I was in the Chiswick area earlier in the week with our friend who has been visiting. Since we were in the neighbourhood, we stopped in to see what Lea & Sandeman had in stock, as they usually have a good selection for decent prices. The salesman was not content to let us browse, though. When I told him I was 'just looking' at his selection of sparkling wines, he pressed me for what I was interested in. Not seeing any on the shelf, I asked if they had any sparkling red wines. The response I got was pretty unbelieveable - the salesman said that they didn't have anything like a sparkling shiraz, but most of the champagnes were made with red wine grapes and why didn't a try something like a 100% pinot noir champagne or a rose prosecco? Hello! These are not even close to a sparkling red wine!!
I had to leave the store at that point because I don't like being treated like an idiot. If he really, really wanted to sell me something, he should have asked what I wanted the sparkling red for and then pointed me to some suitable options. I expect better service from Lea & Sandeman, and just hope this guy was simply having an off-day yesterday.
Wednesday, 11 May 2011
Friday, 6 May 2011
Newbie
A friend is staying with us who is curious about champagne but doesn't often drink it. He had never tried anything from Billecart-Salmon and was keen to, so we arranged a nice dinner for him with a bottle of their Brut Reserve, one of my favourites. So that he could compare it with something of similarly high quality, we also opened a bottle of Inflorescence which was highly-rated among the group at my last BYOBB.
It was an interesting comparison. Having tried a little of each champagne, my friend decided that the Billecart-Salmon should be served with dinner since it had a crisper, cleaner style that would complement rather than compete with the lemon-caper chicken and cauliflower risotto that we made. We served the Inflorescence afterward, so that the deep, apple-orchard flavour could be appreciated on its own. Both champagnes were wonderful and, as usual, had lots of bubbles. It was a treat to drink them both in one night!
It was an interesting comparison. Having tried a little of each champagne, my friend decided that the Billecart-Salmon should be served with dinner since it had a crisper, cleaner style that would complement rather than compete with the lemon-caper chicken and cauliflower risotto that we made. We served the Inflorescence afterward, so that the deep, apple-orchard flavour could be appreciated on its own. Both champagnes were wonderful and, as usual, had lots of bubbles. It was a treat to drink them both in one night!
Tuesday, 3 May 2011
End of the Weekend
Part of me was sad to see the end of the holiday weekend, but part of me was glad it was coming to a close because my husband was away in Italy with friends for the 4 days. I was excited for him to come home and put a bottle of prosecco - Vignarosa Amorino Brut Rosato from the Champagne Warehouse - in the fridge thinking he might want something Italian and bubbly as a nightcap. We sipped glasses as he recounted the adventures from the weekend. While I was sorry to have missed the trip, it sounded like they all had a great time. And I enjoyed the bubbles with his stories, marvelling again at how this prosecco is such a great balance of berry fruits and crisp dry-ness.
I'm also very excited because my husband arrived home bearing gifts from himself and from our friends, some new proseccos to try!! So very thoughtful of them!
I'm also very excited because my husband arrived home bearing gifts from himself and from our friends, some new proseccos to try!! So very thoughtful of them!
Saturday, 30 April 2011
Wedding Bubbles
Like much of the world, I watched the Royal Wedding yesterday. I had joked with some friends that I would have a glass of something bubbly with me right from the start, but to be honest, it was a little early for me. So I drank my Diet Coke through the ceremony, and then caved in and opened the bubbles for the balcony scenes later in the day. I toasted the happy couple with an American sparkler, Roederer Estate's Quartet, a 70/30 chardonnay/pinot noir blend. It is a favourite of mine, and had toasted nut aromas, biscuity flavours, and lots and lots of bubbles. I got this bottle from Ocado for £20, and I have to say, it was good value.
Kate and Wills served their wedding guests non-vintage Pol Roger, which wouldn't have been my first choice. While the champagne house has a long-standing relationship with the UK (and with Winston Churchill in particular), it surprised me that the couple went with a French champagne. With all of the talk on the news coverage about the wedding day showcasing 'brand GB' and with discussions of the food menu centred on how much of it was locally sourced or sourced from one of the Royal estates, you would have thought they'd serve British bubbles!!
Kate and Wills served their wedding guests non-vintage Pol Roger, which wouldn't have been my first choice. While the champagne house has a long-standing relationship with the UK (and with Winston Churchill in particular), it surprised me that the couple went with a French champagne. With all of the talk on the news coverage about the wedding day showcasing 'brand GB' and with discussions of the food menu centred on how much of it was locally sourced or sourced from one of the Royal estates, you would have thought they'd serve British bubbles!!
Thursday, 28 April 2011
Reasonable Pricing
I tried Nyetimber sparkling wines many years ago when they first came out. I liked them back then, and was surprised at what good quality these English sparklers were. But then they started winning awards and then the prices went up - towards £30 a bottle. And while the wines were good, I can get other interesting and just-as-good sparkling wines and champagnes for less money, so I stopped drinking Nyetimber.
Ocado was running a special on Nyetimber this week, putting the price closer to the £20 mark, so I bought a bottle of the Classic Cuvee 2006, a chardonnay, pinot noir, pinot meunier blend. It surprised me how good it was, very close in style to a French champagne. It had a yeasty, frangipane-scented aroma, with lots of crisp lemon and apple flavour. There was just a touch of sweetness on the finish. The bubbles were also good, lots of them and lasting through the glass. It didn't have the long finish of some of the French champagnes I've had in the £20 range, but it's very well balanced and a great sparkling wine at this price range.
If it's still on special the next time I'm on Ocado, I'll be buying a few more bottles. But I still wouldn't splash out on it at its 'normal' price.
Ocado was running a special on Nyetimber this week, putting the price closer to the £20 mark, so I bought a bottle of the Classic Cuvee 2006, a chardonnay, pinot noir, pinot meunier blend. It surprised me how good it was, very close in style to a French champagne. It had a yeasty, frangipane-scented aroma, with lots of crisp lemon and apple flavour. There was just a touch of sweetness on the finish. The bubbles were also good, lots of them and lasting through the glass. It didn't have the long finish of some of the French champagnes I've had in the £20 range, but it's very well balanced and a great sparkling wine at this price range.
If it's still on special the next time I'm on Ocado, I'll be buying a few more bottles. But I still wouldn't splash out on it at its 'normal' price.
Tuesday, 26 April 2011
Lovely Weekend
The weather couldn't have been more perfect this weekend, and to top it off, we spent much of it with friends. It was the ultimate combination of sunshine and great company!
On Sunday, we had some friends over for a lunchtime BBQ, which was very laid back and relaxed. For an aperitif, we served an English sparkling wine, Gusbourne Brut Reserve 2006, Jancis Robinson's top-rated English sparkler. This wine is a classic champagne blend of chardonnay, pinot noir, and pinot meunier. It was pleasant enough - emulating the French-style champagnes but not quite achieving the same kind of yeasty richness or balance of the best of them. That said, it had very good bubbles and made a nice aperitif. It sadly just wasn't very memorable, the kind of thing you drink and say "that was nice" but that you don't feel the need to track down or serve again.
Our friend brought an American bottle of bubbly with him, Beringer Sparkling Zinfandel Rose - which we served for dessert with our mixed berry shortcake. The wine was a great match to the dessert, with a huge, fizzy, in-your-face berry flavour. Like many American sparklers, this was sweeter than the bubbles I usually drink, so I'm not sure I would have liked it on its own. But perfectly chilled, it was a great go-with-dessert wine for the hot weather.
On Monday, we went for a pub lunch with some friends, and then took advantage of the lingering sunshine with a wander through our local park. When we got home, to toast the closing of the holiday weekend, we opened the last of the English sparkling wines we had in the house, Camel Valley Brut 2008. I've had the 2007 vintage before and really liked it, and the 2008 didn't disappoint, either. Unlike the Gusbourne we had drunk the day before, the Camel Valley was a memorable wine. It had wonderful, nectar fruit flavours of apricots, peach, and passion fruit. It also had non-stop bubbles, which lightened the rich flavours. Of the three British sparklers we drank this weekend, this was by-far my favourite. I'm heading over to the Camel Valley website so that I can buy and try some more from this vineyard.
On Sunday, we had some friends over for a lunchtime BBQ, which was very laid back and relaxed. For an aperitif, we served an English sparkling wine, Gusbourne Brut Reserve 2006, Jancis Robinson's top-rated English sparkler. This wine is a classic champagne blend of chardonnay, pinot noir, and pinot meunier. It was pleasant enough - emulating the French-style champagnes but not quite achieving the same kind of yeasty richness or balance of the best of them. That said, it had very good bubbles and made a nice aperitif. It sadly just wasn't very memorable, the kind of thing you drink and say "that was nice" but that you don't feel the need to track down or serve again.
Our friend brought an American bottle of bubbly with him, Beringer Sparkling Zinfandel Rose - which we served for dessert with our mixed berry shortcake. The wine was a great match to the dessert, with a huge, fizzy, in-your-face berry flavour. Like many American sparklers, this was sweeter than the bubbles I usually drink, so I'm not sure I would have liked it on its own. But perfectly chilled, it was a great go-with-dessert wine for the hot weather.
On Monday, we went for a pub lunch with some friends, and then took advantage of the lingering sunshine with a wander through our local park. When we got home, to toast the closing of the holiday weekend, we opened the last of the English sparkling wines we had in the house, Camel Valley Brut 2008. I've had the 2007 vintage before and really liked it, and the 2008 didn't disappoint, either. Unlike the Gusbourne we had drunk the day before, the Camel Valley was a memorable wine. It had wonderful, nectar fruit flavours of apricots, peach, and passion fruit. It also had non-stop bubbles, which lightened the rich flavours. Of the three British sparklers we drank this weekend, this was by-far my favourite. I'm heading over to the Camel Valley website so that I can buy and try some more from this vineyard.
Sunday, 24 April 2011
Great Expectations
I drank a lot of French champagne last year so I'm trying to drink a broader variety of geographies this year. I'm finding it difficult to acquire decent, non-French sparkling wines in the UK, though. Selfridges had a small selection of some of the better-rated (as per Jancis Robinson) British sparkling makers, so I bought a few bottles recently through their website.
Last night, we had BBQ sausages and mash for dinner, one of the ultimate British meals, so we opened a bottle of the British sparkling wine with it - Chapel Down Brut reserve. This wine is made from some unusual grapes, being a blend of Reichensteiner, Rivaner (a white wine grape that I really like), and Pinot Noir. I didn't really like this wine, though. It smelled strongly of yeast and tasted like apple-y beer. My husband was less bothered by it, saying that although it was slightly sweeter than the sparkling wines we tend to drink, it wasn't offensively sweet. Nor was it bitter or sour. While he didn't object to it, he didn't love it, either.
To be fair to Jancis Robinson, she recommended a 2007 vintage from this maker which Selfridges did not have. So I can't fault her recommendation for this wine being less than the one she tasted. But I have to say, based on my experience of this bottle, I wouldn't be keen to try more from Chapel Down.
Last night, we had BBQ sausages and mash for dinner, one of the ultimate British meals, so we opened a bottle of the British sparkling wine with it - Chapel Down Brut reserve. This wine is made from some unusual grapes, being a blend of Reichensteiner, Rivaner (a white wine grape that I really like), and Pinot Noir. I didn't really like this wine, though. It smelled strongly of yeast and tasted like apple-y beer. My husband was less bothered by it, saying that although it was slightly sweeter than the sparkling wines we tend to drink, it wasn't offensively sweet. Nor was it bitter or sour. While he didn't object to it, he didn't love it, either.
To be fair to Jancis Robinson, she recommended a 2007 vintage from this maker which Selfridges did not have. So I can't fault her recommendation for this wine being less than the one she tasted. But I have to say, based on my experience of this bottle, I wouldn't be keen to try more from Chapel Down.
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