Cristal Champagne 2018 vintage is set to be ‘unique’.Cristal brut is normally drawn from a maximum of 45 grand cru vineyard plots, but the 2018 vintage will represent 57 sites owned by Champagne Louis Roederer, said Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, chef de caves and executive vice-president at the group. Lécaillon said it was the first time more than 45 plots have been used during his 20-year tenure as cellar master and he described 2018 as the best Champagne vintage he has seen. He has spent 30 harvests at Roederer. He said fans can expect ‘a unique Cristal’ from 2018, following several years of ageing in cellars beneath Reims. Production could hit record levels, although the house did not specify figures. Extra plots in 2018 include Chardonnay sites that would normally be reserved for Roederer’s… [Read More...]

Champagne increasingly look beyond Europe.Global Champagne sales in 2018 edged ahead of 2017 by 0.3% to hit a new record value, said trade body Comité Champagne, at Prowein exhibition in Germany. However, shipments fell by 1.8% in volume to 301.9 million bottles, said the trade body. Its figures are based on shipment data rather than retail sales. Weaker demand for Champagne in France and the UK hit overall volumes; both markets were down by around 4% in volume versus 2017, said the Comité Champagne. ‘Demand is most dynamic beyond the European Union,’ it added, after reporting that total exports hit €2.9bn, up by 1.8% versus 2017. Gap closing between UK and US … [Read More...]

So four and a bit days in Champagne, many wines tasted, quite a few drunk. Here are just a few of my highlights from a few of the producers I visited. Champagne Leclerc Briant La Croisette Brut Zéro 2014 France This is a new producer to me. We had a great visit. It’s a reborn biodynamic domaine (it was one of the pioneers of biodynamic viticulture in the region) and is now making very smart, distinctive wines with Herve Jestin as the winemaker. This is one of their top wines, from a single vineyard (0.5 hectares) in Epernay next to the house. It’s on top of a hill with some … [Read More...]

I’m spending a few days in Reims, in order to do some Champagne visits. It’s a lovely city to spend time in, and there are plenty of good options for eating and drinking well, and some great places to buy Champagne. It’s also insanely easy to get to by train from London: Eurostar to Paris, eight minute walk from Gare de Nord to Gare de l’Est, and then a 45 minute journey to Reims. Here are some pictures from a Sunday stroll. [Read More...]

Veuve Clicquot’s history stretches back almost 250 years.Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin: Fact Box Founded 1772 Owners LVMH group Annual production 1.5 million cases Hectares under vine 390 Dosage 3g/l (Extra Brut Extra Old), 6g/l (La Grande Dame), 9g/l (Yellow Label) A brief history 1772 Philippe Clicquot establishes a small wine business, making use of vines he already owned in Bouzy. 1798 Philippe’s son, François marries Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin, the daughter of a wealthy Reims textile manufacturer. 1805 François died and Barbe-Nicole showed her force of character by asking her father-in-law to let her run the business. She injected plenty of cash into the business and soon learned the essential skills for making Champagne. She soon became known as Veuve Clicquot, or ‘widow Clicquot’. 1810 Madame Clicquot created the… [Read More...]

Vineyards in Champagne Silvija Umaraite, Lithuania, asks: Which was the first biodynamic Champagne house? I always thought it was Fleury, but other people seem to say it’s Leclerc-Briant. Can you settle it for us? Peter Liem, Regional Chair for Champagne at DWWA, replies: As far as I know, the first producer in Champagne to explore biodynamics was Jean-Pierre Fleury, who began working biodynamically in 1989 with 3ha of vines before converting his entire 15ha estate to biodynamics in 1992. However, as you say, Pascal Leclerc of Leclerc-Briant was another early pioneer, beginning in 1990 with 2.5ha and eventually converting all of his 30ha to biodynamics by 2005. Today virtually all of Champagne’s best producers… [Read More...]

Introduction Do you want to seduce someone this Valentine’s Day? Forget the lingerie, lipstick and silk-tie handcuffs – just share a glass or two of wine with your amour. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, I’m going to share with you my favourite wines for seduction, including some melt in your mouth pairings with chocolate. ; Highlights How does wine affect our social interactions? Why has wine had such an association with romance? Which wines are my favourites for Valentine’s Day year after year? How can you pair wine and chocolate? Is chocolate an aphrodisiac? ; Resources Tune in to […] The post Wines for Seduction: A Vine Romance for Valentine’s Day appeared first on Natalie MacLean. [Read More...]

It is the English who deserve credit for inventing Champagne, even if they did it by accident, Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger has said in a media interview.  Future Taittinger Champagne resting in the house’s cellars in Reims. Taittinger, a self-confessed anglophile and CEO of the eponymous Champagne house, waded into the long-running debate over the origins of France’s premier sparkling wine during a video interview with Le Figaro newspaper. Prompted by the interviewer, Taittinger agreed that the English had invented Champagne, albeit unwittingly. ‘They created Champagne…because of a mistake,’ he said. He explained that still red and white wines made by Benedictine monks … [Read More...]

CTV’s Your Morning Host Ben Mulroney and chat about which wines to pair with your holiday turkey dinner, from appetizers and the big bird to side dishes and dessert. Click on the arrow above to play the video. Happy holidays! Natalie Start with an aperitif As the heady aroma of the turkey wafts through the house, and sounds of Miracle on 34th Street come from the livingroom, offer family and friends an aperitif. This pre-dinner drink will whet their appetites before they sit down to the table. An excellent choice is a chilled dry sherry. Its nutty flavours go well [Read More...]

How do some of England and France’s best non-vintage fizzes compare? John Stimpfig found out recently…How do the non vintage wines compare?In late November I attended a blind tasting at 67 Pall Mall in London to compare and contrast a range of English sparkling wines against some of the big guns of Champagne. function trackVivino(wineId, initialAction) { if (window.ipc && window.ipc.utils) { const category = ‘Premium’; const action = ‘Vivino Buy ‘+initialAction; var label = wineId+ ‘ ~ Collection ~ ‘+initialAction; window.ipc.utils.trackEvent(category, action, label); } } You might also like: Most exciting sparkling… [Read More...]

Following the launch of Cristal Vinothèque with the 1995 vintage in 2017, John Stimpfig recently tasted the 1996, which he describes as an ‘absolute, ultimate fizz’…Cristal Vinothèque undergoes extended ageing in the Louis Roederer cellars. If you’re looking for the absolute, ultimate fizz, the recently released Cristal Vinothèque 1996 has to be a top contender. Having tasted the wine in the company of Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon – chef de caves at Roederer since 1999 and also an executive vice-president at the group – I can tell you that it’s dazzlingly good and adds even greater lustre to Cristal’s remarkable reputation. The 1996 vintage It’s worth bearing in mind that 1996 was a controversial, difficult … [Read More...]

We’ve sourced some top Champagne deals this Christmas…Keith Jackson / Alamy Christmas is a great excuse to drink Champagne, and it’s also the time of year wine merchants and supermarkets come out with some of their best Champagne deals. Top Champagne deals: Tesco have knocked £10 off a bottle of Lanson NV, now just £22. It’s a Champagne known for its sharp, citrussy bite that’s ideal with canapes, fish and creamy dishes. Go to deal Sainsbury’s is listing Moët & Chandon Impérial Brut NV for £28. Go to deal Marks & Spencer are offering 25% off when you buy 24 or more bottles of wine or Champagne, making their Delacourt range of Champagnes look good value at just £22.50. Go to deal … [Read More...]

Take advantage of what Black Friday has to offer with these Champagne deals. Keith Jackson / Alamy If you’re willing to be strategic, Black Friday 2018 is a great time to pick up some top Champagne at relatively reasonable prices. The best prices aren’t here yet, so there’s a waiting game. See also: More Black Friday wine deals Top whisky deals Black Friday gin deals Laurent-Perrier Rosé Champagne NV A solid rosé Champagne and one of the best-known, available for an unusually low price. A great way of announcing your arrival at a Christmas party or enjoying date night, but with the added bonus of not rinsing your bank account. £42.99 – £21.00 off… [Read More...]

Nice to try the new Grand Vintage from Moët. Last release was 2009 in 2017, so there’s been quite a jump to 2012. It’s really good, despite the slightly up and down growing season. Champagne Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage 2012 France 12.5% alcohol. 46% Chardonnay, 26% Pinot Meunier, 33% Pinot Noir. Dosage 5 g/litre. Disgorged February 2018. The 74th release from this house. Lovely finesse here. Fruity with sweet citrus and pear notes, as well as some ripe peach and apricot hints. This has depth and generosity, and it’s really accessible, but there’s also some fine toast and bread complexity, and fine nuttiness. There’s… [Read More...]

This is an impressive Champagne for the price. Made by the CRVC (www.crvc.fr) a cooperative, this spends six years on lees, which is a long time for an NV Champagne. Champagne Castelnau Réserve NV France £28 The Wine Society 12.5% alcohol 40% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Noir, 20% Pinot Meunier, one-fifth reserve wines. 8 g/litre dosage. This is unusual for a wine at this price in that it has been aged for six years on its lees. It’s fine and toasty with nice freshness. Citrussy and taut with some bready notes, and faint hints of cheese and fine herbs, as well [Read More...]

This is an interesting Champagne, marketed on the basis that fermentation is entirely in oak barrels, something that’s very rare for larger Champagne houses. It’s made of Premier and Grand Cru Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs; Premier and Grand Cru Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims, Aÿ and Mareuil-sur-Aÿ; and Pinot Meunier from the right bank of the Vallée de la Marne. Vinification and ageing take place in oak casks at low temperature, there’s partial malolactic fermentation, around one-third reserve wines and 6 years ageing on lees. Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Sous Bois NV France £65 Lea & Sandeman … [Read More...]