After languishing in the shadow of the Chardonnay and Pinot vines that turn out France's famed bubbly, four lesser known Champagne grapes are getting an unlikely boost thanks to climate change.

Despite their low-profile, Arbane, Petit Meslier, Fromentot and Blanc Vrai are all traditional varietals in this prized region in northeast France and even boast the government-regulated AOC label that authenticates them as genuine Champagne grapes.

But for years they were relegated to the back seat of viniculture following two dramatic episodes that decimated the vineyards of Champagne - the blight caused by the phylloxera aphid that hit in the late 19th century and wreaked havoc for several years, then later World War I.