Sparkling Wine News
Grape Harvest 2016
The results of the damage caused to the Champagne vineyards by extreme weather earlier this year are having their affect on this year’s harvest. Chardonnay grapes are usually the first to ripen. This year it’s Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir. Wine growers are saying they’ve never seen this and the cause is unknown. It will…
Will English Sparkling Wine Ever Edge Ahead of Champagne?
Naked Wines are predicting that 2016 will be the year that English sparkling wines edge ahead of Champagne for the first time. The record breaking Indian summer has meant that 2016’s grape crop will be the ripest, most concentrated and highest quality for decades. In contrast, France has had one of the toughest vintages with…
Madame Martis 2006 Rare Vintage
The dream of Roberta and Antonio Stelzer begins in 1990, when Maso Martis was born. Since the beginning of their activity, they started producing sparkling wine, a real challenge in those years when the Trentodoc was not so widespread. The first goal was to establish a small winery with high quality products. The second goal,…
Belaire Exclusive Collaboration with Ben Eine
Luc Belaire, the premium French wine brand, have announced an exclusive collaboration with world-renowned artist Ben Eine. He has designed a limited edition custom-made backpack as part of an exclusive Belaire gift set, available at high-end department store Selfridges. The backpack gift set is available in two colourways, complete with two bottles of Belaire, which…
Watch out for English Sparkling Wine from East Anglia!
The increasing popularity of English sparkling wine has driven great success for grower-producers in Essex and Suffolk. Dedham Vale Vineyard, in Essex, have recently planted an extra 12 acres of vines in response to growing consumer demands – and ten of these acres are for sparkling varieties Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The region’s warm, dry…
Sparkling Summer Sales
The summer heatwave and Rio Olympics fuelled an increase in sales of sparkling wines in the UK, according to Nielsen. The consumer insights company reported that over the four weeks ending in August 13th, Champagne sales rose by around five percent in value – faster than the 52-week average pace of growth. They also found…
Happy Birthday Crémant d’Alsace
A fortieth birthday is important and certainly worth celebrating. This is what the makers of Crémant d’Alsace intend to do. On 24th August 1976 Crémant d’Alsace got official recognition with the creation of an AOC. The story, though, dates back to the beginning of the twentieth century and was inspired by how Champagne is made….
Prosecco: A Joy of Life
There are many producers of sparkling, aromatic, prosecco wine. For this quest I searched for a company that produces a range of high-quality prosecco wines, with impressive bottle presentations. Bottega has a very interesting history, both during the 20th century and into the 21st century. The eye-catching bottles and a great number of the wines…
Sparkling Wine from Australia
Australia is a vast country and has several different climates. The seasons of Australia are the opposite of ours and the very diverse landscape has many attributes to be proud of. There are very busy cities and beautiful beaches, too. There are many grape varieties that grow very well indeed in Australia and wonderful wines,…