Champagne

Champagne, as a sparkling wine, owes its elegance and undisputed class to its region of origin, Champagne. Over the centuries, the “Champenoise” production method—characterized by refermentation in the bottle—has taken shape in this region and has since spread throughout the world, using not only different grape varieties but also the same grapes used in Champagne. However, the class, elegance, and personality of the wines produced in the region of origin remain unmatched to this day. The region known as Champagne is located about 150 kilometers northeast of Paris. It appears that grapevines were already present in the region during the Tertiary Period; however, the history of winemaking in Champagne begins with the Roman Empire. It was not until the 17th century—thanks to a series of circumstances stemming from the region’s unique environmental and climatic conditions—that producers began to understand, harness, and control the various stages of production, eventually arriving in the mid-1800s at what we now call “Champagne.”

In practice, the vineyards of Champagne are classified according to a 1911 system called the Echelle des Crus (scale of crus), based on the quality of each individual cru and its distance from the commercial heart of Champagne—namely, Reims and Épernay. Essentially, the system classifies the various municipalities of Champagne based on the commercial value of the grapes grown in each municipality, expressed as a percentage.

The three categories are: Grand Cru, Premier Cru, and Cru