Champagne News

Will there be much champagne in South America?? Well, I’m about to find out what some of the very best restaurants in South America have to offer - besides exceptional food. Expect in a month or two to hear about Central (number 2 on the San Pellegrino list) and Astrid y Gaston in Lima, Boragó in Santiago, and Chila in Buenos Aires. Expecting to also eat and drink rather well on the Seven Seas Mariner as it cruises from Callao (Port of Lima), down the coast to Cape Horn, and up to Buenos Aires.

Regular news and some 'best buys' are posted monthly on my website kaaren-palmer-champagne.com

Meanwhile, herewith some of the best and newest news from Champagne…….

Kaaren Palmer
Kaaren Palmer Champagne
November 14, 2022

for visitors to Champagne

A different side of Champagne – the Route Touristique, e-bikes, sensory experiences and more, see here.

Further suggestions for three interesting days in Champagne including links to suggested hotels, may be found here.

By water in Champagne? Belmond luxury (now owned by LVMH, so expect to partake of the Ruinart cuvées owned by the group) is coming to the canals of Champagne from Sillery to Épernay! As a Belmond customer in Burgundy on what will be two occasions by the end of May 2023, I can wholeheartedly recommend the experience click here for more details.

Find it if you can: Champagne from the Clos des Goisses, the most famous single vineyard in Champagne. Charles Philipponnat discusses this great champagne's placement in the investors' marketplace. Tasting notes are included read more. There are some bottles available at Nicks Wine Merchants and Prince Wine Store in Melbourne, or Wine Square.

What makes a Champagne vintage great?

Bollinger is using deep learning to figure it all out. This is a fascinating article revealing where the art and craft of winemaking marries with modern computer programming and scientific measurement techniques to look at what's occurred in the past and predict what will make equally great champagne in the future read more. 

Bolly has also released their single vineyard wine featuring its very steep site, La Côte aux Enfants, a site so steep that children find it easier to harvest than adults do. It's a red wine akin to a Pinot Noir from Burgundy, that is, a côteaux champenois. Nimmi Malhotra reports for the southeast Asian market, but we can be pleased to read her feature article here.

Enquiries regarding product availability in Australia may be directed to the importer, House of Fine Wine. In Adelaide, the Edinburgh Cellars store has the 2016.

Well-written, excellent notes with scores and recommended drinking windows are indeed a gift from Essi Avellan MW in the first part of Club Oenologique’s inaugural Champagne Report. Essi picks out highlights, surprises and arrives at conclusions (with which I tend to always agree) in a tasting of 350 wines from the major houses and cooperatives Find three pages here. 

Searcy's London

Here's a reminder not to miss Searcy's while you're in London see why. So, if you're arriving by the Eurostar, stop by one of the warmed booths, and order from Searcy's champagne menu.

Upgraded Larmat Maps

Those who purchased Peter Liem's book on Champagne, may also have purchased the charming set of Larmat maps which he offered as an option. Originally published soon after the Second World War, parts of these same maps have been dissected and upgraded to modern times and acreage. While the space dedicated to growing champagne grapes did indeed double after the Second World War, it's worth remembering that in pre-phylloxera days – in fact around 1824 – 63,600 hectares grew grapes, almost double the number of hectares planted today. And between the Great Wars, the Great Depression and U.S. Prohibition were but two of the factors influencing a reduction in vineyard area. But that is a story for another time! The new maps are similar to the maps we see from Burgundy. If only I had some wall space!

Image copyright © Larmat Maps 

While there's a map of the whole region, the most detailed and interesting maps from me are those detailing a single village or cru. Chouilly, Cramant and Avize are currently available – It's a huge project to develop more with accompanying books on the champagnes produced from particular sites, and information on the topography, terroir and winemakers...... Larmat Maps.