A triple A that can’t be lost!

A Champagne from the De Souza’s Family is whipping up a storm just with its name! Indeed, in 2005, the family named an extra-brut vintage AAA. Nothing to do with finance and the credit rating because this triple AAA stands for Avize, Aÿ and Ambonnay: the three villages where the family’s vineyards are situated.

However, the credit rating and, especially, the one of France is at the heart of current events since a couple of months. Among other things, a credit rating evaluates the government’s credit firmness and likelihood of default, this evaluation is made by a credit rating agency. They are three major agencies: Standard & Poor's, Fitch and Moody's.  The credit rating became a hot topic because France, like other countries, can lose its AAA credit rating in a short time.

The mediation of these scores lead to an hazardous growing popularity for the triple A vintage of De Souza! Indeed, they’ve already sold 80% of this vintage!           

Champagne bottles dress up for the occasion !

As Christmas and New Year approach, Champagne bottles have dressed up for these occasions!

Indeed, several Champagne brands have launch new packaging and advertising. They can be very traditional, funky, innovative and creative.

For example: the well-known brand Moët & Chandon. In November, the jury of the “Prix Forme de Luxe” selected Sleever International for the new design packaging of the Moët Ice Imperial. The bottle is chic and stylish, composed by a high technology shrink-wrap film with the texture of tissue paper. It’s offering a new quality and innovative packaging which has all the advantages of shrink film, but without the negative connotations associated to plastic.

It marks the most radical change for the brand since it was created in 1743.

Moët & Chandon also launch, in December 2011, a limited-edition bottle of the Impérial to celebrate the end of the year.

Grand Tasting 2011, Paris

Last Friday and Saturday, Paris was welcoming in the heart of the city the 6th edition of the Grand Tasting. This annual event reunites more than 350 producers, from well-known French Châteaux and Domaines to smaller producers, as well as foreign like Italian, Turkish and Syrian wines.

Red, white, rosé, champagne, sparkling wine, brandy… visitors were overwhelmed by all the choices of wines! Champagnes and sparkling wines were well represented with about 40 brands proposing almost 180 different wines. There were famous Champagnes as Ayala, Jacquesson, Laurent-Perrier, Moët et Chandon, Perrier-Jouët, Taittinger and among others, Veuve Cliquot who offered a tasting of la Grande Dame, white, 1998. Moreover, visitors had also the delight to taste, discover or rediscover less famous Champagnes and more affordable like Penet-Chardonnet and H.Blin.

At the stand of H.Blin, the Grand Tasting’s participants could taste: 

Brut, white (16€): 80% Pinot Meunier, 20% Chardonnay. The Champagne was cellared in March 2008, left on the lees at least 20 months, disgorged 3 months before delivery and contains 12.5% ALC/VOL. H.Blin has a sustainable viticulture politic. At the tasting, this Brut is lightly sparkling and then it grows rounder offering notes of exotic fruits such as mango. This champagne can be drunk as a daily aperitif or served with a white meat.   

Blanc de Blancs, white (20€): 100% Chardonnay. The champagne was cellared in March 2008, left on the lees at least 20 months, disgorged 3 months before delivery and contains 12.5% ALC/VOL. At the tasting, the nose reveals complex floral senses. In mouth, theses aromas are completed by spice flavors especially vanilla and soft fruits like peaches.  This champagne can be easily accompanied by sea food such as lobsters or langoustines.  

Brut Millésimé, 2004, white (21€): 50% Pinot Meunier, 50% Chardonnay. The champagne was cellared in March 2005, left on the lees 5 ½ years, disgorged 3 months before delivery and contains 12.5% ALC/VOL. At the tasting, the nose reveals a smell of grasses, flowers and fresh berries. In mouth, the flavors escalate and deliver ginger and honey flavors.

Cava, the Spanish sparkling wine

The first Spanish sparkling wine was born in the bodega Cordorniu owned by Don José Raventos, in Catalonia. Before that, the bodega produced only red and white wines. In the 1860s, Don José Raventos was travelling all around Europe to sell the bodega’s wines. When he went to France, he became fascinated by the region of Champagne, its sparkling wines and their elaboration. So when he returned from his French trip, he began to develop his own sparkling wine using imported equipment from Champagne. The first Spain sparkling wine, the Cava’s ancestor, was produced in 1872; it was named champan or xampany. Later, it was recalled Cava (which means cellar in Catalan).

Today, the appellation Cava is applied to Spanish sparkling wines which are produced in one of the six wine Spanish regions, 95% are from Catalonia. Cava became an appellation in 1986. A Spanish sparkling wine can only get the appellation Cava if  it is  made by the same process employed to elaborate French Champagne (“methode champenoise” also called the traditional method) and if they are elaborated with one or more of the following  grape varieties: parellada, xarel-lo, macabeo, malvasia . They are the most used grape varieties. Since 1990s, Chardonnay has also been admitted in the blend.  

Although French Champagne was the inspiration of the Cava’s first elaboration, Cava is not trying to be Champagne. The first big difference resides in the grape varieties used in the Champagne,which are different from those used in the Cava. Among plenty of other things that differentiate the two products, there is the climate, Champagne is not Catalonia.                    

 Since the turn of the 20^th century, Cava has been consumed by the Spanish middle class. Barcelona counted dozens of wine bars specialized in Cava. This product is, like the Champagne, a festive drink. For example, in Spain, when there is a baptism, the baby is dipped in the bubbly.  

Cava has always been a successful drink in Spain, however it is consumed more and more all year round and  not only during Christmas and New Year’s festivities. Germany is the largest market for Cava, then it’s Great Britain, Belgium and United States. The Cava’s production and commercialization are dominated by two companies: Freixenet and Codorniu, which own more than 75% of the production. There are several well-knowned Cavas like Codorniu (approximately 90% chardonnay and 10% parellada) and Mont-Marcal (30% parellada, 30% xarel-lo and 30% macabeo)