Assemblage and reserve wines

Step 6 · building the cuvée

Assemblage is the blending of base wines from different plots, varieties and years into the cuvée before tirage.1 Older reserve wines help keep a consistent house style, while a vintage wine needs at least 85% of grapes from the year on the label under EU law.2,3

What is blended

A blend may draw on one or several varieties and crus, or on wines of a single year for a vintage wine.1 In Champagne the blend may be prepared from grape must, wine or a mixture of both.4 The principal varieties must make up at least 90% of the blend; Voltis, a variety admitted for climate adaptation, may make up at most 10%.4 The Champagne figures come from an INAO draft under national opposition.

Reserve wines

Reserve wines are base wines kept from earlier harvests. The Comité Champagne says they add complexity and help keep the house style consistent from year to year.2 They are used to keep a consistent style in non-vintage wines.

Vintage

Under Article 49 of Regulation (EU) 2019/33 a vintage year may appear on the label only if at least 85% of the grapes were harvested in that year.3 Appellations can set their own rules on top; see vintage and label terms in EU law.

Next

The finished cuvée goes to tirage. Before that come first fermentation and, if chosen, malolactic fermentation.

See also

TirageMethodsNon-vintage (sans année)StylesVintage (millésime)StylesLabel terms in EU lawMethodsVoltisGrapesChampagneRegions

Sources

  1. Comité Champagne (champagne.fr). Blending
  2. Comité Champagne / champagne.education. L'élaboration du Champagne (fiche) (2024)
  3. EUR-Lex. Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/33 (consolidated text), Articles 47, 48, 49, 53, 54 and Annex III Part A (2023-12-08)
  4. 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)

Facts checked on 2026-10-19