Bouzy bis

Here are a few more pictures of the Guillemettes' wine cellar (cave à vin) in the village of Bouzy, pop. 900 or so. Bouzy is the name of the village, which on the montagne de Reims in the area known as la côte des Noirs. Note that raisin noir ("black" grapes) is what we call red or red-wine grapes in English. One of the wines produced in Bouzy is called bouzy rouge, which is a still wine (un vin tranquille) made from the juice of Pinot Noir grapes. The greatest volume of wine made in Bouzy, however, is sparkling champagne.

    
Still (tranquille, non-sparkling) wines were made in Champagne for a dozen centuries before
sparkling champagne was "invented" or discovered in the 17th century. And by the way,
the name Bouzy [boo-'zee] has nothing to do with our English word "booze."

The steep steps that lead down into the Guillemette family's cellar. What, no handrail?

    
A book I've reading recently — The New France by Andrew Jefford — points out that most grape growers
in Champagne "don't make wine and never will; eighty per cent of champagne
is made not by growers but by cooperatives and large merchant houses."