Champagne is so famous throughout the world that we sometimes forget its origin. Of course, as its name suggests, champagne comes only from Champagne....
If Champagne is today the noblest sparkling wine, its history, linked to the monarchy and the history of the city of Rheims, was also the wine of kings
In the heart of the Champagne region, Reims has played a special role in the history of France. In 498, King Clovis, the first Christian King of France, was baptized by the bishop of Rheims. It was this conversation that gave birth to the French monarchy by divine right. This is why also the kings of France would thereafter be crowned in the Notre Dame Cathedral in Rheims. From 816 to 1825, 33 monarchs were crowned in Rheims. The Cathedral, the enigmatic smiling angel or Chagall's shimmering stained glass windows make this one of the most extraordinary Gothic structures in Europe.
Just like in the other French regions, winegrowing dates back to antiquity. But until the sixteenth century, no sparkling wine existed in Champagne. Only red wines and "gray" wines (very light rosé wines) were produced in the region.
Champagne, this complex sparkling wine did not appear until the seventeenth century, when winemakers learned how to control the natural effervescence of the local wine and assemble various varietals.
Closely linked to the monarchy, champagne is the wine used for coronations, and the wine drunk by kings. During the nineteenth century, its success was to be found in the aristocratic elites of the world thanks to the dynamism of the Champagne Houses, which are the symbols of French spirit and lifestyle.
After 1945, the champagne frenzy reached new segments of the population. Today, the word champagne epitomizes elegance, luxury and celebration. Engagement champagnes, wedding champagnes, birthday champagnes, this very special wine celebrates the big life events.
Why can we make champagne only in Champagne? Even using the same techniques of winemaking as those used in Champagne, other sparkling wines never equal the finesse of a great champagne. To be called Champagne, a sparkling white wine must imperatively be produced in the Champagne region, using special methods. Champagne is the most famous sparkling wine, so the name has sometimes been misused in other parts of the world. There are not other champagnes than French champagnes.
The fruit of the land (the alchemy between soil, climate and topography) to which the French are so attached, provides part of the explanation.
Pinot noir from the Montagne de Reims, Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs, the most noble and sublime varietals can be grown in Champagne thanks to its special geological as well as climatic characteristics.
In matters of champagnes China can be sometimes a little classical. Usually in Beijing the champagnes you can drink are mostly white Brut champagne which is logical because Brut champagne represents over 90% of world consumption. In order to give you the opportunity to taste the best of the diversity of the Champagne region Le Baron tries to bring to Beijing very original cuvees: Blanc de Blancs, Blanc de Noirs, and Rosée de Saignée, the best of the Soutiran vineyard expertise.
Climate is the primary factor involved in creating an exceptional wine. The winter's cold and the rare summer heat promote the acidity of Chardonnay, a key component to a balanced champagne. The chalky sub-soil also plays a key role through its filtering power that allows the Chardonnay grapes to ripen slowly, thus bestowing both finesse and elegance.
The beauty of a champagne is also the delicacy of its assembly, that is to say the role of each of the varietals in the final composition. This process, thanks to the 324 different vineyards in the region, gives the champagne produced here a diversity that is almost unbeatable.
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