We went to Champagne for a visit earlier this year, in just 3 days we visited 12 champagne houses, including some growers and large maisons!
The choice of plantings in Champagne is based on compatibility with the special nature of the local terroir. The vineyard today is predominantly planted to the black Pinot Noir and Meunier and the white Chardonnay.
The pinot noir accounts for 38% of planting. It is the predominant grape variety on the Montagne de Reims and the Côte des Bar where the cool, chalky terrain suit it perfectly. It is the Pinot Noir that adds backbone and body to the blend, producing wines with distinctive aromas of red berries and good structure.
Pinot Meunier accounts for 32% of planting. This robust grape variety shows better cold-weather resistance than the pinot noir and is particularly well suited to the more argillaceous soils of the Marne Valley. The meunier adds roundness to the blend, producing supple, fruity wines that tend to age more quickly than wines made with the other two varieties.
Chardonnay accounts for 30% of plantings. The chardonnay accounts for 30% of plantings. The chardonnay is king on the Côte des Blancs, yielding delicately fragrant wines with characteristic notes of flowers, citrus and sometimes minerals. Being slower to develop than the other two varieties, chardonnay produces wines that are built to age.
筆者早前親身前往香檳區實地考察，短短3天，走訪了12間香檳酒莊，有葡萄農香檳亦有品牌香檳，來分享箇中的故事吧！
在香檳區種植葡萄品種的選擇是基於與當地風土特質及兼容性。今天的葡萄園主要以種植Pinot Noir、Pinot Meunier和Chardonnay為主。
Pinot Noir佔種植面積約38%。她是在Montagne de Reims和Côte des Bar的主要葡萄品種，涼快、白堊紀地質十分適合栽種。Pinot Noir是香檳的骨幹酒也能讓酒體更豐滿，釀造出具有獨特紅漿果和良好結構的香檳。
Pinot Meunier佔種植面積約32%。這種強壯的葡萄品種比Pinot Noir更好耐寒，特別適合Marne Valley河谷的土壤。Pinot Meunier添加圓潤的質感，釀造出柔和，富果香的香檳，往往比用其他兩個品種的香檳更快熟成。
Chardonnay佔種植面積約30%。Chardonnay是Côtedes Blancs的皇牌葡萄品種，釀造出具有鮮花，柑橘和礦石質特徵的香檳香氣。Chardonnay釀造的香檳熟成十分慢，可以釀造成長期熟成型的香檳酒款，經得起長年的陳年。
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