This label will lead you to some of the very best Champagnes
As well as a Blanc de Blancs, some Champagne houses produce a Blanc de Noirs, a white wine made from red grapes. This is made by quickly crushing the grapes and separating juice from skins. The permitted red grapes in Champagne include pinot noir and pinot meunier.
Typically, a larger Champagne producer will offer a range of wines including a Brut Non-Vintage, made from a blend of red and white grapes from several vintages and several sub-regions. There will also be a vintage, made from grapes produced in one year, a rosé, a demi-sec (medium dry), and a luxury cuvée, the very best wine they produce. Some will also produce a Blanc de Blanc (or Blancs) or a Blanc de Noirs, or both.
You may also come across the term Côte des Blancs on the label of some Champagne bottles. This translates as 'hillside of the whites' and refers to a specific area rich in chalk and limestone soils that produce very crisp mineral wines made from the Chardonnay grape. So it is a Blanc de Blancs from the Côte des Blancs.
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Blanc de Blanc Champagne tends to have a lively acidity, fresh floral notes, with plenty of lemon and peach fruits. It is usually finer and less fruity than a blended wine. With age it takes on notes of brioche, toasted hazelnuts and freshly baked bread. These are among the best Champagnes so don't ignore them.
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Irish Times
06-07-2025
- Irish Times
This label will lead you to some of the very best Champagnes
Blanc de Blancs is a French term that literally translates as 'white from whites'. It is used to denote a wine that has been made solely from white grapes. In the vast majority of cases, the wine will be sparkling and usually from the Champagne region. Around the world, most white wines are made exclusively from white grapes but in Champagne producers frequently blend wines from both red and white grapes, hence the need for the term. Almost all white grapes grown in Champagne are chardonnay although this won't appear on the label. As well as a Blanc de Blancs, some Champagne houses produce a Blanc de Noirs, a white wine made from red grapes. This is made by quickly crushing the grapes and separating juice from skins. The permitted red grapes in Champagne include pinot noir and pinot meunier. Typically, a larger Champagne producer will offer a range of wines including a Brut Non-Vintage, made from a blend of red and white grapes from several vintages and several sub-regions. There will also be a vintage, made from grapes produced in one year, a rosé, a demi-sec (medium dry), and a luxury cuvée, the very best wine they produce. Some will also produce a Blanc de Blanc (or Blancs) or a Blanc de Noirs, or both. You may also come across the term Côte des Blancs on the label of some Champagne bottles. This translates as 'hillside of the whites' and refers to a specific area rich in chalk and limestone soils that produce very crisp mineral wines made from the Chardonnay grape. So it is a Blanc de Blancs from the Côte des Blancs. READ MORE Blanc de Blanc Champagne tends to have a lively acidity, fresh floral notes, with plenty of lemon and peach fruits. It is usually finer and less fruity than a blended wine. With age it takes on notes of brioche, toasted hazelnuts and freshly baked bread. These are among the best Champagnes so don't ignore them.
Irish Times
29-06-2025
- Irish Times
Why does it seem that wines are getting stronger?
You are not mistaken ; the level of alcohol in wines has been steadily increasing for the last decade or more. The reason for this is quite simple, at least in part; climate change . As grapes ripen, their sugar levels increase. When the grapes are picked, crushed and fermented, those sugars turn into alcohol. So, the more sugar in the grapes, the more alcohol in the finished wine. As many wine regions have become warmer, so the alcohol levels of the wines have increased. Bordeaux is a perfect example. Back in the 1960s and 1970s, most Bordeaux was between 12 per cent and 13 per cent abv. Nowadays, it is not unusual to find wines with 14 per cent or more, with many hitting a heart-warming 15 per cent. This is partly down to climate change. An increase of one degree centigrade can make a huge difference to ripening grapes. In addition, during the same period, growers learned to farm better, reducing yields and harvesting at optimal periods. All of this meant riper grapes with more sugar. Wine can vary in alcohol from as little as 5 per cent to 25 per cent abv. Lower alcohol wines can be made in three ways. The grower can pick their grapes early, before the sugars have had a chance to increase. This will make for a lighter but probably quite acidic wine. Alternatively, a producer can stop the wine from fermenting halfway through. This will leave the wine tasting a little or very sweet. German wines such as Mosel Riesling and Italian sparkling wines such as Moscato d'Asti are made this way. It is also possible to reduce wine after fermentation by vacuum distillation, reverse osmosis, or spinning cone. All three of these will lower alcohol levels but may also affect the taste of the wine. READ MORE Any wine with more than 15 per cent abv will usually have been fortified, or had brandy added. This is the way sherry, port, marsala and madeira are made. Wines with high alcohol are not necessarily a bad thing, although it does mean you should drink them in smaller quantities. But wine is about balance and both a good Mosel riesling, with an abv of around 8 per cent, and a fine old oloroso sherry at 20 per cent are among the greatest wines of all. In the European Union, all labels must state the alcohol content of the wine. Producers are allowed a 0.5 per cent tolerance one way or the other (0.8 per cent with older wines), so your 13.5 per cent wine may actually be 14% or 13%.
Irish Times
15-06-2025
- Irish Times
Why you're serving your white wine too cold and your red wine too warm
The internet is full of suggestions on how to get the most out of your wine. Some are useful, others pointless and long-winded. I dislike rules in wine but the 20- or sometimes 30-minute rule is simple and something I do most days. I just didn't realise it was a 'rule'. The idea is straightforward: take your white wine out of the fridge 30 minutes before serving and pop your red wine in the fridge for the same period. Why? Most people and most restaurants serve their white wines a little too cold, and most of their red wines a bit too warm. A very cold bottle of white wine will smell and taste of very little. Let it warm up a while and you will get so much more flavour. Six to 10 degrees is perfect for fresh light whites and sparkling wines, 10-12 for richer white wines. A fridge is usually about two to four degrees. A red served too warm will seem alcoholic and sometimes a bit soupy. Serve it too cold and it taste a little harsh and astringent. Somewhere around 16-18 degrees is about right. When books mention serving a red wine at room temperature, they are referring back to Victorian times when rooms did not have central heating and were distinctly cooler. If you are lucky enough to own a cellar or wine fridge, you could take the bottle out 15 minutes before serving. There was a fashion for leaving cold red wines beside a roaring fire. This is not a great idea as the wine would end up tasting horrible. Instead, put it in a plastic bag, and immerse it in a basin or sink of lukewarm water.
