Prior to fizz in champagne arriving late 18th century, the Champagne region was making nine bottles of non-sparkling win for every single bottle of fizz. Thomas Jefferson preferred the still version of champagne to sparkling.
Everyday wines are very much a budget/quality/preference equation and you should always ensure you have sufficient of these available. Pointy end wines are those for special occasions and family events. These are the wines you want to be good for your cellar or wine fridge.
It is that time of year, again, when we make promises to review the cellar, weed out the excess, put plans in place to ensure we add top wines from great vintages for future enjoyment and perhaps, most importantly, identify some bottles to enjoy.
When one of the world’s leading wine critics names a non-vintage champagne as their Wine of the Year (not just Champagne of the Year), then it is worth a look, especially in competition with 36,000 other wines. The wine is Laurent-Perrier’s Grand Siècle No 26.
One of the wines Ken Gargett brought to a recent wine tasting with friends was a sherry, the Equipo Navazos La Bota de Manzanilla Pasada No 80, Bota Punta. Some among you will have no doubt that such a wine demands Grand Cru status, while others will be horrified at the thought. And so it was at the dinner. But let’s just talk about sherry for a moment, shall we?
Jack Teeling explains, “With our new Explorers Series 15 Year Old Japanese Edition, we have pushed the boundaries of Irish Whiskey by incorporating elements of Japanese craft spirits.
Regular readers will be aware that Ken Gargett is a great fan of quality sherry. For some, the mere mention of Sherry will bring a thrill; for others, rolling of the eyes and shaking of the head. It really is a love it or hate it style. And this one is something seriously different.
A Belgian making Scotch in France. Sounds a bit like a riddle, but it is not. In recent years, the whiskies of Michel Couvreur have taken hold in the consciousness of malt fans, but it was not always that way.
Some years ago, the American wine critic, Robert Parker, dubbed Henri Giraud as “the greatest Champagne you’ve never heard of”. Ken Gargett takes a closer look.
As with every aspect of our lives, the world of wine and spirits is heavily regulated. Growing grapes, making the stuff, distilling, selling, even (perhaps especially) drinking it. Here Ken Gargett takes a light-hearted look at some of the newer and crazier laws and regulations around the world.