There's no wine region in the world that has enjoyed, and continues to enjoy, the success of Champagne. It is a relatively cool and damp part of northern France, yet the apparently compromised climate is critical to the nature of this unique wine. Much of its prestige is surely to do with brand success, for Champagne can legitimately be recognised as a brand - as a luxury product alongside Savile Row suits and French perfume. Indeed, luxury goods house Louis Vuitton Moet-Hennessy apparently accounts for close to 20 per cent of the world's champagne sales, and the drink itself represents about a quarter of France's total exports. For all the talk here in Asia that we are keen on neither white wine nor champagne, we clearly enjoy its prestige. For the first 11 months of 2006, Hong Kong ranked 16th in the world league for champagne imports (Japan was fourth), up from 18th in the previous year. Deep-rooted success in Champagne is also attributable to the manner in which the Comite Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne, the region's governing body, protects the brand. Significant amounts of time and money are spent in litigation across the globe. The days of sparkling-wine makers using the term 'methode champenoise', for example, are long gone; and some years back, the body even succeeded in having an Yves Saint Laurent perfume named Champagne removed from the shelves. Although a distinction should be made between large houses and smaller producers, also contributing to the exuberance of the region is the sheer quality of the product. Although some Italian sparkling wines from Franciacorta, in Lombardy, and a couple from the English county of Sussex must be taken seriously, there is little competition. Visit some of the smaller houses and the talk is of experimental vineyards, the onward rise of the organic movement in the region and even biodynamics - one owner explains how pruning is carried out according to the cycles of the moon. The people at Duval-Leroy are interested in magnetic fields and geomancy, and designed their winery accordingly. The reason the region can explore quality improvement is that it is stable and prosperous. In a 12-year initiative, the use of herbicides and pesticides has dropped by 45 per cent, and half of all products used are certified organic. At the lovely property of Lamandier-Bernier, where production is just 100,000 bottles, the producers rely on yeasts that occur naturally on grape skins to begin fermentation rather than adding manufactured varieties. There is also a trend towards 'zero brut' wines, in which the dosage (the addition of sugar spirit) is reduced or omitted. This results in a very dry but very pure connoisseur's product. Over at Jacquesson, champagne is served in wine glasses rather than flutes. This reflects a growing recognition that champagne is a serious (usually) white wine - that just happens to be sparkling. annabel.jackson@gmail.com
