Glass of Bubbly
Champagne Tumbling Down to Just £7.99 a Bottle
For many people there will be a pleasant surprise at their local Aldi superstores where they will see Champagne now at only £7.99 a bottle meaning this popular French fizz is even more affordable for all to enjoy. There will of course also be another point of view, as in most things in life usually…
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How to Sabre Champagne
There’s something very special about seeing a bottle of Champagne being sabred. Here we show you how it’s done, it’s not as complicated as it looks, but you need to be careful as there are many ways of getting it wrong and ending up with a smashed bottle and Champagne all over the floor or…
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Biodynamic Champagnes
Biodynamic wines are still a rarity in Champagne, but look hard enough and you’ll find some smaller and lesser known producers are making excellent, noteworthy wines. Biodynamic winemaking, with its holistic approach to the vineyard ecosystem and the health of the soil, plants and organisms both above and below ground, demands determination, commitment and belief.…
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Is Bigger Really Better?
Scientists based in the heart of France’s Champagne-Ardenne region have found that larger bubbles may actually improve the way a sparkling wine tastes. Traditionally wine professionals often use bubble size as a marker of quality, with the smaller the bubble the better the wine with larger bubbles usually found in cheaper sparkling wines like Prosecco and…
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Celebrity Interview: Jane Parkinson
Jane is an award-winning journalist, author and broadcaster who was crowned International Wine & Spirit Competition Communicator of the Year in 2014. She is a wine expert on BBC1’s Saturday Kitchen Live and author of Wine & Food. Jane is a previous recipient of the Chairman’s Award at the Louis Roederer International Wine Writers’ Awards…
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Blind Tasting Rosé Sparkling Wines
A selection of brut rosé sparkling wines were purchased at the local grocer with their discount on a six- pack purchase. The tasting proved more challenging than I thought it would. Compared to the non-vintage brut tasting, I have done previously, which was almost unanimous, The brut rosé tasting opinions were all over the place,…
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Ring in the New Year with Champagne & Dinner in London
Galvin La Chapelle’s New Year’s Eve menu offers the chance to celebrate the festive period in style. Set in a Grade II listed building, there will be both an early and a late sitting, with live music by the Ray Rich Band until 1am. The grandeur of this former Victorian chapel with 30-metre vaulted ceiling…
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Grower Cava
There’s quite a lot of talk in wine circles at the moment, about Grower Champagnes. These are Champagnes made usually by small (the current buzzword is ’boutique’) producers who own their own vineyards, in the officially protected area of Champagne, of course. Usually such ‘growers’ have held the vineyards for generations and often have simply…
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Taittinger Champagne Dinner at Luton Hoo Hotel
Aimee Reddick, chef at Luton Hoo Hotel tells us how she creates a pairing menu. When creating a pairing menu for our Champagne Dinners, the first thing I need to do is taste the Champagnes that will be served with each course. Sampling each of the Champagnes with my team of chefs and the sommelier…
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