Comité Champagne launches (free) online course for trade professionals

The platform www.champagne-mooc.com offers insights designed for trade professionals who want to improve their knowledge of presenting, tasting, and selling Champagne. There are two versions available: the Classic Version and the Premium Version.  The courses are aimed at sommeliers, wine merchants, buyers, and sales representatives.

The Classic version, which is free, provides access to four educational modules: the Champagne making process; the Champagne terroir; the history and economy of Champagne; and diversity and tasting.

The Premium version costs E49 and has the same four education modules offered on the Classic course,  with additional content including extra videos, a test to assess the delegate’s knowledge, and the option to receive an official statement of completion.

The total course runs for less than five hours and the platform is available 7/24, with the option to start and pause at any time. The platform is available in both French and English with the possibility of subtitles in German, English, Chines, Spanish, Italian, Japanese and Russian.

Champagne Drappier and Royal Wine Corp. Announce a Joint Venture to Launch First Ever Kosher Champagne

Royal Wine Corp., the largest importer and distributor of kosher wines in North America, and Champagne Drappier, the highly-regarded Champagne house have recently formed a joint venture to import and distribute the first-ever kosher cuvees from the famed Champagne region.

Royal Wine Corp.’s travelling winemaker Pierre Miodownick participated in the vinification of the two kosher cuvee’s, a project several years in the making. The release is set to take place for the upcoming Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah).

The two Champagnes to be released are:

Carte-D’Or Brut – blended with the traditional Champagne grapes: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier, it possesses aromas of white peaches and cherries while providing aromatics typical of a rosé Champagne though the appearance of a blanc; and

Carte Blanche – a blend made exclusively from the first pressing, fresh and fruit forward, considered to be a great “party wine” by the region.

Established in Urville, Cote des Bars, Aube since 1908, the Drappier family today grow and harvest a 75 hectare (99-acre) estate. Charles de Gaulle adorned his cellars with Drappier’s most famous cuvees. Planted by the Gallo Romans circa 1 AD, the vineyard was one of the first to be improved by the Cistercians of the Clairvaux Abbey.

Drappier is the largest champagne house in the Aube region and produces approximately 1.6 million bottles a year. Said Michel Drappier: “We are thrilled to be able to expose our hand-crafted Champagnes to a new kosher audience.”

Nathan Herzog, Executive Vice President of Royal Wine Corp. added: “As the industry leader in kosher wine, we take pride in producing and distributing the finest kosher wines. We are excited to include the Champagne house of Drappier’s stature to our select portfolio.”

Champagne Drappier
Address: Rue des Vignes, 10200 Urville
Tel: 03 25 27 40 15
Email: info@champagne-drappier.com
Web: www.champagne-drappier.com

Royal Wine Corp.
Address: 63 Lefante Lane PO Box 17, Bayonne, NJ 07002
Tel: 201.535.9006
Fax: 718.388.8444
Email: esegal@royalwines.com
Website: http://www.royalwines.com

Liz Palmer – Wine and Travel Writer
Member of the Circle of Wine Writers (UK)
Distinguished Member of The Wine Century Club
http://about.me/lizpalmer
http://lizpalmer.wordpress.com
www.boutiquechampagnehouses.com
http://twitter.com/champagnehouses

~ Champagne Outing In Style ~ With Five Sommeliers and One Apprentissage Sommelier

As a practising (and practical) Sommelier, it has long been a rule of mine to confine my examination of fine wines to dry land only, citing the importance of dexterity and balance; in other words avoiding, for instance, tasting delicate, delicious Champagnes on a 38-foot sailboat stationed several hundred metres off the coast of Lake Ontario. And yet, this is precisely what I undertook recently on the brilliant watercraft of avid boaters Liz Palmer, Wine Writer and Apprentissage Sommelier, with partner Robert Roland (jazz piano extraordinaire), both active affiliates of Port Credit Yacht Club, soon to play host to a multitude of fine wine tastings for its members. Also in attendance were fellow sommeliers Kate Hatherly, Richard Wah Kan, and Wanda Wang.

Of my hosts, let me just say that they are experts in combining the pleasures of wine and sailing with remarkable contentment — I believe the phrase “This Is the Life” was uttered on more than one occasion during my time aboard. Boarding Déjà Vu on a sunny thirty-degree afternoon, I was first treated with a refreshing serving of J’adore Tiffany Champagne Cocktail™ a creation of Liz’s own making, comprising one-thirds Champagne, mango juice, and pink lemonade. Delicious, refreshing, and strongly mango-flavoured, these were served in unusual conical-shaped glasses, which Liz had procured on her most recent expedition to Paris, from the Eiffel Tower.

The Champagnes:

Casting off and sailing out onto the water, we first partook of a lovely half-bottle of Chassenay d’Arce Brut NV ‘Sélection’ (89+/100, priced well under 20 Euros), comprising 90% Pinot Noir and 10% Chardonnay, sourced from the Aube winegrowing region of Champagne: revealing lovely scents of delicate toasted biscuits, lemon, pears, dried nuts, and spice; complex and elegant, though definitely lighter-styled. Quite interestingly, the claim to fame for this smaller-scaled house is its participation with various famous artistic establishments (including the Louvre) in organizing wine-and-art events. Usually, when one hears about such activities, one tends to think of Veuve Clicquot or Moët & Chandon, not the smaller houses – a real coup if you ask me.

Our second Champagne was the exceptional Drappier Brut Vintage 2002 ‘Millésime Exception’ (93/100, approx. 90 Euros), comprising 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay: starbright, pale straw colour, offering incredible scents of fresh toast and biscuits, switching to pears, hazelnuts, lemon, green apples, brioche, and spice; extremely complex, stylish, moussy, and crisp; disgorged in March, 2010.

The Accompaniments:

With such marvellous Champagnes, Liz and Rob were wholly up to the task of providing a wide array of delightful food accompaniments for the afternoon. On her latest visit to Champagne, Liz had been able to procure a lovely packet of authentic ‘Roses de Reims Biscuits’ Champagne biscuits, used primarily as a palate-restorative by the locals whenever they partake of some bubbly. Combined with an exquisite helping of locally: (Champagne) crafted pork liver pâté, cheeses, crackers, and Californian berries (where else?), it was assuredly clear that all things edible only served to enhance what was truly a lovely Champagne-and-sailing outing … utterly worthy of mention in the inaugural column of ‘Wine Waves’ and GAM on Yachting.

Julian Hitner and Liz Palmer

Champagne Outing ‘In Style’ with four Sommeliers, one Apprentissage Sommelier and one Jazz Pianist

As a practising (and practical) Sommelier, it has long been a rule of mine to confine my examination of fine wines to dry land only, citing the importance of dexterity and balance; in other words avoiding, for instance, tasting delicate, delicious Champagnes on a 38-foot sailboat stationed several hundred metres off the coast of Lake Ontario. And yet, this is precisely what I undertook recently on the brilliant watercraft of avid boaters Liz Palmer, Wine Writer and Apprentissage Sommelier, with partner Robert Roland (jazz piano extraordinaire), both active affiliates of Port Credit Yacht Club, soon to play host to a multitude of fine wine tastings for its members. Also in attendance were fellow sommeliers Kate Hatherly, Richard Wah Kan, and Wanda Wang.

Of my hosts, let me just say that they are experts in combining the pleasures of wine and sailing with remarkable contentment — I believe the phrase “This Is the Life” was uttered on more than one occasion during my time aboard. Boarding Déjà Vu on a sunny thirty-degree afternoon, I was first treated with a refreshing serving of J’adore Tiffany Champagne Cocktail™ a creation of Liz’s own making, comprising one-thirds Champagne, mango juice, and pink lemonade. Delicious, refreshing, and strongly mango-flavoured, these were served in unusual conical-shaped glasses, which Liz had procured on her most recent expedition to Paris, from the Eiffel Tower.

The Champagnes:

Casting off and sailing out onto the water, we first partook of a lovely half-bottle of Chassenay d’Arce Brut NV ‘Sélection’ (89+/100, priced well under 20 Euros), comprising 90% Pinot Noir and 10% Chardonnay, sourced from the Aube winegrowing region of Champagne: revealing lovely scents of delicate toasted biscuits, lemon, pears, dried nuts, and spice; complex and elegant, though definitely lighter-styled. Quite interestingly, the claim to fame for this smaller-scaled house is its participation with various famous artistic establishments (including the Louvre) in organizing wine-and-art events. Usually, when one hears about such activities, one tends to think of Veuve Clicquot or Moët & Chandon, not the smaller houses – a real coup if you ask me.

Our second Champagne was the exceptional Drappier Brut Vintage 2002 ‘Millésime Exception’ (93/100, approx. 90 Euros), comprising 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay: starbright, pale straw colour, offering incredible scents of fresh toast and biscuits, switching to pears, hazelnuts, lemon, green apples, brioche, and spice; extremely complex, stylish, moussy, and crisp; disgorged in March, 2010.

The Accompaniments:

With such marvelous Champagnes, Liz and Rob were wholly up to the task of providing a wide array of delightful food accompaniments for the afternoon. On her latest visit to Champagne, Liz had been able to procure a lovely packet of authentic ‘Roses de Reims Biscuits’ Champagne biscuits, used primarily as a palate-restorative by the locals whenever they partake of some bubbly. Combined with an exquisite helping of locally: (Champagne) crafted pork liver pâté, cheeses, crackers, and Californian berries (where else?), it was assuredly clear that all things edible only served to enhance what was truly a lovely Champagne-and-sailing outing … utterly worthy of mention in the inaugural column of ‘Wine Waves’.

Julian Hitner, Sommelier

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