The techniques of sparkling winemaking did not originate with the Benedictine monk Dom Pérignon, nor was the first purposely sparkling wine produced in the region of Champagne. Regardless, through centuries of refinement Champagne has become the world’s leading sparkling wine and the vinous embodiment of luxury and celebration.
The section on the regions of Champagne above includes the following text: ‘The 319 villages authorized to grow grapes for Champagne are split between five districts: the Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne, Côte des Blancs, Côte de Sézanne, and the Côte des Bars (the Aube).’ First, a minor typo: ‘Côte des Bars’ should read ‘Côte des Bar’. Second, I would read this as implying that the Côte des Bar is equivalent to the Aube, which is not accurate as there are winegrowing areas within the Aube but outside the Côte des Bar. I’d suggest rephrasing this as ‘and the Côte des Bar in the Aube département’.
At one point the study guide states the following: ‘The number of villages that can grow grapes for the appellation increased from 319 to 357’, then later goes on to state: ‘The 319 villages authorized to grow grapes for Champagne are split between five districts’
The section on viticulture above includes the following text: ‘Only four pruning methods are permitted: Cordon de Royat, Chablis, Vallée de la Marne, and Guyot (double and simple).’ The Compendium entry for the Champagne AOP lists these as training methods as opposed to pruning methods, which strikes me as more appropriate phrasing, but I’m no expert in viticultural terminology - nonetheless it seems like the two should be consistent, should they not?
Thanks for the comment. I believe that you’re correct that it’s no longer used. I will update shortly!
Perrier-Jouët "Belle Époque" (bottled as "Fleur de Champagne" for the US market) - Is this still accurate? Some reports online suggest that the Fleur de Champagne label was retired in 2011 with the 2002 vintage being the final release--though I have not been able to verify that claim. But in recent times all the bottles I've encountered in the US market have been labeled as 'Belle Époque' if memory serves . . .