Elaine Sciolino. “A Tempest in a Champagne Flute”. The New York Times. December 26, 2007 – “‘This is incomprehensible,’ said Mr. Mousseaux, whose family has grown grapes and other crops on the stony, spare earth here for generations. ‘We have exactly the same soil as the areas that were chosen, the same sun, the same beautiful hills. This land is so perfect that the grapes even grow wild in our gardens.’
Even though his land is only six miles from official Champagne-producing territory, he is an outsider, forbidden to sell what he informally calls Vin de Serval. He seals his bottles with metal bottle caps; Champagne-like corks are expensive.
For several years, he has been part of a lobby of 350 retired and active farmers — with the unwieldy name the Association for the Delimitation of a Champagne Vineyard and AOC Champagne Hills in the Valleys of the Aisne and the Vesle — whose goal is to expand Champagne-growing onto their farmland.”
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