A sensual champagne for Christmas
This small-grower champagne is a very attractive wine which will seriously impress your pals, says Matthew Jukes.
NV Waitrose Blanc de Noirs, Champagne, France (£18.99, Waitrose).
The strong euro is playing havoc with European wine purchases, and the Champenois have had their worst year of sales in living memory. So there is a lot of flux in the prices and more importantly the quality of champagne on the shelves this Christmas.
You will, no doubt, have spotted some pretty big names going very cheap, but avoid these deals. Many of these wines have not been 'made' for the UK consumer and will have been 'parallelled' into the UK from grey markets.
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
I would always recommend a truly serious, small-grower champagne, with the right amount of bottle age and the correct 'dosage', over a Grande Marque which has been rushed into the shops and is tasting all knees and elbows.
Alexandre Bonnet, in Les Riceys, in the Aube region of Champagne, makes this offering for Waitrose and it is truly beautiful. With lustrous notes of wild roses on the nose and a sensual, captivating palate, this is a very attractive wine which will seriously impress your pals.
It is rich enough to handle all party food, most starters and even the turkey, too. This is your emergency champs for Christmas and the New Year take my advice, this wine is a real find.
Matthew Jukes is a winner of the International Wine & Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year.
Sign up to Money Morning
Our team, led by award winning editors, is dedicated to delivering you the top news, analysis, and guides to help you manage your money, grow your investments and build wealth.
-
Christmas at Chatsworth: review of The Cavendish Hotel at Baslow
MoneyWeek Travel Matthew Partridge gets into the festive spirit at The Cavendish Hotel at Baslow and the Christmas market at Chatsworth
By Dr Matthew Partridge Published
-
Tycoon Truong My Lan on death row over world’s biggest bank fraud
Property tycoon Truong My Lan has been found guilty of a corruption scandal that dwarfs Malaysia’s 1MDB fraud and Sam Bankman-Fried’s crypto scam
By Jane Lewis Published