Glass of Bubbly
Sparkle for Life: Szigeti
For numerous people sparkling wines are a very popular choice and indeed, make an occasion into a celebration, evoking style and sophistication. Many countries, globally, produce sparkling wines. Some of the producing companies are large and others are family businesses. I searched for a well-established company, producing a range of sparkling wines – in fact…
Read More
School of Sparkling Wine
Education is the key when drinking Sparkling wine. Do you know your Cava from your Prosecco? Your Asti from your Lambrusco? Your Champagne from your Vouvray? From the appearance in a glass alone it’s hard to know what you might be drinking. If you lined up three different styles of sparkling wine, they would all…
Read More
The Penina Way – Sparkling Wine from Slovenia
The sparkling wine market has an exciting addition, Penina. It’s the generic term for sparkling wine in Slovenia, but as Chris Boiling discovered, it covers a wide range of styles… The number of sparkling wine producers in Slovenia, that little country squashed between Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia, has more than doubled over the past…
Read More
The Case for English Bubbles
I’ve always loved bubbles, but I must admit, I haven’t always been fussy. In fact, when I first moved to London eight years ago, a £5 bottle of Tesco Cava did the trick, not that there’s anything wrong with that… These days, well, my income stretches a little further and let’s just say, like a…
Read More
‘R’ is for Ruinart
Of all the houses in Champagne, a lady of course has her favorites. One of mine happens to be the oldest established Champagne house, that has been producing Champagne since 1729. That house is Ruinart, located in the historic city of Reims. Ruinart currently produces three non-vintage selections; Blanc de Blancs, ‘R’ Brut and a…
Read More
The Art of Sabrage
The Art of Sabrage originated in France during the Napoleonic wars. The story says that the legendary Barbe Nicole Ponsardin, known today as Veuve Clicquot, after her husband’s death (veuve in French is widow), took over the company and managed to became one of the largest exporters of Champagne for the royal courts in Russian…
Read More
Interview with Jean-Claude Mas of Domaines Paul Mas
Nestled in the Coteaux de Languedoc AOC between Pézenas and Sète on the Mediterranean coastline, Château de Conas has been in the Mas family home for over one thousand years. Fourth-generation vintner, Jean-Claude Mas took over the helm in 2000 and his mission has been to use only premium quality grapes to craft superior wines…
Read More
A Woman Amongst Men – Moët & Chandon’s Elise Losfelt
A woman running a business was unheard of in 19th Century France. Yet the Champagne widows did just that, ‘veuves’ who stepped in to fill the shoes of husbands killed in battle or dying otherwise: Mathilde Emilie Perrier lost her husband Eugene Laurent and went on to launch the first “Grand Vin Sans Sucre,” or…
Read More
An Evening of Laurent-Perrier at Stratos
As the only revolving Lounge Bar and Grill in Abu Dhabi, Stratos at Le Royal Meridien Hotel has come to epitomize tasteful luxury where the food & beverage offerings match the hype that surrounds the restaurant. The moment I take the elevator up to Stratos on the 26th floor, there is already a feeling of…
Read More