Second Cooking Session

In this video, Etienne cooks two recipes, in order to match with a Champagne Blanc de Noirs, which means that it is made only from red grape varieties (Pinot Noir & Pinot Meunier).

We will enjoy this Champagne, very rich, thick with a pleasant bitter lenght, with a starter "Oeuf Cocotte", and then with a Duck pie called "Tourte de Canard".

Etienne will teach you how to cook quickly these two nice dishes, and he will give you some tricks about cooking.

Enjoy !

It's fashion week in Paris!

Sparkling wines and Champagnes differentiate themselves by their techniques of production, their vineyards, the climate… but also by the design of the bottles. And in this field, some producers don’t suffer from a lack of creativity! Since the 2000’s, they’ve proved their originality and creativity through their bottles and packaging. See below some examples and don’t hesitate to share your opinions on them.

“Colier” is a limited collection of Sparkling Wine. It was created by two designers from Ukraine: Reynolds and Reyner. The packaging is a handmade bottle and a cocoon container. The container looks like a classy chicken egg, the weight is focused in its bottom so it stays upright and it keeps cold inside.

Veuve Clicquot, the famous brand, is well-known for its Champagne but also for its innovative and avant-gardist packaging.  In 2010, Veuve Clicquot launched its mini-fridge, an amazing luxury cooling device that keep a bottle fresh for up to two hours. In 2011, Veuve Clicquot, inspired by the Japanese art of origami, created a new packaging named “Clicq’Up”, the first foldable Champagne bucket.  

Piper-Heidsieck also works a lot on its Champagne’s bottles and packaging. The brand did several partnerships with well-known designers. Jean Paul Gauthier dressed up Piper Heidsieck’s bottles in 1999 (the bottle is covered by a vinyl red corset) and 2001 (the bottle was dressed up with a black hairnet and a red bow tie).  Viktor and Rolf have also created a bottle for the brand, the famous upside-down Champagne with a giant cork.

 

Famous shoes with red sole designer, Christian Louboutin, also collaborated with Piper Heidsieck. The designer created a shoe champagne flute. It’s more precisely a crystal stiletto (high-heeled shoe) champagne flute with a red sole. With this flute, Piper-Heidsieck and Louboutin resurrected a ritual dated from the 18th century. At this time, ballerinas were toasted by patrons and spectators who would pour Champagne in their slippers and then drink out of them. But it's not so simple to drink Champagne in a stiletto flute!

The last but not the least, it’s the Zarb Champagne!  This Champagne is produced by the family Baron in Charly sur Marne, a village in the Champagne-Ardenne region.  They’ve decided to break with conventionality and create very funny, original and eccentric bottles as you can see below.

The best effervescent of the world!!!

Who had believed it? The best effervescent champagne to the world is produced by the winegrower Philippe Fourrier to Baroville.

The 9th international confrontation the best Effervescent of the World, organized by the association Forum oenology from 16 till 18 November in Dijon, indeed awarded the golden medal to the vintage prestige Harbinger 2009 in front of a champagne Ruinart.

It is about an assembly 100 % Chardonnay of the 2008s (20 %) and on 2009 (80 %) having aged in cellar during three years. It is a brut, fruity champagne (in the aromas of white fruits).

“Shampanskoye", russian sparkling wine!

Remember the Paris blind wine tasting of 1976?

Where California wines had better scores than top Burgundy and Bordeaux? Another incredible blind tasting took place many years before, generating as well an unexpected shock. A wine tasting was organized during the Paris World Exhibition in 1900. A Russian “Champagne” went out first in the Champagne category, outstripping French Champagne!

Russian Champagne production goes back a long way ago: the first winery was established in 1799 to serve the tsarist aristocracy. But it was only in 1891, that the first successful winery has been built. This winery was situated in Abrau-Durso by the Prince Lev Golitsyn.

At this time, the Russian Champagne was handcrafted and very expensive, but it didn’t fit for a long time with the near revolution and the Bolshevist’s seizure of power. After the October Revolution, Golitsyn’student named Anton Frolon-Bagreyev, started industrial mass production of this Russian sparkling wine, to do it he cut the maturation time from three years to one month!

The Second World War was tough for the Champagne industry in the world.  But, according to the legend, Staline decreed that people must have Champagne to celebrate their victory, so the production of soviet Champagne went on.

At this time, it became very popular and a real mass product, it was named “Sovetskoye Shampanskoye” (Soviet Champagne) in the 1920’s. Soviet Champagne doesn’t taste at all like  French Champagne, it’s extremely sweet, typically made from a blend of Aligoté and Chardonnay grapes and it’s a very cheap drink (around 2€).

Today, “Shampanskoye” is made globally from imported bulk wine, only Abrau-Durso and Tsimlanskoye are still authentic producers.

In October 2011, Russian sparkling wine made an agreement with the CIVC (Comité Interprofessionnel des Vins de Champagne), the Russian producers have to stop using the “Shampanskoye” name on labels by 2022 at the latest.  The agreement clarifies that the term “Shampanskoye” should refer exclusively to sparkling wines from the Champagne region of France.   

Kiwi bubbles...

Actually frenchy kiwi bubbles...

Today, we propose you to make a long travel far away from France, in order to discover the wines of the week. It is in New-Zealand, where some of the finest wines in the world are produced today, that we have decided to get focus on. But remember! It is still all about sparkling wine…

In New-Zealand, sparkling wines are mainly produced in the Marlborough wine-growing region. This region is world widely famous for its Sauvignon Blanc wines, but this place is also great for Pinot Noir and fresh Chardonnay. Located on the east coast of the South Island, with mountains to the west, Marlborough is one of New Zealand’s sunniest and driest areas. In these bright, but relatively ‘cool’ climate conditions, the grapes have the advantage of a long slow, flavour-intensifying ripening period. The average daily temperature during summer is nearly 24 degrees °C, but clear cool nights keep acid levels high in the grapes.

Marked diurnal (day/night) temperature variations are a key factor behind the ability of Marlborough grapes to retain both fresh, vibrant fruit and crisp, herbaceous characters. The contrast between day and night also helps to enhance the colour development in the skins of Pinot Noir.

In July 1997, French Champagne maker Daniel Lebrun, with his wife Adele decided to set up his vineyard in the Marlborough area, under the name of N°1 Family Estate. They released their first wine, N°1 Cuvée in 1999. Today, their two children, Virginie and Remy get invest in the estate activity and contribute to the success of the N°1 Family Estate Wines.

Daniel Le Brun may be considered as the New-Zealand’s Methode Traditionelle specialist. The Methode Traditionnelle is the method used to produce Champagne. Dedicated to produce limited edition wines using top quality grapes with equipment especially imported from Champagne, N°1 Family Estate has been awarded numerous times by local and international awards.

The estate produces 6 cuvées:

N°1 Cuvée

This release from the family's winery is 100% chardonnay (Blanc de blancs). A perfect balance between fruit and yeast, the wine was held on lees for two years allowing full autolysis displaying a tiny consistent bead, and firm mousse resulting in a typical, complex, champagne-like character. The palate is intensely flavoured and focused with the good fruit-yeast balance providing elegance and style.

N°1 Rosé

This exceptional rose is made from 100% Pinot Noir. Delicate salmon-pink with a mass of tiny bubbles, the wine offers a seamless balance of subtle cherry and almond hints combined with a dry acidity. Dry, yet fresh and elegant, this wine leaves a lasting impression of opulence and splendour.

N°8 Cuvée

An easy-drinking aperitif style, this wine was blended from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. It is fresh and inviting with sophisticated champagne-like characters, intense flavours, and a long finish.

Representing good luck, achievement, abundance and success in Chinese numerology, Number Eight becomes a complimentary stablemate to our trophy-winning No 1. The colours red, gold and black according to feng shui have all the same symbolic references as the number eight.

N°10 Reserve

This Limited Edition wine is a blend of Chardonnay (65%), Pinot Meunier (20%) and Pinot Noir (15%). A non-vintage, it has spent 4 years on lees, allowing full yeast autolysis to create a generous, rich, creamy and full-bodied wine.

Reserve Cuvee celebrates the first decade of No 1 Family Estate, the multi-award-winning wine venture set up by pioneering champagne-maker, Daniel Le Brun, his wife Adele and their children Virginie and Remy.

Cuvée Virginie
 
Champagne maker, Daniel Le Brun produces a vintage blend in only those years he considers to be outstanding in quality. Cuvée Virginie is blended from 50% Pinot Noir and 50% Chardonnay, the third in this style from No 1 Family Estate (established 1997). Crafted especially by Daniel as a proud tribute to his daughter Virginie. Four years on lees has produced a Methode Champenoise displaying many dimensions, it is well-rounded and has good yeast autolysis, a hallmark of this winemaker’s well-known style.

Very pale gold with delicate rose petal bubbles. A tightly focused bouquet; sweet scents of vanilla cream, white flower, nougat and fragrant lemon blossom. The Virginie 2006 delivers further delights on the palate with hints of hazelnut meringue and bright citrus. The rich full palate is made deceptively delicate by a dense satin like mousse. Intriguing and fulfilling, the very pure line and cleansing acidity promises even more for anyone patient enough to wait.

Cuvée Remy

Winemaker and proprietor Daniel Le Brun has created the ultimate cuvée in honour of his son, Remy Le Brun, and this wine was officially released in January 2010, his 21st birthday. The wine is a blend of 80% Pinot Noir, giving structure and power and 20% Chardonnay which contributes richness and finesse.

Shooting Star

New to the market in 2010 this 100% Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc Methode Traditionelle was hand crafted by winemaker Eveline Fraser using traditional bottle fermentation techniques. Following time on lees in the bottle, the wine was riddled and disgorged producing a wine with a fine bead and a delicate but persistent mousse.

The Shooting Star is a Methode Traditionelle made from 100% Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc grapes. An array of mouth watering summer flavours introduces this exciting new wine: guava, fresh lime zest and lifted notes such as sushi ginger invite you to sip and savour. Passion fruit combines with floral characters while the effervescent tangy palate refreshes like a ripe lime sorbet on a hot day.

 

So, if you are lost one day in Marlborough, just ask your GPS to take you to Rapaura Road. There, you will enjoy great wines, and have great time...

An English « Champagne » in 2012 ?

Of course, it will not have the very exclusive Champagne appellation!

But, the Meonhill will be the first English sparkling wine made by a French champagne maker. He’s name is Didier Pierson and he owns Maison Pierson-Whitaker in Champagne, France.

The Meonhill is elaborated from grapes that come from French rootstocks planted in Hampshire, a county in the south east of England. Didier Pierson is the first French Champagne producer to invest in vineyards in Hampshire but he certainly won’t be the last.

Indeed, places like Kent, Sussex and Hampshire have very similar climates and chalky geology as the North of France. Moreover, the consumption of English sparkling wines has exploded in the United Kingdom, the growing of the three grape varieties used to make traditional champagne-style sparkling wine – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier – has more than quadrupled since 2005 according to the Food Standards Agency and more than half of the British vineyards is dedicated to the production of sparkling wines!

The Meonhill should be sold in the beginning of 2012.

The Sparkling News Team wishes you a Happy, Sparkling and Bubbly New Year!