Champagne 2011 harvest could be earliest since 2003
August holidays have been cancelled in Champagne in anticipation of a very early harvest, possibly the earliest on record – especially if the warm weather of March to the end of May continues.
Giles Fallowfield is a wine journalist who specialises in Champagne. He has been writing about the region and its wines for over 20 years, appearing in Decanter, Harpers, The Times, The Financial Times and The Drinks Business – to name a few. Via his website, Champagne Guru, he offers tutored tastings, education programmes, buying advice and wine tours.
August holidays have been cancelled in Champagne in anticipation of a very early harvest, possibly the earliest on record – especially if the warm weather of March to the end of May continues.
Champagne offers in Sainsbury's until January 2011
Bernard de Nonancourt, founding president of the Laurent-Perrier group, has died aged 90.
Stanislas Henriot has resigned as president of the family’s Champagne business after over a decade in charge.
Jobs cuts announced at Piper & Charles Heidsieck, and reorganisation at LVMH have caused disquiet in Champagne.
Worldwide Champagne shipments fell by nearly 10% in 2009, according to new figures.
Worldwide Champagne shipments fell by nearly 10% in 2009, according to new figures.
Champagne has staged a surprisingly strong recovery thanks to a very good performance in the last two months of 2009, especially in the French domestic market but also in the UK.
Lanson Champagne has outsold everything at Sainsbury’s – except chicken fillets and Quality Street chocolates.
As the Champagne price war hots up, Tesco has asked suppliers to find it 300,000 bottles it can sell for £10 each, and Bollinger can be had for a song.
Champagne shipments could drop by more than 60 million bottles this year, if shipments continue falling at the current rate.
Champagne's revolutionary new rules to deciding the yield for the 2009 harvest will mean over 40% less Champagne will be produced this year.
The president of the main Champagne growers’ union has said cutting yields is ‘unacceptable’.
A senior Champagne boss has called for yields to be slashed for the 2009 harvest.
Sales of rosé Champagne have fallen in the last 12 months – despite the annual Valentine’s Day and Christmas peaks.
Champagne shipments worldwide fell by over 20% in October, according to the region’s representative association, the CIVC.
Majestic Wine said today that a 6.4% fall in sales of Champagne, led by a cutback in corporate spending, has hit profits.
Exports of Champagne grew for the seventh year in succession - and reached a record high last year.
A rise in the cost of Champagne grapes will lead to price hikes for all Champagnes in the UK next year.
The French national appellations body will look to add 40 new communes to the already vast Champagne region in order to cater for increased demand.
The 2007 harvest in Champagne is set to result in the largest volume of wine ever produced in the appellation.
Top Champagne house Louis Roederer – maker of Cristal - has been looking round vineyards in Kent and Sussex with a view to producing English sparkling wine in the future.
Tucked away in southwest France, with no major cities, airports or motorways, Gascony is the perfect place to get away from it all – once you’ve got there yourself. By GILES FALLOWFIELD
by Giles Fallowfield SupermarketsTescoSainsbury'sWaitroseMarks & SpencerASDASomerfieldCo-opMorrisonsOff licences (three main chains)OddbinsThresherMajesticSix 'half price' deals Buy 3 bottles save a thirdBuy two bottles save 25%
Champagne revels in its exclusivity, yet its 17 grand cru vineyards remain largely unknown. GILES FALLOWFIELD asks what each brings to the table, and why they don’t appear on the label.��
Champagne – currently the best-performing region in France in terms of wine sales – is now following Burgundy’s example, creating premier cru sparkling wines from single-vineyard sites. As Giles Fallowfield discovers, it’s not just a passing trend
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