What does Pink Champagne Pair Well With?

There’s no denying rosé champagne is an aesthetically pleasing option, but it’s also great for food pairing. Lighter varieties go well with seafood, while robust rosé champagnes can stand up to strong meats like spiced lamb or ’nduja. Rosé champagne is also often paired with desserts, particularly fruity puddings and dishes with a touch of acidity. You can find more on this here.

Best Pink Champagne and Sparkling Wine For 2023

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The World’s Best Selling Champagne Brand

Moët & Chandon is the world’s best-selling champagne brand, and is widely considered the best champagne brand in the world full stop. Established back in 1743, Moët & Chandon is part of the the LVMH brand, and the House has a rich and glamorous history, from elating the royal courts of France under Louis XV to walking the red carpets of Hollywood and lighting up Studio 54. With brand ambassadors including Scarlett Johansson and Roger Federer, and sponsorship with some of the world’s best events, it’s no surprise that this luxury brand is top of the list. Don’t miss its new bar at Harrods, too.

BUY IT: moet.com

Here are nine more of the best champagnes to try next…

The Best Champagne Brands To Try Now

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Featured image: Luca Lago, Unsplash

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The Best Champagne Bars in London

The Landmark

With its palatial interiors and grand feel, Marylebone hotel The Landmark is the perfect spot for a glass of fizz – particularly with its brand-new champagne bar. Part of a big refurbishment at the hotel, the new spot is housed within the central glass atrium, beneath a foliage-lined glasshouse. Glamorous interiors from Alex Kravetz Design feature a regal colour palette of rich blues, greens and golds, with plush sofas and armchairs to enjoy drinks on. The menu includes a diverse range of champagnes alongside seafood-focused small plates – think scallop ceviche, Brixham white crab, and caviar. Guests can also opt to have the High Seas High Tea, a seafood twist on afternoon tea featuring crab sandwiches, poached langoustine tartlets and hand-crafted pastries.

222 Marylebone Rd, London NW1 6JQ, landmarklondon.co.uk

London Calling at Selfridges

Moët & Chandon’s champagne bar at Selfridges, themed around our beloved capital city, is an absolute must-visit for lovers of fizz. The London Calling bar features a design inspired by the classic red telephone booth, alongside a photographic exhibition of 10 key moments in London from 1908 to the 1990s. Guests can enjoy a range of Moët & Chandon wines, including its iconic Moët Impérial and Rosé Impérial styles which have appeared at London’s most glamorous events over the years.

400 Oxford St, London W1A 1AB; selfridges.com

Champagne Room at The Connaught

This hidden gem within The Connaught hotel is the place to go if you prefer a refined, intimate vibe to the big cork-popping celebrations. Even the most discerning guest will be impressed by the vintages and bottles on offer, all served in glistening bespoke Baccarat crystal glasses. The height of luxury.

Connaught, Carlos Pl, London W1K 2AL; the-connaught.co.uk

St Pancras Champagne Bar

Whether or not you’re Eurostar-bound, the St Pancras Champagne Bar by Searcys is a destination in its own right. The iconic location houses the longest champagne bar in Europe, and the glass ceiling, Art Deco furnishings and constant comings-and-goings below make for an especially romantic glass or two of bubbly. After a few, you may even be tempted to embark on an impromptu trip to Paris…

St. Pancras, St Pancras International Station, London N1C 4QL; stpancrasbysearcys.co.uk

The Ritz

There are few things more decadent than heading to The Ritz for your celebrations. The Rivoli cocktail bar is one of London’s finest, and its menu has an entire page dedicated to champagne, as well as one for caviar – a most perfect and natural of marriages. Go all out.

150 Piccadilly, St. James’s, London W1J 9BR; theritzlondon.com

Laurent-Perrier Champagne Bar at the Royal Albert Hall

(c) Raphael Tomi, Unsplash

It’s all in the name. From crisp La Cuvée to the memorable Grand Siècle, Laurent-Perrier shows off its best bubbles in the eponymous bar on the Grand Tier of the Royal Albert Hall. Book a table before your chosen performance for a memorable evening out to the theatre, just as it should be.

Grand Tier, Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, South Kensington, London SW7 2AP; royalalberthall.com

Champagne Bar at Harrods

Harrods‘ exclusive champagne provider, the Hostomme family, has been established in the Champagne region for over three centuries. Head to the legendary department store’s hidden champagne bar to try the full selection – you won’t be disappointed.

87-135 Brompton Road, London SW1X 7XL; harrods.com

Champagne + Fromage

Champagne and cheese: a slightly unconventional combination, but who’s complaining? With six London sites, you can get your fill of two of France’s greatest exports in the form of weekly tastings, masterclasses and fizzed-up afternoon teas, or just head straight to the bar to enjoy some of the finest grower champagnes around.

Various locations; champagneplusfromage.co.uk

Harvey Nichols’ Fifth Floor Bar

F0llowing Harvey Nichols’ major fifth-floor refurbishment, the store’s flagship bar is back in business serving London-inspired cocktails as well as big-name champagnes befitting the Knightsbridge postcode. Mid-shopping pitstops ease into buzzy evenings here – especially when there’s a nine-litre Perrier-Jouët Salmanazar on the menu…

109-125 Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7RJ; harveynichols.com

Vertigo42

Located at the top of Tower 42, London’s highest champagne bar offers unbeatable views of the city to accompany a glass of bubbly – the high-life indeed. Book a seat facing outwards to best take in your surroundings and order the Laurent-Perrier Champagne flight to help expand your palate. For a truly special event, go all out with a bottle of Ruinart Blanc de Blancs.

Tower 42, 25 Old Broad St, London EC2N 1HN; opentable.co.uk/vertigo

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English Vineyards To Visit Now

A glass of chilled fizz in hand as you relax on a terrace enjoying the view across rolling hills lined with perfectly manicured vineyards, glistening in the sunshine. Dazzling white chalk soils that urge you to reach for your sunshades, before a gastronomic lunch at an estate. Images that have seduced many a wine lover to visit the classic vineyards from Champagne to Burgundy, Franciacorta to the Dolomites.

But instead, closer to home, welcome to the exciting world of English wine. Cindy-Marie Harvey, owner of wine tour company, Love Wine Food Ltd, explores this in her new book, Watercress, Willow and Wine. It’s full of suggestions of English wine estates to visit alongside irresistible recipes matched with wines from award-winning sparklings to seductive Pinot Noirs. She also discovers delicious English charcuterie and cheese pairings throughout. Here are just a few of her English vineyard recommendations.

Furleigh Estate

Sandridge Barton

Located in the beautiful Dart Valley in Devon, the estate is home to Sharpham wines. With a limestone ridge vineyard that echoes the Côte d’Or in Burgundy, among its range is a delightful Pinot Noir as well as Pinot Gris and Madeleine Angevin. The estate also makes wonderful cheeses including its Triple Cream Elmhirst from Jersey Cows milk, perfect for a picnic by the river with a glass of their Estate White Selection. Do visit the Winery Restaurant, Circa, in the converted dairy barn for dishes such as Smoked Haddock Chowder with Quails Eggs or Beef Carpaccio with Sloe Berries. sandridgebarton.com

Coates & Seely

This vineyard produces glorious food friendly sparkling wines in Hampshire. It’s situated not far from Winchester, the ancient capital of England, and surrounded by crystal clear chalk streams. Virginia Coates welcomes visitors to taste its perfectly balanced sparkling wines with a dazzling array of her canapés featuring local produce, such as the locally made Tunworth Cheese, described by Raymond Blanc as ‘the best camembert in the world’. Look out for its classic restored vintage coach, Albion. coatesandseely.com

Nutbourne Vineyards

Nutbourne Vineyards

This one is tucked away down a leafy country lane in West Sussex. Owned by Chef Peter Gladwin and his wife, artist Bridget Gladwin, the family run estate is the perfect place to relax on a sunny English afternoon. It’s fascinating to learn about the different styles of vine growing and the eight grape varieties they have planted. Nutbourne’s white Sussex Reserve captures the essence of the countryside with notes of elderflower. Enjoy a picnic of locally made trout paté & flavourful Nutbourne tomatoes overlooking the vines. nutbournevineyards.com

High Clandon

Although owned and worked by a charming South African couple, Bruce and Sybilla Tindale, this boutique estate could not be more quintessentially English. In a designated area of outstanding natural beauty in the Surrey Hills, the vineyard is flanked by a truffle wood and wild flower meadow. A welcoming cellar door tasting barn offers visitors the chance to taste their sparkling cuvées, the perfect match for Sibylla’s irresistible Gougères, stuffed with truffle cream. Look out for their art in the Vines event, where sculptures & artwork are dotted across the estate, with its spectacular views across to the London skyline. highclandon.co.uk

Camel Valley

Henners Vineyard

On the edge of the Pevensey Levels Nature Reserve in East Sussex is Henners Vineyard, just four miles from the coast. With the South Downs way running close to its property, Henners is an ideal place to visit after a morning’s walk for a reviving glass of wine. Planted with the traditional trilogy of Champenoise varieties of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier, it produces not only vibrant sparkling wines but also still wines including the Native Grace Chardonnay featured in the book. Look out for foodie events at the estate, and do try the vineyard’s estate Gin, distilled from its own wines, in copper pot stills, which creates a cloudy style in the glass thanks to the natural oils in the botanicals. hennersvineyard.co.uk

Gusbourne

Gusbourne is situated near Appledore in Kent, although the company also owns vineyards near the Goodwood estate in Sussex. Winemaker Charlie Holland creates stunning English sparkling wines, with a wonderful purity of fruit in the glass, such as the amazing Blanc de Noirs, but Cindy-Marie chose their wonderful still Pinot Noir as the featured wine in her book. A glorious expression of this ethereal variety, bursting with red fruits, as well as notes of black cherries and warming spice, it’s an ideal foil for the Goose Gratin in the book. If planning a visit, Gusbourne offers both casual platters or full lunches. gusbourne.com

Watercress, Willow and Wine (whitefox, £25) by Cindy-Marie Harvey is available across selected major retailers including Waterstones, Amazon and Cindy-Marie’s website lovewinefood.com.

Featured Image: Getty Images

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A Guide To The Different Types of Champagne

What are the different ways Champagne can be categorised and differentiated?

By Style

• Blanc de Blancs: a wine made exclusively from white grapes such as Chardonnay and/or, very occasionally, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Arbane or Petit Meslier, which are the other white grape varieties authorised in Champagne.
• Blanc de Noirs: a wine made exclusively from dark-skinned grapes such as Pinot Noir and/or Meunier.
• Rosé: a Champagne Rosé has more colour and body than regular Champagne. It is made either by macerating black grapes or by blending with red Champagne wine.
• Demi-Sec: a Champagne containing between 32 and 50 grams of sugar per litre. The sugar is added during the ‘dosage’ stage by the dosage liqueur (also known as ‘liqueur d’expédition’).
• Sec: a Champagne containing between 17 and 32 grams of sugar per litre.
• Extra Dry: a Champagne containing between 12 and 17 grams of sugar per litre.
• Doux: a Champagne containing more than 50 grams of sugar per litre, which makes it the sweetest Champagne.
• Brut: see below.

By Non-Vintage/ Vintage

• Non-vintage Champagne Brut is the most common Champagne. It is a cuvée which can be a blend of several years. Typically it is the wine for which its style is perpetuated year on year by the brand, and a signature wine.
• A vintage Champagne is made solely from grapes harvested that same year and therefore does not contain any reserve wines. A producer decides to make a vintage wine when the harvest has been outstanding a particular year. These wines are known for being full of character. The harvest year will be written on the label of the bottle.

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By Distinguishing A House Champagne/ A Grower Or A Cooperative

Check the label and you will find the registration number and two letters. 

• RM stands for Récoltants-Manipulants. They are growers who produce and market their own-label Champagne from grapes exclusively sourced from their own vineyards. 
• RC stands for Récoltant-Coopérateur. A cooperative is a group of growers. They deliver grapes from their own harvest to their cooperative then retrieve from this cooperative the musts or wines in the process of being made or ready to be sold.
• NM stands for Négociant Manipulant. This is an individual or a company who, in addition to the grapes sourced from their own vines (if they have any), buys grapes, musts or wines to produce Champagne on their own premises.
• Champagne Houses market their own-label Champagne.

What does ‘brut’ mean and can you tell us about the scale?

A Champagne Brut is a Champagne that contains less than 12 grams of sugar per litre. The sugar is added during the ‘dosage’ stage by the dosage liqueur (also known as ‘liqueur d’expédition’). A Champagne Brut Nature, also called ‘Pas Dosé’ or ‘Dosage Zéro’, contains less than three grams of sugar per litre. No dosage liqueur will have been added to it.

What does ‘cru’ mean and how does it help differentiate champagnes?

A cru corresponds to a winegrowing municipality. The Champagne vineyard area encompasses 319 crus across the five ‘départements’. Before 2007, there was a scale of crus in Champagne. Officially established for the first time in 1911 following discussions between growers and Houses, it was agreed that a cru would be attributed a percentage ranging between 80 and 100 percent. Therefore, a cru with an 80 percent rating received 80 percent of the basic price, while a cru with a 95 percent rating received 95 percent of the basic price, etc.

The Decree of 1 July 1952 officially introduced the terms ‘grand cru’, exclusively for wines from municipalities with a 100 percent rating – and ‘premier cru’, exclusively for wines from municipalities with a 90 to 100 percent rating. In 2010, the INAO scrapped the Champagne cru scale, but agreed that municipalities having previously received a ‘grand cru’ and ‘premier cru’ designation could retain this.

What are the different ageing categories?

Champagne is marketed after a minimum ageing period which allows it to express the tertiary aromas (that come with ageing) of a young wine. Depending on taste and the ageing capabilities of the year (to be determined by the producer), it can be laid down until it develops the tertiary aromas of a more mature Champagne.

All genuine Champagnes must spend at least 15 months maturing in the winemaker’s cellars before release. Vintage cuvées are matured for at least three years. In practice though, this statutory timeframe – already significant compared to other sparkling wines – is almost always longer in Champagne: two to three years for non-vintage wines and four to ten years for vintage Champagne.

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Yet while its history is pivotal to Louis Roederer, its sights are firmly set on the future. The brand has long been a pioneer in eco-friendly champagne, having been engaged in what’s called ‘renaissance viticulture’ for over 20 years, using practices that are influenced by the permaculture model, which focuses on working in harmony with the living environment. Its efforts certainly haven’t gone unnoticed: Louis Roederer has won an endless stream of awards over the years, and has just been named the World’s Most Admired Champagne Brand for the fourth year running. So: what’s behind its long-lasting success?

A Pioneering Spirit

The brand has demonstrated an innovative approach to champagne ever since its beginnings. Soon after taking over the champagne house, Roederer began buying vineyards – a stark contrast to contemporary practices at the time, and indeed still fairly unique in the industry today, with most producers buying grapes from small growers. This method gave him more control over the quality of his grapes, and paved the way for a new style of winemaking – one that was guided by a fundamental principle: that all great wine depends on the quality of the soil.

By the 1870s, Roederer was exporting his champagne to the US and Russia – and in 1876, the brand created what became the house’s most famous wine, designed to satisfy the tastes of Tsar Alexander II. This was the very first Cuvée de Prestige, a sweet champagne named ‘Cristal’ after the precious material in which it was bottled. 

Later, in the 1920s, future heir to the House Léon Olry-Roederer continued this boundary-pushing spirit by focusing his attention on creating a highly balanced wine: a blend of several vintages, to ensure his wine would always be of the utmost quality. This formed the basis of the later non vintage cuvée named Brut Premier.

Eco-Friendly Practices

For the past few decades, Louis Roederer has focused its efforts on a strong commitment to sustainable practices. After taking over the company in 2006, Rouzaud implemented a biodynamic farming process – and now 155 hectares of the brand’s vineyards are certified organic and farmed using biodynamic principles (the remaining land is farmed using the same methods, but it is not yet certified). And, impressively, the entire estate is sustainably certified Haute Valeur Environnementale Level 3 (High Environmental Value) – the highest level available, awarded on factors like biodiversity, fertilization, phytosanitary protection and water management.

It doesn’t stop at the farming methods, either: green practices are visible throughout the entire production process. Gift boxes are made from eco-friendly packaging, and cellophane is no longer used, except for when it comes to Cristal, which now uses compostable cellophane made from cellulose and paper. The carbon footprint per bottle has been reduced by 25 percent in the last 10 years – a statistic the company is continually striving to bring down further – and 90 percent of waste in the business is recycled. 

Viticultural Research

Not one to rest on its laurels, Louis Roederer is constantly looking to push education surrounding champagne forwards. In the early 2000s, the brand established a ‘research vineyard’: 10 hectares of grapes used for experimental farming. Then, in 2013, the company bought a site in Bouleuse near Reims, where it planted new rootstocks, creating a space where they could plant young vines that were entirely grown on their own sites. All its findings are shared with the Comité de Champagne in a bid to help other growers improve their environmental practices and ultimately create a better future for champagne. 

Collection

The result of all this? A new multi-vintage blend called Collection. Launched last year, Collection 243 (marking the 243rd blend created by the champagne house since its creation in 1776) is an embodiment of Louis Roederer’s ability to evolve its wines to resonate with today’s times.

To create Collection, Louis Roederer has taken the fine art of plot selection to new heights, selecting the vineyard plots that are perfectly suited to the identity of the wine and the most appropriate for the year’s specific blend. Each bunch of grapes is carefully selected both upstream (in the vineyards) and downstream, at the time of harvesting and pressing.

Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon

‘Collection is based on a selection of plots located in the heart of the Champagne region that are best suited to its identity,’ says Cellar Master Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon. ‘The grapes are grown using sustainable methods that preserve the vine and undergo a meticulous selection to retain only those of excellent quality. Current times, climate change and the importance of practising sustainable viticulture have given us the impetus to take the quality of our blends to the next level and allowed us to take a bold and uninhibited approach.’

Striking Gold

With all these sparkling credentials and initiatives, it’s no surprise Louis Roederer has a plethora of awards under its belt. Last year the champagne house won the Golden Vines Gucci Sustainability Award, a prestigious accolade often billed as the Oscars of the wine world. It has also been crowned the most admired champagne brand in the world for four consecutive years, an award decided by Drinks International. Each year, the magazine brings together over 300 sommeliers, wine writers and experts, tasking them with putting together a list of the most esteemed champagne producers.

The Final Word

In the current climate, all companies are trying to up their green efforts, but only a small handful really place the future of our planet front and centre – and these are the ones we should be shouting about and supporting. Across two centuries, Louis Roederer has bubbled to the top of its field by trailblazing new methods of winemaking, constantly working to create champagne which not only tastes great, but respects the natural world. As Rouzaud puts it: ‘We are in awe of nature’s magic, and we strive to serve her as best we can in order to reproduce some of this magic in our wines.’

Find out more and shop the brand at louis-roederer.com

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A Deep Dive Into Pink Champagne

With the approach of Valentine’s Day, the idea of pink champagne exploded into my mind and my next rose-coloured adventure began. My quest led me to Scott’s in Richmond. Was it the glorious festoon blinds in deep dusky rose that called me there? My idea that this is the most romantic restaurant of the moment, or indeed the received wisdom that the ideal food pairing of pink champagne is seafood? I cannot be sure what it was that drew me there, but on a cold January Tuesday I left the cruel world behind for a couple of hours, cocooned in the rosy, romantic glow of the blinds and silver lined walls with an old friend.

Scott’s is loaded with romantic potential and the wine list reads like poetry to any serious wine lover. I was lucky enough to get to talk to Terry Kandylis, head of wine for the Caprice group, about pink champagne. As Terry took me on a wonderful imaginary culinary journey to Dom Pérignon to try vintage rosé paired with pigeon breasts, I really began to understand the structure of this wine. It soon became clear that pink champagne is much more closely related to white champagne than rosé wine.

What Makes Pink Champagne Special?

Below, I have included one delicious sparkling rosé created with the method champenoise for those who simply love rosé. Delicate and delicious, Sparkling de Léoube has a pale onion skin blush and is a ravishing example of rosé wine which has been treated with the method champenoise, but it is not pink champagne. Despite wine trend analytics discussing the uptick in interest in pink champagne as a logical next step to the explosion of interest in rosé, what has become absolutely clear is they are very different wines.

First and foremost, the wine must come from the Champagne region, and it is made using Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and usually Pinot Meunier grapes. Pink champagne is most often blended and includes a percentage of red wine to give the colour, flavour and structure. Produced using the ‘method champenoise’, which involves a double fermentation in the bottle, most of the wines are dosed with a sugar and wine mix to give the wine finesse, shape, and body. This is part of master winemaker’s art and is considered crucial to finishing the wine, giving year on year consistency and continuation of flavour. The exception is Brut Nature which is absolutely without addition. Tannins and colour from the red wine give this wine more structure, but the effect is mostly visual, with colours ranging from pale pink to orange pink and deep pink.

Not all of us can make it to Scott’s this Valentine’s Day, so Terry very kindly gave some suggestions for food pairings. We settled on seafood, as wild wood pigeon breast is not so easily available – although I would love to try it with a pink peppercorn sauce. Integrating red foods into the menu where possible, Terry suggested pomegranate dressing for the oysters and we both agreed on a heart shaped pavlova with cream and raspberries for pudding.

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How To Create a Romantic Tablescape 

I went to talk to Gemma Martinez de Ana, founder and creative director of luxury homeware store Bondea, about which glasses to serve the wine in and how to present the meal. Gemma’s love of all things to do with table decoration developed when she was a little girl in Spain; she now shares her gift through Bonadea on the Pimlico Road. 

Gemma prefers a Baccarat Coup with a rose in the bottom, and I prefer a St Louis Thistle Crystal Flute with a gold rim. She also shared a charming story, that the first champagne coup was modelled on Marie Antoinette’s breast at Versailles – the perfect anecdote to set the tone for a Valentine’s evening.

Gemma’s other charming suggestion was to create a romantic candlelight picnic. You can make a lovely tablescape without spending a fortune with candles, pretty antique French linen napkins, seashells, and a few flowers. Gemma recommends building the decoration up from a base colour and if you have a cake stand for the desert or some grapes it can become part of the decoration and an etagere (a tiered cake stand) can be used to brilliant effect creating a seafood platter. If you are serving oysters make sure you ask your fishmonger how to open them or get them to do it for you.

Best Pink Champagne and Food Pairings

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How to Have the Best New Year’s Eve at Home

Champagne Cocktail Recipes

Little Red Riding Hood

Berries and champagne is always a good idea.

• 50ml Martin Miller’s gin
• 15ml Fresh lemon juice
• 30ml Hibiscus syrup
• 2 large or 4 small strawberries
• 3 Rasberries
• Champagne to top

Garnish: Grapefruit twist and flower

Glass: Small goblet

Muddle the strawberries and raspberries in the bottom of a shaker. Add all the other ingredients except the champagne and shake with cubed ice for 4 seconds. Double the strain into the serving glass and top with champagne.

This recipe is from Oskar Kinberg’s Cocktail Cookbook 

Foglia D’Oro

Foglia d’oro is Italian for gold leaf so you must top this heavenly drink with gold dust for extra sparkle.

• 20ml Belsazar rosè vintage vermouth
• 20ml Campari
• 20ml Monkey47 gin
• Top up with champagne (Billecart-Salmon)

Garnish: Lemon twist and Gold dust

Glass: Coupette 

Shake your vermouth, campari and gin over ice and double strain into your glass. Top up with champagne and add the lemon twist. Sprinkle your gold dust over the top for added decadence.

Recipe from The Dog House (underneath Bernardi’s), London

Twinkle

The Twinkle was created by Tony Conigliaro and served in the wonderful 69 Colebrooke Row. Tony created this drink when working at a wine bar. He was tired of constantly serving glasses of Pinot Grigio so decided to introduce something a little bit different. He even named it after the Swedish girl he first served it to – because of the twinkle in her eye as she sipped it!

• 25ml vodka
• 15ml elderflower cordial
• Champagne, to top
  

Garnish: Lemon twist

Glass: White wine

Shake together the vodka and elderflower cordial with some ice and then strain into the glass. Top with champagne and lemon twist.

Recipe from Tony Conigliaro served in 69 Colebrooke Row, London

Mon Tresor

The Mon Tresor was created as one of Park Chinois’ Yellow Cocktails, named after a reference in The Great Gatsby to ‘yellow cocktail music’. In fitting with the 1920’s Park Chinois bar concept, the Mon Tresor is a twist on the Mimosa, which was created around 1925. The marmalade and Orange Cream Citrate add touches of bitterness and acidity which are balanced by the added sweetness of the fresh raspberries.

• 2 tsp Seville orange marmalade
• 2 Raspberries
• 50ml Orange juice
• 3 drops Bittermens Orange Cream Citrate
• Topped with Champagne

Garnish: Raspberry

Glass: Champagne saucer

Soften the marmalade with a spoon before placing it in a shaker with the raspberries, orange juice and Orange Cream Citrate. Shake well and double-strain into the serving glass. Top with Champagne and stir gently.

Recipe from Park Chinois, London

Featured image: GettyImages

Winter Cocktails To Make At Home / NYE 2020: 14 Unique UK Rentals for New Year’s Eve

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Whether it’s wine, cocktails, gins or champagnes, Helen McGinn is a drinks aficionado. Catch her on TV for expert pairings, there’s also her book, The Knackered Mother’s Wine Guide and her new online wine courses that offer a chance for you to further your knowledge while enjoying a tipple a two. Of course, all in the name of research. 

How To Select Wines For The Party Season With Helen McGinn

Plan Ahead

I know there’s a lot going on at this time of year, but a little forward planning goes a long way. Let’s face it, panic buying in the wine aisle rarely ends well. Keep an eye out for any offers on favourite brands and if you’re planning on buying more than a few bottles of any particular wine, buy a bottle and try it at home before committing to a bulk purchase, no matter how tempting the offer might be.

Opt For Crowd Pleasers

Most of the time I’m pretty selfish when it comes to wine. Basically, I buy whatever I fancy drinking. But at this time of year, we need to think about other people’s palates, not just our own. If you’re buying wine for a crowd, better to go with a crowd-pleaser than a wine that’ll divide opinions/tastebuds. Italian whites are always a good idea – think Verdicchio, Greco, Pecorino, Passerina – and for perfect party reds head to the Southern Rhone for properly great value.

Get Wines in All Colours for the Big Feast

When it comes to what to drink with your festive feast, this is not a one-wine-fits-all scenario. We need an aperitif, wines for the main event and something to sip as we pick at the cheeseboard/scoff one last mince pie. Start with something with bubbles then have both a medium-bodied red and full-bodied white option for the main course so people can pick whatever they’re in the mood for (turkey with all the trimmings works with either, I promise). Finally, always have a sweetie stashed in the fridge to finish.

Give Your Loved Ones a Message in a Bottle

A bottle of well-chosen wine makes such a great gift. Think about what sort of thing they’d normally drink and treat them to something similar but a little different. For example, swap Cava for Crémant, Chardonnay for Old Vine Chenin Blanc or Rioja for Ribera del Duero. Another great present for the wine lover in your life is membership to The Wine Society. There’s a one-off joining fee (£40) then access to their brilliant range for life.

Do Sale or Return

If you are buying a job lot of any given wine for a party, it’s not always easy to know how much to buy. Half a bottle a head usually works out given that some won’t drink, and others might drink a little more than their fair share (it is party season after all). If you can, buy from somewhere that offers sale or return. Most independent wine shops will see you right!

Featured Image: Unsplash, Mads Eneqvist

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This accolade has been notoriously tricky for champagne brands to get, because of factors like the high amount of water and energy needed to create glass for the bottles, and the diverse roles that employees have to play. But Piper-Heidsieck persevered, and after years of making changes, the hard work has paid off. 

Benoit Collard, CEO of Piper-Heidseick, said: ‘Achieving B Corp certification reflects our pioneering ethos and daring initiative to be a driving force of change within the champagne industry. This certification not only recognises our environmental impact in the vineyards, but extends to our entire winemaking ecosystem, our community and our workplace. 

‘This process began with an energetic spirit from our Chief Winemaker Emilien Boutillat, which propelled our entire team on a journey to work together towards a shared mission, and I am immensely proud to see this remarkable achievement brought to life. Becoming B Corp Certified marks a commemorative occasion in the history of Piper-Heidsieck, yet it also signifies that together, we are striving towards sustainable change and we hope to inspire others in the wine industry to implement similar initiatives.’

B Corp Certification is a legal accreditation used by a business that shows a high level of social and environmental performance. In other words: it’s today’s seal of approval for the brands that are excelling in making a sustainable and ethical impact. To apply, a business must answer 300 questions that span labour, environmental impact, ethics and governance, their social initiatives and what their goalposts are for the next few years.

Piper-Heidsieck’s certification follows a number of steps undertaken by the House, such as banning the use of synthetic pesticides, converting to 100 percent renewable electricity sources, and planting 1,000 trees and shrubs of local species. It also has the lightest bottle on the market (835g), and invests in Time for the Planet, a non-profit organisation that offers financial services for fighting global warming.

But the House won’t be stopping there. Looking to the future, Piper-Heidsieck has pledged to minimise the carbon footprint of each bottle by 46 percent by 2030, and to use 40 percent less energy by 2025. It’s also aiming for all of its winegrowing partners to be certified in VDC (a new environmental certification for champagne) by 2025, and the business will be relocating its suppliers for packaging and point of sale to Europe by 2023 in order to reduce its impact.

Founded in 1785 and owned by the Descours family, Piper-Heidsieck is one of the world’s top champagne brands. It has a host of notable fans, being the fizz of choice for everyone from Marie Antoinette to Marilyn Monroe, plus many fashion and luxury lifestyle brands. Since 2018, it has had young winemaker Émilien Boutillat at the helm, who has played a key role in the brand’s green mission.

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