More champagne?

I just caught up with an enlightening article published in Wednesday’s New York Times, about the proposed expansion of the area where vineyards could produce wines entitled to be called Champagne. It seems that some 40 communes could see vineyards qualify and be added to the 300-or-so communes currently included in the appellation. The criteria according to which communes could or could not be added seem unclear and the so does the selection process.

Funny enough, this is happening as global demand for champagne is on the rise. Could this have more to do with financial imperatives than with an actual appraisal of quality in the vineyard? You tell me. But obviously, the sense of an appellation doesn’t seem quite as precise and unchanging in the champenois vineyards as it is, say, in Burgundy.