Tong No. 4: Champagne
Tong
phone order only
Champagne faces many obstacles – a revision of the appellation, the developing trend for single vineyard champagnes and the concomitant “rise of the grower.” At the same time, houses and cooperatives have never been so demanding.
What about the trend for Extra Brut and Brut Nature? Better educated consumers want wines with more individuality and greater transparency about its products, in tune with a healthier lifestyle. But the resulting champagnes are often too harsh and thin because the grapes are not always ripe when harvested.
And the big champagne houses exaggerate the role played by blending so as to secure their house style, rarely mentioning the vital role of liqueur d’expédition. There’s a lot to think about. $40.
Phone order only. Please contact us to ask about availability.