Champagner für alle! (360° - GEO Reportage)

Late summer, harvest time. The sun's last rays warm the Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, and Chardonnay grapes of Champagne. This is where the unique French sparkling wine is produced, pressed exclusively according to the strict rules of local winemakers: Champagne! 360° - GEO Reportage visited two renowned Champagne winemakers and explored the philosophy of sparkling joie de vivre. A film by Dominique Hennequin © 2011, Licensed by MedienKontor / ARTE Season 12 - Episode 20 Subscribe to wocomoTRAVEL: https://goo.gl/tIk2Qc Follow us on Facebook:   / wocomo   Press release: Anselm Selosse is a Champagne winemaker. The harvest of the "Côte des Blancs" has begun on his slopes not far from the village of Avize. The grape pickers come from all over France; this coveted part-time job is called "the fifth season" here. On the slopes of the Taittinger Champagne dynasty, the time has also come for the harvest. Picking, bending, carrying, and bending again - it's a tough job. The production halls are also at a fever pitch - the fresh grapes must be pressed and then undergo the first alcoholic fermentation - at the Taittinger company in steel tanks, at the Selosse winery traditionally in oak barrels. The Taittinger headquarters in Reims is built on huge, underground chalk tunnels. They were dug in the fourth century to extract chalk for house construction. Only since the 17th century, after the Benedictine monk Dom Pérignon invented champagne, have they served as a warehouse for the coveted sparkling wine. Today, the Taittinger company stores its capital here: up to 21 million bottles. Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger bought back the famous family business several years ago for the princely sum of 600 million euros, after the family had previously sold it to an American investment fund. The champagne house is his life, his pride and joy. The champagnes of winemaker Anselme Selosse are less well-known, but all the more sought-after: He has sold all the bottles while the grapes are still on the vine. The champagne dynasty and the winemaker have one thing in common: They live for this sparkling, fresh beverage, which stands for special celebrations, love, and joie de vivre.