Champagne is very tasty sparkling wine made by the "Méthode Champenoise" and always from Champagne, France. There are other good sparkling wines, but Champagne is always from France. Not only for special occasions, it's a great everyday wine. Champagne goes stunningly well with a wide variety of food as well as by itself. Yes, expensive vintage Champagnes are great for special celebrations as well, for example the 3rd Tuesday of the month or your Aunt Irma's nose job.
Champagne
Brands and HousesMost Champagne Brands like Cristal and Dom Perignon are made by large producers that are commonly called Champagne Houses, for example Roederer and Moet and Chandon. Even when they own substantial vineyards, they still buy lots of grapes from farmers as many produce oceans of wine, often with remarkable quality and consistency.
Grower ChampagnesSome farmers not only grow grapes in Champagne but also make and bottle their own Champagne, and this so called "Farmer Fizz" has heaps of personality, and displays terroir most other Champagne do not and can not. It's also fun to drink!
Sparkling WinesI prefer Champagne, but there is pretty good sparkling wine made in many areas of the world: California, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Italy, and even Massachusetts. I'm certainly no snob, for example I love most cheap Spanish sparkling wine (called "Cava") and even the stuff from Massachusetts.
Champagne Glasses and Accessories
You do not need much to enjoy Champagne, but we
prefer proper glasses, although we will admit to
occasionally swigging it out of the bottle, "Billionaire on a Yacht Style"
and maybe once or twice drinking it through crazy straws with the odd cute
babysitter. A Champagne
Bucket and Champagne Stopper are also useful.
Recent Articles and News
Guy Larmandier - Chardonnay based wines from the Cote des Blancs of "notable elegance and personality."
Rene Geoffrey - Serious red grape dominated fruity and fun Champagnes.
Camille Savès - Kick Butt Bouzy Champagne I love: creamy, plenty of minerals, complex, and just fun to drink!
Champagne Barnaut - Fun and big Pinot Noir dominated wines.
Andre Beaufort Champagne - Wonderful, intense, no barred held biodynamic Champagne.
Pehu-Simonet Champagne - An up and coming producer from Verzenay in the Montagne de Reims.
Champagne Jean Milan - Great Blanc de blancs from Oger in the Côte de Blancs, between the villages of Cramant and Le Mesnil.
Westport Rivers Brut - A surprisingly good sparkling wine from Southern Massachusetts! I've enjoyed them several times.
Champagne Roger Coulon - With 9 Hectares in Montagne de Reims, this family run vineyard has been growing grapes and making wines for 8 generations.
Thierry Triolet - A small Grower Producer since the 60s with good, solid (and tasty) value priced wines.
Jacques Lassaigne Champagne - Awesome fruit forward, elegant, and classy wines from the South of Champagne.
Champagne Agrapart - Bottling their own Champagnes in the Côte de Blancs since the late 1800s.
Champagne Larmandier-Bernier - A biodynamic producer in the Côte des Blancs.
Ulysse Collin Champagne - A rising star in Champagne, he makes his wines as naturally as practical seems to moving towards full biodynamic. His wines simply rock!
Argyle Brut - Well worth it sparklers from the Willamette Valley, Oregon, noted for Pinot Noir.
Champagne Drappier - A favorite of Charles de Gaulle, big and powerful, palate pleasing wines.
Champagne Vilmart - Near cult like status.
Egly-Ouriet Champagne - Rich, full bodied, & one of the original Grower Champagnes -
Claude Genet Champagne - Light and elegant Blanc de blancs
Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte - The third largest (and rapidly growing) producer.
David Leclapart - An amazing small biodynamic producer.
Heidsieck & Co Monopole - Well known for their NV Blue Top and Diamand Bleu Prestige Cuvee.
Champagne Houses in Epernay - The most houses in Champagne and only 70 minutes from Paris by train.
Champagne Houses in Reims - The oldest and most impressive Gallo-Roman cellars in Champagne.
Champagne Questions (and Answers)
- A Champagne FAQ.
How to Buy Champagne - Some
practical tips on buying. It's more than just throwing money around.
Champagne Food Pairings - An
incredibly versatile food wine.
Bollinger Champagne - Very dry,
powerful, and toasty wines.
Deutz Champagne - Light to medium bodied
wines that are great from their least to their most expensive.
Henriot Champagne - Chardonnay dominated,
tasty, and often a great deal.
Good Cheap Wine - There is plenty on inexpensive wine that rocks.