It Takes a Lifelong Time to Start a Romance with Moet and Chandon Champagne

he world class Moet and Chandon winery is a French winery that produces some of the best champagne in the world. It is also one of the largest of wineries with over 2,500 acres of vineyards in France and over 26 million bottles of upscale champagne produced each year. How do they do it? Is there any secret？Here is a close look.

Once harvested, the grapes are brought to the wine presses. Pressing is a gentle gradual process to ensure that only the best juice and aromas are extracted. Great care must be taken with the red grapes because their skins can irrevocably affect the colour of the juice. The pressure exerted on the grape is no greater than that exerted when squeezing a grape between the thumb and forefingers.

The intense activity surrounding the presses shifts to the vat house. The must derived from the pressing is allowed to settle thus clarifying the juice for vat fermentation. This stage gives the wine its freshness, suppleness and roundness. The still wine is then drawn off from the sediment.

Starting in November, the cellar master and winemakers taste, evaluate and grade the wines. The wider the palette of wines they have to select from the greater the opportunity to subtly blend and adjust the qualities impaired by the soil and varieties of grape.