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What I look for in bubbly is nice small bubbles, a great taste and good value. Good value doesn’t necessarily mean cheap as the more you become exposed to good wines, the more expensive your tastes become. I am suggesting below a number of great bubblies to suit all but the smallest budgets.
What to buy in the UK
In the UK one of the best basic bubblies is from New Zealand and comes from the drinks giant Pernod Ricard. When I first started drinking it, many years ago it was called Montana. I am of course referring to Lindauer Brut Sparkling, which is easily available in many supermarkets and wine shops. For me it has a lovely creaminess given to it by the addition of Chenin Blanc grapes alongside the Champagne classics of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. It is thus similar to a number of sparkling wines from the Loire Valley such as Vouvray or Crémant de Loire. For me this a very good value wine, well under £10, that out performs many more expensive wines. I prefer their basic Brut to the slightly more expensive Special Brut, which is a blush wine.
Buying in France
This is a time of the year when many people in the UK pop over to France to get their Christmas party drinks. If you do make the trip, be sure to pick up some of the very reasonably-priced regional sparkling wines as they are much better buys than some bigger named Champagnes. I have often seen Brits buying up huge quantities of Mercier, which I feel is frankly not that good. I have already mentioned the excellent Crémant de Loire and sparkling Vouvrays which are less expensive and far tastier. Amongst other regional bubblies I would recommend Crémant d’Alsace and Crémant de Bourgogne, which are some of our favourites. For something a bit different you could also try Blanquette de Limoux or if you want something sweeter a Clairette de Die.
If you’re going to France, where should you go to buy wines? I find Auchan quite a good French hypermarket but also try Carrefour, Monoprix and Leclerc for variety. If you don’t know what to buy look out for the Guide Hachette neck labels or a Concours Médaille d’Or sticker – they are not a guarantee but are an indication of quality and make choice easier. Also take a pocket guide such as “Hugh Johnson’s Pocket wine book” with you. I also recommend you read Robert Joseph’s excellent “French Wines” in the Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Companions series. Also read and learn regularly from my wine blog!!!
An Italian alternative
For those of you buying your Christmas wines in the UK, at a recent wine tasting we served a really excellent Luna Argenta Brut Prosecco from Laithwaites at about £10 a bottle which was beautifully dry rather than some of the slightly sweeter ones you often encounter. Prosecco comes from Italy, mainly around the Venice area; the name Prosecco actually refers to the grape variety rather than a style or region. It went beautifully with some Baccalà Mantecato, also called Brandade de Morue or creamed salt cod (look it up on the web or buy "Francesco’s Kitchen" by Francesco da Mosto).
Champagnes
Going up the price scale, many supermarket branded champagnes represent excellent value, so don’t be put off by buying Tesco or Waitrose rather than Mumm or Perrier-Jouet – it will probably taste better ! My supermarket favourite is Tesco’s Blanc de Noirs Champagne that is made from just black grapes i.e. Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier rather than also being blended with Chardonnay. This gives it a more “adult” taste akin to some of the great champagnes such as Bollinger and Krug (although obviously not exactly in the class of these two brands).
Amongst the more reasonably priced branded champagnes I have tasted this year, I have enjoyed those of Alain Bailly, Jacqueson, Voirin-Jumel, Tsarine, Esterlin and Allouchery-Perseval which we bought in France. I also tend to like the champagnes of Veuve Cliquot, perhaps because they are not quite as dry as some – the French would call this a Lady’s champagne!
Going up the price range even more, I am gradually becoming a really big fan of Billecart-Salmon both the white and the rosé. You really should try the wines from this house.
What to buy in the UK
In the UK one of the best basic bubblies is from New Zealand and comes from the drinks giant Pernod Ricard. When I first started drinking it, many years ago it was called Montana. I am of course referring to Lindauer Brut Sparkling, which is easily available in many supermarkets and wine shops. For me it has a lovely creaminess given to it by the addition of Chenin Blanc grapes alongside the Champagne classics of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. It is thus similar to a number of sparkling wines from the Loire Valley such as Vouvray or Crémant de Loire. For me this a very good value wine, well under £10, that out performs many more expensive wines. I prefer their basic Brut to the slightly more expensive Special Brut, which is a blush wine.
Buying in France
This is a time of the year when many people in the UK pop over to France to get their Christmas party drinks. If you do make the trip, be sure to pick up some of the very reasonably-priced regional sparkling wines as they are much better buys than some bigger named Champagnes. I have often seen Brits buying up huge quantities of Mercier, which I feel is frankly not that good. I have already mentioned the excellent Crémant de Loire and sparkling Vouvrays which are less expensive and far tastier. Amongst other regional bubblies I would recommend Crémant d’Alsace and Crémant de Bourgogne, which are some of our favourites. For something a bit different you could also try Blanquette de Limoux or if you want something sweeter a Clairette de Die.
If you’re going to France, where should you go to buy wines? I find Auchan quite a good French hypermarket but also try Carrefour, Monoprix and Leclerc for variety. If you don’t know what to buy look out for the Guide Hachette neck labels or a Concours Médaille d’Or sticker – they are not a guarantee but are an indication of quality and make choice easier. Also take a pocket guide such as “Hugh Johnson’s Pocket wine book” with you. I also recommend you read Robert Joseph’s excellent “French Wines” in the Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Companions series. Also read and learn regularly from my wine blog!!!
An Italian alternative
For those of you buying your Christmas wines in the UK, at a recent wine tasting we served a really excellent Luna Argenta Brut Prosecco from Laithwaites at about £10 a bottle which was beautifully dry rather than some of the slightly sweeter ones you often encounter. Prosecco comes from Italy, mainly around the Venice area; the name Prosecco actually refers to the grape variety rather than a style or region. It went beautifully with some Baccalà Mantecato, also called Brandade de Morue or creamed salt cod (look it up on the web or buy "Francesco’s Kitchen" by Francesco da Mosto).
Champagnes
Going up the price scale, many supermarket branded champagnes represent excellent value, so don’t be put off by buying Tesco or Waitrose rather than Mumm or Perrier-Jouet – it will probably taste better ! My supermarket favourite is Tesco’s Blanc de Noirs Champagne that is made from just black grapes i.e. Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier rather than also being blended with Chardonnay. This gives it a more “adult” taste akin to some of the great champagnes such as Bollinger and Krug (although obviously not exactly in the class of these two brands).
Amongst the more reasonably priced branded champagnes I have tasted this year, I have enjoyed those of Alain Bailly, Jacqueson, Voirin-Jumel, Tsarine, Esterlin and Allouchery-Perseval which we bought in France. I also tend to like the champagnes of Veuve Cliquot, perhaps because they are not quite as dry as some – the French would call this a Lady’s champagne!
Going up the price range even more, I am gradually becoming a really big fan of Billecart-Salmon both the white and the rosé. You really should try the wines from this house.
My favourite Champagne is that of Ployez-Jacquemart. This is a small house that makes mainly vintage champagnes rather than concentrating on blending non-vintage cuvées. To buy their wines you might need to visit their Château in Ludes or a real specialist retailer in the UK. I would recommend the Vintage 2000 Brut, the Vintage 1997 Blanc de Blancs and especially the Vintage 1998 L. d’Harbonville which is made from grapes picked from Premier Cru vineyards. Their champagnes are medium weight, dry and absolutely delicious. If you do visit their Chateau, make sure to stay a night there as they offer bed and breakfast. See http://www.ployez-jacquemart.fr/ They also, by prior arrangement, can offer champagne tasting dinners that are a real treat in life not to be missed – great home cooking from Laurence Ployez who runs the Champagne house accompanied by a fabulous assortment of her Champagnes.
