🍾 Taittinger

Taittinger is a Champagne house in Reims. Wikidata gives 1734 as its founding year: the date of the older house on which today’s is built. According to the house, the Taittinger family’s history in Champagne began in 1932, when Pierre Taittinger and his brother-in-law Paul Evêque bought the house of Forest-Fourneaux, one of the oldest in Champagne. The family name was given to the house later, under François Taittinger.

According to the house, it owns 288 ha of vineyards and regards Chardonnay as the signature of its style. In 1952 François Taittinger created the cuvée Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs. The range also includes Brut Réserve, Prélude Grands Crus, Nocturne and Brut Millésimé. The house says it has been led by the family for four generations.

Champagne is a wine with a protected designation of origin (PDO). The bubbles come only from a second fermentation in the bottle, the wine is aged for at least 15 months before sale (36 for vintage), and all production takes place only within the delimited area. Taittinger is a brand; Champagne is the name of a place.

Why it matters to you. “Blanc de blancs” in the name Comtes de Champagne is a defined term: the wine is made from white grapes only. Brut and millésime (vintage) are defined too, while “Comtes de Champagne” or “Prélude” are the house’s own names. The WHO reminds: there is no safe level of alcohol.