"I have been professionally harvesting grapes for over 30 years; champenoise-style wine making grapes for 20 years. The ability of winemakers at home to produce sparkling wines of exceptional quality has kept my champenoise campaign alive. My first grape for sparkling wine came from a vineyard near Santa Maria, California, in 1981. High acid and low pH marked these grapes. They produced incredibly fine champenoise style wine that lasted on the lees for over 16 years. Clean grapes, good acid, a pH that allows malolactic fermentations, and varietal character are characteristics I look for in champenoise grapes.

Generally it is best to blend vintages to balance acid and sugar. You want to limit your alcohol production to about 10% - 11.4% alcohol. This level of alcohol requires brix below 20.5°, and ideally below 19.5° brix. Juices may be combined prior to fermentation or wine may be combined after fermentation to arrive at your desired cuveé. If you are using juice / wine with a pH of less than 3.15, and have another juice(s) with over 3.15 pH, and have fermented the juices separately, start the malolactic fermentation with the higher pH juice first. Once the malolactic fermentation is active, over a matter of a few weeks, gradually blend in the lower pH wine. It is difficult to initiate malolactic fermentation in wines under a pH of 3.2, and very difficult under a pH of 3.1. Wyeast Labs does have a culture of malolactic bacteria that can ferment at low pH.
Happy bubbling!"

- Peter Brehm