Champagne Diversity

Wines:

Bubbles & No Bubbles - Champagne is known for its sparkling wine. But we are starting to see more & more wines with no bubbles like Coteaux Champenois in the shades of red, white & pink, Rosé des Riceys from the southern tail of the region, sweet fortified wine of Ratafia & the distilled spirits of Marc/Fine de Champagne.

Grapes:

The Traditional 3 grapes of Champagne are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir & Meunier, but also permitted are Arbanne, Petit Meslier, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc & Voltis. Non-Vintage Champagne from big name brands we see often is generally made from a blend of 3 traditional grapes. Meanwhile, a handful of small, family-run, independent producers are experimenting with the non-traditional grapes, creating some exciting wines.

But why is this diversity happening?

There are combinations of many things like;

• Climate change 
• Improvements in vineyards/cellars
• Better/open communication 
• Product offering
• Farm to Table movement
• Educated consumers