Christopher Walkey

Vintage or non vintage Champagne

Champagne: Vintage vs Non-Vintage

By Christopher Walkey / 3rd March 2023

Firstly, let us understand the difference between vintage Champagne and non-vintage Champagne. When it comes to Champagne there are five important things to understand and each of them you will find on the label! Sugar Level – Sweetness Style – Grapes Age – Structure / Depth Cru –  Quality Producer – Identity / Terroir From…

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Prosecco Rive Di

What is Prosecco DOCG Rive?

By Christopher Walkey / 3rd March 2023

Many will assume, and rightly so I guess, that the quality of wines depends on the prices they are set at. If you have ever visited a restaurant and looked at the wine list, they are usually in price order which dictates the order of quality, right? A glass of Prosecco is a glass of…

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sparkling sake

Sparkling Sake

By Christopher Walkey / 2nd March 2023

Wine is made from grapes right? Well yes, that is most certainly correct, but we must also add that not all wines are made from grapes! 24,535 in 1,000 metric tonnes is the annual global grape production as stated by statista in 2021 with China being the leading country by over four times its nearest…

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Champagne Lallier R019

Champagne Lallier Réflexion R.019 Brut

By Christopher Walkey / 2nd March 2023

The Champagne house of ‘Lallier’ dates back to 1906 with the founding gentleman being Réne Lallier. Today the winery is split in to two magnificent Champagne locations with the cellars in Aÿ and the Maison’s contemporary production facilities are held in Oger, Côte des Blancs. Cellar master Dominique Demarville leads today’s history for Lallier, alongside…

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Champagne The Future Uncorked

Book Review: Champagne ‘The Future Uncorked’

By Christopher Walkey / 1st March 2023

I first saw this book in question whilst I spent a leisurely afternoon back in 2018 with renowned Champagne connoisseur Michael Edwards as we enjoyed a bottle of 2010 Deutz Blanc de Blancs (a previous winner of The World’s Finest Trophy). Though a Champagne author himself, Michael was keen to let me know of a…

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Champagne Gardet advises on Vintage Rosé / Saignée Rosé

By Christopher Walkey / 27th February 2023

Many lovers of Champagne will be particularly interested in vintage labels and there are certainly many options to choose from. ‘How about rosé Champagne though?‘ we ask, surely we are preferring a more fresh (red berry) fruity expression over any deep, complex, toasty character? Though there might be a commonly used phrase in the wine…

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Blind Champagne Tasting

Blind Champagne / Sparkling Wine Tasting Explained

By Christopher Walkey / 24th February 2023

Tasting and reviewing wine will most times take place without the need of a blind format in that you get to study the label, the colour in the glass, aromas and flavours. All these attributes are what are reviewed thus ultimately allowing for scoring / tasting notes. Next we approach judging of wines and this…

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Royal Champagne Hotel and Spa

Luxury Accommodation: Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa

By Christopher Walkey / 23rd February 2023

The Champagne region is one of the world’s finest wine tourism destinations, and importantly it is very well set up to facilitate visitor experiences. 34,000 hectares of vineyards bless this wine region with scattered cities, towns and small villages to be explored via an easy to use road network, relatively reliable public transport and well…

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Champagne Krug labels

Understanding Champagne Krug

By Christopher Walkey / 10th February 2023

Krug is seen by many within the Champagne industry as the pinnacle of quality and desirability. Waited on with much anticipation each new release, a global, growing appreciation and admiration gives it a cemented name within the luxurious lifestyle communities. It sits as confidently as Rolls Royce (or should I say the more desirable Bentley)…

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