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Champagne (the wine) bears the name of the old province of France, La Champagne, where it is made. This viticultural zone delimited by French law is located 90 miles northeast of Paris. It covers 84,000 acres, and more than 60,000 of those acres are planted with vines. The region includes 250 different crus or villages, each with its own characteristics. Its special soil and climate give Champagne its incomparable and unique qualities. Beyond the limits of this region, Champagne may not be made.

Soil: Champagne vines are planted in a thick chalky sub-soil - belemnita quadrata - that is ideal. Extending to a depth of 800 feet, this particular variety of chalk stores the heat of the sun and reflects warmth to the roots. It assures perfect drainage, yet preserves sufficient humidity in the soil, and supplies mineral elements to the vines to give Champagne grapes their unique characteristics. The composition of this sub-soil varies from vineyard to vineyard, creating subtle differences which influence the characteristics of individual wines produced in the Champagne region.

Climate: The average annual temperature in the Champagne region is 51 degrees F. Below this limit grapes will not ripen. Variations in altitude, angle of slope, and exposure to the sun create many different microclimates.

Selected Vines: Three grape varieties have proven over the centuries to be matched perfectly with Champagne's soil, climate and microclimates: The white Chardonnay grape and two black grapes which yield white grape juice - Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.

The Champenois relentlessly try to obtain the best grapes. Controlled by stringent regulations, the vines are kept at low, the pruning short, the care constant. At harvest time, picking is done by hand and only the best grapes are selected for the Champagne appellation.

At the press house: The yield is limited to 1 hectoliter (26.4 gallons) of juice or must for 150 kilos (330 lbs) of grapes. The first pressing constitutes the cuvee, followed by two further pressings - the premier taille and deuxieme taille. Only the juice from these three pressings may be used to make Champagne.

In the Cellars: The must is put in open vats or casks for the first fermentation, which in a few weeks transforms the grape juice into wine. The must from each vineyard area is kept separately and at the end of winter when the still wine has become clean, each wine is evaluated for its specific qualities.

Assembling the blend: A characteristic and consistent style is achieved by marrying wines from different vineyards, grape varieties and harvests. This is where the tradition, settled and maintained by famous Champagne names, is fully expressed. When blending is complete, a small quantity of cane sugar and yeast is added. The wine is bottled, corked, and the bottles are stacked sur lattes (on their sides) in dark, cool cellars.

A sparkle is born: The yeasts react slowly on the sugar causing a second fermentation within the stoppered bottles. This natural phenomenon produces fine bubbles and the light, persistent mousse (froth), characteristic of Champagne.

Long aging: After the second fermentation, the bottles remain in the cellars for several years to age "on the yeasts" until the wine reaches the incomparable delicacy, typical of Champagne.

Clarifying the wine: The dead cells of the yeasts form sediment in the bottle. To eliminate this sediment without removing the wine from the bottles, a riddling and disgorging process is used as part of the traditional method. After this is done, a small amount of the wine and sugar is added according to the type of wine desired (brut, extra-dry, dry, semi-dry). The bottle than receives a final cork and a label that is a sign of authenticity.

The only difference between sparkling wines and still wines is the presence of bubbles. These bubbles exist because carbon dioxide was trapped in the wine. Sparkling wines are produced almost everywhere still wine is made. Credit was first given to the Benedictine monk, Dom. Perignon in the Champagne District of France, for the idea of trapping gas in the still wine and creating an effervescence.

Until the first part of this century all sparkling wines were called Champagnes. Since then, however, only the product of grapes grown in the region of Champagne, France, may be called "Champagne." All others are called "Sparkling" Wines.

According to the renowned wine writer Robert M. Parker Jr., "Winebow is one of America's most successful and well-known importers/distributors of fine wines. LoCascio, who has never been content to rest on his laurels, continues to explore Italy's backwaters, discovering increasingly intriguing wines from areas outside the two renowned viticultural regions of Tuscany and Piedmont. LoCascio has pressed his producers to move away from interventionalistic winemaking, toward more natural bottling and less traumatizing wine producing techniques. To his credit, he has never hesitated to represent producers who may have only a handful of cases to sell, recognizing there is always a healthy marketplace for high quality, limited production wines from unknown producers."

Today Winebow's portfolio contains over 3000 wines from all over the world. We distribute these wines in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The company also acts as a US importer of Italian wines, and this portfolio, which we distribute nationally, includes wines from over 75 Italian producers.