Anyone who wants to make champagne adheres to strict rules. For example, grapes must come from specific growing regions within Champagne, and most wines must be matured in fine sediments for at least 15 months, at least one year in a producer’s cellar.
While the vast majority of about 360 champagne houses adhere to strict regulations, there are always cases where someone doesn’t take the rules too seriously. As “The Times” recently reported, a producer was found who violated several regulations at the same time and had to dig his pockets for it.
Expensive infraction for the champagne house
The point at which the grapes should be harvested for champagne is precisely determined each year. Likewise, it cannot exceed a certain amount of grapes required annually in vineyards. French authorities took notice of champagne producer Frédéric Gallois, who is said to have ignored both of these rules.
A later chemical analysis of their champagne showed that the champagnes also came from vineyards that were not certified for champagne and therefore whose wines were not approved as champagne. A French court later found Gallois guilty of fraud.
While Gallois received a relatively small fine of 12,000 euros, the bulk of the fine will likely give him a much bigger headache: Authorities confiscated around 300,000 champagne bottles with an estimated value of two million euros.