This week I am

enjoying Champagne, and champagne, from Avise, a village in the Cote des Blancs. There are hundreds of champagne houses, and each produces champagne in its own style. There are biodynamic producers, organic producers, those who use malolactic fermentation, those who don't. Biodynamic producers have, incidentally, led to the revival of the working horse, since they prefer to work the vineyards with horse and plough, rather than a tractor with tines.Two biodynamic producers: Champagne de Sousa http://www.champagnedesousa.com/en/  The house is also part of a new group of young women producers, called Les Fa'Bulleuses, which is a play on words. In English, it would be something like "The Bubbly Ones". The image of champagne is always so feminine, but not much is made of the women who actually make the stuff. This group of seven, from different villages,  have shared values, and they have just introduced their own pack, a wooden box containing seven bottles, one for each of them.The other biodynamic producer is Waris-Larmander http://www.champagne-waris-larmandier.com/  Another woman, not so young in years as Charlotte de Sousa, but certainly in spirit. Marie-Helene Larmandier, who comes from a long line of growers and producers, married into another family of producers. The name Larmandier appears in many houses - she's associated with Guy Larmandier, and her brother Francois has helped with the winemaking. Waris-Larmandier is a relatively new house, established in 1889. Her husband died young, but Marie-Helene continued the business, and her oldest son Jean-Philippe now makes his own wines. She is passionate about art, and she is responsible for the paintings that adorn the bottles.