Champagne | The Wine Analyst

The downside of creating natural champagne

I applaud all efforts, experiments and innovations that lead to a more natural and more sustainable way of making wine. This does not however mean that all developments discussed over

Biodynamic conversion in practice – Francis Boulard

Biodynamic or natural viticulture is a challenge in the Champagne. In my first post on the topic I mentioned that the focus with most growers lies on securing yield, ensuring that

The dosage experiment

The other day we tested whether you could tell the difference in dosage levels or not. I opted for one of my favourite Champagne growers, Fallet-Prévostat. It is a tiny

Dosage – less is not always better

As attentive readers will recall, our champagne is currently maturing “sur lie”. The alcoholic fermentation is done and if all goes well, autolysis, the interaction between the dead yeast cells

Natural winemaking in the Champagne

Fair warning – This may be a bit too much on the technical side for some readers, but stick around and learn something! Biodynamics and natural winemaking are hot topics in

Terroir geekery at Laherte Frères

Success in the Champagne is dependent on different factors. The Grands Marques have the luxury of being able to source their still wines from the entire region and have as

Champagne – A quest for Terroir

Ask a vigneron what the most important factor is in creating a good wine and the most likely response you’ll get is “terroir”. It is the combination of several environmental

Elegance in the Côte des Blancs – De Sousa

The De Sousa name first popped up in Avize in the beginning of the twentieth century. Manuel De Sousa had fought in France during the First World War, and assuming

Champagne – A state of affairs

One of the first wine regions that thoroughly fascinated me was Champagne. This is not a coincidence as it is the closest international wine region from Brussels (sadly, Limburg or