To Dr. Shaqtus, Dr. Shamroq, here’s a glass of grower Champagne from Bereche et Fils, their Beaux Regards, a stony, zero-dosage all-chardonnay bubbly. Champagne wine picks wine randomA couple of weeks ago, a 7′ 1″ 325(+)-lb. graduate donned a cap and gown: Shaquille O’Neal earned a doctorate in education.

As I was just in Champagne last week and visited many cellars of the large houses … and at the same time read a book published in 1887 titled “Facts about Champagne” that detailed how champagne was made in that long-ago period, I was startled to see two men making sparkling wine using the ancient method described in the book!

So after visiting the three champagne festivals, I was lucky enough to get a VIP tour of Champagne G.H. I couldn't resist asking, for even though I am not a poster kind of person the color and vibrance displayed here -- gorgeously dressed people enjoying Mumm Champagne at the opera -- was a happy thought. Champagne News g.h.

It felt in the mouth like Chardonnay to me, and I got something like iodine on the nose. My friend who brought the wine said that he finds that Austrian Riesling can show like Chardonnay when served in big bowl glasses. The Champagne was fascinating too. First, we tried to resolve the main question - was it Champagne?

My first chance to try the unsulfured Champagnes from David Leclapart’s 3 hectares f vines planted to 90% chardonnay. Also, unphotographed, the Francois Bedel Champagnes were also notable. Since walk-around tastings offer only glimpses of a wine, not the progression over an evening, I offer you some literal snapshots here.

Mike told me that he’s most proud of the Champagne and Burgundy selections, and they are particularly deep, with many grower Champagnes (though the only Selosse is the Initiale!). But there’s one wine that customers won’t find here: Yellow Tail chardonnay. New York City wine shops

2001 was not a very good vintage in Champagne. This wine is all Bouzy, a blend of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay, but it reminded me of a wine I tasted a few years ago by Moutard that is made with the obscure grapes of Champagne, things like Arbanne and Petit Meslier. cannot tell you how excited I am about this.

this is the name of the sparkling wine of the same name that is often compared to the finest champagne. Like Champagne, Franciacorta is made with the traditional method, which means the same bottle used for the secondary fermentation is what consumers buy in the store. “Welcome!” visitors. The wines we try are: Prima Cuvee Brut. Saten.

Peter generously brought a bottle of Selosse Champagne from France for my birthday in the fall. And a concrete reminder, if we needed one, that Champagne is a great table wine. An unusual pairing, maybe, but Champagne is great with fried food, and the pickles didn't intrude at all. Well, of the last few months anyway.

So now after two and a half days of drinking $$$$ of very fine champagne ( as a guest! LOVED this champagne. The vineyards boast prime southeastern exposure & consist primarily of Chardonnay vines (94%) & the rest is made up of Pinot Noir (6%). Varietals: Chardonnay. Champagne NewsJacques Lassaigne is a 4.7

It was one of the most fabulous experiences of the already impressive trip, as it really drove home what Champagne is all about. Champagne is an exercise in the art of blending. To see more visits to Champagne houses, please click here. Champagne News Champagne Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin l'hotel du marc m.

Drive up to the home/winery of winemaker Francis Boulard -- who makes some of the finest Champagne I have ever tasted -- and you will see a modest farmhouse, colorful children’s toys in the large driveway, and … a trampoline. One of the problems with being biodynamic in Champagne is the cold, wet, rainy weather. Finally, the tasting.

While champagne from big houses can be excellent, it is most often a blend, of vintages, varieties and vineyards. The vibrant, young champagne captured the that one person took pains to find in Hong Kong (for a third less than NYC, incidentally) the following week. “Will you wear a wool hat?,” What can you do? wine picks

also really liked the Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. Joining us for lunch and a glass of La Motte Cap Classique sparkling wine (absolutely incredible, and I had just returned from Champagne) was CEO Hein Koegelenberg, who told us more about the winery and led us for a tour of the Museum. Fabulous visit! link]. News S.

The champagne meet and greet led to a presentation in which we learned "insider secrets" from Gerard Basset MW, who was interviewed by Frank M=Smulders MW. Now the California wine conversation was interesting, because we were just served two wines, a Merryvale Chardonnay 2008 and a Domaine Roumieu Bonnes Mares 2000.

Gilgal Brut is made from a blend of 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Noir grown in the cool climate of the Golan Heights. Produced in the classic Champagne method, it is aged for a minimum of one year in the bottle on the tirage yeast. Very cool idea -- Israreli sparkling wine! News gilgal israeli sparkling wine

While i have not had every Franciacorta wine, the ones I have enjoyed from this DOCG appelation have been the equal of Champagne in terms of finesse and elegance. In fact, during one session during a Society of Wine Educator's conference, the audience blind tasted Franciacorta vs. Cru Champagne. Italy News bellavista Franciacorta

The most important take-away point from today's presentation addressed the question of "why Cava" over Prosecco or Champagne. The simple reason, according to Marnie, is that Champagne is too expensive for even a seasoned speaker like Marnie to order in a restaurant (and everyone else, too!).

Cédric Bouchard is one of the leaders of the new wave in Champagne. He comes from a Champagne family - his father is an old school grower, but Cédric does things differently. He wants to make wine, and he happens to be doing this in Champagne. Let me first say that it is not a joke, what they say about Champagne out of magnum.

One, you are told, is from Champagne. It must be Champagne, you think. It is a chardonnay-based sparkler from Franciacorta, and actually from Ca' del Bosco. The other was a famous brand Champagne I won't reveal just yet. Imagine yourself in a seminar with two delicious looking glasses of sparkling wine in front of you.

Some Champagne news to share with you, some of it I can directly confirm, some rumor: Frank Pascal's wines are now available in the United States. It is almost a Blanc de Noirs - 57% Meunier, 38% Pinot, and 5% Chardonnay. Cuvée Tolérance Brut Rosé is a truly lovely rosé of Champagne, the first Pascal wine that I tried. cases.

My final visit of the Champagne trip was also one of the grandest, a visit to Champagne Salon. They make one wine and one wine only, a vintage Brut Blanc de Blancs made entirely of Le Mesnil Chardonnay. For a Champagne house of such stature, it was a bit startling to see how little wine there is in the cellar.

The hills of Champagne, as in Burgundy, are divided into many individually named vineyards, some containing more than one lieu-dit , or named parcel. Champagne houses, in general, followed a different path. Champagne is a blended wine, mostly. Trips Salon André Clouet Peter Liem Champagne Champagne 2011 Trip

When trying to learn about terroir, Champagne presents challenges that Burgundy, for example, does not. There are nowhere near as many single vineyard Champagnes on the market, although the number is growing. Just because it is challenging to discern Champagne terroir does not mean that Champagne is not a wine of terroir.

Here are a few of the things that I took with me: We drank a mature Blanc de Blancs Champagne out of magnum, and it showed how majestic Champagne can be in the large format. This is because the wine is from a place that actually favors and specializes in Pinot Noir, not Chardonnay. This was not a business lunch.

2000) Tarlant Champagne La Vigne d'Antan Extra Brut Non-Grefée Chardonnay , $65, was imported by Jon-David Headrick Selections, not sure who imports it now. This is just the second release of this wine (Benoit Tarlant began making it in 1999) and already it is one of my favorite Champagnes. This one, however, was thrilling.

My fault for always believing the only descent white wines from France were Chardonnay and Champagne. Time to look back on what was an eventful year, personally and with the blog and my exploration into the world of wine. Here at home, I guess eventful would be saying it a tad mildly. Still have to put together that list.

Does champagne go to your head faster because of the bubbles? Does Champagne give you gas? Is Champagne made from champagne grapes? The champagne in your glass likely is made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and/or Pinot Meunier grapes. What’s the best Italian Champagne? Can I still have Champagne?

It is the high end Italian sparkler people compare to the best French champagne. In fact, give a friend a blind tasting test and that individual would be hard pressed to identify the French champagne. Now that the wines are in New York, I hope you can try them against your favorite champagne. You've heard of Franciacorta, yes?

To me, a truly great Champagne. NV Jacques Selosse Champagne VO , about $165, Imported by the Rare Wine Company. 1999, 2000) Ta rlant Champagne La Vigne d'Antan Extra Brut Non-Grefée Chardonnay, $65, $60, 1999 imported by JD Headrick Selections, 2000 Imported by Jandell Selections. loved this rosé. Well, yes and no.

I want to tell you about what I think is one of the best wine values in Champagne, a wine made by René Geoffroy. For simplicity’s sake, Geoffroy usually says that the Empreinte is a blend of 75 percent pinot noir and 25 percent chardonnay, all fermented in large oak foudres, but in fact this changes considerably from one year to the next.

What’s interesting about Mr. Mariotti is his lively personality and easy way of describing the flavors in the glass, especially to a crowd interested in wine and champagne but not technically trained in the field. Mumm house will position its champagne for the Chinese market, as well as the conditions of the vintage. Cuvee R.

What’s interesting about Mr. Mariotti is his lively personality and easy way of describing the flavors in the glass, especially to a crowd interested in wine and champagne but not technically trained in the field. Mumm house will position its champagne for the Chinese market, as well as the conditions of the vintage. Cuvee R.

What’s interesting about Mr. Mariotti is his lively personality and easy way of describing the flavors in the glass, especially to a crowd interested in wine and champagne but not technically trained in the field. Mumm house will position its champagne for the Chinese market, as well as the conditions of the vintage. Cuvee R.

What’s interesting about Mr. Mariotti is his lively personality and easy way of describing the flavors in the glass, especially to a crowd interested in wine and champagne but not technically trained in the field. Mumm house will position its champagne for the Chinese market, as well as the conditions of the vintage. Cuvee R.

2002 Chartogne-Taillet Champagne Cuvee Fiacre , $70, Terry Theise Selections/Michael Skurnik Imports. Beautiful ripe fruit that showed the dark berries of Pinot and also the apples of Chardonnay, compelling richness and depth, a stout frame and firm structure. So this will, in fact, be a laundry list post. Sigh of relief. don't know.I

If you were invited to a sumptuous dinner at your friend’s boss’ house and had to bring the bubbly, would you bring a grower champagne or a better-known label? Grower champagnes are a great story, since the wines are made in limited quantities by those who grow the grapes, not the norm in the region. and a lovely arc.

Has the bubble burst on his Champagnes made by those who grow the grapes? Certainly in Champagne, they are over the moon about it. What we need to see is people who are saying we have 35 chardonnays on the list and six Rieslings. We’re going to have 27 chardonnays and 13 Rieslings. It’s champagne. To the tape!

It's not easy to understand terroir in Champagne. But it's much easier to understand what I read about terroir than it is to understand it while I'm drinking Champagne. One way to learn about terroir is by drinking terroir-expressive wines with some one who really knows Champagne. don't understand it. such silky texture.

Made from 100% Pinot Noir in the traditional Champagne style, fermented in stainless steel followed by secondary fermentation in bottle and hand riddling, the wine ages on the lees for a period of 24 to 30 months prior to release. Loaded with ripe fruits, showing a dry minerality, citrus notes, a hint of fresh bread and heady floral aromas.

Champagne Lunch at the Wine Media Guild. Curious about some favorite Champagnes? Speaking at the event - an annual event - was Ed McCarthy, author of Champagne for Dummies. It is 100% Grand Cru Chardonnay. If you like delicate wines the ones listed below may not be your cup of, er, tea. Many people in the U.S.

Dear Dr. Vino, I just discovered that champagne grapes are really tasty. bet they would pair well with champagne… Do they make Champagne or is that a marketing thing? Champagne almost always comes from Chardonnay and/or Pinot Noir and/or Pinot Meunier grapes. It’s a marketing thing.

I often find it quite difficult to identify the grape blend when drinking Champagne. If the drinker feels "this is so very much about Chardonnay," that's probably not what the wine maker was going for. The finish is delicately floral and very fragrant, and the sensation that lingers for me is pure, ripe Chardonnay.

All chardonnay, extremely gorgeous, one hell of a bargain, and while I'm a slut for bubbles (organic & biodynamic mostly) from Champagne, this one takes no prisoners. Alice-for office gift for my staff about $25. That Cremant de jura? The Jura we talked about was the Dom. de Montbourgeau Cremant.

From all 2005 fruit; equal parts pinot noir and chardonnay. Tags: 2 stars France NV Champagne From Mareuil-sur-Ay, this brut rose is a pale blood orange / raw salmon color. Orange blossom and rose water compose the firm midnote, with nice citrus notes on the finish. Very suave and unusually long. Purchased at Heights Chateau.

When it's gone we enjoy the previous night's leftovers - 2002 Stony Hill Chardonnay. bring Delamotte Brut Rosé Champagne and we drink it as the Yanks quickly fall behind by 4 runs. Tags: Beer Suduiraut Claux Delorme California Bordeaux Stony Hill Fugedaboudit Loire Valley Germany Champagne Delamotte François Pinon Estèphe.

It's natural to overlook Champagne Delamotte , as its superstar sister Salon gets most of the attention. It is not a super-cool skateboarding and mussy-haired hipster Champagne, it doesn't appear on the list at any of the hottest Paris bars, or at Terroir or Ten Bells. It is 80% Pinot Noir, the rest Chardonnay. Period.

The other day I was fortunate enough to meet Emmanuel Lassaigne, son of Jacques, and now the wine maker at Champagne Jacques Lassaigne. The Lassaigne estate is located in Montgueux, a large chalky hill whose vineyards produce what many consider to be the finest Chardonnay grapes in the Aube. Excellent wine.

study of 2,000 US and 1,000 UK wine consumers found strong knowledge of Bordeaux, Champagne and Burgundy but recognition of the Barossa Valley in Australia and Marlborough in New Zealand was weak. SIPPED: Canadian Chardonnay. SPIT: causation! Does moderate alcohol consumption make people lead healthier lives? Eegad! NYT ].

1997 Champagne Salon Brut Blanc de Blancs - I drank this at the recent Wilson Daniels tasting. NV Champagne Lallement Cuv é e R é serve Brut Grand Cru - Served blind at our dinner. Cuvée Réserve is made from the estate's older vines, 80% Pinot Noir and the rest Chardonnay, and is a blend of at least two vintages. don't know.

NV Champagne Raymond Boulard Petraea XCVII - MMIII , $38, Imported by Selected Estates of Europe. Think of all of the insipid Champagne out there that costs way more than $38. prefer this to any other Champagne of equal price that I've tasted, and it's better than many vintage wines that cost twice as much money.

He brought a few truly special bottles of wine from France for this dinner, one of which was the 2002 Benoît Lahaye Brut Champagne Millésime. This wine is 85% Pinot Noir and the rest Chardonnay, using 30% reserve wines. Tags: Friday Night Bubbles Peter Liem Henri Billiot Champagne Benoît Lahaye haven't.

Beaujolais or chardonnay). Champagnes take 30 minutes. Here's another edition of wine facts, as promised in previous wine facts posts. This time my wife,who does much of the writing on this blog and most of the research, used her Italian cooking expertise and wrote the entire article. I'll let her do that from now on. part 3 1. part 2.

Champagne - comes from the champagne region of France.) chardonnay grape). Cuvee William Deutz – a Champagne named for the founder of the house Deutz. My choice was to start a site and a blog on Wine. Not being a connoisseur, just an everyday wine lover, I knew it would involve a lot of reasearch.

Optimal serving temperature of: Beaujolais 55 Merlot 63 Berenauslese 43 Pinot Noir 63 Bordeaux 63 Port 63 Burgundy, Red 63 Riesling 46 Cabernet 63 Rose 46 Champagne 46 Sauterne 46 Chardonnay 50 Sauvignon Blanc 46 Chianti 59 Shiraz 63 Dessert Wine 43 Tokay 43 Ice Wine 43 Viognier 50 Madeira 55 Zinfandel 59.

NV Françoise Bedel Champagne Brut E ntre Ciel et Terre , $54, Jon-David Headrick Selections. It's not easy to open Champagne for someone like Peter - he drinks Champagne all the time, more often than not the very finest wines. Remember, Champagne is by far the largest single appellation in all of France. Literally.

give them a chardonnay by the glass, but I selected one from the Jura. give them a chardonnay by the glass, but I selected one from the Jura. home : wine recommendations : wine girl for hire : bio : articles : contact « Want to Chip in For Latour? Last spring they asked me to write their wine list. was a little surprised.

You can never have enough Champagne, and New Year's Eve is the opportunity to open your best bottle of the bubbly lying around, so in light of our house arrest we opened a bottle of Dom Perignon 1996 * the very same I purchased from a duty free shop in Puerto Rico some years ago. Tags: Cellar Selection France 1996 Champagne 4 stars

Cuvée Laetitia is the house's top wine (along with the newer and in my opinion, less successful Cuvée Julie), also a solera wine, and is oddly, mostly Chardonnay. These are wines, like most good Champagnes, that really show better if you wait a while after disgorgement to open them. Sorry to repeat, but whaddaya want from me?!?

[Before launching into this post, be sure to get a laugh with this spectacular, poppin' Champagne video from Japan , posted here earlier this year!]. “We’re selling a lot of Prosecco,&# a leading Manhattan retailer told me recently as he has observed consumers trading down from Champagne this fall. Say it ain’t so!

was amused and wanted to have a giggle in order to avert my eyes from the growing stockpile of chardonnays on my bench. am more and more convinced that all chardonnay vines should be ripped out of California and replaced with trebbiano. Whats more, I just love his explanation about WHY champagne is so expensive. Who knows.

Turns out it was the 1998 Mont Mains and the Napa-based wine industry guy shared the wealth, he called it Chardonnay. The wine was still fresh yet overripe and though I cringe at calling Chablis chardonnay, he was right. Yes, the Roger Pouillon champagne was lovely and it will get me through but. JEALOUSY! JEALOUSY! Dull, short.

I don't know if this happens everywhere, but at every party or picnic I attend, there is always some body watching their calorie intake and monitoring each and every bite of food they consume. always have to laugh at those who always order two cheeseburgers, a large order of fries and a "Diet" coke. Probably not.

Their selection is not really so great so I rarely go in, but it's possible to find little gems, back vintage wines that for whatever reason didn't sell and are well priced, and strangely good bottles of Champagne. Is it even physically possible for Yellowtail Chardonnay to be corked? It, oddly, was also corked. Economic crisis indeed.

And that's pretty great, considering most $36 Champagne a year ago now costs $44 or more. The blend is 50% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay, and 10% Meunier. It is a classic, a caricature of what good Champagne should be. This is the bottle to open for someone who thinks they don't like Champagne.

Baron hails from Champagne, and I wonder what the true story is why he choose the arid land in southern Washington over his family's centuries-old Champagne house, Baron Albert. A joint venture between Champagne Taittinger and Kobrand.) Hanzell Chardonnay Sonoma Valley 2005 hmmm, always one of my favorites. Very fine.

was invited to both the Terry Theise Selections/Skurnik Champagne Portfolio Tasting and the Louis/Dressner Selections tastings last week, invitations that I am truly grateful for. learned that if I had to pick one Champagne producer's lineup to take to a desert island, it would be that of Ren é Geoffroy. Admit it - that just sucks.

If you see Lallement Champagne, it's probably a good idea to just buy it. Lallement's NV Brut is the first bottle of grower Champagne that I ever drank at home, and I still have a soft spot for the wines. Both that wine and this one, the Réserve Brut, are a blend of 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay.

Knowing that I kind of like Champagne, Jeremy felt that I would be a more complete human being if I were to disgorge and taste Movia sparkling wine for myself. The 2000 vintage is 70% Chardonnay, 20% Ribolla, and 10% Pinot Noir (Pinot Nero in Italian, Modri Pinot in Slovenian). Must be all that time on the lees. But the nose.a

Chardonnay on the nose, chardonnay on the palate, chardonnay chardonnay chardonnay. I don't drink Dom Perignon as much as I'd like to, and frankly the wine confuses me a little. Older vintages like the 1990 and 1993 have been enjoyable, subtle, but ultimately sterile. There was nothing "wow' about them.

NV Champagne De Meric Grand R é serve Sous Bois , $37. De Meric is quite an interesting Champagne house. Here is a little quote from their home page - "There are numerous modern techniques used in Champagne today, and we ignore them all." These are things that I want to know as I drink more and understand more about Champagne.

NV Fleury Champagne Carte Rouge Brut , $40, Winebow Imports. He is credited as the first grower in Champagne to convert his entire estate to biodynamics. The Fleury estate is located in the village of Courteron in the Côte des Bar, a region of Champagne where Pinot Noir is particularly successful.

light Chardonnay , not overly oaked and slighty fruit-forward is a perfect pairing to that. try the Chamarré Grande Réserve Chardonnay! discovered the wine industry during my gap year, where I worked for Champagne Veuve Clicquot and for Nicolas, a wine-store chain in France. Tell us a little about the history of Chamarré.

NV Arnaud Margaine Champagne Traditionelle Demi-Sec , $34, Terry Theise Selections/Michael Skurnik Wines. How often do you come across a demi-sec Champagne? Champagne hipsters seem to be gravitating towards Extra Brut (under 6 grams per liter) or Brut Zero / Brut Natural (under 3 grams per liter). And like it I did. No like?

NV Champagne Raymond Boulard Cuv é e Petraea XCVII - MMII , $38, Imported by Selected Estates of Europe. The Champagne I drank includes wines from 1997-2002, as indicated by the Roman numerals on the label. This wine is mostly red grapes - 60% Pinot Noir, 20% Meunier, and then 20% Chardonnay. Yes, more Raymond Boulard.

Why should I have to buy all of the Champagne? 1996 José Michel Spécial Club Brut Champagne. longtime member of the Club Trésors de Champagne , his vintage "Spécial Club" bottling is essentially, as it should be per the Club's standards, his top wine, his tête de cuvée. Without further ado, take it away McDuff.

My first time decanting Champagne. Why would you decant a Champagne," she asked. This is fantastic and memorable Champagne and I must taste more from Raymond Boulard. This wine struck me as a blend containing mostly Chardonnay. In fact, it is 90% Pinot Noir and 10% Chardonnay. So that's how much I know.

NV Ren é Geoffroy Champagne Brut Expression , $39. little more than a year ago I tasted a Geoffroy wine for the first time, and it helped to open my eyes to the beauty, grace, and power of good Champagne. There is a high proportion of Meunier in this, his "entry level" Champagne. Terry Theise Selections. Usually about 50%.

Montgueux is located in the Côte des Bars region of Champagne, but is kind of an anomaly in the area. While the Côte des Bars is well known for Pinot Noir, Montgueux is famous for Chardonnay. Montgueux wines are known for their mineral complexity - maybe that's why the area has been called the "Montrachet of Champagne."

The 2006 Ashley's vineyard Chardonnay had nice tropical fruit, subtle oak & great structure.  Before this post becomes too much of a bore, one of the interesting products being promoted last night was a beer called Kasteel Cru that adds champagne yeast to their brew.  There was lots of good food, good wine & happy people.

One of these, the all-Chardonnay Montbourgeau L'Etoile costs about $20 and is a great way to sample the oxidized style of Jura without breaking the bank. Anyway.This sparkling wine is 100% Chardonnay and it's just delicious. NV Domaine de Montbourgeau Crémant du Jura , $18, Rosenthal Importers. Really a great one, too.

I'm not going to stop buying a nice bottle of Champagne every two weeks, but I sure will reduce my everyday bottle cost. 2006 Jardin de la Fruitiere, $10, VdP Loire Atlantique, JD Headrick Selections (50-50 Chardonnay and Melon de Bourgogne). For several months now the Euro is comfortably in the 1.5 range. Yup, it costs over $1.50

Here is a Champagne I've seen on the shelves for months now, but at about $45 a bottle, not tasted. mean, I can't taste evey Champagne that interests me, can I? Grower Champagne is still making headway in the US market and when it comes to the Têtes de Cuvée, they can be difficult if not impossible to find in stores.

It's easy to think that a non-vintage Champagne is going to taste just as you remember it. Not the case with grower Champagne. tasted Jean Lallement's Champagne for the first time in January of 2007 and I loved it. This Champagne is about 80% Pinot Noir, and 20% Chardonnay. Just beautiful wine.

They've been making sparkling wine in Limoux using essentially the Methode Champenoise since the mid 16th century, well in advance of the rise of Champagne as superstar. Mauzac is the grape traditionally used to make sparkling wine in Limoux, but Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc have become standard too.

This wine is unusual in that it is 100% Pinot Meunier, a grape that is more often part of the blend in Champagne and only very rarely appears on its own. Egly-Ouriet makes big and full bodied Champagnes, not for the faint of heart. NV Egly-Ouriet Brut "Les Vignes de Vrigny ," $46, Michael Skurnik Wines. Glad I did, too.

But still, I have this silly block about paying more than $20 for sparkling wine that is not Champagne. The more I drink sparkling wine, though, the more I learn about my palate, and these days I find that I'm preferential to sparklers from the Jura if I'm not drinking Champagne. This sparkler from Pinon was a lovely surprise.

Created in the '80s, the Paillard house is one of the newer houses by Champagne standards. The grapes for the Blanc de Blancs were purchased from growers in the Côte de Blancs, the Mecca of Chardonnay in Champagne. NV Bruno Paillard Blanc de Blancs R é serve Priv é e , $40 about a year ago. Very nice nose, quite elegant.

The New World is going to be more pressed to observe the rules of nature, meaning perhaps people wont continue to grow chardonnay in hot climates. Vermentino (the oh-so-lovely grape of Italys southern islands and Frances Corsica (also called Rolle in the south of France) because it does so well in heat is the new Chardonnay.

If I ever needed justification for Jonathan Nossiters portrait of Michel Rolland, (other than when he spilled a glass of champagne all over my silk dress and didnt even offer me an apology or a napkin) I got it on the Friday evening wine tasting he co-ran with Lurton. This was the 2003 Genoels-Elderen, a chardonnay. Ten wines.

This is the third Cr é mant du Jura I've had in the past two months and I am right now firmly of the mind that if I'm not going to drink Champagne, I want to drink Cr é mant du Jura. Not approaching the depth of a Blanc de Blancs from Champagne, but great in their own half-the-price-of-Champagne way. Really?

First up was an Alsatian sparkling white wine (not called Champagne because its grapes are not grown in Champagne region), made from Chardonnay grapes by Pierre Sparr Marquis. Appellation (a geographical based term to identify where the grapes are grown) is Cremant Alsace, Pierre de Perlade Blanc de Blancs Brut.

I was fortunate to be able to attend the Michael Skurnik tasting at TriBeCa Grill in mid January, and amidst the great lineup of German, Austrian, and French wines, there was of course a Terry Theise Champagne section. But these were not just any Champagnes, all were grower Champagnes, wines made by the farmers who tend the wines.

If you're anything like me then you've been thinking recently about non-dosage Champagne. Non-dosage Champagne has no sweetener added to the wine used to top up the bottle after disgorgement. This must happen for every bottle of Champagne, and there are houses that produce 50,000 bottles in a year. Grower Champagne.

had the NV Bereche Brut , $14, grower Champagne made of about 60% Pinot Noir and the rest Chardonnay, and a special pour that evening. Black Mountain Wine House is located in a townhouse on the corner of Hoyt and Union Streets, right across from a large purple brick school building and on a still rather lonely stretch of Union.

Recommended to me by the always reliable Amy Louise Pommier at Prospect Wine Shop , it is 100% Chardonnay. Something deeper in the middle was missing (or else it would be Champagne, I guess), but the finish was quite nice. And usually that means red wine. I'm certainly not here to argue, and I love exactly that pairing.

Feel like Champagne every night? Actually, I feel like Champagne most days with lunch too, and I'm not completely adverse to it with breakfast on the weekends. They will not be as deep or as elegant, as powerful or as focused as good Champagne. And Champagne is so much more STOP it man, we're not talking about Champagne anymore.

The late Daniel Thibaut who had been the winemaker at Charles Heidsieck described Montgueux, with 446 acres of vines planted to 85% Chardonnay, as theMontrachet of Champagne. As usual, the weather in Champagne was a stormy, freezing mess. Even in Champagne this kind of viticulture seems out of date. It is a BIG hill.

Brooklynguy is in love with Champagne. had the distinct honor and pleasure of tasting as much of the Terry Theise Grower Champagne portfolio as I could last week, at the Michael Skurnik tasting last week at TriBeCa Grill. If I can say one thing based on this tasting, and on other recent tastes: buy Grower Champagne! Me too.

decided to focus on Champagne and Burgundy, and to taste whatever Loire wine I came across, but there are not many of those in the portfolio. Anyway, here are my notes on the Champagnes and other sparkling wines: Bruno Paillard 's wines were my favorite Sparkling wines of the event. cannot enjoy myself that way. Also very good.