Sparkling Wine News
Greyfriars Vineyard Opens Chalk Wine Cave
Greyfriars’ new chalk wine cave on the North Downs in Surrey has been opened. The 18-month excavation and build project created a wine cave that has been carved out of the side of the Hog’s Back near Guildford. The resulting 3,500 square foot cellar will store up to 250,000 bottles of Greyfriars’ award-winning wines. A…
Duchess of Cornwall Plants ‘Millionth’ Vine in the UK
At the South of England Show, Ardingly, West Sussex, Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Cornwall, planted a vine to officially represent the ‘Millionth vine’ planted in the UK this year. The Duchess of Cornwall is President of the United Kingdom Vineyards Association (UKVA), the UK wine industry’s central organisation. The ceremonial planting took place…
Avant-Garde Fizz with Domaines Paul Mas
Today’s world of bubbles is filled with wines that have become commonplace. Are we stuck in a Champagne, Prosecco, Lambrusco rut? Domaines Paul Mas has been leading innovation and driving the rise in quality of Languedoc-Roussillon wines since 2017. 4th generation grape grower and 1st generation vintner, owner Jean-Claude Mas’ rich resume led him away…
A week of English Sparkling Wine starts with Greyfriars
Who does not enjoy a glass of bubbly and what better way to celebrate English (Sparkling) Wine Week (27th May – 4th June) than by opening a bottle of Greyfriars rosé brut and what a perfect setting is one of those warm early Summer’s evening picnics. As the sun sets offering its warm rays and…
A Sparkling Soirée
Champagne makes a historic reappearance in the heritage gardens of Udaipur’s royal City Palace and headlines its unique French soirée in India. French wine and gastronomy has long ruled the world. Today, Atout France, the French tourism development agency, is finding new and unique ways to promote these around the world, one being the annual…
Consider Cava
In the ancestry of sparkling wine; let’s consider Cava, Champagne’s distant cousin. Cava is made by the traditional method, the same as Champagne and spends at least nine months on its lees. Most Cava is non-vintage with lower acidity than Champagne. The Spanish grapes used to make Cava are Macabeu, Xarel-lo, and Parellada for the…
There’s more than one way to Fizz a Wine!
French Ancestral Method is alive and well in Spain. Contrary to popular belief, Dom Pérignon did not invent sparkling wine. Adding sugar to a bottle of still wine, thus provoking a second fermentation, was in fact first performed by an Englishman, Mon Dieu! Indeed Christopher Merret’s experiment occurred some years before the much vaunted Dom…
Barack Obama Celebrates Visit to Milan with Ferrari Trentodoc’s Bubbles
“Really Delicious!” said Barack Obama about the Ferrari Trentodoc served during the gala dinner hosted on May 8th in Milan by the Obama Foundation, in the glamorous rooms of Palazzo Clerici. The former US president set the stage of its first public appearance abroad after the end of his term in Milan, welcoming the invitation…
2017 International Alsace Varietals Festival featuring Crémant d’Alsace
Planet Grape Wine Review presented recently during the sold out Educational Session at the 2017 International Alsace Varietals Festival, held at the Mendocino Fairgrounds in Boonville amidst the rolling hills and meadows of California’s Anderson Valley. Dr. Liz Thach MW and Fred Swan Diploma WSET joined me for a lively panel presentation of the sparkling wines of…