Category: Champagne

The LIWF Celebrates Its 30th Anniversary In One Week – List of Attending Champagne Houses

One of the world’s most important wine trade events for importers, merchants, producers, agents, restaurateurs, wholesalers, sommeliers, in fact everyone whose work brings them in direct contact with wine and spirits, no other event offers the same opportunity to taste, meet with suppliers and winemakers and get down to business as the LIWF. This year’s event has over 50 tastings, seminars and masterclasses to explore.

LIST OF ATTENDING CHAMPAGNE HOUSES

Champagne Denis Robert, Rosé Brut, NV, Vallée de la Marne
Champagne Hampagne Baron Albert, Carte D’Or Brut, NV
Champagne Baron Albert, Cuvee A.L, Blanc de Blanc Brut, NV,
Champagne Dehu Pere et Fils, Champagne Tradition Brut, NV
Champagne Dehu Pere et Fils, Champagne Grande Reserve Brut, NV
Champagne Dehu Pere et Fils, Champagne Rose Prestige, NV
Champagne Dehu Pere et Fils, Champagne Millesime 1998
Champagne Dehu Pere et Fils, Champagne Cuvee Leon Lhermitte
Champagne Collet, Champagne Collet Brut, NV
Champagne Collet, Champagne Collet Brut GRAND ART, NV
Champagne Collet, Champagne Collet Blanc de Blancs, NV
Champagne Collet, Champagne Collet Brut Rosé, NV
Champagne Collet, Champagne Collet Extra Brut, NV
Champagne Collet, Champagne Collet Brut Millésime, 2002
Champagne Collet, Champagne Collet Demi-Sec, NV
Champagne Jean Comyn, Champagne Harmonie Brut, NV
Champagne Jean Comyn, Champagne Harmonie Rosé Brut, NV, Champagne
Champagne Jean Comyn, Champagne Harmonie Chardonnay Brut, NV
Champagne Jean Comyn, Champagne Symphonie Millésimé Brut, 2004
Champagne Jean Comyn, Champagne Opus Blanc de Blancs Millésimé Brut, 2004

THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL WINE FAIR IS STRICTLY TRADE ONLY

ExCel, London

Wine Fair Opening Times:

Tues 18th May
9.30 – 18.00
Weds 19th May
9.30 – 18.00
Thurs 20th May
9.30 – 17.00

Bud break In Champagne-Ardenne (Aube)

A new cycle is under way – the vines are budding vigorously. The winter has been long and cold, with a very short spring this year. The current weather is more summer-related, and the sudden growth of the vegetation is exceptional – local growers believe unprecedented!

To date, there has been no frost this year and it looks like it will hold off – the traditional wait is May 11, 12 or 13 (days renowned for potential frost – Saints de Glace).

The buds look like brilliant green butterflies on the vines. The clusters are beginning to appear and the campaign of protection against mildew will be commencing soon…..a new cycle is under way….

Photography by Ryan Ebner

Top Five Airport Lounges

Cathay Pacific’s “The Wing” at Hong Kong International Airport, Hong Kong

43,000-square-foot open-air space; private cabins with bed and shower; full-service day spa; complimentary WiFi; four restaurants, and a library.

British Airways First Class Concorde Room at Heathrow Airport, England

Full-service lounge with Swarovski crystal chandeliers; members-only personal concierge; Elemis Spa; a champagne bar and private cabanas-hotel-style rooms with a day bed, and en-suite bathroom.

Air France l’Espace Premiere Lounge at Charles de Gaulle International Airport, France

Clarins massages, a business center; and a complementary champagne; prior to departure, members make their way to their plane by chauffeured Mercedes.

Lufthansa First Class Lounges at Frankfurt Airport, Germany

Upscale spa with exotic treatments; “quiet rooms” with enclosed leather day beds and Bang and Olufsen music systems; a cigar lounge and six shower rooms. Members make their way to their plane in a Porsche Cayenne.


Qatar Airways Premium Terminals at Doha International Airport, Qatar

Members are greeted by a porter who will take their bags; free nanny service and Wii consoles are available; full spa services are available and Qatar Airways provides secretarial services.

THE NEXT FOOD TREND: Veuve Clicquot Eclairs

2009 was the year of the cupcake – 2010 is shaping up to be the year of the eclair.

But before you start salivating about the simple delights of choux pastry, lashings of fresh cream and icing, this year’s variation comes with a very controversial twist.

Yes, among the cake cognoscenti, eclairs have gone savoury.
Chocolate eclairs are out, and are being replaced by savoury incarnations

Passé: Chocolate eclairs are out, and are being replaced by savoury incarnations

Forget chocolate and cream. This year’s most fashionable eclairs are filled with creamy ricotta cheese and basil, and crab and crème fraîche. One trendy London hotel even serves a Veuve Clicquot eclair, which comes with a complimentary glass of champagne.

The French may have invented the eclair in the 19th century, but it is a British boutique hotel, The Arch in Marylebone, central London, which is at the very heart of the eclair revolution. For it is here that many of the most outlandish savoury eclairs are served to fashionable ‘ladies who lunch’.

Early reviews suggest experts are split: some are in awe of the new concoctions, while others remain rather unconvinced, especially by the foie gras and Sauternes creation.

But few can deny the hotel setting is a massive improvement on your average cake shop.

The Arch serves the eclairs in its stylish Martini Bar, giving the chattering cocktail crowd something controversial to chew over.

’90 Dom Pérignon Rosé Œnothèque Pairs With Riedel Pinot Noir Vinum XL

Glasses are definitely a key part of wine tasting. Finding the right glass for each individual wine could well be the hobby of many wine geeks, still for me it is also crucial to provide the best possible experience to Dom Pérignon lovers. I have always had a friendly relationship with Georg Riedel, born of our mutual esteem. The Riedel family business, established in 1756 in Bohemia, is known worldwide for its high-quality crystal glasses: their Burgundy Grand Cru crystal glass, handmade and mouth-blown, is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Last August I had the visit of Maximilian Riedel (Georg’s son, representing the 11th generation of the family in the glass business) who came to me with a large selection of stemware: our aim that day was to find the perfect glass for Dom Pérignon Rosé, a glass that would do justice to the wine by presenting it in the best conditions for appreciation. It would have been possible to create a specific glass for this Champagne, but I preferred to choose from the existing collection. At the time I also had the upcoming 1990 Dom Pérignon Rosé Œnothèque in mind. I settled on the Pinot Noir Vinum XL, which is not so surprising given the assertive Pinot Noir character of Dom Pérignon Rosé. This fantastic glass really shows the wine in an uncompromising way, especially on the palate.

The first aspect that grabbed our attention was the intensity of the nose and how the wine could breathe in the glass. Second, I felt it put the fruit right at the center of the tasting experience without compromising the complexity of the aromas. Third, it rendered the right expression on the palate, especially the amplitude and texture, both of them fundamental qualities of Dom Pérignon. And incidentally, I could only appreciate the lyre shape of this glass that resonates with the Oriental theme of the Silk Road dinners!

Richard Geoffroy
of Dom Pérignon