Blog navigation

Latest posts

How to eat well during your stay in Champagne
How to eat well during your stay in Champagne
295 views

Profiter des délices de la région Champagne tout en maintenant une alimentation équilibrée est tout à fait possible.

Read more
How do you insure your home wine cellar?
How do you insure your home wine cellar?
193 views

Les amateurs de vin le savent bien : une cave bien constituée représente souvent des années de passion, d’achats...

Read more
Paris: The secrets of successful wine tasting
Paris: The secrets of successful wine tasting
951 views

Is Paris really the wine capital? Let's just say it's the capital of pleasant surprises. Behind every alleyway and...

Read more
Champagne and Crémant de Loire: 19 powerful secrets for making the right choice (Guide essentiel 2025)
Champagne and Crémant de Loire: 19 powerful secrets for making the right choice (Guide essentiel 2025)
583 views

On Pépites en Champagne, we like to compare Champagne and Crémant de Loire for a simple reason: these bubbles don't...

Read more
Professional catering equipment: The essentials for successful food and wine pairing
Professional catering equipment: The essentials for successful food and wine pairing
1050 views

In the world of gastronomy, nothing is left to chance. The quality of the products, the chef's know-how, and the...

Read more

Massal and clonal selections in Champagne

4124 Views
 

Champagne viticulture is a matter of precision and passion, where every detail counts. Two particular techniques play a crucial role in the production of these world-renowned sparkling wines: massal selection and clonal selection.

La Sélection Massale

Massal selection is a traditional technique that consists of identifying the vines bearing the best fruit. These plants are then used for propagation, ensuring that desirable characteristics are retained in future generations of vines. This method preserves genetic diversity within the vineyard, which is essential for wine resilience and complexity. In Champagne, this technique has enabled winemakers to produce wines with a variety of flavors and aromas that reflect the region's unique terroir.

Clonal Selection

Clonal selection, on the other hand, involves reproducing vine plants from a single individual, or clone. This technique ensures optimum sanitary quality and uniformity in the vineyard.

In Champagne, around 50 clones of the three Champagne grape varieties (Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay) have been approved after several decades of selection work. These clones are pre-multiplied by the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC), which also distributes certified grafts.

Impact on Wine

These two selection techniques have a direct impact on the quality of Champagne wine. Massal selection contributes to the complexity and diversity of flavors, while clonal selection ensures consistent quality.

Ultimately, massal and clonal selection in Champagne is a perfect example of how science and tradition can work together to create something truly exceptional.