I love Champagne, it is absolutely delicious – crisp, dry, slightly toasty with a soft mousse of bubbles that stimulate your palate. Just wonderful! There are many sparkling wines which are equally delicious but there is something special about Champagne, what makes it so is difficult to say, undoubtedly the terroir has a huge part to play in it.
Currently the world demand for Champagne is such that the area defined by the AOC is struggling to fulfil the demand. When the original area was set up in the 1820’s some communes elected to stay outside the boundaries and despite several attempt to reverse that decision they have always been turned down – until now. The boundaries have been redrawn and some around 40 villages whose soil and weather conditions have been deemed appropriate, have been included in the newly designated region.
The current production is some 330 million bottles, about half of which is exported with the UK being the biggest importer. Quite how much production will increase, and what the effect on prices will be, remains to be seen. I’m looking forward to tasting some of the new champagnes to see if they live up to my favourite!
