Grand Vin Wine Merchants UK | Blog

I thought I knew about Champagne but a two day trip to the region this week changed my whole perception.   After two decades of working with wine, I had never before visited Champagne but what better way to rectify that than with appointments at Ruinart and Krug.    At Ruinart, we were warmly welcomed into Champagne's oldest house.   Dom Ruinart was a contemporary and acquaintance of the man credited with creating the first Champagne, Dom Perignon.   Our visit started with a tour of one of their three levels of underground crayères.   As we descended their depths, the drop in temperature was profound. Upon entering the first chamber, words failed me; to call this awe-inspiring would be a gross understatement.   The vast chambers have shafts reaching vertically towards the surface far above, often exiting in someone’s back garden; therefore the tunnels are owned quite independently of whoever owns the property or land above. Resurfacing,...

Early reports are of a reduced crop in Champagne in 2012. The changeable and challenging conditions of 2012 (the year that summer forgot) made for significant attacks of mildew, and uneven ripening in the Pinots in particular. Strict selection was essential. Average yields are estimated to be down about 25%. So far, pronouncements on overall quality are circumspect. The attention is on the small crop. You might wonder whether it matters that much. Surely the world is not clamouring for Champagne at the moment. What about the recession? In fact, Champagne exports are rising again, after steep declines in 2008 and 2009. According to figures from the CIVC (the inter professional body for Champagne) 2011 saw the best export figures since the record breaking year of 2007. The rapid growth in desire for Champagne in emerging markets grabs the headlines, and imagination.  At a recent Acker Merril auction in Hong Kong, 47 World record prices were set for Champagnes, of which 12 w...

Above: Dom Perignon 2003: a wolf in the forest, a sword in the stone, or just generally brooding 'neath the tree canopy? Wine stimulates more than just taste buds. Its symbolic and aesthetic attributes have long been embraced by priests and the powerful. Great wine is both an escape and an evocation. Champagne houses are not the only wine producers to understand and exploit this power (Bordeaux châteaux are increasingly adopting the techniques of luxury marketing), but they were certainly among the first. The Dom Perignon 2003 tastings in London last week were a fine example of the gloss a ‘luxury’ sensitivity can bring to the dear old UK wine trade, at least. The build up set a tone of exclusivity and mystique. Invitees received personal invitations (no group email) to a timed “1.5 hour experience” with Richard Geoffroy, Chef de Caves and “Creator of Vintages”. Details of the venue and experience would be sent once I had confirmed. How could anyone resist such intrigue? Behind ...