Summery and bright and dryer than many Proseccos, this lip-smackingly delicious wine from Dal Bello is just as delicious on its own as it is utilised in a classic Bellini. Only 11% in alcohol, too, so slimming never tasted so good.
The biggest and best name in Sparkling Saumur, this wine is made from Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay and it does a sterling job at parties and when mixed to make cocktails. Once owned by Taittinger this outfit is very professional and at this price they are world class. The rose is made from Cabernet Franc, which is pretty unusual and I find it an improbable but delicious match with Indian food!
With beguiling richness and structure this is a powerful and brooding fizz and yet it’s incredibly affordable. The exuberance and effort in the glass is incredible and for that reason it is our preferred party fizz, particularly if you are eating robust canapés.
A new find for us and a wine that sings from the rooftops with its classy aromas and flavours. Michel Forget is based in the town of Ludes, in the Montagne de Reims, and he has some superb vineyard sites, specialising in the two red grapes of Champagne, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. This Premier Cru Brut has only a dribble of Chardonnay making up the numbers and it is a lighter wine than Ayala, but more elegant than Greno, with an orchard blossom nose and superb linear acidity.
Forget’s rose is the finest value rose we have ever tasted at Q Wine. Long time fans of this style, it seems that prices have gone mental of late and thank goodness Forget has kept its feet on the ground. With a beautiful, pale hue and delicate wild strawberry nose, this is a sensational wine and one which we are going to make it our duty to get into every fridge door of every Q Wine member!
This is one of our ‘house’ Champagnes and a thing of great beauty. Made from 100% Chardonnay in the tiny village of Trépail, it is a dry, elegant and invigorating wine that beats better known, more expensive fizzes hands down.
This is perhaps one of the Champagne’s that we are most proud of, principally because it is made especially for us. We asked Ayala five years ago if they could age their basic Brut for us for nine months more than normal – as that’s how we like it. They said yes, and the rest is history. Creamy, crisp, delicious, delectable.
The Apanage level of Champagnes at Pommery is tighter, leaner, more foodie and more focussed than the straight Brut Royale. With citrus notes and firm acidity this is a wine to drink with sushi, Asian-influenced canapes and even main course creamy dishes – this straight-jacketed style is wonderfully tense and titillating.
Made from 100% red grapes this is a richer, more decadent style of Champs and it is perfumed enough with sufficient palate weight to allow it into the main course arena! A tiptop combo would be roast game or Poulet de Bresse. Wintertime is a wine with depth and gusto.
The seasonal range from Pommery is a triumph for winemaker Thierry Gasco. The Springtime rose is as soft and cuddly as a new season lamb and, come to think of it, this would make a pretty good food and wine combo, too. More fruit-driven than the Apanage and certainly a more commercial style for those of you still making your way tentatively into the world of Rose Champagne, this is a rejuvenating rose with a happy-go-lucky air
Ruinart is an ancient Champagne House and we adore its wines. This is perfect foil to the fresh light Billecart Salmon, with its intense, richer honeyed/nutty flavours.
Pol Roger makes beautiful wines and the vintage line up is fantastic. All cuvées show elegance, depth of flavour and wonderfully long finishes. But this, their non-vintage is one of my absolute favourites. Elegant, classy, but with power and a long, lingering finish.
No doubt about it. Bollinger is a stately wine, with presence and power. Richer and more intense than both Billecart Salmon and Laurent Perrier this is also a foody fizz with oodles of breeding and distinction.
Summertime is 100% Chardonnay and it glimmers and glistens in the glass. Quite different to all other Pommery wines this is an uplifting, palate-cleansing style with immediate charm and joie de vivre. An aperitif style of Champs, Summertime is light on its feet and as invigorating as a dive into a plunge pool on a baking hot day.
A more robust rosé than Forget-Brimont, this comes with the Apanage control and nerviness. Seriously masochistic on the palate and with bracing minerality and freshness on the finish, this is a tremendous piece of high tensile winemaking for those of you who’ll love some pain with your gain.
The Rose majeur from Ayala is a deliciously crisp, creamy, raspberry tinted number that never fails to impress. It tends to be for those who like their rose fizz a little more robust and forthright, with enough capacity and grip to stand up to even quite rich fish dishes. Charming.
Yellow Label continues to win fans around the globe. It’s one of the most recognizable brands of Champagne, but the good news is that it’s also a great drink as well as being a great brand.
2002 is my favourite vintage in Champagne for the last 10 years, contrary to Burgundy and Bordeaux whereby it is considered a lesser vintage. The reason it is so good was due to the cooler growing season which helped prevent the grapes becoming too ripe. This delightful Champagne was recently released, with nearly a decade under its belt - perfect aging for vintage Champagne. LP is the only Grand Marque Maison still family-run and owned and this is one that Bernard de Nonancourt (who sadly passed away last year) would be proud of. This is a beautiful wine, rich, complex and importantly really long with a great acidity on the finish. It revitalises your palate and begs you to take another sip.
Ruinart rose is a delicious mouthwateringly elegant pink that will add a splash of glamour to any good party, but is equally at home when used for simply spoiling yourself after a long hard week. Hints of strawberries, a lick of cream and just a touch of lemon zest, make it moreish, yet disgracefully refreshing.
The ‘straight’ non-vintage Bollinger is a great Champagne, but their Grande Année takes the house style to perfection. The 2000 is a particularly impressive example of this with its creamy, rich and intense nose showing concentrated fruit, alongside perfect mousse and an abundance of apple and citrus fruits on the palate with a tell tale edge of toasted brioche. Divine.
