Piper Heidsieck Brut Champagne 75 cl

Product Information

We asked a panel of independent wine experts to blind-taste a selection of champagnes to uncover the best supermarket bubbly. Then I decided that I’d do two harvests a year for three years: one in September in the northern hemisphere and one in February in the southern hemisphere. I had the chance to work at Châteauneuf-du-Pape (Côtes du Rhône) and Château Margaux (Bordeaux) as well as in New Zealand, California, Chile and South Africa. What makes your area ideal for the growth of wine grapes, and how does this give them their unique characteristics? Vintage champagne, on the other hand, is made using grapes harvested from a single year, which will be displayed on the label.

With your other hand, untwirl the cage fastening. Uncover your thumb, lift off the cage and replace your thumb over the cork.

Piper-Heidsieck is introducing robots to the vineyard.

Pink or Rosé champagnes are produced by adding a small amount of Pinot Noir (traditional method) or by pressing the grape skins (maceration method). Vintage vs Non-Vintage Champagne

From here on in, keep the bottle pointed away from yourself and anyone present, especially people's faces – about a 45 degree angle is good. That's great for when you want a consistently delicious drink. Our experts were impressed by some of the supermarket offerings in this area when we tested, which they saw as 'safe' choices, especially if you're entertaining. Prestige Cuvée champagnes are often considered the Champagne house’s pinnacle of achievement. Prestige cuvées often have their own names. Strictly speaking, if it’s a bubbly wine from another region (even though it can be made with the Méthode Champenoise), it’s a sparkling wine, not Champagne—the name Champagne is protected by EU law. Note that some American and British sparkling wines use the word champagne (with a lowercase “c”) to denote a sparkling wine that is similar to Champagne, but not from the Champagne region. Live well, eat better and stay healthy – sign up to our free monthly Food & Health newsletter for the latest insights delivered straight to your inbox

To earn the right to call itself Champagne, a bottle of bubbly must also meet the Appellation d’Origine Controlée or AOC standards. Cuvée Sublime (non-vintage) A demi-sec champagne. ( Composition: 55% Pinot noir, 15% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Meunier)

While the main blend focuses on the three grapes most vital to Champagne — Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay — a bottle like their 2002 Rare Millésime has a full 70 percent Chardonnay from the Reims region, not to mention seven years of cellar-aging. For an ultra-luxe tasting, line up bottles of various blends side-by-side to understand the strengths each grape brings. For the Chardonnay-led Rare Millésime, for example, look for tropical and citrus fruits at its core, with age coaxing anything from spice to herbed biscuit to creamy nuttiness, like the white interior of an almond. Serve with cheese Champagne pairs well with most types of cheese, particularly creamier cheeses. Champagne and comté is a classic pairing. It depends on the occasion, of course. In my eyes, each cuvée is special for a dedicated time. If I had to choose, lately I have had a little crush on our Vintage 2012, sharing it with a great friend for a special occasion. Also, Essentiel Blanc de Blancs, which is perfect for enjoying with a platter of seafood and some friends – why not after a day at the beach!

It’s not too fabulous for ice.

Make sure you have your glasses ready and within easy reach. Then, take your bottle and remove the foil; there should be a tag or perforation line to make this easy and neat.