The Albert Beerens Brut Reserve NV displays a vibrant straw-gold colour with a lively yet subtle mousse. The aromas are complex yet fine and the palate is balanced and round with delicate apple, citrus and peach fruit. The blend is made up of 57% Pinot Meunier, 25% Chardonnay, 18% Pinot Noir, and you will be hard pressed to find another Champagne for …
By Andrew Craig, www.grandemarque.blogspot.com
Definition: Clos, from the French word for closure or enclosed, it is a walled vineyard used to protect the grapes from theft as well as improving the mesoclimate. They were often founded by Cistercian monks and the word is sometimes used in the name of famous wines even when the wall no longer exists.
I have been trawling …
By Andrew Craig, www.grandemarque.blogspot.com
There are more than 15,000 growers in Champagne owning around 90% of the vineyards, yet if you were to ask most people to name some champagne, they would struggle to name more than ten. This is because the vast majority of these growers sell their grapes on to Negociants. These tend to be large ‘branded’ Champagne houses for which consistency of …
By Andrew Craig, www.grandemarque.blogspot.com
For most people, even many Champagne aficionados, the thought of decanting a Champagne would not even cross their mind. Surely it will cause your prized Champagne to lose all of its bubbles, wouldn’t it?
However, it is an interesting practice which seems to be gathering momentum recently, especially with Sommeliers in Paris. Its not as mad as you may think, …
By Andrew Craig, www.grandemarque.blogspot.com
Oysters and Chablis, steak and Malbec, lamb and Rioja. There are some classic food and wine pairings that, for whatever reason, work. For me, Sushi and Champagne is one of them. However classically in Japan Sushi is eaten with beer or sake, the rice-based wine.
Champagne and Sake are very similar in that both are measured by their …
By Tara Devon O’Leary, http://winepassionista.com/
Ahh Champagne. I have been known to say that I could happily drink it every day with no trouble at all. In typical British understatement: I’m quite fond of Champagne. So it was a great treat to go on a trip to the region with my friends at Bibendum to visit …
By Andrew Craig, www.grandmarque.blogspot.com
‘Brut Nature’ or ‘Brut Zero’ Champagne certainly seems to be on the up at the moment. Many of Champagnes largest houses are releasing Brut Zero Champagne in a bid to keep up with changing tastes. Consumer palates, especially in the UK, seem to moving towards a drier style of Champagne. Even …
By Jenn Sasiadek
There have been a whole host of restaurants of late jumping on the fizz and chips bandwagon. Geales in London’s Notting Hill launched a fish and chip lunch with Champagne Salon 1999, The Sea Shell allows diners to sip Dom Perignon with their cod and mushy peas, and Auckland restaurateur Ben Dodd uses Moet et Chandon in the batter mix …
A fizzy pink wine for Valentine’s Day? We are nothing if not original here at Bibendum Times. But then nothing says ‘I love you’ like a bottle of posh fizz…
by Willie Lebus
Red Wines of the Year – Chateauneuf du Pape Pignan 1989
Almost a dead heat between two extraordinary Chateauneufs: Rayas ‘89 and Pignan ‘89. Pignan wins. I’m told the labels were switched. The Pignan has the truffle gameyness overlayed by oodles of deep golden toasted wild strawberries. It was perfect with some sautéed onglet from the UK’s best butcher: …
