Our Chief Wine Officer Julien Miquel is always embarking on different journeys to explore what’s best and finest in different French wine regions.
From Bordeaux to Burgundy to Champagne to others, he gifts us with videos and articles about what makes the wines from these areas so unique and perfect not only for tasting, but for investing too.
Here you have the six-part Champagne series by Julien, in videos and a couple text articles. This will surely help you understand more about the culture, the terroirs and the traditions that make this French region unique in producing the finest sparkling wines in the world, which are also fantastic investment-grade.
Enjoy your bubblies. Santé!
The seven grapes of Champagne
An essential part of what makes Champagne what it is: the different grapes that are grown in the region and used to make its so special wines. From good old Chardonnay to versatile Pinot Noir and more interesting blends, this is Julien’s the introduction to deeper debates that will make you an expert in general Champagne knowledge. Read article.
Diversity of terroirs & sub-regions
Why and how terroir matters in Champagne? The different facets of the region and how and why their particular terroirs help making such refined bubblies. Overlooks of Montagne de Reims & Vallée de la Marne, Côte de Blancs, Côte des Bar & Côte de Sézanne. Exclusively on video.
Brut, Extra-Brut, Zero, Sec? The sweetness levels
Why are most Champagnes ‘Brut’? What does this sugar do to balance the bubblies’ crispness? What are the differences between Extra-Brut, Zero Dosage, Demi-sec? More than debating meaningless numbers of g/L, Julien goes to the roots of understanding the different levels of sweetness and how they can provide quite different tastings. Read article.
Vintage versus non-vintage
You may have heard about – without necessarily understanding that much – non-vintage and vintage cuvée. What does it all mean? Here, Julien talks about this specific difference, consistency of production volumes and if you should bother with it. Exclusively on video.
Blanc de Blancs, Blanc de Noirs
There are two interesting names you may sometimes see on special bottles of Champagne: Blanc de Blancs and Blancs de Noirs. What’s that, and what’s so rare about it in varietals? Julien will show you also that actually most Champagnes are neither of those things, and why. Exclusively on video.
Prestige cuvée, single vineyard & 31 Clos of Champagnes
A broad subject to close off the series is what we call the Prestige Cuvées, those flagship labels every Champagne house and producer makes to highlight what they can do best, from Dom Pérignon to Cristal to Ace of Spades and more. Julien adds something extra that very few have in mind: there are even more special Champagnes, the single vineyard ones. Read article.
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