Wines!: April 2013

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Champagne wine tasting : bubble yours!

Thanks to a very good friend of mine (Lore) we have spent a wonderful week-end discovering the Champagne "terroir" as well as it's worldwide recognized sparkling wines.

We have tasted several Champagnes from various "Maison" (nickname for champagne wineries): from the most well-known and bigger ones (e.g. Castellane, Perrier-Jouët), "underdogs" (e.g. Mandois) to lesser known winemakers (e.g. Serge Humbert). Thus, giving us a good benchmark.

One of the highlight of the week-end was certainly the visit+tasting of Champagne Mandois estate accompanied with its very kind and knowledgeable Sales Manager, Stéphane Dubois. Thank you so much Stéphane!

Personal comment : price doesn't mean quality. You can find very good Champagne from15€ (at the winery). So, try to put the branding aside of your decision factor when picking-up Champagne!

Few basics :

Location

Almost the most northern wine region of France

Almost the most northern wine growing region of France
+100 Champagne houses (big players), 19 000 winemakers, 32.000h, 323 bottles sold (2011)

Vines : Pinot Meunier (red), Chardonnay (red), Pinot Noir (red) / Champagne Blanc de Blanc : 100% chardonnay
Types : White, Rosé, Red
Sweetness : 0 sugar, Extra Dry, Brut, Sweet
Top markets : UK, USA, Germany, Japan, Belgium, Italy
Keeping/Drinking : Champagne should not be kept for long (max. 3 years)
food macthing : true champagne people often enjoy and recommend to serve Champagne throughout the diner. They use the wide choice of types and blend to get the best synergy with each meal. Did it myself!