Champagne

Champagne is a sparkling wine made in the Champagne (AOC) region of France. Some of the most famous wineries in the world are located there. They deserve their fame for consistently producing some of the most ethereal wines anywhere. These wines can be expensive so it is important to have a strategy in mind when making purchases. To learn the history of Champagne, the region and the developments in Champagne, please see Part One of this series. One issue with buying Champagne is storage. Champagne is delicate and improper storage can easily hurt the wine. When a consumer sees a bottle either in a store or on a restaurant’s list, how do they know what condition the bottle is in. Of course, in a restaurant setting, the patron, if they have enough confidence, can send the bottle back, although that is not always easy to do.

Very few wines are as universally known as Champagne. While a wine lover may certainly know the names of Napa, Bordeaux, Burgundy, or even Chianti, even the most ardent teetotaler surely recognizes the name Champagne. Champagne is a wine that is intertwined with history and at least the last 300 years of civilization.

Champagne 2003 86 D 2002 94 D/H 2001 86 D 2000 88 D 1999 89 D/H 1998 90 D/H 1997 89 D 1996 97 D/H 1995 93 D 1993 88 D 1992 90 D 1991 89 D 1990 94 D 1989 93 D 1988 94 D 1986 88 D 1985 88 D 1978 91 D Vintage Charts should be used for a generalized guide in lieu of specific knowledge about a bottle or...

I was four years old when I had my first clue that you could pair food and wine for anyone at any meal, and I was lucky enough to learn this from a master. It was many years ago, and we were the quintessential All American Family: Mom, Dad, and two tow headed kids piled into our car on a tour through France, discovering the joys of French food, wine and culture. Find bargains on Vintage Champagne One bright spring day in the Champagne region, we visited the Pol Roger Chateau in Épernay. As we entered the sunlit foyer, an impossibly elegant woman in Chanel greeted us. She spoke for a few moments on the phone: “The Americans are here”

Bollinger — The Champagne Of James Bond In GoldenEye James Bond, legendary hero of fiction and film, is devoted to the Crown and to his cup of Bollinger Champagne. Just as Bollinger has been awarded the Royal Warrant by seven British monarchs since 1884, so has Bond pledged his loyalty to Bollinger. For more than four decades - since Ian Fleming penned his first James Bond, Agent 007 thriller in 1953 - Bond has enjoyed his Bollinger Champagne.

Most champagne is made and sold by Champagne houses or négociants-manipulants. Not named after vineyards as in other winegrowing regions of France, they are known by commercial names. By far the most powerful of these is Moët & Chandon, which accounts for almost twenty-five percent of all export sales. Moët & Chandon is owned by the giant L.V.M.H. (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy) which also owns Pommery and Veuve Clicquot. Combined, these four houses represent almost 50% of the export market. Find Bargains on Vintage Champagne The other major conglomerates in Champagne are the Canadian Seagram Group and Rémy-Martin. Seagram is a majority stockholder in Mumm which also owns Perrier-Jouët, Heidsieck Monopole. Rémy-Martin owns a major position in Krug (one of Champagnes consistently fine wines) and bought Charles Heidsieck and Piper Heidsieck in the late 80's.

Serving champagne with style — removing the cork quietly, cooling the wine to right temperature, and to keep it in the glass and off your guests — is not a natural gift. It requires a little dexterity, concentration, and a good dose of practice.

The heart of the Champagne region lies 90 miles (145km) northeast of Paris near the Belgian border. It is generally divided into three parts – the Montagne de Reims, the Vallée de la Marne and the Côte des Blancs. The Aube, 70 miles to the southeast, is important for wines they produce that go into many of the nonvintage blends of the major champagne houses. Of the regions 75,000 acres of vineyards, most and the greatest vineyards of Champagne, are planted in the département of the Marne. The vineyards are not owned by great landowners but by thousands of growers, often working part-time.

Champagne has launched thousands of ships, toasted billions of weddings and special occasions, flutes attended countless parties, and shared untold special moments between two people. Champagne is the wine of celebration. No other wine is so associated with joy and festivity. Its meaning and appeal are universal. Champagne makes the young sages and the old young again.