The taste of honey is a note well known to champagne lovers, regularly cited in tasting notes.
But in recent years, several houses have undertaken to create their own nectar, directly on their estate or in their vines, such as Bollinger, Pol Roger, or Palmer.
To contribute to the pollination of the vine, but also to participate in the protection of biodiversity.
Very recently, it was Gosset, the oldest wine house in Champagne, founded in 1584, which started working on its two-hectare estate, located in the town of Épernay.
Previously established in Aÿ, the illustrious house moved to the capital of champagne in 2008 and rediscovered its listed gardens there.
This space of one hectare, which was still abandoned a few years ago, the house fitted it out, then opened to the public in July 20121.
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“We identify plant species because this 19th century park was obviously an arboretum, explains Thibault Le Mailloux, marketing and communication director of Champagne Gosset.
An expert from Piedmont was even amazed by an essence of hazel tree that he had never seen elsewhere.
And in the middle of this green lung, new employees of the house have taken up residence.
In the park's former greenhouse, two hives were installed in April and now house 40,000 bees each.
Fifteen kilos of honey have already been harvested and a third hive will soon be installed.
"According to the beekeeper with whom we work, the quantity is already significant because the bees are very happy, the foraging area being very varied," says Thibault Le Mailloux.
Banned chemical inputs
If the champagne house is located in town, the proximity of the vineyards and woods of Mount Bernon offer an ideal playground for insects, whose foraging area can cover up to 3 kilometers.
The honey harvested in the spring by Gosset should be marketed this summer, but the objective is not really financial for this house which produces nearly a million bottles each year.
"It's quite symbolic, but it shows that Gosset is strengthening its commitment to the preservation of biodiversity", continues the communications director.
To support its new residents in the best conditions, the house has eliminated all chemical inputs for the maintenance of its park.
Note, a site to identify “bee-friendly” spots.
Since 2017, the city of Épernay has launched a website called Le Chemin des abeilles, an interactive map which lists the various public and private projects implemented in favor of bees and all other pollinating insects.
On this collaborative site, residents can map their contribution and also obtain information on insect vectors of pollen and plants adapted to their development.
About forty sites are listed in Épernay.