Champagne is a living thing, and may evolve over time. The way in which it is stored has a direct impact on the preservation of its aromas, enabling it to be enjoyed several months or years later.

Champagne Houses are constantly working on new materials and new bottle formats to enable their champagnes to withstand the test of time while retaining their qualities. The cork stopper is one of the key components in the aging of a bottle. Over time, it loses its hermeticity and gradually lets air through. It is particularly sensitive to its environment.      

A bright, hot, dry environment should be avoided when storing your champagne, as this will accelerate the aging process and reduce its quality, taste and effervescence. Keep your champagne away from light, vibrations and wide temperature variations, at around 15°C. These conditions preserve the cork's hermeticity for as long as possible. The long ageing period on the lees allows our bottles to be enjoyed immediately.

Be careful when handling a bottle of champagne. It's advisable not to shake it too much. For optimal tasting, there are three steps to opening a bottle:

• First of all, remove the bottle from the fridge - it may have been stored vertically or horizontally - once it is well chilled, between 8 and 10°c for a brut sans année and 10 and 12°c for a vintage. 
• Then tilt it, remove the cap and hold the plug under pressure. 
• Finally, gently rotate the bottle on itself to allow the cork to pop out, while keeping it under pressure.

In the past, bottles of champagne were much more heavily dosed than they are today. The American taste, over 100g sugar/liter, was the norm last century. Today, the average is under 12g sugar/liter. However, sugar preserves the taste of champagne over several decades. With this drop in sugar content, the challenge of preserving bottles over time looms large.