Krug Kreperie Pop-Up

KrugKrug Kreperie launched this week and is only available until December 8th. Head to the East Piazza in Covent Garden and there you will find Krug Kreperie.

Try one of Pierre Koffman’s limited edition crepes. Krug Kreperie will be serving up six different crepes, including: three sweet, three savoury, including my favorite apple crumble.

Served in snug French chalet-inspired dining pods, the crepes, of course, come with a flute of Krug Grande Cuvée! Get your skates on because it is only available until 8th December before it heads over to Koffmann’s at The Berkeley until mid-January.

Selfridges Installs World’s First In-Store Champagne Vending Machine

suffLondon’s luxury department store Selfridges recently unveiled the world’s first champagne vending machine, offering its patrons mini bottles of Moet & Chandon for £17.99.

The Moet & Chandon champagne vending machine holds 350 chilled mini bottles, which are described as “Art Deco-inspired crystal minis.”

The vending machine fits the motif of Selfridge’s efforts to create a one-stop destination for luxury gifting, transforming the entire fourth floor of its flagship store on Oxford Street into a Christmas emporium.

Champagne is often marked down in December

dec3You might expect Champagne prices to substantially increase in December, a month when festive gatherings are frequent and excuses to pop open a bottle of bubbly are quite common. No — Champagne is actually one of the best buys in December.

According to the Champagne Bureau, Washington, DC, Champagne prices drop in anticipation of New Year’s Eve. Because champagne is in such high demand at this time of year, retailers try to out-deal each other in an effort to gain more business. Consumers win in this bottle battle.

Champagne Gift Box by Piper-Heidsieck and Baccarat

ch1Piper-Heidsieck has teamed up with French crystal-maker Baccarat to create a $650.00 holiday gift featuring two bottles of vintage champagne and a pair of custom-made flutes.

Set in a red-varnished wood case, the limited edition gift set includes a bottle of 1996 and a bottle of 2006 Vintage Brut, along with two Chateau Baccarat flutes, designed by oenologist Bruno Quenioux.

CANADIAN TRUTH-IN-LABELING VICTORY APPROACHES

ch bureauIn the same way that a Napa wine comes only from Napa Valley, California, Champagne comes only from Champagne, France. As of January 1, 2014, Canada joins the group of nations that put truth-in-labeling first.

This change in the law isolates the United States even more as over 45% of all sparkling wine are still mislabeled “Champagne.” This practice seeks to trade on the good name of another location, as well as mislead consumers. This deception is a problem for all winemakers who seek to differentiate their products by location.

Winemaking regions around the world rely on their place name (or Geographic Indication, or “GI,” as it is referred to in Europe) to differentiate themselves from other winemaking regions. Consumers rely on these names to choose their wine as the name reflects where it comes from, its quality and its specific characteristics.

Champagne produces about 300 million bottles a year, a small percentage of the approximately three billion bottles of sparkling wine that are sold worldwide every year. And producers throughout the world, including the United States, Australia, Italy and Spain, profitably produce and sell millions of bottles of sparkling wine without using the name “Champagne.”

Most countries have robust truth-in-labeling laws that protect consumers from being deceived by requiring the name of a wine’s location be reserved exclusively for the regions where the wine is produced and grown. As of January 1, 2014, Canada will become the latest country to join the global movement in support of robust truth-in-labeling laws on their wine labels.

Most Canadian wine producers stopped using “Champagne” and other wine growing place names (Sherry, Port, etc.) many years ago, but the January 1 milestone will make the change official. Canada will now join the majority of countries around the world – including the European Union, Australia, Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa – that believe when consumers buy a bottle of wine, they should be able to rely on the truthfulness of the bottle’s label.

With Canada’s approaching change in law, there are very few countries which do not adequately protect Champagne’s name. While the United States has yet to ban mislabeled wines that misuse the name Champagne, many quality producers in the United States proudly and successfully use the term “sparkling wine” to describe their wines. We look forward to a time when the U.S. and others joining this growing body of countries which reserve the name Champagne exclusively for wines from Champagne, France.

Source: Champagne Bureau