Join us for a “blinding” afternoon…

For our final tasting of 2015, we are going all out to get our champagne fans’ taste buds raring to go for the festive season.

We will be hosting our very first blind tasting, something we have been looking to do for a while, but there are so many interesting champagnes and themes to cover we just haven’t had the chance.

So, what is involved in a blind tasting?? Well, we will be launching our three new seasonal champagnes as usual, but this time putting them up against three champagnes from well known vineyards – grandes marques. And not just any brands – we are comparing champagnes where the small, independent growers featured sell a portion of their grapes to the larger houses. Why? Because we want to explore the relationship between the growers and the merchant houses and if there are any similarities in the champagnes.

Until the Second World War, all growers used to sell their grapes to the merchant houses and that was their sole income. But as margins became squeezed, the grape growers became disgruntled and felt they weren’t getting a fair share of the pie. So, they decided to keep some of their grapes back, often the “premiere cuvee” or first pressing (best quality) and make their own champagnes sold under their own brand.

Obviously their resources in terms of marketing and production are far more limited compared to the merchant houses, but this is what we find so delightful about the growers – how they can make such diverse champagnes and win international awards with their limited resources.

Gradually, many are loosening the shackles of the merchant houses and selling fewer and fewer grapes, with a view to becoming completely independent.

At our next tasting, we will welcome one of the growers, who currently works with a merchant house, but who hopes to retain 100% of their yield within the next few years.

So this is an amazing opportunity to discover a different aspect of champagne production, one that has been relatively unexplored by retailers to date.

In a change to our usual timings, this tasting will be held on a Saturday afternoon (21st November), so there is no rush after work – it will kick off at 1.30pm, just in time for lunch, with the first set of champagnes. Guests will enjoy half a glass of the grower and grande marque champagnes and will deliberate between the two before we reveal which is which. Each set of champagnes will be accompanied with a selection of nibbles!

With each champagne, we will provide more information about the producers, as well as the wines themselves. And for those who like a bit of competition, there will be prizes available for those who can correctly guess which is the grower/grande marque champagne and a bonus point for those who can identify the grande marque house.

After all three sets of champagne have been enjoyed, guests will then be invited to sample other champagnes from our range, which we believe would be excellent for the Christmas period and beyond. You can find out more about the tasting here.

We do hope to see you there!

The ageing of Pinot Meunier

In our third post about our “Mystery of Meunier” spring theme, we look at the ageing potential of this grape variety, putting one exceptional example of an aged Meunier under the spot light.

Prior to our research into this incredible grape variety, we had been led to believe that Pinot Meunier is not suitable for ageing over any considerable length of time. Yes, it is often used in blends, which can be left to age over a fairly substantial period, but not in any significant majority. The dominant grape varieties seem to always be either Pinot Noir or Chardonnay.

Perhaps this is because, as we discovered last time, Meunier can be susceptible to rot given the proximity of the grapes on the bunch, which, for those who do not practice selective picking, may affect the overall quality of the wine. Or maybe it is because the Meunier grape actually reaches maturity more quickly than other varieties?

We can’t be sure exactly what the individual thoughts are in this regard, but as they say, the proof really is in the pudding, or in this case, champagne tasting.

And so we move to the second of our spring selection, taken from Délouvin-Bagnost, a wonderful little vineyard in the village of Vandieres in the Vallée de la Marne. We have wanted to work with them for some time as they have three exceptional examples of Pinot Meunier.

During one of our first visits to this quaint house, we tasted the Brut Tradition, which is 79% Meunier, 15% Chardonnay, 15% Pinot Noir, closely followed by the 1999 vintage of the same blend. Wow. Never have we tasted such a rich, powerful champagne, which is still really easy drinking.  And so when we were presented with their 2005 vintage, we were not surprised to find the same characteristics, albeit to a slightly lesser extent given its relative youth compared to the 1999.

Délouvin-Bagnost 2005 Vintage

The great thing about vineyards who keep the same blends across multiple cuvées is that you really get to see the evolution of flavours as the wine ages, which with Pinot Meunier is important given the lack of vintage examples available. The Tradition has the roundness, the depth and a touch of creaminess, but this intensifies with age. Unlike an aged Pinot Noir, which over time adopts more of a fortified wine aroma and maybe even taste and Chardonnay, which becomes buttery and biscuity, but still with a slight acidity, Meunier seems to retain its smoothness, making it a wine to be enjoyed very much on its own, as well as with food if one chooses.

So despite the fact that Pinot Meunier matures more quickly than other grape varieties, it can go on to develop further still, bringing out more of its wonderful characteristics. This has been fully understood and respected by Délouvin-Bagnost, who gives the vintage time to “find itself” and truly express its character. What they have also realised is that in leaving their Pinot Meunier to age for longer, they do not need to add as much extra sugar when it comes to disgorging, as the combination of the three grape varieties, as well as the maturity, combine to create a wonderful scent of syrup and rich, full-bodied, fruity flavours with no overpowering acidity and an incredible length. If you wanted to pair this with something, it is powerful enough to pair with blue cheese or even spicy beef dishes.

During our Meunier adventures, you may remember that we said we were surprised by the more acidic and minerally varieties that we discovered. Whilst these vineyards had not yet released vintage versions of their Meunier champagnes, we couldn’t help but think ageing would soften them and bring back some of the roundness we had been expecting, thereby making them slightly easier on the palate.

It is no surprise really that this little vineyard should excel in their work – the family roots can be traced back to the end of the 17th Century when their main work was as barrel makers. Georges Délouvin began cultivating grapes as early as the 1930s, but sold them on to the big merchant houses like many others pre-wartime. Eventually he dabbled in making his own champagnes, before passing the baton to his son Robert, who married in the late 1940s to a fellow winemakers daughter with the name “Bagnost”. They had a son called Christian, who in turn had a son called Jérome and it is he who today creates the masterpieces under the watchful, yet respectful eye of his father.

Jérome and his family!

With a modest 4 cuvées in their range, we can’t help but feel there is more to come from this house, which has significantly expanded over the years and now has the potential to produce around 100,000 bottles per year compared to the 10,000 of recent times.

More information on the champagne can be found here.

If you have ever tasted a vintage Pinot Meunier, we would love to hear your thoughts so please feel free to comment below.

Until next time, happy drinking.

Karen

Chief Bubble Taster @ The Real Champagne Company

Making your mind up….

This season took us on a quest to uncover Champagne’s ‘other’ pinot; the grape which lives perennially in the shadow of Pinot Noir, more fleeting and perplexing, more difficult to pin down: the enigmatic Pinot Meunier.

On any search for champagnes with a basis of Pinot Meunier, you have to venture into the spiritual heartland of the grape: the Vallée de la Marne. Here you will find the true Meunier specialists, those for whom the grape is a raison d’être rather than the poor relation the grand houses sometimes regard it to be; those who might be brave enough to put their family name on a bottle containing only Meunier.

This wide valley, which curves its way gently west from Epernay to the edge of the Marne and beyond, has an aspect which encourages the cool, often damp climate in which this grape can thrive. Its soil is silty from the erosion ground out by the river which lies at its heart and also contains more clay than its neighbours, the Montagne de Reims and the Côte des Blancs. These conditions combine to favour a grape which is slow to bud and quick to ripen, as rich in sugar and acidity as Pinot Noir and yet softer, more aromatic, sensuous and complex.

And so it was that we found ourselves drawn, over a few days on a mist-draped February road trip, to the fringes of the Marne in search of the promulgators of Pinot Meunier. We went with a certain expectation in mind: to find champagnes with perfumed noses and flavours of musty dark fruits with a strong florality pervading the palate, but perhaps with less depth and body than their Pinot Noir-based cousins.

As it was we discovered a wide gamut of Meunier styles; some soft, apricotty and slightly bitter flavours, a fruity kick of vivacity elsewhere and floral minerality from another part of the region. How does one choose? In the end, the ultimate decider had to be quality, whilst giving a good representation of the overriding characteristics of the Meunier grape. All of the champagnes we have selected for our spring collection have the lovely fragrance, soft musty bitterness and subtle fruit we have come to expect from a good Pinot Meunier, combined with the balance, maturity, complexity and elegance needed to be accepted as Real Champagne Club champagnes.

With most grande marques and commentators still discounting Pinot Meunier as a protagonist in its own right, we hope we have managed to find three champagnes to carry a torch for this under-appreciated and often misunderstood grape. Perhaps the misgivings about Meunier come from long-held assumptions: we had heard for instance that Pinot Meunier doesn’t age well, but we found much greater balance, maturity and flavour from aged Meuniers on our travels. Equally it became clear that without careful treatment it’s hard to attain the maturity and power of Pinot Noir or the finesse of Chardonnay with this grape. But perhaps the greater appreciation of Meunier lies in the hands of those who are willing to push the boundaries a little, just like the three wonderful new producers with have found for spring.

So if you would like to taste the fine examples we have selected for Spring, you can join us on Friday 6th March in London’s Covent Garden and make your own mind up about this elusive grape.

We hope to see you there.

PS. We have frozen our early bird ticket price too, so they are just £40 instead of £45!

The Mystery of Meunier

Well, this post is a little later than we had anticipated for 2015 – things have been unusually busy for January. Not only have we been working hard getting orders out to our lovely customers, we have also been planning for the year ahead – more news on that to come.

We have finally selected our theme for the first champagne tasting of 2015 – “The Mystery of Meunier”. This is a much misunderstood grape variety, not just by the consumer, but also by many winemakers, who often only use it in small quantities to round off their blended cuvées.

Meunier is a black-skinned grape, like its cousin Pinot Noir, but its characteristics are very different. Pinot Noir likes warm weather and clay-like soils similar to that found in the Aube, in the south of champagne. Pockets do grow in the Marne as well in the parcels of land with the right micro-climate. Pinot Noir is sensitive to rot through excessive rain, so growers have to cultivate it with care. It is also prone to frost bite (just like us) and if a cold spell hits at the wrong time, an entire crop could be wiped out.

This is where Meunier differs – it has special powers and can regenerate up to 70% of its growth in the event of frost or hail damage. It is a hardier, more robust variety, but much more difficult to work with than Pinot Noir – one of the reasons many winemakers don’t cultivate it in vast quantities. It has also long been regarded as a lower quality grape, with less ageing potential than the others.  With our spring selection, we will be investigating whether or not this is the case and opening the discussion up to our followers, as well as providing other facts about this particular cépage.

For our inaugural tasting of 2015, we will be looking at 3 majority Meunier champagnes, so our guests and Club Members can experience the unadulterated taste of this fascinating grape variety. We will also have other champagnes available to try, as standard, allowing for an interesting comparison between the aromas, flavours and structure of the wines.

This is sure to be an educational and eye-opening experience. Next week we hit the road on our mission to source the spring champagnes – we are so excited!!

If you would like to share our new finds before they are launched to the public, you can join us for the preview tasting – details below:

Spring 2015 Champagne Tasting

We will gather in the impressive Barrister’s Court at Brown’s Courtroom in the heart of London’s Covent Garden. The address is:

82-84 St Martin’s Lane
Covent Garden
WC2N 4AG

Time: 7.00pm-9.30pm
Date: Friday 6th March 2015

Seasonal canapés will be provided and a pre-theatre menu is available to enjoy before the tasting if you wish. Full details can be found by clicking on the image above. We hope to see you there and if you can’t make it, we look forward to sharing the feedback with you in due course.

Happy drinking 🙂

It’s a game changer…

That’s right, the next champagne in our autumn collection is a serious contender – one that will divide the crowd. It pairs perfectly with rich game dishes such as venison or pheasant.

Do you believe that two are better than one? That the perfect pairing work in harmony with each other?

Perhaps you’re one of those who thinks that the good things in life come to those who wait…Or maybe you think that some pills are less bitter to swallow when taken with a good meal…

Whatever your philosophy, this sophisticated pairing is a complex beast. It looks classy, mature, well-educated, but boy does it knock your socks off. The perfect marriage of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, aged for a period of 7 years, this little number should not be taken lightly.

From Regis Corniot, Montgueux

For some it will be too much to bear, at least in one evening, whilst for others, it will be indulged in heartily, maybe even over a good supper.

The perfume this time is more intense, starting light, but developing into a spicy, musty scent. Intriguing.

Intimidated? Why not give it a go paired with a game dish such as venison sausages, sauerkraut and onion gravy? Or how about pan-fried venison with Blackberry sauce? Add some spice to your life! Take some time, get to know each other…

Fancy it? Don’t miss out on this unique encounter for just £35 or £185.00 for a case of 6. Find out more here.

PS. If you prefer more of a gathering, why not try the others in our autumn range? Find out more here.

Autumn Leaves & a brimful of bubbles

On Friday 5th September, we launched our latest seasonal collection at the prestigious Lansdowne Club in Mayfair. Steeped in history, it boasts one of the best social and leisure scenes in London. Since we continue to provide some of the best grower champagnes we can find, it seemed like a good fit.

This season we selected our newly explored “Champagne Island” – the towering hill West of Troyes named Montgueux. Little known or discovered by the British, given its “off the beaten track” location, this island is home to an incredible micro-climate, creating a style of champagne that we have not come across elsewhere.

Montgueux – 7km to the west of Troyes

Despite technically being part of the Aube, where one finds clay soils and majority Pinot champagnes, the terroir here is more the kind you would expect in the Marne, with chalky soils. But even in Montgueux it is different still, thinner to allow optimal drainage and maximum absorption of nutrients. Vines are planted from North to South for the best exposure to the sun. Champagnes from this village produce minerally yet powerful majority Chardonnay champagnes. The Chardonnay here is rich, smoky and full bodied, even with a younger wine, with aromas of autumn leaves and crisp, sunny days. An interesting comparison with the same variety from the Aube, which tends to be softer, with flavours of exotic fruits. The area is likened to Montrachet in Bourgogne, which has a similar isolated position and perfect conditions for fantastic Chardonnay wines. Unlike Montrachet, Montgueux also produces Pinot Noir – but not as we know it. These wines are much more powerful then elsewhere in the region – deep, earthy, musty and strong. When blended with Chardonnay, they work together in perfect harmony to create the most intriguing of champagnes.

Vines of Montgueux, separated alternately by strips of grass to further help drainage, reduce the risk of rot and encourage natural pest control

Our guests on Friday tried three champagnes from one vineyard in Montgueux, both 100% Chardonnay and a blend and all were fascinated with the variety despite relatively small differences in production technique. What was interesting was to see how the wines changed, developed and even improved with time in the glass. One of the champagnes received fairly low marks across the board on the first run. The second time around, pretty much everyone increased their scores and many were encouraging others to try it again “just to make sure”! They were pleased they did. Someone even suggested making jellies from it the taste was so good. We like this idea! And here lies the beauty of the work we do! The magic that unfolds when tasting champagne.

Our newest additions will be officially released soon. If you have been to Montgueux, what did you think of the champagnes? If you were stuck on an island, which champagne(s) would you take with you??

I know which I would choose…

Happy exploring!

Real Champagne

Pink is the new black…

Back in June (we can hardly believe where the time has gone), we launched our Summer selection. One of our all time favourite champagne styles for this time of year is the wonderful rosé, which has received some bad press in recent years. On our travels, we tasted a huge number of pinks and surprisingly, many of them exhibited quite powerful tannins and richer, more fermented characteristics. Either that or they lacked flavour all together. We felt neither of these traits were quite right for the summer, for those long, balmy evenings when you want something you can drink oodles of without necessarily having to pair it with food or coat your palate in such an unpleasant dryness that you actually need to leave the sun lounger to eat something!

The champagne

So, when we found the Brut Rosé from the Rémy Massin vineyard, we knew we were on to a good thing. Adorned in an elegant dark bottle (to protect the wine inside from UV rays) and a very classy label (new branding launched earlier this year to modernise the house style), this champagne, like others from the Massin’s is fresh, fruity and extremely sophisticated. A pale pink in colour, this champagne is made by blending still red wine (coteaux champenois, made from Champagne grapes) with the white wine, a tricky task to achieve the right balance between fruitiness and colour without being too overpowering. Sylvere Massin in an expert at this!

Here it is, the pink masterpiece!

On the subject of blending, most of Massin’s champagnes are dominant in Pinot Noir, due to their perfect location in the valley of the Arce river. They enjoy a larger proportion of sunshine, which means the Pinot grapes thrive and mature exceptionally well. So the rosé is made up of 85% Pinot Noir, giving fresh, red fruit flavours such as strawberry and raspberry and 15% Chardonnay, to give a citrussy freshness and flavour of apples!

This champagne is quite short on the palate, with a huge burst of flavour as soon as you have taken a sip. That said, the intensity is so great, you’ll want to keep the glass in your hand ready for a second, third and fourth, which is what makes this such a perfect tipple for the season.

Check out the tasting notes here, which are an amalgamation of feedback from our Club members at the launch event. Oh and this champagne is absolutely AMAZING with grilled meats (BBQ’s) and fish, as well as fruit tarts and salads (wipes away the dribble).

The vineyard

The Rémy Massin brand was born in 1974, after Louis Aristide Massin planted the first vines in the 1800s (homage to whom has been paid in the Prestige Cuvée Louis Aristide – a stunning reserve blending 12 vintage years).  The house champagnes were not commercialised until around 1975, when Sylvere, Rémy’s son, came on board as the “wine taster” and expert blender to create the house cuvées. Sylvere’s son, Cédric came on board in 2002 to help work the vines, whilst Sylvere focused on his passion for perfectly consistent, award-winning champagnes.

Father & son

Stand out aspects of this house: thermo-regulated vats which allow for good control of the fermentation process and especially great preservation of the all-important aromas of their wines. If the early part of the year is too warm, they can slow down fermentation by reducing the temperature of the vats and vice versa. They also keep their vines in optimal health by dividing the rows with patches of grass, to avoid soil erosion, flooding (a problem in this area with clay soils) and to reduce harmful pests and diseases in the vines. They pride themselves on minimal use of pesticides/treatments and don’t use chemicals.

Carole, the lady of the house, welcomes guests, deals with the marketing and communications and when she has the time, creates stunning hand painted bottle designs, which make beautiful and unique gifts.

Designed and painted by lady of the house, Carole Massin

What else do they make?

Other fantastic summer champagnes from this house include:

– Brut Tradition, a 100% Pinot Noir full of the classic fruity, deep flavours we expect from this variety
– Intégrale, the same as the Tradition, but with less sugar (0-6g/l), making this a low-cal, fresh aperitif with a surprising smoothness and finish
– Grains de Douceur, which sits at the other end of the spectrum, with more sugar than a Brut (17-35g/l), but less than a Demi-Sec. This is smooth, sophisticated and very more-ish (and fantastic with blue cheese!).
– Cuvée Louis-Aristide, the prestige house cuvée, blended from 12 years of vintage reserve wines. Perfectly balanced, bready, with notes of apple pie. Gorgeous.

Rémy Massin Pere & Fils have been awarded a Silver for their rosé in the IWSC 2014 and a gold in the Concours d’Epernay 2014, testament to their fantastic skills and efforts.

The champagnes are also available as part of our special Tasting Selection here or you can buy a mixed case of 3 of the champagnes here.

Try 3 champagnes from this fantastic house and appreciate the skill and quality for yourself!

Happy drinking 🙂

Who needs another Lover?

We are so excited as not only have we launched one of our latest collection in single bottles, we have also collated the best bits from our Spring preview and put it in a little video so you can see all the shenanigans!

So let’s start with our latest release. A fantastic 100% Pinot Noir from the wonderful vineyard of Guy Lamoureux (the surname translates as the lovers), based in the quaint village of Les Riceys in the southern most part of Champagne – in fact, it is probably closer to Burgundy than it is to the main part of Champagne, but the wines from this area have such an incredible character, we just love sourcing them.

Blanc de Noirs champagnes can sometimes be less palatable, especially when consumed on their own as an aperitif. This is why we have only ever presented a handful of the best examples we have found. This one from Guy Lamoureux exhibits the classic characteristics and qualities of the Pinot Noir variety (touched with more sun and warmth in this part of Champagne, which helps it to mature), with a vinous, musty and earthy nose. It has a wonderful golden hue and a lively mousse.

On the palate, the same elements come through, but in a very soft and subtle style. They soon make way for intense fruit flavours of dark fruits, developing into hints of apricot, elderflower and even grapefruit.

Fresh, fruity and smooth champagnes are the stand out aspect of this boutique vineyard. One could say that the Lamoureux family are somewhat experts in achieving this fantastic full-flavour – Jean-Jacques Lamoureux (from the same village) is a cousin of Guy and has also mastered this art although he likes to blend different varieties together.

Cited in the Guide Hachette consistently, this champagne is a testament to the skill of Stephane Lamoureux, Guy’s son and the 3rd generation to run this vineyard. He strives to maintain the traditions passed down from his ancestors. He takes each part of the wine making process very slowly to ensure the full aromas and flavours develop. All of his champagnes are aged for a minimum of 2 years before being disgorged. We’re sure to be seeing more from this wonderful vineyard in the near future.

At our Spring preview event, our guests really enjoyed this champagne and thought it was really smooth and easy drinking. They said it would pair well with a Sunday roast (especially lamb). You can find out more about the champagne, including its rating and buy it now by the bottle, in a case of 6 or as part of the spring selection.

We launched this, alongside our other 2 spring champagnes at our March preview event. It was a fantastic evening with over 50 guests. If you haven’t visited us already, you really should. Below is a short video showing some of the highlights!

Real Champagne Club Spring Preview

If you would like to join us, our next preview tasting is on Friday 6th June at Adam Street Private Members’ Club, off the Strand in London. We have some other tastings in between. You can see the full calendar here.

We look forward to welcoming you soon…oh and if you haven’t already, do try the Brut Tradition. It is a magnificent champagne!

See you soon,

Real Champagne 🙂

The Anticipation of Spring….

So yesterday I travelled to London, the Big Smoke, in preparation for the launch of our spring champagnes. What a gorgeous day it was!! In between meetings I strolled through the London streets, taking in the sights and the hustle and bustle. It seems a world away from the relative quiet of Hampshire, our base, where the most commotion you see is before 9am and after 5pm when the offices kick out.

London is non-stop, round the clock action action action. Even at 8.00pm there were people striding towards their evening engagements in black tie. This is one of the reasons why we chose this amazing City to host our Club events. For those coming from outside of London, they are a chance to make an evening, or even a weekend of the occasion. If they are anything like me, growing up on the south coast of England, the bright lights and high society that London has to offer can be quite an attraction. I used to find (and still do) my eyes darting around from place to place, absorbing all the action like one enormous sponge. And then the anticipation of what will happen next. It seems fitting that in a place of constant evolution and innovation, we should launch our latest champagnes to the world – fast tracked from the sleepy little villages of Champagne to one of the most diverse and desired cities in the world!

The day has finally arrived. We are ready to welcome our guests, of which there are many, to share this experience with us – uncovering more of the hidden gems of Champagne.  Next week we will provide all the juicy details and updates of the evening and lots of photos – we love a good photo!  We will also be running the first of many “live tastings”, starting with one of our latest collection, so you can get some handy hints and tips on how to taste champagne and our recommendations for this time of year.

And with the onset of new life and fresh starts, we celebrate all the Mothers in the world – the givers and nurturers of life. We will be offering some wonderful, classy gifts to say “Thank You”, including champagne in our luxury black gift boxes, flowers from the highly acclaimed florist Elizabeth Marsh and chocolates from our favourite truffle maker in town The Chocolate Truffle Company. So keep watching and make sure your Mum gets the 5* treatment!

Luxury Hand Made Champagne Truffles

A beautiful display from the very creative Elizabeth Marsh

Have a fantastic weekend!

The Real Champagne Team 🙂

The Real Champagne Club spring preview

So, March is upon us. It is the beginning of a fresh season (really, it is, trust us) and a fresh start – it is spring! With spring comes the birth of new life, new blossoms and more warmth behind that golden orb in the sky.

For us at Real Champagne, it is a fresh start on our year of sourcing exceptional champagnes from small, independent producers. It beckons the first of our Real Champagne Club launches. For those unfamiliar with our concept, every three months we introduce three new champagnes, ripe for the season and launch them to our Club members at preview tastings. This is their official launch and our guests are always the first to sample these new champagnes before they go public. Our selection usually incorporates champagnes that have never previously been available in the UK, adding to the excitement of trying something brand new and with incredible character. Our aim: to share our experiences sourcing these champagnes with our loyal followers and share the stories behind these great wines and their producers – after all, heritage is part of the character of most things and should never be ignored.

After weeks of planning, our first preview tasting of 2014 is fast approaching on Friday 7th March. We have partnered with the wonderful and inspirational Adam Street Private Members’ Club in London to host all of our Club tastings this year. It seemed fitting to partner with a venue who at their very core, support the entrepreneurial spirit and the desire to carve new paths – just like us. In less than a week, our friends will come together, with their friends and loved ones, in anticipation of the new champagnes spring brings to the table.

Our guests are planning their Friday nights, with hotels and pre-, post-tasting dinners and even delaying planned trips away so as to ensure they don’t miss any of the action. This is more than just a champagne tasting…this is an unmissable event in their diaries.

And so the pressure is on for us to not disappoint our expectant crowd. Next week we will share some of the best moments of our inaugural tasting of 2014…and then we’ll begin all over again to find those hidden gems for the summer.

Over the coming weeks, we will introduce our newest additions to you and share the delights that led us to making our choices. This is what we feel sets us apart from all the other wine merchants. Specialising just in champagne, it allows us to really explore, dig deep and get to the heart of this region and some of the magic it can create.

Happy spring time all! 

Guests enjoying our spring champagnes in 2013!

One of our growers talking to guests about his house and his wines.

 

Always the sign of a good night!