If you’re in the champagne business and are interested in Grower Champagnes it’s time to start planning your visit to Champagne in April.
If you don’t know already, there is a whole series of events that takes places at that time so that, over three or four consecutive days, you get to taste almost a hundred superb champagnes and many more vins clairs (those are the still wines from last year’s harvest produced by the first fermentation and before they have any bubbles).
This whole April event scene was started by Terres et Vins de Champagne about three years ago now. Terres et Vins de Champagne is a group of a dozen or so enterprising champagne makers who share a common desire to make champagnes that are out of the ordinary. Raphaël Bérèche, Cyril Janisson, Alexandre Taillet are just three names that you may have heard of and the list goes on and on.
Then a second group of exciting vignerons set up another group called Les Artisans de Champagne and then last
year a third group called Terroirs et Talents de Champagne was established with much the same aim: to showcase their products to an audience of serious champagne enthusiasts and to show the world that the lesser-known makers can produce wines that will knock your socks off and which, once tasted, you will want to come back to again.
In 2012 there was even a fourth, smaller and more low-key tasting, run by Selosse, to which unfortunately, I didn’t get invited. Still, one lives in hope and there’s always this year.
On the other hand you can register to attend the other events at the web sites mentioned at the end of this article.
The events are primarily for the trade: journalists, sommeliers, wine-merchants, importers and the like but some of the events have a slot set aside for general champagne consumers as well. You’ll find, however, that you can’t buy champagne at the tastings. Selling there and then is not the objective.
I am told by a vigneron I know quite well that he is considering organising yet another tasting event this year at around about the same time. This one will be just for the champagne makers in one particular village. I can’t tell you which one yet in case it doesn’t get off the ground, but I can say that’s it’s a Grand Cru village with some pretty impressive names in it.
So what’s stopping you? If you’re into Grower Champagnes and want to meet some of the best producers there are, face to face, and taste their wares whilst picking their brains and, for good measure, meet like-minded people from around the world, then register now.
If you need somewhere to stay then check out our lovely B & B at www.bedandbreakfastinchampagne.com
But don’t delay; rooms will go fast for this popular period.
Last but not least come back soon to this site or Like my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/MyManInChampagne where I will, I hope, shortly be able to reveal the details of the mystery tasting event.
Here are the links I mentioned above:
21st and 22nd April: http://www.terroirs-et-talents-de-champagne.fr/
22nd April : http://www.terresetvinsdechampagne.com/
23rd April: http://www.lesartisansduchampagne.com/
I hope to see you there. Let me know if you plan to come.
Stay Bubbly
Jiles