Almost out of champagne? We aren’t!

The Christmas and New Year celebrations have now passed, which means it’s time to take stock for the year ahead—figuratively and literally!

If, like us, you were somewhat nonplussed with recent media reports of yet another champagne shortage (so customary are these warnings before Christmas that they now feel like tradition!) and your champagne bottle count is naturally dwindling from happily popping corks with loved ones all summer long, then we’ve got you covered for the remainder of the holidays—and the year ahead!

After all, doesn’t running out of champagne technically count as cardio?

Whether you’re hosting a last hurrah before heading back to school or looking forward to many more weekends of balmy weather and alfresco dining, here are our favourite ready-to-drink champagnes, perfect for re-stocking your cellar or throwing a fabulous midsummer party. And you best believe us when we say there’s plenty to go around!

 

Non-vintage essentials

Entertaining guests last-minute? Non-vintage cuvées are a non-negotiable for your cellar. These champagnes are made from fruit harvested across multiple years, blended to reflect a particular House style according to the winemaker’s meticulous vision and eye for detail. Non-vintage cuvées can comprise a single grape variety or they can be a blend of a few varietals, such as the traditional trio of Pinot noir, Meunier and Chardonnay. Each varietal imparts a distinct personality to the blended cuvée, drawn from the structural typicity and unique flavour profile of the grape variety and its growing region. These differences in acidity, texture, body, aroma and flavour give the cuvées their own character, and, when coupled with the richness and vinosity imparted from a blend of carefully reserved multi-vintage wine, they become wonderfully vibrant, balanced and indeed very quaffable champagnes, perfect for matching with an endless array of party fare or for guests newly accustomed to the delights of champagne.

Frerejean Frères Brut Premier Cru NV

The Brut Premier Cru is a signature blend of Chardonnay and Pinot noir that embodies the richness of the artisanal Maison’s terroir. Aged for a minimum of 5 years, it typically takes between 6 and 8 years to make a single bottle of Frerejean Frères’s flagship Brut champagne—well beyond the appellation requirements of 15 months maturation for non-vintage champagnes—making this cuvée truly unique offering. A low brut dosage between 6 g/L and 7 g/L yields a balanced and generous cuvée that retains terroir typicity.

Food match: Enjoy as an aperitif or pair with freshly shucked oysters, charcuterie and devilled eggs!

 

Dhondt-Grellet Dans Un Premier Temps NV

Translating to ‘firstly’, Dans Un Premier Temps marks a fine introduction to the Domaine’s stellar line-up and provides a clear impression of the Domaine’s winemaking heritage and exemplary craft. A blend of Chardonnay, Pinot noir and Meunier from three villages in the Côte de Sézanne, Vallée de la Marne and the Côte des Blancs, Dans Un Premier Temps is boosted with reserve wine from a perpetual reserve dating back to 1986—the year of the Estate’s inception—ultimately narrating a story of terroir and the Domaine’s fundamental spirit.

Food match: Comté cheese, aburi salmon nigiri (flame-seared salmon sushi) or freshly cooked scampi served with homemade aioli and lemon wedges.

 

Blanc de Blancs thirst-quenchers

Slow summer days and languid balmy nights have set in, which can only mean one thing: it’s Blanc de Blancs champagne season! Blanc de Blancs champagnes are produced exclusively from white grapes—predominantly Chardonnay—hence the name, ‘white from whites’. Due to their high, bracing acidity, Chardonnay-based cuvées have the greatest aging potential, and they often develop complex nutty aromas and a biscuity creaminess with time in the cellar.

Sought after for their invigorating flavours of citrus, apple and invigorating minerality, Blanc de Blancs champagnes are perfect with cheese, oysters au naturel or a towering seafood platter in the afternoon sun. We recommend selecting a Blanc de Blancs champagne with zero or low dosage for a truly unadulterated, thirst-quenching experience, in which just one delicious sip will transport you to the sunny hillside or chalky plains where its glorious creation began…

Larmandier-Bernier Latitude NV

Latitude NV is a 100% Chardonnay champagne with fruit sourced exclusively from vineyards along the same latitude in the south of Vertus. Here, the Côte des Blancs terroir is rich, with more clay, which imparts a charming, generous and rounded character to the cuvée. Blending and bottling takes place in July, with each cuvée containing 40% of wine from a perpetual reserve stretching back to 2004. After maturing for at least 2 years, disgorgement occurs by hand 6 months prior to release, and the cuvée is finished with a low dosage of 4 g/L.

Food match: Very versatile with food, such as a lemon-stuffed roast chicken served with crispy potatoes, Pacific oysters or a creamy Caesar salad.

 

Dhondt-Grellet Les Terres Fines NV

Les Terres Fines is composed of old-vine Chardonnay harvested from nine different plots dotted across the Premier Cru village of Cuis in the Côte des Blancs. The average age of the vines is 45 years, and each plot is vinified separately with natural yeasts to retain their individual character. This cuvée is complemented with reserve wine from a perpetual reserve dating back to 1986, which imparts an intriguing vinosity to the pure and mineral-charged profile of Cuis terroir, itself allowed to shine through owing to very low dosage (1 g/L).

Food match: A mineral-driven, aperitif-style Blanc de Blancs champagne that is delicious any time of the day—with a light and flaky buttered croissant at breakfast, or with brie and foie gras on slices of crusty bread at apéro hour.

 

Champagne rosé your way all day

Looking for the perfect champagne style to take you through from entrée to dessert, no matter the weather, season, occasion or cuisine? We nominate champagne rosé for the Best Supporting Bubbly Award, all year long!

Channelling the colour of celebration, pink-hued champagne is known as champagne rosé (and colloquially, ‘pink champagne’) and its gorgeous colour spectrum of glowy red hues spans from the softest, blush pink to salmon and crimson. Defying categorisation, champagne rosés are prized for their versatility and inherent freshness, thanks to the myriad styles (varying in aroma, acidity, sweetness and texture) that can be created depending on the combination of fruit and the nature of elaboration and vinification. Its supple, smooth mouthfeel and hint of tannin on the palate makes it the ideal champagne style to pair with festive protein feasts such as smoked salmon, all manners of crustaceans, roast duck and steak tartare, and even light berry-based desserts.

André Clouet Rosé No. 3 NV

Composed of 100% Pinot noir from two Grand Cru villages in the mighty Montagne de Reims, Rosé No. 3 NV is an enticing champagne rosé inspired by Coco Chanel’s iconic perfume. Each release is designated a number to denote the variations in colour and style that occur with each vintage—here, No. 3 reflects a light, fresh and elegant aperitif-style champagne rosé. Produced from 50% of the base vintage and 50% reserve wine, Rosé No. 3 is also blended with 10%–15% of still red wine. The result: a well-structured and focused champagne rosé that yields a generosity of Pinot noir character, a gorgeous hue and a fine, bright finish.

Food match: Approachable and incredibly food-friendly, Rosé No. 3 is enjoyable on its own or served alongside a salad of heirloom tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella and basil, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil; chargrilled sardines with a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of sea salt; or with Japanese cuisine such as decadent tuna belly or sea urchin nigiri.

 

Domaine de Bichery Les Fontaines Rosé NV

Based entirely on a single harvest and finished with zero dosage, Les Fontaines is a champagne rosé assembled from organically managed Pinot noir and Chardonnay from the Côte des Bar. Supple, opulent and wildly aromatic with ripe, enchanting forest berries, this is a powerful champagne rosé that is an outstanding partner with food, from refreshing summer morsels to hearty winter feasts.

Food match: Grilled lamb koftas served with sumac onions and a simple salad of tomato and feta, or a tasty tapas plate of thinly sliced Iberian ham.

 

Vintage finds for champagne collectors

Many people believe that a vintage champagne is always, by definition, a very old champagne. However, ‘vintage’ actually refers to an exceptional champagne produced exclusively with the grapes from a particularly great and favourable growing year. This happens only a handful of times in a decade, when a champagne House or producer decides it has been an outstanding year—so they ‘declare’ it a vintage year.

Vintage champagnes must be made 100% from the declared year. They must be also be aged for at least 3 years before market release; however, most vintage champagnes are aged for much longer. It is also possible to find ‘vintage’ champagnes that are crafted exclusively from a single harvest but aged for less than three years; in these cases, the vintage year will not be included on the label.

Find below a few vintage cuvées we recommend to whet your appetite with. Complex and robust, these vintage cuvées are designed to elevate all adventurous menus and appeal to champagne collectors!

Agrapart Avizoise 2016

A vintage cuvée assembled from two old-vine parcels with the same geological profile of clay-rich topsoil over chalk rooted in the village of Avize, the eponymous Avizoise is a legendary cuvée of the Côte des Blancs, with the power and vinosity of white Burgundy yet the laser-like focus and tension that is the hallmark of Champagne Agrapart. Voluptuous and elegant with terroir-driven minerality and intensity.

Food match: A fine vintage champagne such as Avizoise deserves not just a seat at the table, but the best seat: at the chef’s table. Pair with sashimi, freshly shucked oysters and high-quality caviar—essentially, foods with a rich yet subtle, luxurious texture that won’t overpower the champagne, but instead allow it to shine.

 

Pierre Gerbais Grains de Celles Extra Brut

Champagne Pierre Gerbais’s Grains de Celles is one of Sally Hillman’s exclusive imports and a certified crowd-pleaser at our events. A blended champagne of fascinating make that also champions one of Champagne’s ‘forgotten’ varieties, Pinot blanc, Grains de Celles is derived entirely from the 2018 harvest. Herein lies a special opportunity to discover a unique, expressive and innovative cuvée from the alluring Côte des Bar—not to be missed by champagne enthusiasts and connoisseurs alike.

Food match: Kingfish sashimi, dashed with wasabi and dipped in soy sauce, or handmade prawn tempura, served with a traditional dipping sauce.

 

We hope you’ve enjoyed our guide to entertainment made easy with easy-drinking elixirs! As always, eat well and champagne often—and remember there’s always champagne at the finish line!

Start your journey here.