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To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of James Bond creator Ian Fleming, each Champagne house has sponsored an event in London.
And this revisits old battles, as Taittinger was the favourite of Bond in the books, but Bollinger has long been the screen spy's tipple.
The official list is to be published in the next 10 to 15 days.
The majority of new communes are in the Marne department, one of the original 'départements' created in March 1790, during the French Revolution.
Russia has joined the exclusive club of countries that drink over a million bottles of Champagne a year.
If you've ever had the slightest drop of curiosity about how it feels to ring in the new year
with a top-of-the-line Champagne, now would be a good time to rob your piggy bank and head to the wine store. It might pain you to fork over $100 or more for that bottle of bubbly, but chances are it will seem like a bargain at this time next year.
The name's Champagne. Rosé Champagne. Not impressed? Think I sound a little — I don’t know, effete? Even marginal? Well, guess again.
In 2006 more than 1.9 million bottles of rosé Champagne — that’s me! — were exported from France to the United States. In 1995 it was a mere 227,336 bottles, according to Office of Champagne, USA, a trade organization.
While other brands have become
associated with the "bling" culture of rappers, the House of Krug
continues to cultivate an image of understated elegance.
Global Demand Challenges French Wine
Producers Who Are Limited in Production
Who's got the most thankless job in the wine world? It may well be Richard Geoffroy, who is the head winemaker for Dom Pérignon, the world's most recognizable premium Champagne brand.
East of Paris, about one and a half hours by road and one hour by train, chalk hills rise above a flat plain. Topped by dense forest, the slopes of these hills are covered with the northernmost vineyards in France. In ancient villages with solid, square churches, wine producers lie hidden in courtyards. Underground, vast cellars house millions of bottles resting in the darkness.
This is Champagne, home of the most famous wine produced in France—probably in the world.
Pernod Ricard is set to knock Cristal, Krug and Dom Perignon off their perches as the world's most expensive luxury fizz.
"I’ve always loved Champagne. Not just to drink, of course, or to cook with, but to visit. Seeing those vineyards spread like patchwork picnic blankets over the hills around Reims and Epernay never fails to lift my spirits."
"By refusing to depart from traditional methods, a French winemaker has relegated itself to comparative obscurity. Martin Filler raises a glass to keeping a low profile."
Taittinger, the family-owned luxury Champagne house, looks set to change
hands as part of a huge sell-out of the family's luxury holdings.
Grower champagnes are made by vintners who grow their own grapes, make their own wine and bottle it
under their own name. This is how much of the wine world works, but not in Champagne. The big houses are putting out millions of bottles a year. The only
way they can meet such production numbers is to buy grapes or even wine from other people.
Prestige and vintage Champagnes are coveted the
world over. Is it worth passing over nonvintage bottlings and shelling out
big bucks for big-name cuvées?
Champagne Moutard is about to release the first
blend of all six permitted Champagne grape varieties for over 100 years.
If the Bernard Pivot question, "What is your favorite sound?" were ever put to me, I think I'd have to say the pop of a Champagne cork.
"Wine editor Lettie Teague knew she could make her husband love rosé
Champagne. But she didn't know it would take sausage and smoked
salmon to
do it."
Single-grower Champagnes are hot—and you don’t need to be a Wall Street tycoon to afford them.
Sandwiched between Alsace-Lorraine and Paris, you can visit the Champagne region easily as a day trip from Paris, but there is plenty to do in the area that would merit a longer stay as well.
Forget what you’ve been taught about older Champagne losing its fizz; in reality, aged Champagne is often exquisite.
What better apéritif than a glass of Champagne? It sets off dinner with a decided touch of class.
The only question is, which Champagne? The answer, out of the hundreds of possibilities, is of great concern to those who serve it.
At Krug and Bollinger, champagne is wine first and foremost.
An article about six small producers receiving significant
international recognition.
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