Latin campania, meaning plain. The region is bounded by Belgium  and Luxembourg on the north, Lorraine on the east, Burgundy to the south and  Picardy and the Ile de France to the west.

Grape varieties of the region: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier

The vineyards of the Champagne region can be divided into five areas:  Montagne de Reims is the most northerly area, and is planted mainly with Pinot Noir, mainly on north facing slopes. Valle de la Marne runs west-east, and is planted with all three grape varieties, though Pinot Meunier dominates.  Cte des Blancs is a mostly east-facing region south of Epernay. Almost entirely planted with Chardonnay Cte des Szanne, farther to the south is also primarily planted with Chardonnay. Aube, the southernmost of all five regions, is planted mainly with Pinot Noir.

Champagne is made according to strict rules regarding vineyard practices, vinification, maturation & marketing. Ros or pink Champagne is made by adding a red Champenois wine to the blend or by a ros vinification process using red grapes. The region also produces a small volume of white and red wines (Coteaux Champenois) & ros wines made from Pinot Noir in the Riceys region.

Bed & Breakfast of the Champagne Route  Rue des Vaches, 02850 Reuilly, France Portable/cellphone 33(0)6-1324-4616 E-mail: frenchbnb @ gmail.com

 

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