Grappes entières

French · whole bunches

Grappes entières means whole bunches: Champagne grapes are pressed as whole clusters, without prior crushing.1

The rule starts in the vineyard. The Champagne specification prohibits any harvesting method that does not allow whole bunches to be picked.2 The Union des Maisons de Champagne states that the entire crop is picked by hand; the specification itself does not use the word "manual" and requires whole bunches.3,2

The clusters are then loaded into the press for pressurage, in loads called a marc. EU rules for Crémant also require manual harvesting.4 See harvest and pressing.

See also

HarvestMethodsPressingMethodsPressurageGlossaryMarcGlossary

Sources

  1. Comité Champagne (champagne.education). Fiche Élaboration du Champagne (FR) (2024-05)
  2. Cahier des charges de l'AOP « Champagne » - modifications approved by the INAO national committee on 11 September 2024 (national opposition procedure text) (2024-09-11)
  3. Union des Maisons de Champagne. Harvests
  4. EUR-Lex. Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/33 (consolidated text), Articles 47, 48, 49, 53, 54 and Annex III Part A (2023-12-08)

Facts checked on 2026-10-19