Debate a Bubble - Champagne News and Reviews

An Apology, A Revelation And Political Correctness As Well

Hello again,

Here's a tale of political correctness and also one that shows you that there's always something new to learn.

I've just discovered a champagne style that I never knew existed and one that sounds fabulously tempting to boot.

"What is this revelation?" you might ask...

Well, at first sight it's fairly ordinary - another  Blanc de Blancs champagne, but this one is more than a little different  - just what I love to find in fact.

For one thing it's a champagne specially produced to serve with.... foie gras

Now, before you jump down my throat, I know that foie gras is not politically correct for some people, but those who like foie gras would tell you that it is delicious.

If you're one of those people who do enjoy foie gras then don't worry, I won't tell anyone and no one's watching you on the internet ( well, that's debateable, but now is not the time to get into that discussion).

The other thing about this very unusual champagne is that it's a  blanc de blancs champagne that is sweet  -  a sec champagne to be precise!

I lived in Champagne for 10 years and have come across all sorts of different champagnes.  For me the very essence  of Blanc de Blancs was to be dry, crisp and fresh - in fact just the opposite of sweet.

In fact, in my last Bubbly Bulletin I told  my subscribers that sweet Blanc de Blancs didn't exist. Well..... I was wrong and I apologise. ( by the way, to subscribe to my Bubbly Bulletins just go to www.madaboutbubbly.com)

Anyway, I've kept you waiting long enough. I'd better tell you what this champagne is.

It's Champagne Vazart-Coquart & Fils Cuvée Foie Gras http://www.champagnevazartcoquart.com/fr/accueil/

This is one of the fabulous small producers that are so much fun to discover. I had already come across Vazart-Coquart (see picture below) a few years ago, and I knew them as an excellent producer of, and specialist in, Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs champagnes. I had heard of Cuvée Foie Gras but had never followed up on it.

The other day I was doing some research on behalf of company in the USA that specialises in some of the more luxurious gastronomic delights : Caviar, Truffles and Foie Gras ( www.enjoyfoiegras.com) and so I picked up the telephone, called Vazart-Coquart and even though they are in the middle of the harvest and ultra-busy, I actually got to speak with the owner and wine maker M. Jean-Pierrre Vazart. Imagine calling one of the big champagne houses and being put through to the wine maker himself!)

I learned that not only is Cuvée Foie Gras a sec champagne ( 30 grams of sugar per litre ) but it's aged an amazing 10 years on the lees - that's three, or more, times as long as most non-vintage champagnes, including Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, Taittinger and all the other famous names -   and more than all but a handful of prestige cuvée champagnes like Dom Pérignon, Cristal or Krug.

One can only imagine how luscious and rich Cuvée Foie Gras must be - in fact the perfect match to foie gras.

On the down side, but not entirely unexpectedly, only 1,000 bottles of this rare champagne are produced each year and supply is very limited indeed, so you won't be able to go to your local liquor store and buy a bottle.

Still, I'm determined to get a bottle on my next visit to Champagne - just a few weeks away now  - and I'll have more to tell you then.

If you'd like to learn more about any aspect of the topics mentioned in this post, do visit

www.madaboutbubbly.com

In the meantime, I'd love to hear your comments about this or any other of my blog posts.

Until then,

Stay Bubbly,

Jiles Halling

13 Top Tips For The Perfect Champagne Reception

How to throw the perfect Champagne Reception

13 top tips to make your event unforgettable

These days just about every invitation you receive says on it " Champagne Reception", but there’s far more to a successful event that simply serving a glass of something bubbly to guests as they arrive. Besides, everyone does that, so what will make YOUR event special?

Organising a great party is an art, so to help you make your event not just stylish, but really memorable, here are my top 13 tips that I learned during a decade working in France for

Moët & Chandon and Dom Pérignon, where they organise some of the most fabulous soirées imaginable

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Before the event

1 ) Invitations

If you really want to build up some anticipation, then the earlier you send out your invitations the better. Wouldn’t you be impressed and intrigued if someone asked you to reserve a date 6 months in advance?

To further intrigue your prospective guests you can keep the exact nature of the event secret on the first ‘ save the date’ invitation. You can reveal more about the event as the date approaches.

If you’re going to send out invitations that early though, you definitely will need to send out reminders, at least once, as the date of the event draws closer.

• However, in most cases sending invitations out about 6- 8 weeks prior to the event works well.

If you leave it much later guests will think they are on the ‘reserve list ‘

• Don’t send invitations by e-mail; always use printed invitations and send them by post. It’s much more personal and you can be creative with the design.

It’s O.K. to do the follow-up over the ‘phone.

• 2 weeks prior to the event – chase up those who have not yet replied.

• The day before/of the event - do a final check on those who are coming. A last- minute ‘phone call is never a bad idea.

Despite all your efforts expect a drop-out rate of about 5% on the day.

2 ) Be ready for the first guest

Always ensure that the hosts are on hand to welcome the first guests.

Resist the temptation to just finish off that last piece of work. If you’re one of the hosts then your priority for that day MUST be your guests and it is quite simply rude not to be ready to welcome your guests when they arrive.

This is less crucial when you know your guests very well, but if you’re meeting the guests for the first time, or if you don’t yet know the guests too well, it will create a poor impression for the outset if the host is not ready.

You may think this is stating the obvious, but you’d be surprised at how frequently it happens.

3 ) Decide what drinks you’re going to serve. Champagne or Sparkling Wine?

These days almost every invitation you see says on it "Champagne Reception", but in reality that’s not always what you get.

• Don’t invite guests to a champagne reception and then serve them sparkling wine.

• If the budget doesn’t allow champagne, then sparkling wine is fine, but if you serve sparkling wine it goes without saying that you shouldn’t put "champagne reception" on the invitation.

• Realise that most people don’t notice what it is that you’re serving..... unless you make a point of telling them ( see below )

4)

Don’t waste your money

The fact of the matter is that the majority of people find champagne fun and enticing, even if, or perhaps particularly if, they are not regular champagne drinkers. They are usually eager to know a little more about it.

This presents the host with a superb opportunity to delight the guests and give a little extra style to the event by selecting a champagne that is a little special in some way.

If you decide to serve a special champagne your guests will certainly appreciate it, but only if you make sure that they know about it ( and if you don’t think the champagne you have chosen is special in some way, then ask yourself why you have chosen it in the first place).

A good way to let people know what champagne they are being served is to pour the champagne in front of your guests as they arrive. This means that they see the bottle and know what you’ve selected for them.

Besides, it’s fun to see the foam ( the mousse ) dancing up the glass as it is poured.

If the glass is already poured and waiting on a tray this is not possible. Unfortunately this is what you get at most receptions. Whilst that’s understandable from a practical point of view, it means that your guests won’t know what it is that you are serving.

One way to get round this conundrum is to have a waiter holding the bottle and standing next to the waiter who is holding the tray of full glasses.

It’s a good idea to have lots of water available throughout the event, but jugs of iced water are quite adequate.

During the event

The task of organising a successful party doesn’t stop when the guests arrive; in fact that’s when the real work begins.

5 ) Have a framework to the event

It’s common to mark the start of the evening with a short speech. You can use this speech to tell your guests what is planned for the event. This is especially important if you’re saving a surprise for later ( see point 10 ) .

It’s a good idea to mark the end of the evening with a few words too. This tells guests that the evening is over and they are free to leave if they wish and it avoids them feeling awkward if they have to go. It also gives a reassuring format to the whole event.

6) Introduce people

Most people gravitate to the people they know and stay with them most of the evening. That’s fun if you’re one of the crowd, but not much fun if you’re not. Your job as host/hostess is to make sure people meet others they don’t already know.

7) Don’t leave anyone out

Be on the lookout for people who don’t seem to find it easy to mingle. Approach them, introduce yourself and introduce them to other guests or to the person who invited them.

8 ) Don’t monopolise guests.

There comes a time in every conversation when you feel it’s time to move on. To do this politely, just offer to introduce the person you’re with to someone else or to another group. Don’t just move away and leave them alone.

If you see anyone who looks as if they’re being monopolised by another guest from whom they can’t get away. Step in and invite them both to come and meet some other guests.

9 ) Making connections

.

In a large gathering assign a host to look after specific guests or groups of guests. That way you can ensure that certain people meet and get to know specific other people.

Try giving different colour name badges to different groups of guests and giving a corresponding colour badge to the host who will be looking after each group. This simple trick makes it easier for the host to identify the guests he/she is responsible for.

10 ) Keep the excitement going

Always keep a little surprise in store for later in the evening to keep the energy and interest levels high. This can be a prize, a special guest arriving, or indeed a special champagne being served.

11) Catering - quality

Do what you can to match the food to the champagne/wine.

Rather than just giving the caterer a budget and letting them get on with it, find a little time to give some attention to the choice of food and how well it goes with the champagne.

You don’t need to be an expert to get some good results - any decent caterer with be able to give you some advice about this - but if you want the champagne/food matching to be perfect ( and if not, why not? ) then send me an e-mail at

jiles@madaboutbubbly.com

What I said in tip 4 about champagne applies equally to the food. If you go to the trouble of choosing some special dishes for your guests, make sure you tell them what exactly you’re serving. You can get the waiters to tell the guests as the food is handed round, or you can put little cards on each tray of canapés. You’ll come up with other ideas too if you give it some thought.

12) Catering - quantity

Adjust the quantity of food as the event progresses.

When people arrive they’ll be a little hungry, so prepare a little more of whatever food you plan to serve at this stage.

Later on, when you may well be serving different food ( a dessert perhaps ) you can reduce the quantity of food a little – people will be less hungry and others will have left early.

The same applies to the champagne. If you’re serving several different champagnes at different stages of the evening, allow for more of the first than the second and more of the second than the third and so on

After the event

13) Gifts

It’s a nice touch to present a small gift to each person as they leave – a goody bag is a popular choice- but the host/hostesses job is not all over when the last guest leaves the party.

Why not consider sending a gift to those guests who were unable to attend?

If they were important enough to invite in the first place, it’s wise to maintain a good relationship by showing that you missed them and they’ll appreciate the thought.

Even a small postcard saying they were missed will have a teriffic impact.

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I hope that you find these few tips helpful. Most are simple and easy to implement and if you do, you will be well on the way to making your event the one that’s talked about for weeks to come.

Jiles Halling

Website: www.madaboutbubbly.com

Blog: www.debateabubble.com

Phone: 0845 123 1284Email: jiles@madaboutbubbly.com

Never Go To A Champagne Party

I always cringe when I see the words 'Champagne Reception' on an invitation. I feel the same way when I see the words 'House Champagne' on a wine list.

It's not that I don't enjoy champagne - I do - in fact I love champagne. Champagne is not an ordinary wine; it makes you feel special.

So when I see it being treated as just another ordinary drink, it's disappointing.

Let me think of an example to show you what I mean.....

When  a girl buys a new dress that she really likes, she doesn't say to her friends: "Here's my new dress"

She'll say " Look at my a fabulous dress. I bought it at XYZ store. I love these colours, feel how soft the material is; it will be great for wearing on ABC occasions."

If a guy buys a new car, he doesn't say to his mates " Hey I've got a new car". He'll say, "I've just bought a BMW/ Mercedes/ Jaguar,  model XYZ, with this feature, that special trim. It does 0 - 100 mph in 6 seconds " etc etc etc.

So why do people just say 'champagne' when there's so much more magic behind that word that can be shared easily and that will make everyone feel that little bit more excited and special ? What a wasted opportunity.

It's the same  with the words 'House Champagne'

All that tells you is that it's the cheapest champagne on the list. How does that make you feel special?

I'm hosting an event for some clients tonight: we'll be serving

Champagne Legras & Haas, Grand Cru, Blanc de Blancs

matched with

Lime & Butter Monkfish and Rocket  & Red Pepper Furikake Maki Sushi

Followed by

Champagne Henri Giraud Esprit, Rosé

matched with Tarlet of Duck Carpaccio and Seared Tuna Niçoise

Finally

Champagne Veuve Clicqout Ponsardin, White Label, Demi-sec

matched with mini Tarte d'Abricots and mini Sticky Toffee Pudding

Does that sound tempting, or would you rather stick with the 'champagne reception' and the 'house champagne'?

All it takes is a little more imagination and a little more attention

Let me know what you think by leaving a comment or e-mailing me at jiles@madaboutbubbly.com

Stay Bubbly

Jiles

Raise A Glass To The Ladies Of Champagne

It struck me the other day, and not for the first time, just how much influence women have in the champagne industry and I don't mean just as consumers...

The success of many champagne houses, both in the past and right now, is down to the dynamic leadership of women at the head of the house.

I'm sure that some people might well say that women are still under-represented in champagne. Nevertheless, the number of highly successful women in champagne, compared with other industries, seemed worthy of some comment, so in my forthcoming Bubbly Bulletins I'l be looking at some of their stories in more detail.

Here are just a few.You will already be familiar with some of them, others perhaps not:

( By the way, to make sure you receive my Bubbly Bulletins by e-mail and/or to grab a copy of my e-book, The Insider's Guide to Champagne, go to www.madaboutbubbly.com)

Nicole-Barbe Ponsardin married François Clicquot at the end of the 18th century. François was the son of Philippe Clicqout who had founded Champagne Clicquot  in 1772 and their champagne company was growing fast.

François tragically died at the age of only 30, just six years after marrying, leaving Nicole-Barbe as the original Veuve Cliquot. Despite her father-in-law's scepticism, Nicole-Barbe took on ever-widening responsibilities at the company and lead it from strength to strength until her death in 1866

Louise Pommery's story was much the same. Widowed in the late 1860s, Louise built the fortunes of Champagne Pommery with two masterful strokes: she developed  the British market when most other houses were focussed on Russia and she introduced brut champagne when most champagne was far sweeter.

In the 20th century Elisabeth (Lily) Bollinger took over the running of Champagne Bollinger when her husband, Jacques, died in 1941. She personally handled the marketing of the brand and after the war was responsible for re-establishing Bollinger in Great Britain and The U.S.A.

It was Lily too, who introduced RD (recently disgorged) champagne .

Right up to the present day, many houses are run by women

Carol Duval at Champagne Duval-Leroy

Béatrice Cointreau at Gosset

Evelyne Boizel at the champagne of the same name,

whilst, back at Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, the current présidente of the company, following very much in the foosteps of La Grand Dame herself, is Cécile Bonnefond.

Join me at www.madaboutbubbly.com for more about all of these remarkable women and others

Stay Bubbly

Jiles

jiles@madaboutbubbly.com

www.debateabubble.com/your-place-in-champagne.html

 

British Press Promote Shock Horror Stories About Champagne

Yesterday's article in the Telegraph about champagne prices crashing to £15, or even £10, by Christmas, was wide of the mark in several respects.

I suppose that were it to happen, champagne at £10 a bottle would be good news for some, and it may yet happen. However, despite the Telegraph's apparent certainty that it's only a matter of months before this comes to pass, the story bears some closer inspection.

First of all there seems to be a misunderstanding about what is happening with this year's harvest.

The  normally reliable Telegraph stated that " row upon row of grapes will be left unharvested this year" as champagne makers seek desperately to reduce the bloated stock of champagne they cannot sell.

This is quite simply not the case.

The amount of grapes that will be harvested is 14,000 kg per hectare from a maximum yield estimated at around 14,500 kg. So, whilst there may well be some grapes that are left on the vine, how that translates to "row upon row "of rotting fruit, I am at a loss to understand. Besides, there is some fruit left on the vines almost every year.

Furthermore most commentators fail to mention two other very relevant facts:

First, the admittedly large fall in 'sales' of champagne that are being reported relate to figures for the first few months of the year. Statistics for the more recent months are not so dramatically down. The figures for May ( the latest available) show only a 19.3% drop versus 2008 for the big champagne brands and only a 14.6% drop overall. (Source CIVC)

On a 12 month basis (June 2008 to May 2009) total sales of champagne are only 11.1 % down on last year.

I agree that's not  a great result, but it's a far cry from the doom and gloom you might assume from reading the Telegraph article and the other 'experts' quoted in that article.

Second, the article announced that "champagne exports have fallen by 45% in the first quarter" .

On studying  the source given for that statistic, it appears that 45% is  only mentioned in relation to one particular brand, Laurent Perrier. The same source document says that a drop of 20% is expected for champagne this year.  

Furthermore the Telegraph dramatically announced that " consumers  in India.. have stopped buying the drink" - not the whole story to Sommelier India magazine ( July 2009).

Besides, champagne sales are still so small in India that they could disappear altogether and hardly anyone in Champagne would even notice!

Last, but not least, the 'sales' figures being bandied about are figures for exports from France. In other words, shipments to the importers and wholesalers in each market. The is NOT the same as saying that consumers have reduced their champagne drinking to the same extent.

There has certainly been a reduction in champagne consumption, but once importers have got their stocks back in line with demand they will resume orders from France once again and the exports from France should show some sign of recovery.

One is tempted to say that the U.K. press likes making a drama out of a crisis and will do anything to create a good story, but that is so unlike them that it surely can't be true.

Hold the Strike! Compromise Reached On 2009 Champagne Harvest

Photo by Klaus Graber

Wednesday's meeting to decide upon the size of this year's harvest in Champagne reached a compromise that was a minor victory for the smaller producers (Récoltants-Manipulants) and grape growers(vignerons).

You may remember the background from my earlier post

http://tinyurl.com/n9v3ur

 -  large champagne houses wanted a drastic cut-back in the size of the harvest to reduce stocks of wine and stabilise prices, whilst the other parties wanted a more generous harvest to secure some cash-flow and, in the case of the RM, to develop their sales. The vignerons were threatening to strike if they didn't get what they wanted.

In the end a somewhat complex agreement was reached

The maximum anyone is allowed to harvest is 14,000 kg of grapes per hectare ( that's about 13,000 lbs per acre).

However, the big houses ( known collectively as Le Négoce ) may only use 8,000 kg to ferment into wine with which to make champagne.

That should allow them to reduce their stocks of wine over the next 2 years, which is what they wanted all along.

The RM and vigerons will be allowed to harvest  9,700 kg / hectare which will keep them reasonably happy as well.

This is the first time in ages that the smaller growers will have more grapes at their  disposal than Le Négoce - that's a revealing insight into the way the market is going at present, with sales of the small grower champagne holding up reasonably well compared to the bigger brands.

The remaining 4,300 kg must be fermented into wine and put aside in what is called 'blocquage' until 2010 when, and not before, it may be used to make into champagne.

Now it remains to be seen at what level the price of grapes will be set, but that should be announced any time now.

Looks as though there won't be any strike in Paris after all.

Jiles

Advice From France On Staying Healthy

Dont show this to your local health authorities; they might not be amused!

Good to see that champagne figures so prominently.

What's In Store For Champagne Prices? The Day Of Reckoning

Today's a very important day in the champagne calendar, perhaps the most important day of the year.

No, it's got nothing to do with the launch of any new champagne, nor with any special promotional. It's the day when the size of this year's harvest will be decided and that will have a direct impact on the price of grapes and of the price of your champagne in 2011, the earliest that this year's harvest can be sold as champagne.

If you look back just over a year, worldwide sales of champagne had reached the dizzy and record heights of almost 340 million bottles - supply just couldn't keep up with demand and you may recall that there was talk of adding 40 new villages to the official Champagne production area so as to keep up with the seemingly ever-growing sales.

What a difference a year makes.

Since then shipments have dropped back to some 270 million bottles and you don't hear people talking much about expanding the production capacity.

Instead the hot topic is cutting back on the supply and the simplest and most effective way to do this is to reduce the harvest - that sounds easy enough, you might think, but it's fraught with difficulty because of the structure of the champagne industry.

Most champagne is sold by the big international brands and so they have a lot of clout in any negotiations.

As a rule of thumb, they keep up to 3 year's worth of sales maturing in their cellars.

With the drop in sales that stock level has risen to well over 4 year's and holding that amount of excess stock opens up a big hold in the finances of the brands, so the last thing they want is another big harvest which would just mean even more stock on hand.

The grapes on the vines could yield 14,500 kg per hectare if they were all harvested ( it was 13,000 kg last year), but the Moët & Chandons, Veuve Clicquots, Roederers, Taittingers and other big producers are pushing for a reduction to only 7,500 kg.

This would not only mean they could get the stock holding back to normal, but it would also avoid a big drop in champagne prices due to excess stock flooding the market. That's really the thing the image-conscious brands want to avoid at all costs.

On the other hand....

Consider the plight of the grape growers and of the smaller champagne houses who's sales have held up much better than the big brands.

The grape growers obviously want to harvest and sell (to the big houses) as many grapes as possible - their livelihood depends on it. With a harvest of only 7,500 kg they'd be in serious danger of going bust.

Equally the smaller champagne houses see an opportunity to grow their sales and don't want too dramatic a cut in the harvest either. They recognise the need for a controlled harvest but they' re pushing for much more modest reduction to around 10,400 kg per hectare.

And therein lies the rub. How to square this particular circle ?

Of course the same sort of debate goes on every year, but it's much more heated this year with grape growers (vignerons) ready to demonstrate in Paris tomorrow if today's meeting doesn't go their way.

( An interesting and very Gallic tactic that: organise the strike before the meeting, just in case).

Whatever the outcome of the meeting - and I'll bring you the news as soon as I get it - the chances are that if you visit Champagne this Autumn you'll see bunches of grapes left to rot on the vines, or on the ground because they are just not needed - the only question is, how much will be left to rot?

Watch this space

Jiles Halling

e-mail : jiles@madaboutbubbly.com

Why not take a trip to Champagne yourself to see what's going on. To rent my wonderful house in the heart of the vineyards take a look at

http://www.debateabubble.com/your-place-in-champagne.html

A Champagne Event You've Probably Never Heard Of

There’s an awful lot going on in Champagne that most people never get to hear about and it’s only because I lived and worked there for 10 years that I got to find out some of these secret delights.

In October each year you can enjoy what is called La Semaine du Goût which, roughly translated, means ‘ Tasting Week’. It’s all about combining champagne with food and it’s a collaboration between, on the one hand, the regions chefs and food producers and on the other hand, the champagne makers.

This year the dates are Saturday 10^th to Sunday 18^th October and if you visit Champagne during this period you’ll find that there are lots of small-scale events organised all over the region.

A whole host of champagne producers welcome you to visit their cellars where they offer you a taste of their champagne plus some food delicacy or other that goes well with whatever champagne you’re tasting.

The event is designed to show you that champagne is not just for toasts and celebrations but that it is an amazingly versatile wine that can be enjoyed with a wide range of foods.

BUT before I give you a few specific recommendations, here’s a word of caution – few, if any, of the big brand names bother taking part in this event. So there’s nothing special going on at Moët & Chandon, Veuve Cliquot, Laurent Perrier, or any of the other big names.

La Semaine du Goût is all about the small producers and visiting them and their families out in the countryside. So, if you enjoy exploring a bit, getting off the beaten track and meeting some of the local people, then this is a lot of fun.

O.K. so if you think this is for you, why not try :

 

Champagne Dinner at Champagne Lallement in Verzy - One night only. Saturday October 17^th

Come along at 20.00 hr sharp for a rustic dinner with champagne and wine included.

The meal is being prepared by our good friend Christophe Ponsart who is a caterer based in the same village, Verzy.

Christophe used to be a chef in one of the region’s Michelin-starred restaurants, so he’s sure to prepare something a bit special. During dinner you’ll have the chance to try not only M. Lallement’s excellent champagne - it could be rosé champagne, vintage champagne, or his excellent Brut Sans Année (non vintage) -, but also some great burgundy from another small producer: Domaine Cinquin.

For great atmosphere, a unique experience and a real taste of life in Champagne this is something not to be missed and don’t worry if your French isn’t perfect, you’ll have a warm welcome: M. Lallement is used to visitors and Christophe speaks excellent English – his wife’s Welsh!

Oh, the cost – terrific value at just 35 euros per person, but you do have to book in advance, so let me know if you want to book and I’ll help you out. (my e-mail address is below)

If you want somewhere to stay in Champagne, then our home is available for rent. For prices and pictures, take a look at

www.debateabubble.com/your-place-in-champagne.html

 

Gourmet meals at the Château d’Etoges

I’m sure you’ll be in Champagne for more than just one night, so why not treat yourself to another culinary experience, this time at the very luxurious Château d’Etoges.

www.etoges.com

Every evening during La Semaine du Goût and at lunchtime on 17^th & 18^th October Château d’Etoges is offering a gourmet meal for lovers of fine food.

Each course matches the finest local ingredients with a wine to match. An aperitif is also included for the price of 68 euros per person

To reserve you can call + 33 326 59 30 08

E-mail me if you have any questions or need any help

jiles@madaboutbubbly.com