Pierre Cellier - Blanc de Blancs

Vintage: Non-Vintage
Type: Champagne - Blanc de Blancs
Country: France



I tried this champagne at a tasting evening that had some amazing champagne. Unfortunately this one probably suffered because of it. I found the champagne a bit sharp on the pallet and with a slightly unpleasant after taste. surprising as it is a Blanc de Blancs, usually a favourite type of champagne for me.

Veuve Clicquot

Vintage: Non-Vintage
Type: Champagne
Country: France - Reims



One of the big houses, Veuve is quite easy to find, a bit expensive and a reliable champagne. It is probably my favourite of the big houses (perhaps Mercier but it is much harder to find). Great flavour, good bubbles and a dry finish.

Michel Lenique - Blanc de Blancs

Vintage: Non-Vintage
Type: Champagne - Blanc de Blancs
Country: France - Pierry



This champagne is fantastic. Great overall taste with plenty of small refined bubbles. A gem, if you can find it!

Michel Lenique - 3D wines Brut Champagne

Vintage: Non-Vintage
Type: Champagne
Country: France - Pierry



This non-vintage champagne is a special selection that is available only through 3D wines. The house, Lenique is based in Pierry and they have been around for a long time and know how to make Champagne. This champagne has amazing bubbles, both small and plentiful that seem to last forever. The taste is great and there is almost no after taste. Very good and highly recommended.

Champagne Mercier- Cuvee du Fondateur

Vintage: Non-Vintage
Type: Champagne
Country: France - Epernay



This is a very good Non-vintage champagne. It is the Founder's selection from Mercier and I found it full of flavour, great bubbles and and overall excellent taste. It even had a bit of the "vintage flavour" to it, making it a bit stronger and fuller of flavour than one would expect from a non-vintage. Recommended.

Yellow Tail - Bubbles

Vintage: Non-Vintage
Type: Sparkling Wine
Country: Australia



Here is a wine maker who has taken a luxury product and has made it accessible to folks who like to celebrate and enjoy bubbles on an everyday basis. The bubbles are sharper than what you would find in bottles of sparkling wine produced in North America, which is closer to what my palate prefers. This is quite a sweet sparkler (actually, very sweet) and I am still not sure which exotic fruits' aromas lift out of the glass. This is perfect for those summer evenings when both partners had a good day at work or when you have some out-of-towners visiting you for brunch!

More info here.

Champage Tarlant

Vintage: Non-Vintage
Type: Champagne
Country: France - Epernay



Champagne Tarlant has a claim to fame for being a zero dosage champagne. This means that when the second fermentation occurs, they do not need to add any sugar to the bottle (the dosage). As far as I'm aware, this is unique for champagne.

Of course the quality of the champagne is very good. There seemed to be almost too many bubbles which were nice and small. The taste was great, though this is not my favourite Brut. Recommended.

Summerhill - Cipes

Vintage: Non-Vintage
Type: Sparkling Wine
Country: Canada - Okanagan Valley



This sparkling wine will always occupy a special place in my heart because this was the bottle that my mother-in-law to-be, my mother and I toasted my wedding day too. My hair was in curlers and my make-up was half-way done, but the wine made me feel fabulous on the inside.

Never feel guilty for drinking bubbly on your wedding day - it creates special moments full of joy.

Now, onto the actual review: this wine was created by New York developer, Stephen Cipes, and it has been served to American and Russian presidents during visits to Canada. With that said, you know this is a serious bubbly that adds elegance to any event. The colour is lightly golden, the bubbles are frothy yet somehow creamy. It is a surprisingly complex bubbly, which helps the drinker to appreciate its festive nature. Highly recommended as an alternative to Champagne.

Champagne Colin - Brut Rose

Vintage: Non-Vintage
Type: Champagne
Country: France



This Champagne house is the favourite of our friend, Colin. No surprise that it will be served at his wedding later this month!

Novelty aside: the bubbles are fine; there are obvious fruity notes, such as cherry and black currant; and the after taste is sharp and acidic. It is still delicious and goes down well when accompanied by Fossier's rose-flavoured biscuits.

Mercier - Brut Rose

Vintage: Non-Vintage
Type: Champagne
Country: France - Epernay



This rose champagne is a real treat. My husband (then fiance!) picked up a trio of Mercier Champagnes after our tasting at the House in Epernay. Some people think that rose wines suffer from identity crises but not this one. This one is bright and it dances to announce to your taste buds that it is a sparkling Champagne. Alas, this is not a vintage and it is made from a blend of grapes from two different years. It is still a beautiful wine to use for a toast at a special occasion at home.

Moet & Chandon

Vintage: Non-Vintage
Type: Champagne
Country: France - Epernay



One of the big houses in Champagne, especially since they bought Dom. This champagne is quite good, though I find that it is over-priced compared to some of the smaller houses (and even some of the large ones). Never a bad option, especially is money is not an issue.

Alexandre Lenique - Cuvee Brut

Vintage: Non-Vintage
Type: Champagne
Country: France - Pierry



This is an excellent bottle of Brut Champagne. It's the brother's label from Champagne Lenique in Pierry: a nice bottle with a modern label. This champagne it is great. Nice small and plentiful bubbles with a great taste and almost no after-taste. Hard to find, but if you do pick up a bottle (I had to go to champagne and to the producer to do so).

Gruss - Cremant

Vintage: Non-Vintage
Type: Cremant (non Champagne sparkling wine)
Country: France - Alsace




This was the sparkling wine that was served to greet guests to the wine tasting. Guests were expecting champagne but received this instead. The wine was light and refreshing, so it is suitable as an apperatif or dessert wine.

Kell's Edge

Vintage: Non-vintage
Type: Cabernet Grenache
Country: Australia




I'm not sure how I came across this wine, but I'm sure it was at an event. Nothing special, but it won't give you a headache -- something to say when talking about cheap non-vintage wine.

Summerhill Cipes Pinot Noir Brut

Vintage: Non Vintage
Type: Sparkling Wine - Pinot Noir Brut
Country: Canada - Okanagan Valley



We had this wine to start a meal at the Summerhill Winery. I'm generally not a fan of sparking wine, especially the blush variety, but this stuff was quite good. Great for a celebration on a hot summer day. It is a bit hard to find outside of Canada though.

More info here.

Junmai Ginjo

Vintage: Non Vintage
Type: Sake
Country: Japan



An organic sake from Japan. I don't actually know much about sake, but I drank this warm. The aroma was a bit earthy and it tasted a bit different from my usual brand, but overall it was pretty good.

Il Papavero

Vintage: Non Vintage
Type: Primitivo
Country: Italy - Vino da Tavola



Given the reviews I have read about this wine, I was expecting more. Overall not a great wine at all, though it is pretty cheap (You can have it for around £5 a bottle). It has won a bronze award from the Dallas Morning News Wine Competition, but is that really saying much?

More here