Champagne without the bubbles would just be another wine. There are more than two million bubbles in a flute of champagne, and the composition and quality of these bubbles can make or break the tasting experience. Not only that, but the style of glass can also affect the quality of the bubbles. But let’s start…
Educational
From small producers big drinks come
What is it about the small producers? I am often asked how I came about developing such an interest in them. In fact, when I first started discovering the Champagne region, we would always stay with friends from Epernay. It seems that every family from the region has their favourite ‘big’ house they keep a…
Collections
One of the less talked about side effects of drinking champagne is the amount of memorabilia that is accumulated. Collections of unforgettable moments that you just don’t want to throw away. There are the empty bottles, the caps, the beautiful presentation cases, even the corks. That Krug 1988 that we drank on our 10th wedding…
Visiting the Champagne Underground
Far below the astonishing beauty of the Champagne countryside lies an underground maze of equal beauty and history. There are hundreds of kilometers of the cellars running through champagne, which were originally built 30m below ground to keep the champagne at a constant temperature while it was fermenting. Ironically, the cold winter temperatures in the…
Tasting Notes
After a short time living in France, I realised that there was more to Champagne than just quaffing it as an ‘aperitif’. I think this tasting epiphany happened while sitting down one day to a vintage something or other with some very close cousins who live just on the outskirts of the Champagne region. These…
50 Shades of Rosé
Pink Champagne! Ever since I saw ‘Sound of Music’ as a little girl and von Trapp children were drinking Pink lemonade on the terrace of their stately Austrian villa, I had thought pink fizzy drinks must be the height of feminine sophistication. Why feminine? When the Baroness describes it as being ‘Not too sweet, not…
