“’Grower’ champagnes have turned into something fashionable, a small but very exciting niche category. Growers, as opposed to the ‘houses’ (houses are basically the famous names/negociants that everyone knows), make champagne only from their own
” ‘Down here in Aube, we used to be called ‘the bad boys of Champagne’ ‘ says Bertrand Gautherot, winemaker and owner of Vouette & Sorbée. “But not anymore,” he adds, smiling broadly. Actually, there
Grower champagnes and house champagnes. Is one better than the other? You can decide that for yourself in Champagne in September. We will visit both small growers, smaller houses and larger houses. There are, of
If you order a glass of champagne in France, you often ask for “une coupe de champagne”. A coupe is – in principle – the big champagne glass, shaped like a flat bowl and pretty
About 2 billion bottles of sparkling wine are produced in the world each year. Champagne accounts for 15% of this volume. The demand for bubbles has increased by 30% in ten years and it shows
Champagne J. Lassalle started to export to the United States already in the 1970s. It was one of the first independent Champagne growers to be sold in the US. Today, a big part of the
There are around 3000 small champagne producers, growers and similar, but only about 300 so-called “houses”. The “houses” are the big, well-known brands but it is mainly among the others, the small producers that you
Champagne is not just the famous “houses”. Champagne is above all the small producers who make wine with passion and enthusiasm. The two largest (world famous) producers make 30 and 12 million bottles annually. Large-scale.
People all over the world drink more and more sparkling wine. Everything is not champagne, far from it. Champagne accounts for 15% of the volume but 40% of the value. Champagne is prestige, champagne has
Champagne is a wine for parties and cocktails but it is also a wine to drink with food. Have you tried it? During this tour we will learn how to combine champagne with food. We
You want to buy a bottle of champagne from a small grower? Look for the letters RM on the bottle, often in small print, very small. RM means récoltant-manipulant in French and this indicates that
Champagne is a success story and the region has a long and exciting history. Much has happened since the first bubbles were discovered! The technology has been refined, rules have been written and now Champagne
Does “real Champagne” exist? No! Either it is Champagne or it is not. There are many sparkling wines in the world but only one that comes from the region of Champagne. And nothing else can
Starting a brand new champagne house is probably not easy. The process to make champagne is very outdrawn, with substantial capital costs, and there’s a fierce competition with high-budget marketing. But the brothers Guillaume, Rodolphe
We will have a new wine tour to Champagne this autumn. The dates are September 11 to 15, at the very beginning of autumn. It’s a tour that the champagne lover really should not miss.
Some myths or mistakes are more persistent than others. One of these is how much sugar champagne and other sparkling wines contain. Time and again, incorrect numbers are repeated, in articles, on the internet, and
We are in the process of finalising the autumn-fall wine tour program for 2019. It will be a short selection of a few of the world’s best wine tour destinations that you can choose from.
When you produce champagne you always start by making a still wine without bubbles. This “base wine” is bottled with some yeast and sugar, and thus the bubbles are made. Few people get the chance
In the past year, our latest book “Champagne, the wine and the growers” (“Champagne, vinet och odlarna” in the original language) has been acclaimed and won prizes in two prestigious contexts, by the OIV, the
“A lot of champagnes are drunk at occasions when all that matters are the bubbles. But if you open a high quality champagne with a strong character it deserves more attention. It should actually be
Maybe this is self-evident but still, certain producers in Champagne like to point out the fact that Champagne is a wine, not just bubbles. Maybe because so many people only drink Champagne at festive occasions
On our tour to Champagne you will discover many things about this bubbly wine. Not least the fact that you can drink it through an entire meal. You can actually combine champagne with many things
Champagne is the world’s most famous sparkling wine, even though Prosecco has overtaken champagne counted in volume. Champagne immediately brings to mind festivity and luxury, but today more and more people find that there is
In Champagne in late September the harvest is probably in full swing (but it depends on the weather). There will be a lot of activity in the vineyards and in the cellars. This is an
You will have heard it (more than enough?) by now: our Champagne book, Champagne, the Wine and the Growers, was awarded the prize as “the best wine book on France” by the Gourmand Awards in
