Wine with Leslie: The best sparkling wine and champagne to toast with this New Year’s Eve
Fizz options for under €30 and over €30
This New Year’s Eve column is appropriately devoted to fizz. Given tighter budgets I have two less expensive options including a Blanquette de Limoux from the Languedoc, a rarely seen wine.
Blanquette de Limoux has a solid claim to being the oldest French sparkling wine, certainly older than Champagne. Made primarily from the local Mauzac grape (plus some Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay), this is excellent value with aromas of over-ripe pears and soft apples, a textured fleshy palate and a lingering lime and apple finish. Bargain of the week.
Crémant de Bourgogne uses Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes just as Champagne does, but expect them to taste more like entry-level Champagne. This is a very solid example at a great price — lemon sherbet and Nice biscuit aromas (remember them?!), lively and clean with a pleasing zesty freshness on the palate and a lime and green apple finish.
This was the best Cava I tasted all year so it deserved a mention despite its limited availability. Made solely from free-run juice this has 36 months ageing on its lees. Apple and lime scents with floral hints, savoury ripe apple flavours on the palate, elegant and rather delicate on the palate with lingering apple skin touches.
On special in Curious, possibly costing more elsewhere. Family run since 1859, and female-led with Carol Duval-Leroy as GM and Sandrine Logette-Jardin as Chef de Cave. Mostly Pinot Noir with a bright ripe fruit character mixed in with brioche and citrus, creamy satiny palate with herbal notes and a pristine crisp finish. Half Bottle: €24
Ruinart are the oldest Champagne house and created the first ‘Oeil de Perdrix’ Rosé Champagne in 1764. This pours a rich salmon pink with distinct floral strawberry and papaya on the nose — silky and almost lush on the palate with focused red fruit flavours, creamy and ripe, and with a tangy taut finish.
Confession: I find NV Moët Brut Impérial utterly boring, but the brand has huge star power for non wine people. Offer guests this nine-year-old version instead which has biscuity, bruised apple aromas, creamy pear fruits on the palate, and focused, lingering almond and honey notes.
There were a lot of spirits fighting for the final slot of 2022 including the spicy vanilla and pear flavoured 10 Year Cask Strength Green Spot (€340), exclusively available from thesinglemaltshop.com. The Dirtgrain Manifesto release from Blackwater Distillery was another strong contender — actually 4x200ml bottles from different casks (€250) plus an exclusive book by Blackwater’s Distiller ever-erudite Peter Mulryan. There was Kells Gin which is new to the market, and a Method & Madness release.
I’ve gone with Black’s of Kinsale’s Triple Threat purely because it slipped down so easily — a blend of Bourbon, Sherry and Virgin casks with distinct vanilla and berry fruit aromas, a silky sweet palate with a peppery spicy finish. Yum.
