The market for Champagne in the United States has never been more exciting. Consumer demand is at an all-time high. Following a dip in 2020 due to COVID-19, exports of Champagne to the U.S. skyrocketed in 2021, up 33% compared with 2019, according to the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC), Champagne's governing body. Case depletions in the U.S. peaked at 1.89 million cases by the end of 2021, securing the country's place as the number one export market for Champagne.
The region's producers are answering the frenzy with both quality and innovation. The past decade has seen a largely outstanding string of growing seasons on which Champagne's winemakers based their vintage-dated and non-vintage bottlings, and many producers are also showcasing new offerings beyond their established labels, as a way to explore specific terroirs and/or the intricacies of Champagne's complex production process.
Since my previous report ("Bountiful Bubbly," Dec.15, 2021), I've reviewed more than 200 new releases in blind tastings at our New York office. Although the demand for Champagne means that additional producers continue to appear on U.S. shelves for the first time, availability is typically limited for these labels and therefore my tastings remain focused on the bottlings that form the core of the marketplace.
This group is dominated by non-vintage examples, the most widely available bottlings in the U.S., with both well-priced, introductory versions and tête de cuvée labels with extending aging. About a third of my tastings this year were vintage Champagnes, with new releases of 15 different vintages, from 2018 all the way back to 2004. This range displays not only the ageability of Champagne but also the complexity wrought from lees aging, when the bottles are aged under perfect conditions by the winery.
VINTAGE CHAMPAGNE
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December 15, 2022 من Wine Spectator.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
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هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December 15, 2022 من Wine Spectator.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Shipwrecked Champagne Hoard Discovered Near Sweden
It sometimes feels like wine has a habit of falling into the briny deep. On July 23, Polish wreck diver and underwater photographer Tomasz Stachura announced that he and his Baltictech team had discovered the wreck of a 19th-century sailing ship near Öland, an island off the coast of Sweden—and it was crammed with bottles of Champagne and mineral water.
Openings: The Latest in Napa Tasting
Several new tasting options have opened in Napa Valley, particularly in downtown Napa where wineries are launching satellite tasting rooms. Standing out from the crowd means trying new approaches. Here are some highlights:
War in Middle East Affects Vintners
The 2024 harvest at Israel’s Dalton Winery was punctuated by nonstop rocket and drone attacks launched from just across the border in Hezbollah-controlled southern Lebanon.
Wineries Sue Napa County in Federal Court
Three Napa wineries filed a joint lawsuit in federal court in September alleging that Napa County officials violated their constitutional rights.
Savoring Persimmon Season
For many, persimmons are an enigma ingredient. Chef David Nayfeld of Award of Excellence-winning Che Fico in San Francisco and its Best of Award of Excellence sibling dangling persimmons off the tree with a stick at a childhood friend's house before realizing what they were. \"I remember his parents saying, 'Hey, don't hit the persimmons, those are food!\"\"
Tasting Plate: A German Six-Pack
Though it boasts Western Europe’s largest population and biggest economy, Germany is nowhere near the cheese juggernaut its neighbors Switzerland and France are. That said, the Germans love their fine cheeses, and they do turn out some excellent ones, fortunately including more than a handful that are currently available here in the U.S.
Gigondas Blanc Est Arrivé!
Ask winemakers in the Southern Rhône to name the most exciting white grape in their region and you will hear a growing number of them say \"Clairette.\"
Kistler's DARKER SIDE
Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ups the ante at the house that Chardonnay built
THE SPLENDOR OF CHAMPAGNE
THE REGION'S LEADING PRODUCERS DELIVER HIGH QUALITY AMID A DIVERSE RANGE OF STYLES
MICHAEL BATTERBERRY: 1932-2010 Gourmet, Journalist, Gentleman
Before Food Network, Top Chef or Yelp ... before the term “foodie\" ... before tomatoes were heirloom and sushi was fast food... back when fancy restaurants were always French... Michael Batterberry and his wife, Ariane, were working to celebrate and elevate the status of American chefs and international cuisine. Julie Mautner, Food Arts' former executive editor, looks at the life and legacy of her late mentor, affectionately known as The Bat.
