Champagne wine

Champagne wines are exclusively produced from grapes grown, harvested and made into wine within the Champagne delimited region, in France. The grapes used to make Champagne wines possess characteristics not found anywhere else in the world due to the particular geography, soil and climate of the Champagne delimited region.

Champagne wines are produced by natural yeast fermentation in the bottle, in accordance with strict criteria laid down in the Champagne regulatory framework covering every aspect of winemaking.

Principal rules:

• Just three authorized grape varieties: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Arbane, Petit Meslier, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris 
  
  
• Short pruned vines (Cordon de Royat, Chablis and Guyot pruning)
  
  
• Capped grape yields per hectare
  
  
• Juice extraction strictly limited to 102 litres of must per 160 kilos of grapes
  
  
• Minimum annual required alcohol levels by volume
  
  
• Dedicated Champagne wine-making and storage premises
  
  
• A natural winemaking process known as the ‘Méthode Champenoise’
  
  
• A minimum 15 months storage period for bottled wines prior to shipping