Champagne expands and cashes in

As reported in the Guardian (14 Mar 08) the French have agreed to expand the officially designated area where Champagne grapes can be grown to meet rising demand. Suddenly the austere strictures than real Champagne can only be made in the area delineated in 1927 are overturned - despite the fact that the French have so often jumped to defend their heritage and monopolistic trademark on grounds that the special “terroir” which makes Champagne distinctive (and expensive) is only to be found in the designated area.

As ever such decisions have little to do with quality or the interests of the consumer, but are the result of politics and finance.

It’s the most sacred real estate in French viticulture, just a few thousand acres that have been blessed with a coveted seal of approval. If it comes from here, it’s champagne. If not, it isn’t.

But last night, France moved to redraw the boundaries of the fragmented area designated as champagne land in the biggest shake-up of the industry for 80 years, in an effort to cope with surging world demand, particularly from China and Russia, but also Britain and the US.

The changes promised booming business for the areas around 40 villages - not to mention soaring property prices. For the lucky villages that suddenly find themselves chosen for champagne-growing, in some cases the value of land could suddenly be 200 times what it was.

Personally I like Champagne, but not all Champagne is good, and it is often too expensive compared to alternatives such as Spanish Cava, Loire Valley Cremant and even superb English sparking wines like Nyetimber.