Champagne News
Champagne LALLIER
Champagne LALLIER, uniqueness of Grands Crus… The House of LALLIER is situated in the heart of the village of Aÿ, historic birthplace of the Champagne region. Located above vaulted cellars dating from the end of the XVIIIth century, the House of LALLIER produces exceptional wines exclusively from Grands Crus vineyards. Francis Tribaut, owner and head winemaker epitomizes…
Can you tell the difference between Prosecco and Champagne?
A good Prosecco is a very good wine, however, Prosecco and Champagne are two very different wines, due to their wine making process, classic vs charmat, grape varieties and not least the cost. However many drinkers see them as similar, two sparkling wines with a massive price difference and yes, it can be true, that…
Fermentation in oak barrels vs steel tanks
Up until the 19th Century, still wine was traditionally produced in oak barrels. In Champagne, still wine was made in barrels that were commonly large and over 10 years old. These Oak barrels allow the Champagne still wine to “breath”. However wine in barrels does experience loss through evaporation and absorption, so the barrel must…
Dom Pérignon; The Man Behind the Name
For many ‘Dom Pérignon’ is the hallmark for quality. The very fine prestige Champagne of the historic Moet & Chandon house, it is easily one of the most highlighty decorated and recognisable names in champagne, or indeed in the entire wine-world. But what many may not know is that Dom Pérignon is named after a…
What is a Muselet?
A Muselet is the wire cage that fits over the cork of a bottle of Champagne or sparkling wine to prevent the cork from emerging under the pressure of the carbonated contents. Bottles were initially corked with pieces of wood with oil-sponged cloth, and then plunged in wax. They discovered very quickly that it was not sufficient to sustain…
Premier Cru Champagnes – Champagne Dumangin
Champagne producers for 5 generations, Champagne J. Dumangin Fils offers a comprehensive range of internationally award winning Premier Cru Champagnes. Champagne La Cuvee 17 – the latest from the Dumangin Family. Champagne Premier Cru – Le Rose – Finesse, colour, fruit, quality make this Premier Cru pink Champagne an unmissable experience. Champagne Premier Cru – Le Vintage ‘2004’ – Feminine, delicate…
Champagne Dumangin
1884 A star is born… Champagne Dumangin was created by Hippolyte Dumangin. Gilles Dumangin, 5th generation of successful winemakers, “upped” the range by introducing the several high class champagnes that helped position his top of the range wines: First he created the “Premium”, a delightful (unfortunately low yield) Blanc de Blancs cuvee in a wonderfully frosted white…
An Irrefusable Invite and A Sneak Preview: Krug Part II
Part of the deal here is that one of the wines is a secret for the next few days. Needless to say it’s Krug, it’s vintage Krug, and it will be the next vintage to be released. We tasted it against the lovely 2000 Krug and two different batches of Grande Cuvee: one based on…
Krug’s New Release: An Irrefusable Invite for a Sneak Preview
Whilst not best known for my self-discipline, offers that simply CAN’T be refused are few and far between. One such offer came late last year: would I like to hop on a couple of trains and spent a little time with Olivier Krug and his team for a sneak preview of the next vintage to…