Glass of Bubbly
English Sparkling Wine ~ A Fast Growing Industry
English sparkling wine is a fast growing industry. In the Domesday Book there were 46 vineyards listed. Most recent figures show that there are now 434 vineyards on more than 4,500 acres in England and Wales. The modern age of winemaking began in England in 1951, when Major General Sir Guy Salisbury-Jones planted a vineyard at Hambledon in…
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Shipments of Champagne to UK rose by 6.1% last year
Latest figures show that shipments of Champagne to the UK rose by 6.1 per cent last year, back to the levels of 2012. The UK remains Champagne’s number one export market, a position held almost unbroken since World war 2 and without exception since 1996. Shipments totalled 32,675,232 bottles in 2014. That’s 71 per cent ahead…
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Champagne Leclerc Briant – a bio-dynamic revival
2014 was a remarkable year in many ways for Champagne Leclerc Briant: a complete relaunch for the brand, a brand new look, new management and new cuvées received to great acclaim by the wine press. Things could hardly be better for this modest-sized Champagne house where the philosophy of a grower Champagne combines with the…
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Alexandre Penet – A Man with a Plan
What do you do to make your wines stand out from the crowd if you’re one of the 2,500 or so small Grower Champagne makers? The answer is to think outside the box, broaden your ideas and find your own distinctive style. Alexandre Penet of La Maison Penet is a classic example of someone who’s…
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Blanquette de Limoux & Crémant de Limoux
Everyone has heard of Champagne, but there are also plenty of other sparkling wines that come from France. Languedoc-Roussillon is actually the largest wine region of France and perhaps the oldest. Wine historians believe that the world’s first sparkling wine was produced in this region in 1531, by the monks at the abbey in Saint-Hilaire. It…
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Crémant d’Alsace
Apart from Champagne, Cremant d’Alsace is the country’s most-prolific sparkling wine appellation producing 21 million bottles per year. This has increased 20-fold in the past 30 years. Today, more than 500 producers are united under the Syndicate of Producers of Crémant d’Alsace. The grape varieties that may be used to create Cremant d’Alsace wines are those permitted under…
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The Savoy
Perfectly placed on the north bank of the River Thames and set within the vibrancy of Covent Garden’s shopping and theatre district, The Savoy is one of London’s most revered hotels. Presenting a unique collection of six restaurants and bars, with extraordinary personalities and specialists to be found in each of them, The Savoy is…
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Chiswick Auctions Fine and Vintage Wine Sale
Chiswick Auctions Fine and Vintage Wine and Spirit sale is on Tuesday 31st March 2015. The auction will include a superb and diverse selection of over 800 rare and vintage wines and spirits from around the world. The lots inlcude spectacular fine wines from vintage years, from well kept private local cellars, along with rare spirits and…
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Champagne BILLECART-SALMON Blanc de Blancs
This Chardonnay cuvée has been elaborated from the five grand cru vineyards of the Côte des Blancs: Avize, Chouilly, Cramant, Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oger. It is a blend of two different years revealing the special quality of the Chardonnay. Appearance: The fine mousse of delicate bubbles elegantly accompanies the glints of its gold colour. Aroma: A cuvée that will surprise you with its pure intensity…
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