Fun with a Champagne curio
The Real Review » Champagne
by Huon Hooke
2M ago
The 1926 Charles Heidsieck. Huon Hooke It’s not every day a bottle of 97 year-old Champagne comes across my path. The bottle of 1926 vintage Charles Heidsieck had been in the possession of my uncle and aunt for who knows how long, probably forgotten in the back of some cupboard. When my aunt passed away the bottle came to my cousin, who handed it to me to open during the celebration of his recent birthday. Where there’s a will, there’s always a way to have some fun with a tired old wine of pedigree. Little was expected of this wine, it must be said. Imperfect cellaring conditions, for a very ..read more
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Getting fizzical on flights
The Real Review » Champagne
by Huon Hooke
3M ago
Champagne served on a plane at cruising altitude will lose its sparkle more quickly than it would on the ground. Pexels This holiday season I’ll be taking a bottle of one of my favourite Champagnes to visit wine-loving friends interstate. I’ll be flying, and as usual I plan to carry my bottle onboard in my hand luggage. I’ve often wondered why airlines allow us to carry bottles of wine in our hand luggage on domestic flights, but not on international trips. It’s certainly convenient for wine geeks like me, but the reason for this anomaly isn’t clear. The pressure inside the bottle is the sam ..read more
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The dangers of sparkling wine
The Real Review » Champagne
by Bob Campbell MW
5M ago
Opening a bottle of sparkling wine can be a dangerous thing. Pexels Sparkling Wines Feature Week My father was an explosives/demolition expert in the army which kept him busy during the post-war years. Kiwi soldiers returning from the war smuggled firearms and explosive devices many of which performed a decorative function on living room fireplaces. Some were reported to the police by nervous neighbours. It was my father’s job to assess the potential danger, retrieve and detonate the bomb or dismantle the firearm and dispose of it so that it couldn’t be re-assembled. “How often does the cork ..read more
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Pure fizz
The Real Review » Champagne
by Huon Hooke
6M ago
Pommery Blanc de Blancs NV, Champagne, AUD $145 This wine is part of Pommery’s Apanage range, but confusingly that word doesn’t appear anywhere on the package. It means a prerogative, privilege or perk. With a bright, light straw-yellow colour, it presents curing meadow hay and dried white flower aromas, while the palate is very dry and intense, penetrating and long. Lemon-peel and dried-flower flavours predominate with a creamy/waxy side, while the intensity is excellent and the dry balance seriously refreshing. The purity is so impressive. An gorgeous blanc de blancs, high quality and more-i ..read more
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Wine of the Week AU
The Real Review » Champagne
by Huon Hooke
6M ago
Jacquart Brut Blanc de Blancs 2014, Champagne, AUD $175 Blanc de blancs can be made from any of the white grapes approved in Champagne but in practice it is nearly all made from chardonnay, like this one. This is a delicious wine, with the finesse of chardonnay layered with complexity and finishing appetisingly dry. Nutty, smoky/toasty and appley aromas, a hint of nougat. The wine is rich and ample, with complex flavour that fills the mouth and lasts long. Its age adds extra dimensions, and the finish is clean and refreshing. (Diam) Score: 95 ★★★★★ – view original tasting note Alcohol: 12.5% A ..read more
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Wine of the Week AU
The Real Review » Champagne
by Huon Hooke
8M ago
Champagne Lallier R.018 Brut NV, Champagne, AUD $90 This small-ish house deserves to have a higher profile in Australia. This wine is based on the 2018 vintage (80% of the blend), and comprises 56% pinot noir and 44% chardonnay. It was aged three years on its lees. The appearance is light, bright yellow with a persistent bead, and the bouquet is alive with lemon/citrus, fresh herbs and fresh flowers, a touch of lightly toasted bread soaring over the top. Crisp and refreshing, dry and delicate in the mouth, where honey and nougat join the party. Intense and long in the aftertaste: a superbly fi ..read more
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Chandon’s new star
The Real Review » Champagne
by Huon Hooke
10M ago
The new Chandon Ètoile Release No. 1. Chandon Australia “It’s frustrating to walk into Australian restaurants and see all local wines on their wine list except sparkling, where they only have Champagne,” says Dan Buckle, chief winemaker at Domaine Chandon Australia. I share his frustration. Anyone would think we don’t have great sparkling wines. But we do. It could be seen as a sign of the success of Champagne’s great marketing, convincing the world that unless you’re drinking Champagne you’re not having the best. “But,” says Buckle, “the cultural cringe is decreasing as we grow up and ma ..read more
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How big are your bubbles
The Real Review » Champagne
by Huon Hooke
1y ago
Is the size of the bubbles important? Pixabay Over the festive season much sparkling wine is consumed, and across dining tables the subject of bubbles often comes up in conversation. Is the size of the bubbles important? Bubbles are an important part of what makes Champagne and other sparkling wines so appealing. The dear, departed Christian Pol Roger, of the eponymous Champagne house, an inveterate wisecracker, used to joke “Of course the size of the bubbles is important. If the bubbles were too big they would not get out of the neck of the bottle!” But seriously, bubbles are an important p ..read more
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Alta Langa – sparkling wine taken to new heights
The Real Review » Champagne
by Steve Blandford
1y ago
A bottle of sparkling in the Enrico Serafino cellars. Enrico Serafino Wines Sparkling Wines Feature Week In moving to Piemonte I was, of course, very much aware of the many wines for which the region is renowned. And while my appreciation of good nebbiolo wine has in no way diminished (au contraire!), it is the wines of a much newer and less-known appellation that have piqued my attention and which I enjoy with equal gusto, if for totally different reasons. Those of Alta Langa DOCG. The appellation has only been in existence since 2002, though it quickly gained DOCG status in 2008. We are ta ..read more
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Blanc de Blanc beauty
The Real Review » Champagne
by Anthony Rose
1y ago
Sparkling Wines Feature Week Bruno Paillard Blanc de Blancs 2013, Champagne, GBP £90 The 2013 vintage is only Bruno Paillard’s ninth blanc de blancs since the house was founded in 1971. Sourced from grand cru vineyards in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oger in the Côte des Blancs, it sets out with an intense fragrance of zesty lemons. In the glass it grows in weight and texture—oak fermentation of a quarter of the wine bringing a light toastiness—and it becomes delicately almond creamy before a crisply mouth-watering salinity grips the tongue in a refreshingly zesty, dry finish. A delightful label, co ..read more
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