Champagne Tasting At Reserve Wines, West Didsbury

If you have read my blog before you may have seen I go to a fair few alcohol tastings in and around Manchester. Usually based around a spirit I find them a great way to try lots of smaller samples of a brand whilst hearing all about it from an expert. So imagine my delight when I realised Reserve Wines in West Didsbury were holding a tasting dedicated to my favourite tipple ever, champagne! I know bits and bobs about champagne but was excited to learn more so signed up.

The evening was hosted by Simon Hore from Thorman Hunt and kicked off with some history about champagne. Did you know it can only be called champagne if the grapes come from the Champagne region of France? Cava and Prosecco are made in a very similar style but have to be called something different due to not being grown in the region. Also did you know that England may have been the first place to actually create sparkling wine? Charles Merret documented how adding sugar to wine would cause it to fizz way before champagne was first made, or so they say. I love a bit of theory!

Our first champagne of the night was Gremillet made from 70% pinot noir and 30% chardonnay grapes grown in the Aube region of Champagne. They have 35 hectares (Moet et Chandon have 1000 hectares to give you an idea of how small this actually is!) of vineyards so this is a small production but boy, is it good. A real easy drinker with a smooth finish and a light taste of biscuit on the palate. This retails at a ridiculously reasonable £23.99 and I came home with a bottle, it was too good not to.

Next was the Veuve Fourny Premier Cru where there are even less hectares of vineyards, just 17! This champagne is 100% chardonnay grape which is called blanc de blanc in the champagne world. Aged for 2.5 years it has peaches on the nose and is a lot fizzier than the Gremillet. On the palate it is sweeter and creamier. Retailing at £29.99 it is still excellent value although not my favourite.

We sampled two other champagnes from the Veuve Fourny range including the Brut Nature Non Dose and the Premier Cru Rose. Both have less bubbles with the rose being a particular favourite of mine for the light strawberry notes and light taste. It is very dry but still wonderfully easy to drink and retails at £33.99. The Brut Nature Non Dose is also less fizzy than the Premier Cru with a lovely crisp green apple taste in the mouth. My friends said it was the sort of champagne they could envisage drinking in a park with a picnic in the height of summer and they are totally right. At £29.99 it wouldn’t break the bank either!

Stopping for a quick bite we were treated to a mini portion of fish and chips from Fish Bait next door. They were delicious and who’d have thought fish and chips would go so well with champagne? The fat cuts through the creamier notes of the fizz letting the fruity notes come flying through. Lovely.

Anyway back to the fizz itself and we moved onto the Paul Dethune Ambonnay Grand Cru. This was a favourite for many on the night and it isn’t hard to see why. Aged for 2.5 years it is light with very fine bubbles and a hit of sherbet on the nose. So much so I had a bit of a sneezing fit having inhaled too much! The 80% pinot noir and 20% chardonnay grape combination made this similar to the first champagne in a way but with more citrus on the palate. This one costs £33.99.

Moving onto Lallier which hails from the Ay region. It is believed Ay was discovered by the Gallo-Romans back in 344 and it’s wines are mentioned in Pliny the Elder. Can’t beat a bit of history with your fizz! This champagne was the driest so far with softer bubbles making it less harsh on the palate than it could have been. Retailing at £28.49 it is also a good price.

Last and not least for most was the Billecart-Salmon Vintage 2004. Aged for 10 years this was very savoury on the nose with a fresh taste of melon on the palate. It was a little too dry for me but it was certainly a favourite on the night amongst the guests. Retailing at £62.50 this is one for a special occasion.

A fabulous evening was had by all and at £20 for the tasting I am not surprised. we got to try 7 champagnes, eat fish and chips as well as learn lots of interesting facts about the world of champagne. Thanks to Reserve Wines for hosting the event. They hold regular tastings so give them a follow on Twitter and I’ll probably see you there sometime, I can’t wait for the next one although my one piece of advice would be to take a cushion, sitting on wine crates can be somewhat uncomfortable if you have a bony bottom…

This event was paid for in full.