See http://www.reuters.com/article/scien...51984520080313
"Champagne expands domain to answer demand surge By Brian Rohan PARIS
(Reuters) - Faced with surging demand, France's champagne producers have
decided on a very simple way to boost production -- by widening the
vineyard...."

How far can you "widen the vineyard" to increase production/profits before
you dilute the "terroir"?

Cheers!

Martin

"Martin Field" > wrote:

> "Champagne expands domain to answer demand surge By Brian Rohan
> PARIS (Reuters) ...
>
> How far can you "widen the vineyard" to increase
> production/profits before you dilute the "terroir"?

Nobody knows.

But it's a fact that Champagne has *doubled* its planted surface
from 18,000 hectares in the 1960s to 36,000 hectares nowadays.

M.

On Sat, 15 Mar 2008 10:00:57 +1000, "Martin Field"
> wrote:

>How far can you "widen the vineyard" to increase production/profits before
>you dilute the "terroir"?

This article partly addresses your question
http://www.wine-pages.com/guests/tom...-expansion.htm

--
Steve Slatcher
http://pobox.com/~steve.slatcher

Steve wrote on Sat, 15 Mar 2008 10:12:04 +0000:

??>> How far can you "widen the vineyard" to increase
??>> production/profits before you dilute the "terroir"?

SS> This article partly addresses your question
SS>
http://www.wine-pages.com/guests/tom...-expansion.htm

It all sounds very plausible but industrial flacks are good at
that! I will await the rationalizations when the zone is
expanded to include California :-) In some ways, I was reminded
of a common preamble to Vatican announcements of a radical
changes: "As the church has always said.........".


James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

On Sat, 15 Mar 2008 14:54:04 GMT, "James Silverton"
> wrote:

> Steve wrote on Sat, 15 Mar 2008 10:12:04 +0000:
>
> ??>> How far can you "widen the vineyard" to increase
> ??>> production/profits before you dilute the "terroir"?
>
> SS> This article partly addresses your question
> SS>
>http://www.wine-pages.com/guests/tom...-expansion.htm
>
>It all sounds very plausible but industrial flacks are good at
>that! I will await the rationalizations when the zone is
>expanded to include California :-) In some ways, I was reminded
>of a common preamble to Vatican announcements of a radical
>changes: "As the church has always said.........".

Are you saying Stevenson is an industrial (industry?) flack? Why do
you think that?

--
Steve Slatcher
http://pobox.com/~steve.slatcher

Steve wrote on Sat, 15 Mar 2008 18:20:42 +0000:

??>> Steve wrote on Sat, 15 Mar 2008 10:12:04 +0000:
??>>
??>>>> How far can you "widen the vineyard" to increase
??>>>> production/profits before you dilute the "terroir"?
??>>
SS>>> This article partly addresses your question
SS>>>
??>>
http://www.wine-pages.com/guests/tom...-expansion.htm
??>>
??>> It all sounds very plausible but industrial flacks are
??>> good at that! I will await the rationalizations when the
??>> zone is expanded to include California :-) In some ways, I
??>> was reminded of a common preamble to Vatican announcements
??>> of a radical changes: "As the church has always
said.........".

SS> Are you saying Stevenson is an industrial (industry?)
SS> flack? Why do you think that?

I used to think that Elliot Spitzer was an honest crusader
against fraud too!




James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

On Mar 15, 3:32�pm, "James Silverton" >
wrote:
> �Steve �wrote �on Sat, 15 Mar 2008 18:20:42 +0000:
>
> �??>> Steve �wrote �on Sat, 15 Mar 2008 10:12:04 +0000:
> �??>>
> �??>>>> How far can you "widen the vineyard" to increase
> �??>>>> production/profits before you dilute the "terroir"?
> �??>>
> �SS>>> This article partly addresses your question
> �SS>>>
> �??>>http://www.wine-pages.com/guests/tom...-expansion.htm
> �??>>
> �??>> It all sounds very plausible but industrial flacks are
> �??>> good at that! I will await the rationalizations when the
> �??>> zone is expanded to include California :-) In some ways, I
> �??>> was reminded of a common preamble to Vatican announcements
> �??>> of a radical changes: "As the church has always
> said.........".
>
> �SS> Are you saying Stevenson is an industrial (industry?)
> �SS> flack? �Why do you think that?
>
> I used to think that Elliot Spitzer was an honest crusader
> against fraud too!
>
> James Silverton
> Potomac, Maryland
>
> E-mail, with obvious alterations:
> not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

Stevenson is probably the most respected independent expert on
Champagne. Certainly he is a fan (would be ridiculous to become an
expert if one didn't like), but he is scarcely a flack, as he is very
capable of slamming vintages or individual wines he dislikes.

As noted, all of the villages proposed to be added are well within the
historic area that is noted for Champagne production, it's not as if
there an expansion into Ile de France (or Belgium) - or even into
greater Champagne-Ardennes.

I certainly don't know the geography of the area enough to know
whether the expansion will decrease the quality of the wine overall.
If it does, eventually it will rebound as the appeal and value of the
name "Champagne" will suffer. One could certainly make that argument
re Chianti or Crozes-Hermitage. But to me its their choice to make.

"Martin Field" > wrote in
:

> "Champagne expands domain to answer demand surge By Brian Rohan PARIS

He must drink a lot to singlehandedly cause Champagne to answer his demand.

Fred.

On Mar 14, 7:00 pm, "Martin Field" > wrote:
> Seehttp://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSL1351984520080313
> "Champagne expands domain to answer demand surge By Brian Rohan PARIS
> (Reuters) - Faced with surging demand, France's champagne producers have
> decided on a very simple way to boost production -- by widening the
> vineyard...."
>
> How far can you "widen the vineyard" to increase production/profits before
> you dilute the "terroir"?


Likely only time will tell. The place to check is likely the NV wines
of the major houses that also produce vintage wines and some very
expensive ones. I would not expect the quality of the more expensive
wines of the house to change much, since the company likely will just
increase their price to what the market will bear. For the standard
brut range of a house, many of the better houses will try to keep the
quality, but some may not. Wines not up to present standards likely
will end up in the NV except for Krug multi vintage wine and a few
others. Or if a house does not wish to lower the quality of their NV
wine, they may make a second label wine or perhaps make house label
Champagne for discount chains.