Search Results: champagne
The Case for English Bubbles
I’ve always loved bubbles, but I must admit, I haven’t always been fussy. In fact, when I first moved to London eight years ago, a £5 bottle of Tesco Cava did the trick, not that there’s anything wrong with that… These days, well, my income stretches a little further and let’s just say, like a…
Read More‘R’ is for Ruinart
Of all the houses in Champagne, a lady of course has her favorites. One of mine happens to be the oldest established Champagne house, that has been producing Champagne since 1729. That house is Ruinart, located in the historic city of Reims. Ruinart currently produces three non-vintage selections; Blanc de Blancs, ‘R’ Brut and a…
Read MoreThe Art of Sabrage
The Art of Sabrage originated in France during the Napoleonic wars. The story says that the legendary Barbe Nicole Ponsardin, known today as Veuve Clicquot, after her husband’s death (veuve in French is widow), took over the company and managed to became one of the largest exporters of Champagne for the royal courts in Russian…
Read MoreA Woman Amongst Men – Moët & Chandon’s Elise Losfelt
A woman running a business was unheard of in 19th Century France. Yet the Champagne widows did just that, ‘veuves’ who stepped in to fill the shoes of husbands killed in battle or dying otherwise: Mathilde Emilie Perrier lost her husband Eugene Laurent and went on to launch the first “Grand Vin Sans Sucre,” or…
Read MoreAn Evening of Laurent-Perrier at Stratos
As the only revolving Lounge Bar and Grill in Abu Dhabi, Stratos at Le Royal Meridien Hotel has come to epitomize tasteful luxury where the food & beverage offerings match the hype that surrounds the restaurant. The moment I take the elevator up to Stratos on the 26th floor, there is already a feeling of…
Read MoreFrozen Angel
Champagne…Brandy… Curacao…Maraschino…and – ice cream! Where on the cocktailing earth can we be? Deep within Harry Craddock’s Savoy Cocktail Book of 1930, that’s where! The recipe in question is the oddly named Soyer-au-Champagne. No ice used at all. A sort of cross between a Champagne cup and an ice cream soda. Well, yum yum! Obviously…
Read MoreLabel or Content? How do you Judge your Bubbly?… Honestly?
I love blind tastings. I love them because they are so honest. There is just the wine and your taste buds, nothing else to lean back on. Maybe I like this form of tasting because I’ve never felt the pressure to ‘like the right stuff’, so I can really relax and be honest, but the…
Read MoreBollinger & Japanese Cuisine
It is a gorgeous, cool evening in Abu Dhabi. Spring is upon us. Anyone who has been here or to Dubai will know what a premium a temperate evening is., especially as we await the onslaught of Summer. KOI, the restaurant, lounge and bar that celebrates the elevation of Japanese cuisine to a different level…
Read MoreA New Dawn For The Aube
The word ‘aube’ in French means ‘dawn’ in English and it’s also the name of the southernmost region of the Champagne region. So far, so straightforward, but this area of Champagne is also referred to as La Côte des Bar. You may not have heard either name and it’s true that the region is much…
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