Treat yourself to some Champagne

This week I want to share with you some of the reasons why good Champagne is expensive. One reason is our punitive tax system (fizzy wine is double the tax of still wine), but also because this is not an easy wine to get right.

I visited Bollinger and their second property Ayala earlier this year to taste the Vin Clairs – the non-sparkling base wines that will make up their respective blends. The art of blending is just that – an art.

I call it an “art” because the chef de cave must combine a range of acidic, recently fermented wines, from different grapes and vineyards with different flavours and textures, add in some wine from a few years ago to fill in any flavour gaps, and then predict exactly how the wine will taste after it has been re-fermented in bottle.