✒ Festive Fizz
Whatever the occasion, a glass of bubbly will pick you up, and we all owe it to ourselves after a tough year to bring out our best bottles of fizz. Winston Churchill once announced, quoting Napoleon, “I could not live without Champagne, in victory I deserve it, in defeat I need it,” and they were both right, so if anyone is feeling depressed after 2020, it’s time to cheer yourself up with a great glass of the wine world’s best tonic.
Pre-Christmas is, bizarrely, a good time to buy Champagne and sparkling wine, as many of the supermarkets and independent merchants discount in order to drive footfall into their stores, so it’s well worth looking around to shave a few pounds off the price of these wines. Also, some supermarkets (and distinguished independent merchants) drop their prices if you buy six or more bottles, by 20 to 25 %, so a considerable saving is possible.
Champagne used to have the quality field of sparklers to itself, but today there are many superb sparkling wines, several of which, though different in style, offer huge pleasure. John Stimpfig, award-winning wine writer, has chosen a selection of the best on the market to buy today. (Audio: Omnibus Edition December 2020). Here are his firm recommendations.
▴ John Stimpfig’s fizz recommendations
2018 Bisol Crede Prosecco di Coniglio Valdobbiadene Superiore DOCG Brut, Italy
A delightful Prosecco, certainly not your usual cheap and not very cheerful Prosecco; it’s from a single vineyard. This family-owned company can trace their roots back to Valdobbiadene in 1542 and they are still run by a family member, Gianluca Bisol. It comes from a Prosecco Superiore site, a terroir which has more clay in it, and is made by the tank method. It has beautiful exuberant fruit--honeysuckle, pears, apples—and a slightly softer fizz, made from the Giera, Pinot Bianco, and Verdiso grapes. Priced at £15 to £20, a delicious and delightful glass of fizz. Imported by Bibendum
2012 Roger Goulart Gran Reserva Cava, Penedes, Spain
A staple in the Stimpfig household, this wine is from the Penedes, very different to Champagne, different grape varieties, different climate. The main variety is Xarel-lo, an indigenous variety to Penedes, it has brilliant structure and acidity; the other two grape varieties are Macabeo and Parellada. It has been aged on the lees for six or seven years, and has that lovely toasty character, with limey fruit. No rush to drink, won’t improve that much, but will stay like this for several years, but drinking beautifully now. Imported by Hatch Mansfield, Price around £15
House of Arras, Brut Elite Cuvee NV, Tasmania
One of John’s favourite sparkling wines, and clearly many others, looking at the number of trophies amassed including 21 consecutive “Best Sparkling White Wine in Show” trophies at capital city shows. Champagne varieties, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, do very well in Tasmania’s cool climate and its ancient soils. The winemaker’s name is Ed Carr, of whom James Halliday said, “Arras is made by a quietly spoken genius, Ed Carr, whose name should be known around the world. He is by some considerable distance Australia’s greatest sparkling winemaker.” John says, “Their vintage wines are stellar. Wonderful complexity, texture, balance, and a sort of savoury element. They do use a bit of oak fermentation and lees ageing--you get this palate of toasty notes, stone and citrus fruit. Absolutely gorgeous, and it’s not that expensive for the quality on offer.“ Imported by Accolade. Retailers include Majestic. Price around £35
Roederer Quartet NV Sparkling Wine, Anderson Valley, Mendocino, USA
Another of John’s favourite producers (and Sarah’s too) from the great Champagne House Roederer. Jean-Claude Rouzaud, the former president of Champagne Louis Roederer spotted the potential of the terroir in the Anderson Valley back in the early 1980s. He was attracted by its cool climate and well-drained soils, which are ideally suited to the Louis Roederer winemaking style. There are four distinct vineyards on the estate, hence the name Quartet. John says “It never fails to deliver.” Its blend of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir is the reverse image of the blend used in Champagne Roederer’s Brut Premier, and John notes, “The palate has brioche, hazelnuts, cinnamon, pears, and superb balance; it’s supreme class and remarkably good value for money.” Imported by Maisons Marques et Domaine, Price £25-£30 Majestic, The Wine Society, Waitrose
2015 Wiston Estate Blanc de Blancs Brut, West Sussex, England
The Wiston Estate has been in the same family’s hands for over 300 years, but it took Pip Goring to persuade her husband Harry to plant vines there (she grew up in Cape Town, where the sight of vines was a familiar one). The vineyard was planted in 2006 with traditional Champagne grape varieties. The winemaker is the supremely talented Irishman Dermot Sugrue, whom Steven Spurrier described as “the best winemaker in England.” The grapes come from the chalkiest and steepest part of the estate’s south-facing slopes on the South Downs in West Sussex. Of the 2015 Wiston Estate Blanc de Blancs Brut, John says, “2015 was a ripe vintage, so there was no need for malolactic fermentation; the wine has a pristine freshness, alongside crystalline fruit, a bit of honeysuckle, and spine-tingling acidity which raises the hairs on the back of your neck. Wonderful to drink now but will age for many years. www.wistonestate.com Price £42.50
The Wine Society ‘s Brut NV Champagne, France
A very good reason to join The Wine Society is to have access to their excellent and very good value Champagne (funnily enough, both Sarah and John are members). The wine is made by Alfred Gratien and John describes it as “perennially good.” The blend is made up of all three Champagne grape varieties and because fermentation takes place in barrel rather than stainless steel, the wine has great depth. John describes it as “punching far beyond its weight. It’s a joy, dry, full-flavoured, with bright citrus notes, biscuity nose, and pin-point acidity”. Excellent value for money at £34 a bottle. www.winesociety.com
Champagne Pol Roger 2012 , France
John says if you can find this at a discount, “fill your boots!” This is the Champagne which has been thrilling the critics, including John, who describes it as “just stellar.” The 2012 is the next great vintage after 2008 (see Omnibus December Edition). The 2012 is a blend of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay, from 20 Grands and Premier crus vineyards in the Montagne de Reims and the Côte des Blancs. It has been aged for seven years in the cellar before being disgorged. It’s racy and elegant, full of peaches and cream, with amazing freshness and an unbelievable finish. It is drinking superbly now, but will last the distance. Another great classic from Pol Roger. Price around £80 The Whisky Exchange, Berry Brothers and Rudd, The Wine Society, Majestic, The Finest Bubble
Stellar Prestige Cuvées:-
Roederer, Cristal 2008; Dom Perignon 2008; Bollinger Grande Année 2008; Tattinger Comtes de Champagne 2008; Deutz Amour de Deutz, 2008
If you are going to push the boat out, then this is where to point it: the 2008 Prestige Cuvées. Several of the great producers consider it as their greatest vintages ever, even better than the legendary 2002. John Stimpfig describes them as “utterly, utterly sensational.” Approachable now, but will go the distance. A chance to taste true greatness.
Approximate Prices Roederer, Cristal 2008 £200- £250, Bollinger Grande Année2008 £90 -£130,Tattinger Comtes de Champagne 2008 £130-£180,Champagne Deutz Amour de Deutz 2008 £110-£130
