Champagne News
Characteristic Tastes & Flavours of Champagne
After many years of tasting and reviewing Champagne with a quite significant list of wineries and labels that I have enjoyed, I think it’s a good idea to break down, in to an easy to understand format, the tastes and the flavours to look out for. For those of us wanting to take time over…
Ruppert-Leroy Delivers Sparkling Gems From Southern Champagne
The quiet French village of Essoyes seems an unlikely place to discover some of Champagne’s most intriguing and delicious wines. After all Essoyes is over 100 miles from the epicenter of Reims, Champagne’s unofficial capital. And with just over 700 inhabitants, Essoyes is best known as Impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s summer home. He painted memorable scenes…
Book Review: Madame Pommery by Rebecca Rosenberg
“Madame Pommery,” the mayor shouts. “You are hereby put on notice of serious consequences to your business and your person if you do not vacate Butte Saint-Nicaise immediately.” The councilmen concur with stiff nods and jutting chins. “We’ll return in a week to insure you have left the premises.” I watch their carriage drive toward…
Do’s and Don’ts of Decanting Champagne
You would be forgiven for thinking that the decanting of wine is reserved for more expensive / older still red wines or maybe for port / sherry. It for sure does interest people to know that Champagne is another wine that can benefit from decanting. Though it might be a somewhat rarer sight, with more…
Are You Taking The Fizz?
“No, Fizz I said” as someone questioned what I had just stated, “I’m just asking where are you taking that bottle of fizz“. We commonly use that term don’t we, fizz, when it comes to describing sparkling wine? It’s dictionary descriptions put it down as ‘making a hissing or sputtering sound‘ or ‘frothy, gaseous drinks‘…
Champagne: Single Vineyard and Clos
Just the mention of the word Champagne conjures up thoughts of luxury, success, happiness and more positives. Popping the cork of the bottle and pouring those bubbles, what a great moment to treat ourselves to or to share with others. If we want to explore the great depth of the wines from Champagne then we…
Champagne Flavours Explained
If you have ever wondered what Champagne tastes like then I hope this article will help you to understand what to expect and why. For those of us who have experienced Champagne already then this article will allow you to explore flavours you’ve yet to enjoy. Champagne can offer a variety of flavours thanks to…
Champagne Vintage Years: 1980’s
Some would say that the 1980’s was a glorious decade for Champagne and contained some of the best vintage examples with people still enjoying them today. With thousands of producers and countless famous labels, even when the weather was not the greatest there will still be some vintage labels released though the year might not…
The Story Of Champagne H. Billiot & Fils
Ambonnay, one of the top five Grand Crus in Champagne, is located in the heart of the Côte des Noirs, on the southern slopes of the Montagne de Reims. Its hillsides are renowned for the richness of their Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, the two essential Champagne grapes. In 1896 Eugene Billiot, a miller by profession…