While the world associates Champagne with celebratory effervescence, less well-known is that the region is also home to still wines. Officially Coteaux Champenois since 1974, these wines and their takes on terroir are nothing new yet were all but forgotten—until the past couple of decades.
Starting with the Roman Empire, Champagne’s wine-producing story began with still red. For centuries, these wines were among France’s most prized. A favorite of the former kings of France, they were served at coronations since Clovis, the first French king, in 481. Their popularity proliferated in the royal courts of Europe during the 17th century.
It wasn’t until the accidental discovery and subsequent popularity of bubbly as we know it today that Coteaux Champenois fell out of favor. Once the méthode champenoise used to create effervescence was industrialized, still wines from the region almost disappeared, until an unexpected renaissance following the particularly warm year of 2018 changed that. Wines once considered harsh and tart in comparison to Burgundy were drinking beautifully.
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“Climate change is a big factor,” explains Jean-Baptiste Geoffroy, renowned winemaker and vineyard pioneer of Champagne Geoffroy. “Phenolic maturity has increased, improving the quality of the [still] wines.” And with an increase in volume of wines, the prices have come down with most bottles generally running between $70 and $120. As a result, a growing slew of sommeliers have begun taking note of the slowly expanding category.
Red, white or rosé, today’s
This Article was originally published on Wine Enthusiast
