CHAMPAGNE
Champagne Champagne makes the blood tingle, ensures the party gets started, and indeed seems wholly appropriate at all hours of the day and night. I wonder if Boris will adopt his idol Winston Churchill’s practice of an Imperial pint of Pol Roger brought to him on a silver plate at 11 am each morning! Champagne comes from the eponymous region 70 kilometres east of Paris. Only sparkling wines made using the Méthode Champenoise in this region are entitled to use the name Champagne, and any attempt by others to use the name are fiercely rebuffed. That said the use of Méthode Champenoise (or Méthode Traditionelle, as it is often called) is responsible for the worlds’ finest bubblies. It involves two fermentations, the second of which takes place within a sealed bottle, thus, as the grape sugar is gobbled up by the yeast, carbon dioxide is produced which is re-absorbed into the wine and ensures the finest of bubbles, which persist in the glass. From picking the grapes (Chardonnay and Pinots’ Noir and Meunier are the only grapes permitted) to the release, a bottle occupies around 40 man-hours. It is complex and magical. If you get the chance to visit the region you must! The Cathedral in Reims is most impressive, and if you find yourself at a loose end late in the evening you can hone your Karaoke skills at Le Bar des Amis in Rue Emile Zola. Many styles of Champagne exist, the principal one being Brut Non-Vintage, accounting for around 85% of production. Blanc de Blancs (100% Chardonnay) is wonderful in the right hands, citrusy and tingling fresh when young, taking on some toasty, brioche flavours with age. Blanc de Noirs is always Pinot, so
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it can feel fuller in flavour. If not specified on the label, then the blend will most likely constitute all three grapes. Around 17,000 Champagne houses exist within the 33,000-hectare landscape, dominated by Moët & Chandon, who corner 25% of the market. Many smaller, family houses remain at the top of the quality spectrum and we particularly recommend Louis Roederer, Taittinger, and Pol Roger. There are equally some tremendous small Growers who produce some delicious fizz, and price competitively as there is no “marketing spend” written in to the cost. Do try our excellent Esterlin Brut, really fresh and fabulous, as well as Gardet, which is a little fuller in flavour, and in one instance was likened to “mini Krug” – praise indeed! Champagne seems to taste wonderful 24/7 and is always appropriate. As Napoleon said, “I could not live without champagne; in victory I deserve it, in defeat I need it.” I will raise a glass to that!
Julian Chamberlen
WINE CATALOGUE
