In a new departure, the major champagne house has unveiled a wine that’s been in development for 16 years. Giles Fallowfield reports…

There’s barely a major brand that hasn’t installed a new head winemaker since the start of 2018 or begun the process of replacing the incumbent. And despite the brand owners’ talk of continuity, even when the new and old chef de caves work together in unison for a while during the handover, this changeover represents a great upheaval.  The potential for…

Fresnet will join Mumm in January 2020 in order to give Henriot enough time to find a replacement. Ironically Henriot’s winery, where Fresnet has worked since 2006 achieving considerable acclaim and many awards for the wines, used to belong to Mumm. Since Didier Mariotti’s departure from the house was announced by Pernod Ricard management last September (2018), Mumm has operated without…

Veuve Clicquot winemakers don’t usually depart the job until they retire, they are not meant to leave in their prime and at 53 Demarville is one of the most experienced winemakers in the appellation, arguably at the peak of his powers. He’s done a great job in the 13 years he’s been at Clicquot, but as in the nature of the job, only his first…

Mariotti will join Clicquot from 26 August to work alongside his former colleague Demarville, for what Clicquot describes as a “transitional period, before being appointed cellar master and wine director from 1 January 2020”. This move is made possible following the news that Demarville will leave Clicquot at the year-end after 13 years as chef de cave, something he confirmed…

CHAMPAGNE CONTINUES to perform well in travel retail, despite worldwide sales stagnating and exports within Europe slowing measured against those shipped to countries outside the EU. The latest IWSR figures show growth in the sparkling wine category as a whole of 4.4% in terms of volume (2017 vs 2016) to 1.6m cases and 7.2% in terms of value to US$710.2m. Within the wider…

The blend, which varies slightly from release to release, is precisely 50:50 Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in 2008 for the first time since the top class 1990 vintage. Coming out of sequence – the ripe, forward, 2009 Dom Pérignon vintage was released in May 2017 – with nearly nine years on its lees, plus over 12 months post-disgorgement ageing on the cork. By the time…

16. PERRIER-JOUËT When I met up with chef de cave Hervé Deschamps last month, I asked him for a brief summary of what Perrier-Jouët is all about. The thoughts he proffered were: “White flower, stylish and sea-salt.” I’d just been tasting the newly launched Belle Époque Brut Vintage 2008 with him and, while that wasn’t exactly my tasting note, all those things are evident in…

The Champagnois were off the hook and in future editions of this supplement we will report on how that particular ‘problem child’ vintage is progressing. But right now we have the latest edition of Drinks International’s The World’s Most Admired Champagne Brands. The ranking that follows is not necessarily about being the best of anything (see link for full methodology). The survey results are…

_____________________________ IF WE LOOK AT THE overall travel retail sector, including airport shops, cruise liners, ferries and what is sold or given away on board aeroplanes, we are contemplating a champagne market of a shade over 9m bottles. To put this in perspective, in 2015 9.21m bottles of champagne were shipped to Belgium and 8.11m bottles to Australia, respectively the sixth…