Wine Tasting: champagne and sparkling wines
Winston Churchill was a voracious champagne drinker. He was famously quoted as saying, "I could not live without champagne; in victory I deserve it, in defeat I need it." According to the BBC's quiz show, Churchill was estimated to have drunk 42,000 bottles of champagne in 57 years. In the past, champagne was de rigueur for sparkling wine lovers. Nowadays, there are more quality sparkling wine alternatives, providing consumers with different choices including sweetness level, colour, grape variety, origin and budget. The top three sellers are champagne, cava and prosecco, which account for close to one billion bottles.
Prosecco has become the world's favourite sparkling wine. Last year, global sales of prosecco were 307 million bottles, slightly overtaking champagne at 304 million bottles. With a massive global demand for the Italian sparkling wine, there is plenty of poor quality, soapy, over-sweet wine on the market. Ruggeri produces a drier style and consistent good quality.
Peach, floral, tropical fruit notes on the nose. Refreshing palate with vibrant fruit notes, gentle bubbles and slightly off-dry in sugar levels. A crowd pleaser that can be enjoyed any time. HK$127
Cava is Spain's answer to champagne, and is made is made by a similar method. Secondary fermentation is in the bottle, and regulation dictates that the wines must be aged on the lees for a minimum of nine months. Castell Sant Antoni is a boutique winery founded in 1999. It has a reputation for high quality cava with extensive ageing from 24 to 48 months before bottle release.
Made from a blend of xarel-lo, macabeo, parellada and chardonnay. Aged for six years. It is a brut nature, meaning it contains from zero to three grams of residual sugar per litre. Yeasty, toasty, nutty, citrus aromatics on the nose. Rich and creamy on the palate. Fine stream of bubbles with good fruit intensity and a fairly long finish. An aperitif or great with seafood and white meats. HK$205
Lallier is a medium-size champagne house with an average production of 350,000 bottles, and is fairly new in the champagne market. It was founded by James Lallier, who took over the winery of René Baron in 1996. As prices of champagne become increasingly exorbitant, Lallier stills offers relative quality for value.
A blend of 55 per cent pinot noir and 45 per cent chardonnay. Aged for 49 to 72 months. Quite restrained on the nose, with buttery, yeasty notes. Great fruit intensity with some red fruit, steely acidity and a long finish. Still youthful, and will cellar for at least a decade. A food wine that will work well with Japanese cuisine, Cantonese dishes, and dim sum. HK$506
Wines are available from Kerry Wines (tel: 2169 7700, [email protected])
