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...]

See our expert panel’s top recommendations for grower, supermarket and own-label Champagne under £40 below, plus tasting notes & scores for all 79 wines submitted…Scroll down to see the full report, tasting notes and scores Our tasters each pick their three best Champagnes under £40 from the tasting: Simon Field MW You might also like: Champagne Grower-producers: the beginning of the end? (July 2018) Great value magnums for Christmas and New Year (December 2017) When should you decant wine? An expert taste test (July 2018) The post Champagne panel tasting: Bottles to look for under £40 appeared first on Decanter. [Read More...]

Very impressed with this, the current release of the Ruinart Blanc de Blancs. It’s immediately accessible, and obviously delicious, but it also has a serious side to it. Very skilful blending and winemaking here. Not cheap, at around £50 street price, but really fine and beautifully packaged, too (in clear glass, so preferably try to find a boxed product that won’t have suffered light strike. Champagne Ruinart Blanc de Blancs NV France 12.5% alcohol This is beautiful stuff. There’s some lovely richness with citrus, pear and white peach with a really nice brightness and crispness. The core … [Read More...]