Category: Champagne

  • Pouring Champagne

    Sparkling Wines Beyond Champagne and Prosecco

    When it comes to celebratory beverages, sparkling wines often take center stage. Whether you're enjoying a glass at a wedding, serving up some drinks at a party, or popping a bottle to celebrate New Years - sparkling wines are always the accepted go-to.

    The effervescent bubbles, crisp acidity, and refreshing taste make them a perfect choice for special occasions, or simply for indulging in a glass of bubbly on a sunny afternoon to make it a bit more of a special day. While Champagne and Prosecco are without doubt both the most well-known, and most widely consumed, sparkling wines, there is a whole world of sparkling wines beyond these two iconic regions.  Continue reading

  • 1998 Dom Pérignon Rosé Jeroboam - David Lynch edition

    What are the most expensive champagnes in the world?

    In the immortal words of Mark Twain, "Too much of anything is bad, but too much Champagne is just right". While champagne may already have an expensive reputation, we wanted to take some time to go through some of the most expensive champagnes in the world and see where you could get if money was really no factor.

    For most people, they associate champagne with the classic brands - Moët & Chandon, Cristal, Dom Perignon, Laurent-Perrier, etc. But if you won the lottery tomorrow, what bottle would you be buying to celebrate - because we're betting it wouldn't be the kind of brands you can find in your everyday supermarket. Continue reading

  • Glass of Prosecco

    Prosecco 101 – The Ultimate Guide

    Prosecco is one of the best tasting Italian wines that you shouldn't miss. If you'd like to learn more on this ultimate favorite drink, follow along as we guide you on how to enjoy every sip of it.

    So before you do your wine shopping in your favorite cellar shops, a little help from our guide will help you to pick the best bottle of Prosecco. You'll learn how it's made, the characteristics and how to enjoy it whatever the occasion. Continue reading

  • Monsigny Champagne No III

    Monsigny Champagne No III Brut (Aldi) Review

    When we heard Aldi were releasing more of the Monsigny Champagne, we had to get a bottle and see if it still lives up to the hype. Aldi have a reputation of selecting wonderful cheap, and very affordable, champagnes. Around holiday periods, they'll often put a lot of thought into finding a good champagne for bulk purchase, so when they went for Monsigny Champagne again, we decided we had to get a crate in the FineWineMaster office and see if it still lives up to the hype. Continue reading

  • Champagne Chilling

    The Optimal Temperature for Serving Different Wines

    Having a successful dinner party may depend on many factors. If the dinner party includes serving wine, then, for the most part, it depends on how you serve your wine and what you serve.

    Many people make the mistake of pouring the wine at the wrong temperature. The only bigger mistake than that is to pour it into plastic cups, knocking down the wine’s decadent aromas and flavors. Continue reading

  • Champagne Glasses

    Introductory Guide to Sparkling Wines from Around the World

    It’s easy to follow your habits and choose Champagne whenever searching for some bubbles. It is a tried-and-true choice that never goes out of fashion, at least not until the present time.

    Champagne is admired all over the world, and for a good reason. However, Champagne doesn't hold a monopoly over sparkling wines. So yes, it is the most popular choice, but there are so many fantastic sparkling wines out there! Continue reading

  • Charles de Courance Brut Rose Thumbnail

    Chateau Champagnes – Charles de Courance Brut Rosé

    Next up in our Chateau Champagnes review series, we're going to be tasting the Rosé version of the Charles de Courance Brut Champagne we've previously tried. Like the standard Brut, at under €20, it's also on the cheaper side, but since we're trying these in France we'll allow a healthy discount on international prices... Continue reading

  • Charles de Courance Champagne Thumbnail

    Chateau Champagnes – Charles de Courance Brut

    In the Champagne region, the Charles de Courance vineyards produce low to mid end sparkling wine, with the right blend and geographical location to claim the coveted "Champagne" classification. The majority of their bottles range from €15-35, so hardly breaking the bank, but enough to get good quality wine for your money.

    In addition to the Charles de Courance Brut, they also offer a number of other similar blended Champagnes including a Rosé we'll be reviewing in a later post. Continue reading

  • Is Champagne wine? Is Rosé Champagne really champagne?

    Is Champagne wine? Differences from sparkling wine

    Champagne is made from a blend of grapes (typically Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier) which are then fermented. Champagne can be made from a blend of different wines, and even often difference vintages - the exception being in the case of "vintage" champagne which is unsurprisingly comprised only of a single vintage. Continue reading