Champagne - Palate Press

7 min read

Can California wineries make Champagne? Of course they can! Over the past three years, at least four California wineries have started doing so. Before I get sabered by a regiment of WSET candidates for dealing in alternative facts, let me hasten to add that these Californians are making their signature

What We’re Drinking – NV Schramsberg Vineyards “Mirabelle” Brut Rosé

David Honig

Wine Reviews

1 min read

When people tell me "I don't like bubbles" I slap them until they go away. Who doesn't love bubbles? Bubbles have been fun since we were babies. First there were bubble baths, then blowing bubbles, the bubble gum, and then, finally, we grow up and we get to drink BUBBLES!

“Unprecedented development rate” leads to ripe, early harvest in southern Champagne

Caroline Henry

Feature Stories

6 min read

The unique terroir of the Côtes des Bar expresses itself well in this vintage. The 2015 harvest has drawn to a close in Champagne and overall everybody is very happy with the results. The hot summer boosted the ripeness levels, and in the end brought forward the harvest dates by

Sustainable Growing in Champagne: Finally More than Lip Service?

Caroline Henry

Features

6 min read

Until recently national initiatives for sustainable agriculture in France have had little following. So why did the people of Champagne invest so heavily in their own sustainable labelling? And can they make the label meaningful? A Few Facts On May 12, 2014, The Champagne Bureau launched its own "sustainable" winegrowing

A Year in Champagne lacks sparkle, info

Becky Sue Epstein

About

2 min read

I do hope that people who watch A Year in Champagne have seen this production company’s last feature, A Year in Burgundy. This Champagne film is like a Part Two in terms of wine education. It assumes a certain amount of wine knowledge. Drinking champagne is fun, glamorous, exciting. And

My favorite wines of 2014

Becky Sue Epstein

Feature Stories

2 min read

I can’t tell you how many hundreds of wines I’ve tasted this year. Wait, that sounds snobby. In truth, I’m privileged to be able to sample and evaluate wines all around the world – and sometimes I even get to drink them. Evaluating wines in a region often leads to

Glass sippers: Keeping abreast of fashions in sparkling stemware

Michelle Locke

Features

3 min read

Sparkling wine has always been a glass act. It was the invention of stronger bottles in 17th-century Britain that made the beverage cellar-safe, solving the problem of exploding bottles which had plagued effervescent beverages. And the glasses used to serve sparkling wines have gone through more than a few incarnations

Countdown to New Year’s Eve: Vintage Champagne and more

Becky Sue Epstein

Feature Stories

5 min read

This is the final week of our exploration of different types of sparkling wines –Champagne included, of course – so you’ll be able to make a great choice for your New Year’s Eve occasion. Rather than an exhaustive explanation of champagnes and sparkling wines, this series is meant to provide

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What We’re Drinking – NV Schramsberg Vineyards “Mirabelle” Brut Rosé

“Unprecedented development rate” leads to ripe, early harvest in southern Champagne

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Countdown to New Year’s Eve: Vintage Champagne and more