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==Classifications and vineyard regulations== {{See also|Classification of Champagne vineyards}} [[File:Grand Cru champagne 2.jpg|left|thumb|Grand Cru Champagne from the village of Ambonnay]] [[File:Champagnevineyards.JPG|thumb|right|Vineyard in Champagne]] In 1927, [[Viticulture|viticultural]] boundaries of Champagne were legally defined and split into five wine-producing districts: The [[Aube]], [[Côte des Blancs]], [[Côte de Sézanne]], [[Montagne de Reims]], and [[Vallée de la Marne]]. This area covered in 2008 33,500 [[hectare]]s (76,000 acres) of vineyards around 319 villages that were home to 5,000 growers who made their own wine and 14,000 growers who only sold grapes.<ref name="Fallis pg 163"/><ref name="Decanter New Champagne areas">{{cite web | last = Kevany | first = Sophie | title = New Champagne areas defined | publisher = Decanter.com | date = March 14, 2008 | url = http://www.decanter.com/wine-news/new-champagne-areas-defined-83645/ | access-date = 2008-03-15}}</ref><ref name="Bremner2008">{{cite news | last = Bremner | first = Charles | title = Champagne region expanded to meet world demand | newspaper = [[The Times]] | date = 2008-03-14 | url = http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/wine/article3548465.ece | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080516220102/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/wine/article3548465.ece | url-status = dead | archive-date = May 16, 2008 | access-date = 2008-03-15 | location=London}}</ref> The different districts produce grapes of varying characteristics that are blended by the Champagne houses to create their distinct house styles. The Pinots of the Montagne de Reims that are planted on northern facing slopes are known for their high levels of acid and the delicacy they add to the blend. The grapes on the southern facing slope add more power and character. Grapes across the district contribute to the [[Odor|bouquet]] and headiness. The abundance of southern facing slopes in the Vallée de la Marne produces the ripest wines with full aroma. The Côte des Blancs grapes are known for their finesse and the freshness they add to blends with the extension of the nearby Côte de Sézanne offering similar though slightly less distinguished traits.<ref name="Johnson pg 80"/> In 1941, the ''[[Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne]]'' (CIVC) was formed with the purpose of protecting Champagne's reputation and marketing forces as well as setting up and monitoring regulations for vineyard production and vinification methods. Champagne is the only region that is permitted to exclude [[Appellation d'origine contrôlée|AOC]] or ''Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée'' from their labels.<ref name="Fallis pg 163"/> For each vintage, the CIVC rated the villages of the area based on the quality of their grapes and vineyards. The rating was then used to determine the price and the percentage of the price that growers get. The ''Grand Cru'' rated vineyards received 100 percent rating which entitled the grower to 100% of the price. ''Premier Crus'' were vineyards with 90–99% ratings while ''Deuxième Crus'' received 80–89% ratings.<ref name="Fallis pg 164"/> Under [[appellation]] rules, around 4,000 kilograms (8,800 pounds) of grapes can be [[pressed (wine)|pressed]] to create up to 673 [[gallons (US)|gallons]] (either 2,550 L or 3,060 L) of juice. The first 541 gallons (either 2,050 L or 2,460 L) are the ''cuvée'' and the next 132 gallons (either 500 L or 600 L) are the ''taille''. Prior to 1992, a second ''taille'' of 44 gallons (either 167 L or 200 L) was previously allowed. For [[vintage]] Champagne, 100% of the grapes must come from that vintage year while non-vintage wine is a blend of vintages. Vintage champagne must spend a minimum of three years of aging. There are no regulations about how long it must spend on its [[Lees (fermentation)|lees]], but some of the premier Champagne houses keep their wines on [[Lees (fermentation)|lees]] for upwards of five to ten years. Non-vintage Champagne must spend a minimum of 15 months of aging but only a minimum of 12 months on the lees. Most of the Champagne houses keep their wines on the lees throughout the entire aging period because it is more expensive to bottle the wine before aging it, as opposed to bottling and shipping the product in a single step at the end of the fermentation-and-aging process.<ref name="Fallis pg 164"/> ===Revision of the Champagne region=== [[File:Grand Cru champagne.jpg|left|thumb|Grand Cru Champagne from the village of Bouzy]] The worldwide demand for Champagne has been continuously increasing throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. A record in worldwide shipping of Champagne (including domestic French consumption) of 327 million bottles was set in 1999 in anticipation of end of [[millennium]] celebrations, and a new record was set in 2007 at 338.7 million bottles.<ref>{{cite web | last = Fallowfield | first = Giles | title = Champagne shipments and exports hit new high | publisher = Decanter.com | date = March 4, 2008 | url = http://www.decanter.com/wine-news/champagne-shipments-and-exports-hit-new-high-83927/ | access-date = 2008-03-15}}</ref> Since the entire vineyard area authorized by the 1927 AOC regulations is now under cultivation, various ways of expanding the production have been considered. The allowed yield was increased (to a maximum of 15,500 kg per hectare during an experimental period from 2007 to 2011<ref>{{cite web | last = Fallowfield | first = Giles | title = Record harvest in Champagne | publisher = Decanter.com | date = October 22, 2007 | url = http://www.decanter.com/news/150897.html | access-date = 2008-03-15 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071023182247/http://www.decanter.com/news/150897.html | archive-date = October 23, 2007 | url-status = dead }}</ref>) and the possibility of revising the production region was examined. After an extensive review of vineyard conditions in and around the existing Champagne region, [[Institut National des Appellations d'Origine|INAO]] presented a proposal to revise the region on March 14, 2008. The proposal was prepared by a group of five experts in the subjects of [[history]], [[geography]], [[geology]], [[phytosociology]] and [[agronomy]], working from 2005.<ref name="Tom S. expansion">[http://www.wine-pages.com/guests/tom/champagne-expansion.htm Wine-pages.com: Champagne's €6 billion expansion] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080427074152/http://www.wine-pages.com/guests/tom/champagne-expansion.htm |date=2008-04-27 }}, by Tom Stevenson; written November 2007 and accessed on March 17, 2008</ref> The proposal means expanding the region to cover vineyards in 357 rather than 319 villages.<ref name="Decanter New Champagne areas"/> This is to be achieved by adding vineyards in forty villages while simultaneously removing two villages in the [[Marne (department)|Marne]] department that were included in the 1927 regulations, [[Germaine, Marne|Germaine]] and [[Orbais-l'Abbaye]].<ref>{{cite web | last = Kevany | first = Sophie | title = Winners and losers revealed in Champagne shake-up | publisher = Decanter.com | date = March 14, 2008 | url = http://www.decanter.com/news/198040.html | access-date = 2008-03-15 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080318204656/http://www.decanter.com/news/198040.html | archive-date = March 18, 2008 | url-status = dead }}</ref> The proposed 40 new Champagne villages are located in four ''[[Departments of France|département]]s'':<ref>{{cite web | last = Fallowfield | first = Giles | title = France aims to extend Champagne region | publisher = Decanter.com | date = November 10, 2007 | url = http://www.decanter.com/news/153152.html | access-date = 2008-03-15 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071216140313/http://www.decanter.com/news/153152.html | archive-date = December 16, 2007 | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last = Kevany | first = Sophie | title = Champagne: the 40 new communes | publisher = Decanter.com | date = March 17, 2008 | url = http://www.decanter.com/news/198599.html | access-date = 2008-03-17 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080412024231/http://www.decanter.com/news/198599.html | archive-date = April 12, 2008 | url-status = dead }}</ref> * 22 in Marne: [[Baslieux-les-Fismes]], [[Blacy, Marne|Blacy]], [[Boissy-le-Repos]], [[Bouvancourt]], [[Breuil-sur-Vesle]], [[Bussy-le-Repos, Marne|Bussy-le-Repos]], [[Champfleury]], [[Courlandon]], [[Courcy, Marne|Courcy]], [[Courdemanges]], [[Fismes]], [[Huiron]], [[La Ville-sous-Orbais]], [[Le Thoult-Trosnay]], [[Loivre]], [[Montmirail, Marne|Montmirail]], [[Mont-sur-Courville]], [[Peas]], [[Romain, Marne|Romain]], [[Saint-Loup, Marne|Saint-Loup]], [[Soulanges, Marne|Soulanges]], and [[Ventelay]]. * 15 in [[Aube]]: [[Arrelles]], [[Balnot-la-Grange]], [[Bossancourt]], [[Bouilly, Aube|Bouilly]], [[Étourvy]], [[Fontvannes]], [[Javernant]], [[Laines-aux-Bois]], [[Macey, Aube|Macey]], [[Messon]], [[Prugny]], [[Saint-Germain-l'Épine]], [[Souligny]], [[Torvilliers]] and [[Villery]]. * Two in [[Haute-Marne]]: [[Champcourt]] and Harricourt. * One, [[Marchais-en-Brie]], in [[Aisne]]. The INAO proposal was to be subject to review before being made into law and was immediately questioned in numerous public comments. The mayor of one of the villages to be delisted, Germaine, immediately appealed against INAO's proposal, with the possibility of additional appeals by vineyard owners.<ref name="Decanter New Champagne areas"/><ref>{{cite web | last = Kevany | first = Sophie | title = Champagne: Germaine appeals, Orbay accepts | publisher = Decanter.com | date = March 17, 2008 | url = http://www.decanter.com/news/198589.html | access-date = 2008-03-17 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080415185541/http://www.decanter.com/news/198589.html | archive-date = April 15, 2008 | url-status = dead }}</ref> The initial review process is expected to be finished by early 2009. This will be followed by another review of the specific parcels that will be added or deleted from the appellation. The earliest vineyard plantings are expected around 2015, with their product being marketed from around 2021. However, the price of land that are allowed to be used for Champagne production is expected to immediately rise from 5,000 to one million [[euro]] per hectare. While some critics have feared the revision of the Champagne region is about expanding production irrespective of quality, British wine writer and Champagne expert [[Tom Stevenson]] has pointed out that the proposed additions constitute a consolidation rather than expansion. The villages under discussion are situated in gaps inside the perimeter of the existing Champagne regions rather than outside it.<ref name="Tom S. expansion"/> As of 2019, the expansion had not happened, with a final decision expected in 2023<ref name="France TV info">{{cite news |title=Pourquoi la Champagne va subir son plus grand bouleversement depuis 1927 |url=https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/grand-est/pourquoi-champagne-va-subir-son-plus-grand-bouleversement-1927-1621387.html |access-date=16 June 2022 |work=France 3 Grand Est |language=fr-FR}}</ref> or 2024.<ref name="Times expansion">{{cite news |last1=Sage |first1=Adam |title=Champagne region expansion uncorks grapes of wrath |url=https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/food-drink/article/champagne-region-expansion-uncorks-grapes-of-wrath-k5f6p8x9x |access-date=16 June 2022 |language=en}}</ref>
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