🍾 Pol Roger

Pol Roger is a Champagne house in Épernay, in the Marne department. According to the house, Pol Roger was only 18 when he made his first sale of wine on 2 January 1849 in his native village of Aÿ; in 1851 the business moved to Épernay. On 23 February 1900 part of the cellars collapsed, destroying 500 casks and about 1.5 million bottles. The house says it has been run by the same family for six generations, today by the Billy family.

According to the house, its vineyards cover 92 ha. Its best-known wine is the prestige cuvée Sir Winston Churchill, created in 1975 and launched at Blenheim Palace. Other wines include a vintage rosé, a vintage blanc de blancs, Rich, a style close to demi-sec, and Pure, a brut nature (according to the house, with no dosage).

Champagne is a wine with a protected designation of origin (PDO). The bubbles come only from a second fermentation in the bottle, the wine is aged for at least 15 months before sale (36 for vintage), and all production takes place only within the delimited area. Pol Roger is a brand; Champagne is the name of a place.

Why it matters to you. The terms brut nature and demi-sec on the label are defined by the rules and tell you how much sugar the wine contains, while “Rich” or “Pure” are the house’s own names. The WHO reminds: there is no safe level of alcohol.