Don’t be fooled by “grand cru” on a champagne bottle. Grand cru and premier cru are famous words. You see them on many champagne bottles. Probably, most people take it as a sign that the wine inside is of better quality.
Is that true? Not necessarily.
In Champagne, these denominations were created mainly as a tool for price-fixing.
Today, grand cru and premier cru has no official value; it is not an official quality indication, nor a classification. It is a historical mention that is still tolerated. To find the best quality champagne, you should look at who has made it, not what percentage it was given on a price scale a hundred years ago.
Here’s the story, including some personal opinions on the evolution.
Read more in Per’s article on BKWine Magazine, originally published on Forbes: “Grand cru” and “premier cru” on Champagne, what does it mean? Why was it abandoned? | Per on Forbes.
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