Tags: Champagne

Sparkle-o-meter – an advent guide to bubbles

Posted on: November 30, 2012 by Nikki

I’m off for a weekend with the girls in Brighton to kick off the festive period and although I’m not sure I can share the whole plan with you, I can tell you there will be bubbles involved! My two friends are also in the wine trade so we will have to do some intense ‘research’ and tasting to find the perfect fizz for our weekend. We’ll even be taste testing the new Aldi Grand Cru Champagne to see if it’s the bargain of the year!

Given tomorrow is the first day of December I’m prepared to swap my advent calendar for a glass of fizz a day  – I might not manage it but I’ll give it a go!

The great thing about bubbles is there’s a mass of different kinds and one for every occasion, and even time of day. As a friend said to me last weekend, “There are times of day when it just wouldn’t be right to say yes to a G&T, whereas with bubbles…”.

Here’s our guide to the different fizzes and when they work best.

Duval Leroy, Fleur de Champagne

Posted on: December 30, 2011 by Nikki

I couldn’t find a champagne deal that got me under the £10 mark but this champagne makes it under £15 whilst it is on 50% off and it is well worth it! Elegant and crisp, this champagne is light enough to be drunk on its own or with canapes and classy enough to be proud of it.

Non Vintage Champagne

Posted on: September 5, 2011 by admin

What you should know

Champagne can only be called champagne in the specific Champagne region of France, although they make sparkling wine in a similar way all over the rest of the world (called méthode champenoise or méthode traditionale). British sparklers are very similar to Champagne as they share an almost identical climate.

The NV stands for non vintage, which is normally the cheapest of champagnes a producer makes, they blend wines from different years together so that the style doesn’t vary. That’s why Veuve Cliquot yellow label or Moët always taste the same.

Champagne is a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier (which you only find in Champagne), but the producer can decide what proportions of each that they use. Like all black grapes the Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes white fleshed and so the juice can be carefully extracted without the wine going pink.

Champagnes made with more Chardonnay are rounder and fuller bodied whilst more Pinot Noir gives the champagne a more subtle, crisper flavour.

Whilst it is a great stand alone drink, Champagne is surprisingly good at being matched with food because of its acidity and body.

In the UK we mostly drink dry (Brut) champagne and now there is even extra dry, called zero dosage or ultra brut; you can also get an off dry style called demi-sec which is less common but actually very nice if you find champagne a bit dry.

Top Tip – If you are drinking Champagne at a party don’t forget the odd glass of water – it helps avoid a nasty Champagne headache!