Champagne, the "drink of kings", is at the top of the French and worldwide sparkling wine hierarchy. This famous traditionally made drink comes from the slopes of the Champagne-Ardenne department, which largely contain a chalky bottom. Dignity and a fine bubble are bottled in the cellars of famous houses and small producers in the cities of Reims and Épernay, as well as in the surrounding villages.
We offer champagnes from top producers of the region:
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Pol Roger, based in Épernay, has been at the forefront of Champagne production since 1848 and has gained fame for its uncompromising quality and bright and complex flavors. Pol Roger is the official representative of Champagne of the British Royal Court.
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Egly-Ouriet is a small grower in the village of Ambonnay, a small producer of Champagne from the grapes grown in its own vineyards. One of the most famous champagne experts, Tom Stevenson, has named Francis Egly, the owner of the house and winemaker, a cult cultivator of Pinot Noir and a champagne master.
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One of the most famous small growers producing Blanc de Blancs (only Chardonnay variety) champagnes is Agrapart, which resides in the village of Mesnil-sur-Oger. Winemaker Pascal Agrapart is one of the biggest icons in the region for creating terroir-based champagnes and organic viticulture.
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Champagne master Xavier Gonet and his wife Julie Médeville have been making great Gonet-Médeville champagnes in the village of Bisseuil since 2000. Xavier Gonet is from the famous Gonet dynasty, and his wife is the heiress and owner of the Château Gilette estate in Sauternes. Despite its short history, the house has reached an absolute peak, and its wines can be found in restaurants decorated with the famous Michelin stars all over the world.
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JM Labruyère located in the picturesque village of Verzenay, The Labruyère Champagne House, is one of the youngest small growers in the region. In 2012, six hectares of Grand Cru vineyards were purchased in the villages of Verzenay and Verzy, and the production of ultra-dry champagnes - Extra Brut and Brut Nature - was started. The results have been outstanding, and the house's elegant and fine champagnes have won the hearts of many wine critics and champagne lovers.
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Georges Vesselle was one of the first growers in all of Champagne, whose wines became famous all over France and around the world. Today, his sons Bruno and Eric Bouzy make excellent champagnes from the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes in the village. All drinks have Grand Cru status.
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Royal Riviera is a so-called "branded Champagne" produced in Épernay in a well-known Champagne house right on the Avenue de Champagne. The champagne is intended for festive events as well as for decorating wine lists in restaurants. The Royal Riviera is prominently featured in most of the Côte d'Azur's noblest clubs and many restaurants. Royal Riviera is the official representative champagne of the court of Prince Albert II of Monaco.
In addition to Champagne, other traditional sparkling wines are made in different parts of France. Our portfolio includes various crémants and also Blanquette de Limoux having the status of the world's first bubble wine.
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The complex, round and lush Crémant de Limoux and the fruity and fresh Blanquette de Limoux come from the Languedoc area around Limoux. The producer is Sieur d'Arques, the best-known and largest producer in the region.
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The mineral and fresh Crémant d'Alsace comes from the cellars of the top of the town of Ribeauvillé, Domaine Louis Sipp.
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The Crémant de Bourgogne, with its elegant and quite Champagne-like style, is made in Burgundy. The fresher and more elegant style is represented by Clotilde Davenne, and the creamier and more lush style by Maison Trenel.
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The biggest and best-known name in the town of Arbois, Domaine Rolet, is the maker of the ultra-mineral and dry and light-style white and fruity and fuller rosé Crémant du Jura.
MANUFACTURE OF SPARKLING WINES
Sparkling wine is a wine obtained from the primary alcoholic fermentation of grape must or of secondary fermentation of the wine which has already been fermented and which contains releasing carbon dioxide.
In the production of sparkling wines, the wine is saturated with CO2. To this end, the wine can be mechanically carbonized from a balloon, resulting in cheap sparkling wine. The drink with better quality and a more stable bubble is obtained by fermenting grape must or base wine in airtight containers, during which CO2 saturation is the result of natural processes.
Two methods are used for fermentation in hermetically sealed containers:
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Fermentation in a pressure vessel or a tank is known as the Charmat method, named after its inventor. Grape must, or still base wine, obtains its CO2 content during a fermentation process in an airtight tank or autoclave. It is a fairly fast, productive, and relatively inexpensive manufacturing process. Thus, most of the popular Italian sparkling wines (Prosecco, Asti, etc.) and the German Sekts are produced, as well as most of the world's sparkling wines.
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Secondary bottle fermentation - is also known as the classic method or the traditional method. The still base wine acquires its CO2 content in a hermetically sealed sparkling wine bottle during secondary fermentation with the addition of yeast and sugar. Wines produced in this way are given extra dignity after months or even years of aging in a bottle with yeast sediment (autolysis). This is a time and labor-consuming, and rather expensive manufacturing process. This is how Champagne is produced, as well as Cava and Crémant, as well as many other top-quality sparkling wines from around the world.