…but then the wine has to be tasty and for an affordable price. We become more creative and look for pleasant alternatives.
Champagne is delicious – at least it makes me very happy – but of course it's extra fun when I can buy 2 bottles for the same price of a sparkling wine that is comparable to a fair basic Champagne. Did you know that excellent sparkling wines are also made outside the Champagne region? Less well known is that in the Limoux they claim to have been the first sparkling wine to be made according to the Champenoise method.
Wine producer Jean-Louis Denois (formerly active in Champagne) makes this beautiful sparkling white wine from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The grapes grow on the highest vineyards of the Languedoc, resulting in a lot of finesse and freshness in the wine. After the first fermentation (in oak barrels), a second fermentation and maturation of 2 months in this bottle follows. (characteristic of the méthode champenoise). On the "date de dégorgement" the wine is provided with a champagne cork and sold.
Well, it's all good!
Author : W. Snaak www.josbeeres.nl / HG
Column Wietze Snaak – Jos Beeres Wine Buyer