Wine
Grand Tour Days 40 – 42 – Champagne! (Need I say more?)
I learned something very profound about geology these last few days – chalk is a type of limestone. Now, I knew that chalk is made of calcium carbonate, but somehow I hadn’t connected the dots between the two (limestone is also made of calcium carbonate). The reason chalk gets its own name is because it is quite a bit softer than many limestones. It is softer, but don’t be deceived (as I was) it still isn’t really ‘soft’ most of the time. Hence my confusion. I’ve been seeing all sorts of cliffs (the north edge of Normandy) that others described as chalk, and I couldn’t really get it. To me a soft stone doesn’t make cliffs. Then I arrive in Champagne where many of the cellars that the champagne is stored in were Gallo-Roman chalk quarries (crayères in French). I couldn’t think of what they would need so much ‘chalk’ for. Turns out it was for building – homes, city walls, the Cathedral and other public buildings. Luckily for us, this chalk limestone is also perfect for growing grapes to make champagne!
The Champagne making process
It begins in the vineyards – only three grapes can be used: chardonnay (a white grape with white juice), pinot noir and pinot meunier (black grapes with white juice).
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