AN EXPERT'S GUIDE TO BUYING CHAMPAGNE

Q: Talk us through your career path, what made you want to become a sommelier?

A: “I was born in the Southwest of France, in the city of Agen. My passion for good food comes from my grandmother, on my father’s side. She would never, or very rarely cook the same recipe twice. She cooked instinctively, using her senses and experience. I have particularly fond memories of her kitchen wallpaper; it was graph paper in style and was covered in handwritten recipes with dishes that she liked.

The very first significant memory of wine is from my 16th birthday. My Granddad had opened a special bottle of wine from the year of my birth. I remember being very excited by the idea of it and I decided to start reading about wine to try to understand it better. A few months later, I told my parents that I wanted to become a sommelier.

Since then, I have been lucky enough to work in some great restaurants, including Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud 2** Michelin, The Greenhouse 1* Michelin and Chapter One Restaurant 1* Michelin (now 2*) as a sommelier-consultant. In 2016, I finished 3rd at the ASI World Sommelier Championship representing Ireland and the Irish Guild of Sommeliers.”

Q: There are so many different styles of Champagne - what are the differences in taste?

A: “Indeed quite a few factors have an impact on the style and taste of Champagne. First, is the grape variety(ies). The 3 main grape varieties in Champagne are Pinot Noir, Meunier and Chardonnay. A Pinot Noir based Champagne will tend to be full-bodied, vinous and with a dark fruit spectrum. On the opposite hand, a Champagne made with a high proportion of Chardonnay will be lighter, very fresh and usually with floral and citrus characters.

If we apply this example to some Grandes Marques Champagnes, someone looking for depth and structure might look at Veuve Clicquot Champagne House or Krug which proudly use a lot of Pinot Noir in their blends while someone who prefers a slightly more ethereal and vibrant Champagne might prefer Ruinart which style revolves around the Chardonnay variety. On the other hand again, if looking for a fruit-forward and juicy Champagne, Moët & Chandon might be a good option as the house uses a lot of the Meunier grape in its blends.

However, those are the main guidelines. Other factors impact the style of a Champagne such as the amount of time a Champagne spends maturing before being released on the market, the number of reserve wines used in the case of a Non-Vintage Champagne, and of course the level of sweetness.”

Q: What should we be looking for on the label?

A: “One easy detail to know by looking at the bottle is the level of sweetness of a Champagne. The terms ‘Brut’ or ‘Extra Brut’ will indicate that the Champagne will taste dry. On the other hand, the terms ‘Dry’, ‘Extra dry’ and ‘Demi-sec’ will indicate some level of sweetness – this applies for all sparkling wines and not only Champagne.

Some other terms which are good to know are ‘Blanc de Blancs’ and ‘Blanc de Noirs’. Blanc de Blancs indicates a Champagne made from 100% white grapes, in this case Chardonnay. On the other hand, ‘Blanc de Noirs’ means that the Champagne, even though white champagne, is made from 100% Pinot Noir or Meunier which are red grapes.

If a year (vintage) is mentioned on a Champagne label, this means that 100% of the grapes used to produce that bottle of Champagne were harvested in that specific year. On the other hand, if no vintage is mentioned, you are then looking at a ‘non-vintage’ style, meaning that the Champagne was made by blending wines from different years – this is the most common style in Champagne.”

Q: What makes a good champagne?

A: “Like all wine, you cannot make a good champagne without good quality grapes, but the skills of a talented winemaker are equally as important. More importantly, a good champagne is the champagne that you like! Personal taste is key in finding ‘a good Champagne’ and what is considered good by one person might be less desirable for another.”

Q: How should you store champagne?

A: “Always store your Champagne bottles lying down to make sure that the cork is in contact with the wine. That way, the cork remains moist and in good condition to preserve the Champagne as best as possible. Ideally, a dark and cool room is best with no or very few temperature variations.”

Q: How do you open champagne correctly?

A:

• “First make sure that the bottle is properly chilled to avoid any foaming when opening it.
• Place the bottle on a table and hold it by the neck with one hand, with your thumb putting a point of pressure on the cork.
• Open the cage and remove it gently and put back your thumb on the cork to keep it in place. With your other hand, hold the bottle by the bottom of the bottle and gently twist it. (Turn the bottle not the cork!).
• Once the cork starts moving inside the neck of the bottle, remove the cork safely by applying enough pressure on it so it does not pop…or let it pop as loud as you wish. Be careful however as a Champagne cork pops out of the bottle at about 50km/h!”

Q: When it comes to glassware, should champagne be served in a flute or coupe?

A: “I would suggest using neither the flute nor the coupe. Those two types of classes are very pretty but not ideal for Champagne tasting. The flute is long and narrow and does not allow the Champagne to open aromatically nor in terms of texture. The coupe, on the other hand, is very shallow and open. As a consequence, the Champagne gets flat quickly, and all of its aromatic complexity is lost. The ideal glassware to serve Champagne is a tulip shape wine glass or a modern Champagne glass whose design resembles a wine glass.”

Q: Lastly, what is the perfect bottle of champagne to celebrate with?

A: “There’s a bottle of champagne to suit every occasion, my favourites are:

FOR A WEDDING PARTY:

FOR A WEDDING GIFT:

FOR THE EVERYDAY:

FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS:

Shop all these exquisite champagnes and more at the Moët Hennessy Champagne Destination, located on the third floor at Brown Thomas, Grafton Street, Dublin.

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