Terroir 2012 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 International Terroir Conferences 9 Terroir 2012 9 Ancient and recent construction of Terroirs 9 The revision of the delimitation of the AOC “Champagne”

The revision of the delimitation of the AOC “Champagne”

Abstract

The Champagne vine-growing region has played a pioneering role in the delimitation of appellations of origin (AOC). The implementation of the Act of July, 22nd 1927 has led to drawing up lists of vine plots based on the criterion of vine cultivation antecedence.
After that, successive laws, especially the Acts of February 11th 1951 and November 16th 1984, have gradually helped to introduce technical criteria in correcting delimitation process.
The global reviewing of the Champagne appellation area was first opened to secure its boundaries and prevent it from being gradually undermined. Today, we have come very close to full exploitation of land currently classified in AOC (In 2011, the planted surface reaches 34 157 ha, i.e. about 97% of the delimited surface estimated at 35280 ha), which raises the question of spatial extension of the vineyard. However, this extension should not be at the expense of quality and specificity of champagne. This is what is at stake in the global reviewing of the AOC.

Download the PDF
Publication date: September 25, 2023

Issue: Terroir 2012

Type: Article

Authors

Édith TOULEMONDE LE NY1*, Marcel BAZIN2
1 Institut National de l’Origine et de la Qualité, site d’Epernay, 43ter rue des Forges, 51200 Epernay
2 professeur émérite à l’université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne

Contact the author

Keywords

Appellation of Controled Origin for Champagne, delimitation process, plot-scale delimitation, core of “terroir”

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir | Terroir 2012

Citation

Related articles…

Comparison of the free radical-scavenging activity in infected oidium and sound dolcetto grape cultivar grown in a terroir of Central Italy

The importance of polyphenols, which are present in many vegetables and grapes too, is well-know and documented. Specific research works about the red grape

Read More

Impact of moderate water deficit on grape quality potential on Pinot Noir in Champagne (France)

Environmental factors like soil and climate influence grape quality potential. Their impact is often mediated through vine water and nitrogen status. Depending on the color of the grapes (red or white) and the type of wine produced, the desired level of vine water and nitrogen status for optimum wine quality is different. Little investigation has been carried out concerning these factors and their potential influence on sparkling wine quality on two vintages. In this study vine water and nitrogen status were assessed at a very high density and related to grape composition and berry weight. Through statistical analyses, the major factors driving grape quality potential on Pinot noir in Champagne were highlighted.

Read More

High-resolution aerial thermography for water stress estimation in grapevines

Aerial thermography has emerged as a promising tool for water stress detection in grapevines, but there are still challenges associated with this technology, particularly concerning the methodology employed to extract reliable canopy temperature values. This consideration is relevant especially in vertically trained vineyards, due to the presence of multiple surfaces which are captured by drone thermal cameras with high-resolution. To test the technology and the data analysis required, a field study was conducted during the 2022-2023 season in a model vineyard with multiple scions-rootstock combinations trained on a vertical shoot-positioning (VSP) system. Additionally, three irrigation regimes were implemented to introduce variability in water stress levels.

Read More

Variability in intrinsic water use efficiency (WUEi) of eight red varieties grown in the center of the Iberian Peninsula during an atypical vintage year

The study was performed in the summer of 2007, the point of confluence of a rather atypical vintage year in the area with abnormally low temperatures after a very humid spring

Read More

Biovi: a research program for reducing chemical input in vine and wine

Decrease of chemical inputs during vine management and winemaking is of great importance from a political and societal point of view. In our ongoing project we propose alternative tools to chemicals in the vineyard and the cellar. We have compared a conventional vineyard protection strategy to an alternative strategy using copper and biocontrol products (Biocontrol) against downy

Read More