CHAMPAGNE
Jacques Selosse Brut
Initiale, £87.50, from Fortnum & Mason,
visit
fortnumandmason.com
BUBBLE & CHIC F
WORDS: CHRIS HAMBLETON
or many people a bottle of fizz is something to be reserved for a birthday or New Year celebrations – after all, not everyone can afford to be glugging down the Dom Pérignon every week. If you are going to make it a once a year
experience then why not splash out on something really good? Look for things that are understated, slightly below the radar and that cost a lot because they are made so well. Here are our picks:
JACQUES SELOSSE This guy is known for ignoring conventions and simply making the best wine he can, regardless of what others in the region are doing. His Brut Initiale is one of the best non-vintage (a blend of wines from different years) bubblies you can buy. Very rich and full-bore, this is much more like a really good white wine with some bubbles in than what most people think of as champagne.
HENRI GIRAUD Like Selosse there is little marketing behind this house, but the quality and individuality are right up there. The Code Noir Rosé is a must for anyone who prefers their fizz pink. Its startling shade is created by adding ten per cent red wine to the
blend, ensuring continuity of colour. The palate is all about super-fresh red fruit and plenty of it. A really versatile wine that’s equally good with seared fillet of beef as strawberries and cream.
SALON If you want to push the boat out and go for vintage champagne then look for this. Salon is made from 100 per cent Chardonnay grapes grown on what many believe is the best site in Champagne, Le Mesnil. Production is small as they have a limited vineyard area and prices are therefore high – but they’re worth it.
And don’t forget the other famous houses – Taittinger Comte de Champagne 1998, Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame 1998 and Mumm René Lalou tend to be overshadowed by Dom Perignon and Cristal, but all are drinking superbly well right now. And don’t forget Moët & Chandon. Joan Collins’s tipple of choice is Perrier Jouet Belle Epoque, and if you want to get historical then go for Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill, made in honour of the statesman who reputedly drank a bottle of their champagne a day. Christmas is coming – so treat yourself!
l Chris Hambleton is a wine writer and presenter who runs events company Champagne Tuesdays (visit
champagnetuesdays.com) and is the author of The Wine Planner
156
Henri Giraud Code Noir Rosé, £89.95, from
slurp.co.uk
Salon Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs 1997, £270, from
henningswine.co.uk
Haute Cuisine discovers why the nation’s fastest-growing favourite tipple should be for life, not just for Christmas
HC
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