We are currently in the middle of autumn, but the winter season is slowly approaching.
And at this time of year, it is often assumed that the hustle and bustle of vine-related activities calms down... This is not entirely true.
At Maison Canard-Duchêne, we are always vigilant.
To make a champagne with delicious aromas, you need quality grapes.
It is necessary to take care of it. And this, during the 12 months of the year!
Vineyard work at the end of the year
Once the September harvest has boiled, the vinification phase comes into play. After the alcoholic fermentation where the sugar in the grapes is transformed into alcohol, the clear wines (non-sparkling) are put into vats where they will age for a period of several months. It will then be time to blend these different wines, supplemented by reserve wines from previous years, like a magic recipe to obtain our different vintages. The wines are checked regularly throughout this process, nothing is left to chance to preserve the identity of the House's champagnes.
During the month of October, the care of the vineyard begins. A healthy vine can live up to a hundred years. However, for this to happen, it must be given all the care it deserves and this is when the winegrowers operate.
After being dressed in the exquisite colors of autumn, the leaves of the vines have almost all fallen by mid-November. The vine curls up delicately on itself. The sap goes back down to protect the plant from frost. It can live off its reserves before starting a new cycle next spring.
This is how, following the harvest, the first pruning takes place.
Pruning the vine: the heart of the winegrower’s profession
Women and men cut vine shoots by hand. This is a decisive and very delicate operation. Indeed, it consists of shaping the wood of the vines so that they are vigorous and fertile to ensure the quality of the next harvest. The best wood is selected to bear the grapes of the following harvest. This is an action that prepares the vine for the arrival of winter and accompanies it until the beginning of milder days.
There are four types of sizes authorized by the Interprofessional Committee of Champagne Wine:
- Chablis pruning : short pruning on a long frame.
- Cordon size : short size on a single long frame.
- Guyot pruning : long pruning on a short frame (single, double or asymmetrical).
- Marne Valley pruning : long pruning on short frame (only concerns Meunier).
Pre-pruning is however suspended from mid-December to January in order to respect the winter rest of the vine. This is called dormancy .
We also make sure to protect the vines.
More than ever, our profession is in tune with the rhythm of the seasons. With the greatest humility, we are constantly adapting to Nature. It is she who decides.
Pruning will then resume until the end of March the following year.
Portrait of a sleeping nature
A trip to the Champagne vineyards during the transition from autumn to winter is worthy of an artistic painting . Except that this one is alive!
We slow down to the point of stopping. We take a moment when everything is suspended in the hillsides of Champagne: the calm, a light fresh breeze, the shimmering colors of the fallen leaves and the vineyards laid bare before us. It is therefore modestly a question of contemplation.
At the golden hour, you might even see, thanks to the glare of the sun, delicate spider webs woven between two rows of vines, like angel threads.
Emotions can then resurface in you, or simply the tranquility of the present moment .
Free spirits, take this moment of pause to be closer to Nature and embrace its rhythm.
A park with century-old trees can extend your bucolic visit to the Domaine Canard-Duchêne.
And if you are not afraid of the winter climate of Champagne, come and enjoy a visit to our cellars. Be sure of one thing, the effervescence is guaranteed for the end of the year!
