Quaff Fine Wine Merchants in East Sussex

Quaff Wine Merchants is a great place to order online or to pop into one of their Sussex stores (Brighton and Hove) to pick up some sparkling wine. It was founded by Toby Peirce in 2005. He began a career in cricket where he travelled to South Africa and met local wine-producers and  fell in love with…

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Tips for Storing & Ageing Champagne & Sparkling Wine

Tips for Storing & Ageing Champagne & Sparkling Wine

Storing: The reason many Champagne and sparkling wine bottles are made from dark green glass is because it’s light-resistant. Sparkling is a particularly sensitive wine, so bottles should be kept in a cool, dark and dry place, away from heat, light, vibrations and severe temperature variations. If you’re keeping the bottle for a long time, try…

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Blanc de Blancs: The Best Champagne Style?

Blancs de Blancs best

I happen to love all types of Champagne, but if I had to choose a favorite, it would probably be Blanc de Blancs.  Among Champagne lovers, this is a very controversial  statement, because many believe that Pinot Noir, not Chardonnay (which alone makes Blanc de Blancs), is the region’s most prestigious grape variety.  Or that…

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Prestige Cuvée Champagnes ~ Part 3 – Full-Bodied, Rich Prestige Cuvées

Prestige Cuvée Champagnes ~ Part 3 – Full-Bodied, Rich Prestige Cuvées

Full-Bodied, Rich Prestige Cuvées Champagne Bollinger, Vieilles Vignes Françaises Blanc de Noir 2002:  Bollinger’s position is that it really doesn’t make a prestige cuvée, but we can consider its Grand Année or R.D. as prestige cuvées if we want.  Actually, these two Champagnes, as good as they are, are really Vintage Champagnes.  Bollinger’s only true…

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Pol Roger, The King of Champagnes

Pol Roger, The King of Champagnes

I don’t know what it is about Pol Roger, commonly dubbed, “The Gentleman’s Champagne” that really resonates with me. It is the only Champagne I have ever tasted that really ZINGS you at the front and back of the palette with it’s dry, citrus but very complex bouquet. Founded in 1849, Pol Roger is one…

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Champagne Pol Roger

Champagne Pol Roger

Champagne Pol Roger was founded in 1849 in Epernay and now owns 87 hectares of vineyards on prime sites in the Vallee d’Epernay and on the Cote des Blancs. The brand is still owned and run by the descendants of Pol Roger. Its cellars run for 7km and are on three levels, the deepest known as…

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