Author: Bruno Histrimont

At the end of May, the vineyards see the vine branches reach around 50 cm. To optimize the quality of the grapes and facilitate maintenance, winegrowers lift the branches. This essential technique promotes aeration and exposure to the sun of the grape clusters, while structuring the architecture of the vines.

The Importance of Vine Lifting

Lifting branches is an essential step in vineyard maintenance. By allowing optimal spreading of the foliage and better aeration of the bunches, this operation plays a key role in the prevention of diseases and the optimization of photosynthesis. The vine, being a liana by nature, requires this intervention to be domesticated and offer a structured architecture, typical of Champagne landscapes.

The Manual Lifting Method

At Champagne Aspasie, the lifting of the branches is carried out manually, a delicate task requiring great precision. The branches, reaching around 50 cm, vary in length and direction, which requires special attention. They are raised and held between two wires with staples to ensure their stability. This manual method makes it possible to structure the vegetation, favoring aeration, exposure to the sun, and the passage of men for maintenance and harvesting.

The Benefits of Lifting for the Vine

Maintaining the vine branches in a vertical position has several advantages :

• Aeration of foliage: Reduces the risk of disease by promoting air circulation.
• Exposure to sunlight: Optimizes photosynthesis and improves grape ripening.
• Ease of maintenance: Allows winegrowers to move freely between the rows to carry out various maintenance tasks.

Aspasie Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne, with its freshness and lemon acidity, enhances iodined dishes. Today, discover a refined recipe for Salmon Tartare with Yuzu Olive Oil, perfect to highlight the marine and lemon notes of this champagne.

Ingredients :

• 400 g fresh sashimi quality salmon
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of yuzu juice
• 1 teaspoon of yuzu zest
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• A few coriander leaves for garnish

Instructions :

Preparation of the salmon: Slice the salmon into thin strips of uniform size. Arrange them carefully on a serving plate.

Seasoning: In a bowl, mix the olive oil with the yuzu juice and zest. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serving: Drizzle the salmon slices with the olive oil and yuzu mixture. Garnish with a few coriander leaves to add a touch of freshness.

Tasting tips :

Serve this dish as an aperitif accompanied by a glass of chilled Champagne Aspasie Brut Blanc de Blancs, at 9°C. Use a slender, curved glass to release all the aromas of the champagne. The silky texture of salmon and the tangy notes of yuzu blend perfectly with the freshness and lemony acidity of this champagne, creating a perfect harmony on the palate.

For over 20 years, Aspasie Champagne has been exported to the United States through Gary Westby, a distributor at K&L Wines. Discover the authentic portrait of a loyal and passionate partner.

Can you introduce yourself ? 

My name is Gary Westby, and I have been the Champagne Buyer for K&L Wine Merchants for 24 years. We are an importer and retailer in California with four stores located in Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Hollywood and Culver City (West Los Angeles). 

What is your job ?

As Champagne Buyer I direct the category of champagne for the company. I am responsible for making the selections (we have about 300 references for champagne), training the staff on the wines, managing the inventory, creating the marketing content for selling the wines and conducting tastings for the public. 

Since when and why did you choose to work with Maison Aspasie ?

I started working with Aspasie in 2000, the same year that I started! They were our very first and still our best direct-import producer. I loved the quality, the unique style of the wine and the extraordinary value that the families wines represent. They have only gotten better over the years !

What is your favorite champagne, why ?

I am not allowed to have favorites, but if you were to look into my recycling bin, the champagne that I drink the most is the Aspasie Blanc de Blancs. I find it goes perfectly as an aperitif, great with Japanese food (which I love to cook at home) and is full of the magic of Brouillet.

The final word is yours ?

No champagne lover should go another day without trying the champagne from Aspasie- their electric refreshment, effortless style and class are backed by complexity that makes it impossible to tire of them. Nobody works harder than the Aristons, and it shows in the final product.

Gary Wetsby
Champagnegarywestby
3005 El Camino Real
Redwood City, CA 94061
www.klwines.com