Charles Heidsieck (Champagne) Charles Heidsieck (Champagne) Charles Heidsieck is the smallest of the Grandes Marques champagne Houses. Based in the Reims region of Champagne, it is one of the best-known producers for both vintage and non-vintage "cuvée". It is part of group since 2011. The house was founded in 1851 by the French champagne maker Charles Camille Heidsieck, who became known as Champagne Charlie. Charles Heidsieck was born in 1822 into an eminent Reims family whose wine-making traditions date back to Florens-Louis Heidsieck (see Heidsieck & Co). In 1851, at age 29, he founded a wine house (Maison) bearing his own name. He
Champagne ""'s shape was modelled on the breast of Madame de Pompadour, chief-mistress of King Louis XV of France, or perhaps Marie Antoinette, but the glass was designed in England over a century earlier especially for sparkling wine and champagne in 1663. Champagne is always served cold; its ideal drinking temperature is . Often the bottle is chilled in a bucket of ice and water, half an hour before opening, which also ensures the Champagne is less gassy and can be opened without spillage. Champagne buckets are made specifically for this purpose and often have a larger volume than standard wine-cooling