Recession or not, life, the vines and the yearly harvest must go on – and for an increasing number of houses that means using environmentally friendly ways of growing grapes and making wine, writes GILLIAN IVORY
IN THE TOWN of Épernay, at the heart of the champagne industry, the bar at C Comme Champagne fills up as the head honchos from the association of winegrowers arrive. Fresh from a marathon meeting to agree the base yield for the 2009 harvest, the mood is upbeat and the locals seem to be breathing a collective sigh of relief.
Just a few days away from the start of the grape-picking season, it’s obvious that the global recession has hit hard. Consumption of champagne in 2008 was dramatically down on previous years, and so the maximum amount of grapes each grower is allowed to pick per hectare this year is roughly 22 per cent less than in the previous season, with the reserve not included. But, recession or not, life, the vines and the yearly harvest must go on, and the place is buzzing in preparation for the most important time of the year.
It’s not as bad as it could have been, I’m told, with the cash- strapped champagne houses initially rooting for a much lower level. At 9,700kg per hecatre, the agreed figure is still estimated to produce more than 275 million bottles, which sounds like enough champagne to keep the world’s revellers happy. But all that maths is for the négociants and the syndicats to argue (and, with 15,000 growers and 297 champagne houses, there’s plenty of scope for argument). So when, two days later, another meeting is held to decide the final picking dates for each village, the wheels are set in motion for the harvest to begin.
The Champenois are proud of their trade, and everyone from the small growers working a few plots of vines to the staff at the large champagne houses is determined to keep champagne top of the list for sparkling wines. They are hard at work on keeping ahead of the game in viticulture.
Take the technique of sexual confusion. I had never put the idea of vineyards together with any type of sexual activty before visiting Champagne. Not longer than a few centimetres, an inoffensive-looking red pellet stuffed with pheromones sits among the vines, releasing the scent of the female eudemis butterfly all around it. Known as the sexual-confusion technique, it’s the lighter side of organic viticulture. This butterfly’s caterpillars are a plague to the grape, so the aim is to trick the hapless male counterparts into thinking they’re spreading their seed. In reality they’re inseminating thin air, as the females are just a figment of their eager-to-procreate imaginations. The result is less of the dreaded grape worm that ruins the vine, using a natural alternative to chemical insecticides. According to Champagne’s professional advisory body, the CIVC, the region has the greatest number of vineyards using the method in France.
The use of “green” techniques in Champagne is fast catching on. The days of harmful pesticides and synthetic fungicides may be numbered, with naturally based solutions, such as copper to combat mildew, taking their place. Following the trend through to the winery, organically-inclined champagne makers are taking a mimimal- intervention approach, using fewer enzymes and less filtration in the winemaking process. The emphasis is on the quality of the grapes. They are also working on reducing their carbon footprint, taking into account consumption of energy and water and treatment of waste and other outputs.
At the busy headquarters of the CIVC, Arnaud Descotes, its environmental director, is passionate about what he refers to as viticulture durable(sustainable or responsible viticulture) and its importance in the expression of terroir. Staff here began to analyse the region's carbon footprint as early as 2003, long before it was popular among the mainstream and the greenwashers.
So is there such a thing as a “green champagne route”? Well, sort of, albeit an informal one. Still at the CIVC, I ask the professionals where to go. They circle some “green” growers and champagne houses on the map and give me the lowdown on the world of local organics. Some houses produce just one or two organic champagnes as part of their range; others use a selection of environmentally-friendly techniques but are not certified to a particular standard.
However, about 20 growers and winemakers here are certified in biological farming, with the AB ( Agriculture Biologique) logo appearing on their bottles, and a further 20 are taking steps towards certification. Ten more produce champagnes that meet internationally recognised biodynamic-farming standards. Biodynamics goes an extra furlong in the green world, focusing on the use of homeopathic sprays and herbal preparations to increase soil fertility and to protect the vines.
But even the professionals will tell you that understanding the different organic techniques and certifications is a minefield. And, of course, champagne made using organically grown grapes may not have been treated organically once inside the winery. In any case, if you manage to get past the technical hurdles in working out just how organic the bottle you’re drinking is, you can enjoy some really good environmentally friendly champagnes.
** Gillian Ivory was a guest of Champagne Ardenne Tourisme and CIVC, tourisme-champagne-ardenne.com
Where to stay, where to eat and go in the Champagne region of France
Where to stay
La Villa Eugène. 82-84 Avenue de Champagne, Épernay, 00-33-3-26324476, villa-eugene.com. Attractive 19th-century former home of Mercier Champagne family.
Le Clos Raymi. 3 Rue Joseph de Venoge, Épernay, 00-33-3-26510058, closraymi-hotel.com. Quirky and close to the centre of Épernay.
Le Marius. 2 Place de l’Eglise, Les Riceys Bas, 00-33-3-25293165, hotel-le-marius.com. A beautifully restored and decorated inn in the tiny village of Les Riceys Bas.
Le Saint Nicholas. 2 Rue du Général de Gaulle, Bar-sur-Aube, 00-33-3-25270865, lesaintnicolas.com. Comfortable and central, with a small pool.
Where to eat/drink
C Comme Champagne. 8 Rue Gambetta, Épernay, 00-33-3-26320955, c-comme.fr. The tasting menu of five champagnes changes weekly.
La Cloche. 3-5 Place Mendès France, Épernay, 00-33-3-26551515, hotel-la- cloche.com. Good regional dishes on the site where the bells of the church were hidden during the second World War.
Le Thibault IV. 2 Place de la République, Vertus, 00-33-3-26520104, hotelthibault.com. Tasty traditional fare served by the pleasant owner.
La Toque Barbine. 18 Rue Nationale, Bar-sur-Aube, 00-33-3-25272034. A busy, upmarket spot with excellent food and service in a small bustling town in the Aube department.
Where to go
At Épernay the champagne houses along the elegant Avenue de Champagne are a good place to start exploring the region, with a tour of the cellars before a tasting.
The big names are lined up in a row, with Moët et Chandon at number 20, Heidsieck at 42 and Perrier-Jouët at 28.
Don’t miss the strikingly picturesque town of Essoyes in Aube, the landscape of which is portrayed in many of Renoir’s paintings. The studio where he spent summers is open to the public, and he is buried in the local graveyard.
Touted as the historical capital of Champagne, Troyes dates from Gallo-Roman times.
Try your hand as a grape picker – some growers run a day-long programme for tourists during harvest. See tourisme-champagne-ardenne.com.
Take chocolate-making classes at Pâtisserie Dallet (26 Rue Général Leclerc, Épernay, 00-33-3-26553108), voted among the 10 best patisseries in France.
Where the vines grow in harmony with nature
Champagne Doquet Jeanmaire
In the village of Vertus, Pascal Doquet, owner of Champagne Doquet Jeanmarie (champagne-doquet-jeanmarie.com), a small organic vineyard and winery, is perched on his new super-ecofriendly tractor. It could be a scene in a sci-fi movie except that the tractor is luminous country yellow and Doquet has a grin from ear to ear. It’s obvious that his favourite place is among his vines, spread over 33 plots and producing 90,000 bottles a year. Using only natural chemicals, fertilisers and insecticides, he uses a minimal amount of intervention in the winery. Treating his vines in harmony with nature, he says, will help to maintain the diversity of the vine and the taste of the wines. Allowing natural growth between the rows of vines has had some surprising results. “Wild garlic appears in season,” he says. “It’s great on salads.” This year a virus on the vines is resulting in smaller grapes; it may mean less juice but probably more taste; rather than dousing the vine with harmful chemicals, it’s something he’s willing to live with.
TryChampagne Pascal Brut Premier Cru Brut Blancs de Blancs, made purely from Chardonnay.
Duval-Leroy
Just down the road in Vertus is Duval Leroy (duval-leroy.com), where I’m hoping to meet the commander of the Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne. Carole Duval-Leroy, the current boss at this medium-sized champagne house, is the first woman to reach such a high rank of the prestigious brotherhood. Having taken over the business from her husband on his sudden death, in 1999, she has steered the house in the direction of sustainable production. But she’s at meetings in Paris today, so instead I meet Eric Fournel, responsible for the 200 hectares of vineyards, and winemaker Sandrine Logette-Jardin. Both are passionate about increasing their use of natural methods, from the vineyards to the winery. Their organic range is named Authentis.
TryAuthentis Cumières, a full-bodied AB-certified organic wine made from Pinot Noir.
Champagne Fleury
At Champagne Fleury in Courteron (champagne- fleury.fr), Colette Fleury and her family are the real thing when it comes to biodynamic wine growers, having been the first in the region to farm using biodynamic techniques, on their 14-hectare vineyard, 20 years ago. Mentored by François Bouchet, who came from the Loire Valley each month for a year to help them convert, their first purely biodynamic range was Fleur de l’Europe, named in honour of the EEC in the year it was founded. The Fleurys apply mineral and plant preparations to the vines to keep the vineyards healthy.
TryCuvée Fleur de LEurope (90 per cent Pinot Noir, 10 per cent Chardonnay). Made for the celebration of 20 years in biodynamic farming.
Champagne Drappier
Michel Drappier began going green when his first child was born, 19 years ago. With 100 hectares of vines, he is the third generation to run the vineyards and winery at Champagne Drappier (champagne- drappier.com), in Urville. Using only organic insecticides, they add bark from pine trees to the soil, first mixing it with cattle manure and fermenting for a year. They are now building a new solar-powered winery. Their wine is unfiltered, with a minimum of added sulphur. They are the only house to bottle-ferment in all of the sizes, from the quarter-bottle to the 30-litre Melchizedek.
TryBrut Nature, non-dosage. Pure Pinot Noir.
Laurent-Perrier
Back up to the northeast, in Marne, Laurent-Perrier (laurent-perrier.fr) is an internationally recognised brand. In the plush reception area, photographs of important visitors line the walls; pride of place is given to an image of the prince of Wales, with the prince’s environmental award neatly framed beside it. It is the only house in Champagne to have received it, first presented 10 years ago and renewed in 2007. In its own vineyards, the preference is always for proven organic methods.
TryLaurent-Perrier Ultra Brut, non-dosage (no added sugar). Half Pinot Noir, half Chardonnay.
Go there
Aer Lingus (aerlingus.com) flies to Paris Charles de Gaulle from Dublin, Cork and Belfast. Ryanair (ryanair. com) flies to Paris Beauvais from Dublin. Air France (air france.com) flies from Dublin to Paris Charles de Gaulle. Épernay is 125km from Paris – 45 minutes by TGV (tgv.com) to nearby Reims.