AOC/AOP Regulations
Département
- Aube, Aisne, Marne, Haute-Marne, Seine-et-Marne
Communes of Production
- 357 villages
Size
- 33.500 ha
Styles
- Vin Mousseux Blanc
- Vin Mousseux Rosé (either saignée or blending prior to tirage is authorized)
Encépagement
- Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Meunier, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Arbane, Petit Meslier
Base Wine Statistics
- Minimum Potential Alcohol: 9%
- Maximum Residual Sugar: 10 g/l
Tirage
- Secondary fermentation (prise de mousse) is accomplished in glass bottles
- Tirage may not occur until at least January 1 of the year following the harvest
- Volume of wine may not increase by more than 1.12% per 1% increase in alcohol during secondary fermentation
- Wines may not be disgorged until at least 12 months after the date of tirage
- Finished wines are marketed in the same bottle in which tirage occurred, except for bottle sizes with a volume smaller than 375 ml or larger than 3 liters. For NV bottlings, up to 20% of 375 ml bottles may also be transferred into new bottles.
Liqueur d’Expédition
- The addition of liqueur d’expédition may not lead to an increase in volume of wine (expressed in percentage) higher than the sum of the percentage increase in alcoholic strength (multiplied by a coefficient of 1.266) and the grams per liter increase in sugar content (multiplied by a coefficient of 0.0666). See the following formula:
- Volume of Wine (%) = (1.266 × Alcohol Percent Increase) + (0.0666 × Sugar Increase)
Vintage Dated Wines
- Max. 80% of a year’s harvest may be sold as vintage Champagne
- Vintage-dated wines must contain 100% of a stated vintage (with the exception of wine and products contained in the liqueur de tirage or the liqueur d’expédition)
Élevage
- NV wines: Min. 15 months from date of tirage
- Vintage Wines: Min. 36 months from date of tirage
Minimum Must Weight
- 143 g/l
Minimum Planting Density
- max. 2.5 square meters per vine
Permitted Training Methods
- Chablis, Cordon de Royat, Vallée de la Marne (allowed for Meunier only), Guyot (simple or double)
Maximum Yields (Rendement de Base)
- 10,400 kg/ha
Maximum Press Yield
- 102 liters/160 kg (Additional pressed juice is rebêche, or the „end of pressing“, and must account for 0-10% of the total. This may only be used for distillation.)
AOC Established
- 1936 (earlier protections date to 1919) (last updated 2010)
Links
- AOP Cahier des Charges
- AOC Map
- Champagne Grand Cru Villages
- Champagne Premier Cru Villages
- Champagne Prestige Cuvées (Tête de Cuvées)
- Club Trésors de Champagne
Sweetness Levels for Champagne
| Designation | Pre-2010 | Current |
| Brut Nature* | 0-3 grams per liter | 0-3 grams per liter |
| Extra Brut | 0-6 grams per liter | 0-6 grams per liter |
| Brut | 0-15 grams per liter | 0-12 grams per liter |
| Extra Dry | 12-20 grams per liter | 12-17 grams per liter |
| Sec | 17-35 grams per liter | 17-32 grams per liter |
| Demi-Sec | 33-50 grams per liter | 32-50 grams per liter |
| Doux | 50+ grams per liter | 50+ grams per liter |
*Brut Nature wines may not contain any added dosage. Equivalent terms include Non-Dosé, Brut Sauvage, Ultra Brut, Dosage Zéro, Sans Sucre, Pas Dosé.