Heidsieck Monopole Gout American 1907 is the world’s most expensive champagne. This is the famous “shipwreck champagne” and it has a truly extraordinary story to tell, much more interesting than simply the prices it has achieved.
The first description Ken Gargett ever heard of the durian fruit was that it was like “eating custard over an open sewer”. He never forgot that . . . but it made him curious. He he reveals why despite its obnoxious odor, durian is considered by many as ‘The King of Fruits.’
In Ken Gargett’s opinion, El Dorado rums from Guyana are superb, and compared to what one might find at similar prices for whiskies and cognacs, they remain incredible bargains.
While the Appleton Estate distillery in Jamacia has a reputation of the highest order for quality rums, for Ken Gargett, the sweet spot has long been their 21-Year-Old.
For champagne lovers, Ken Gargett recommends taking a look at the Lallier range. You might not be getting in right on the ground floor, but awfully close. And you’ll never regret it.
In Ken Gargett’s opinion, Billecart-Salmon’s Cuvee Nicolas François is a great champagne, whatever the vintage, but from 2008, it is transcendent. The champagne is of a gleaming appearance, like cut crystal. One sniff and it is obvious we are dealing with something that is wonderfully complex, elegant, still fresh and impeccably balanced.
Happy New Year to all and many thanks for your support and comments throughout 2023. Before we head off into 2024, and the chaos that it promises, a few ‘Best Of’ selections from the past 12 months.
There is one wine book that every wine lover, from the most recent beginner to seasoned professional, simply must have. ‘The Oxford Companion to Wine’, edited by Jancis Robinson MW. The first edition came out almost thirty years ago. There was nothing like it. Still isn’t.
‘Modern Caribbean Rum’. has already been dubbed the bible on the subject. The first thing you are going to notice about this book is its size. It is massive!
Mascarello is an Italian wine producer family that adheres to the old ways. Apparently, there is no email nor website (I certainly could not find one), and until 1990 they did not even have a phone. However, there are many who believe that Maria Teresa (granddaughter of founder Giulio Mascarello) has taken the wines to unprecedented heights. After a recent visit to the winery in Italy, Ken Gargett is one of them.