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Taittinger to produce sparkling wine in England

I am always looking forward to the beautiful Monarch butterfly season in Pacific Grove every year. Why? Because, it’s one of Grandpa Jack’s regular visits to the Bay Area from the East Coast. For those of you following our Top 10 Wine Coolers Blog, you remember I’m one of Grandpa Jack’s greatest fans.

monarch-butterflies-in-pacific-grove

And, this year is extra special – because Grandpa Jack brought an incomparable guest, the beautiful and elegant Ms. Cole from Kent, England.

I first met Ms. Cole two decades ago when I was still in high school – while travelling with Grandpa Jack to the Channel Islands in the English Channel (off the French coast). Then we met again at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. You can imagine my delight to see her again.

This blog is inspired by a memorable conversation with Ms. Cole at our family cottage in Carmel California last month. We had great canapés, exceptional champagne and a surprise conversation about English sparkling wine that evening.

Taittinger vineyard in England

Funny how we started this conversation:

I was giving Ms. Cole a tour of our wine cellar while we were reminiscent about our last meet back in 2014. And, there it was a 2014 Taittinger Brut Champagne – it is kismet.

So, we proceeded with an impromptu tiny party – with Champagne, and an improvisation of canapés.

Check out our flavorful recipe and perfect pairing of Canapé with Champagne.

sharing-a-bottle-of-taittinger-at-the-piano-with-grandpa-jack

Here’s the  surprise  (for me) that I learned from Ms. Cole that evening:

Taittinger has teamed up with their UK partner to plant some Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes in Kent. Yes, they will be producing English sparkling wine very soon – first bottle in late 2024.

taittinger-vineyard-uk-partnership-at-kent

From weather to wine – Ms. Cole told me that UK is getting warmer and wetter lately.

Some growers from Kent have mentioned that the soil mix (clay and chalk) is similar to the soil found in Champagne. And, the warmer trend of climate appears to be suited to growing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Taittinger in England plans to produce 300,000 bottles of wine per year by 2025.
 Fun Notes: 
  • About Pinot Meunier grapes – though it’s not well-known as Chardonnay or Pinot Noir grapes, it’s actually one of what I call the trinity of grapes used in the production of Champagne. You’ve guessed it, 30% of grapes grown in Champagne, France is the Pinot Meunier grapes.
  • For those of you who’s been reading my blog, you remember that my husband Chase works in the Lab. And, we have previously featured Pinot Noir, the first fruit in the genome sequence research, in our blog. Now, you can imagine the lively conversation we had about the genotype of Pinot Meunier.

    • pinot-gris-vs-pinot-noir-vs-pinot-meunier-grapes

  • From what I understand from Chase, the inner cell walls of the Pinot Meunier have similar genotype to Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris.

The Tale of Christopher Merret

Back to English sparkling wine, I was enlightened to hear the tale that Christopher Merret, an English scientist who  created bubbles in wine  back in 1662 – yes, Grandpa Jack told the tale, and it was supplemented by Ms. Cole.

I think I would have to write a thesis to capture and research their wonderful tale spoken that evening. For our fun blog here – here’s a quick recap of the story:

Back in the 17th century, there were big shipments of barrels of wines from the northeast region of France (Champagne) to London (Port). And, apparently the fermentation were not quiet complete before shipment, so there was a “second fermentation” when the wine was first drawn from the barrel as the temperature warmed up a bit. So, one would see and taste “sparkles” or bubbles – a glorious experience at the tavern from the second fermentation.

Then, the creative cider makers from the south and southwest regions invented a method to create a second fermentation –by adding sugar to create delicate bubbles.

Based on some documents from the Royal society in London, Christopher Merret learned the “sparkling” method from the cider makers, and he documented it and presented it to the society in 1662.

christopher-merret-an-english-scientist-who-created-english-sparkling-wine-1662

Flash forward to the UK wine scene today, you can actually find some excellent British sparkling wine paying tribute to Christopher Merret by including the word “Merret” on the wine neck labels.

Closing thoughts

I am so inspired and intrigued by our conversation about the climate and English sparkling wine. There are half a dozen wine regions in southeast England – Grandpa Jack and I will be visiting in the next couple of years.

Of course, we hope we will have the honor of Ms. Cole’s wonderful company when we embark our journey to the UK then.

We will follow up with a set of blogs to feature the vineyards in England.

beautiful-vineyard-in-kent-england

English wines have picked up some top awards in global tasting competition in recent years.

Cheers!

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The Wines of the Rhône Valley

For us, the Rhône Valley and its wines carries strong and vivid memories of some of our most delightful wine tasting experiences there. Our first experience with Rhône River Valley vineyards was about 30 years ago when a trip to Grenoble gave us several extra days to spend in Dijon. That was a wonderful way to start our experience, as Dijon is known for having the best food in all of France. Be sure to plan a few days there; our favorite restaurants are from among the myriad of curbside bistros lining the streets. But we digress; on to the subject of wine tasting in the Rhône Valley (which is close to and easily reached from Dijon).

A French friend was our host– and a knowledgeable one at that! We stayed off the beaten path of well-known vineyards and spent our time visiting smaller but excellent vineyards. If you are used to the commercial tasting rooms of Napa Valley or similar regions, it will be a pleasant surprise to visit tiny vineyards where the winery owner (or spouse) is actually conducting the tasting. As often as not, the tasting will come not from a bottle but from wine drawn directly from the barrel.

A little knowledge of the geography and history of the region can improve your appreciation for the remarkable experience to be had there.

the-wines-of-rhone-valley
The Wines of Rhone Valley

The Rhône Valley is actually a rift valley formed several hundred million years ago between the Alps and the Massif Central. For many years that Valley was filled with water from the Mediterranean. As that water receded, the Rhône River cut into the valley floor and brought different kinds of soil and rocks down into what would become the vineyards of today. Underlying the soil, there is a layer of bedrock over which water flows which keeps the growing vines supplied with water. The water and the soils impart different and unique bouquets to wines produced here.

Wines have been produced in the Rhône River Valley since biblical times. There is evidence that in the fourth century BC, when the area was colonized by Greece, wine grapes were grown in the Marseille area and then made their way north in the Rhône River Valley. Thus, this is one of the oldest wine growing regions on earth.

Another bit of history of particular interest in this region is the presence of the Popes. In the 14th century, the Papacy moved from Rome to Avignon. The popes, apparently great lovers of the region’s wines, planted many vineyards in this area, and the area developed commercial and shipping importance. Eventually this region came to be known as Côtes du Rhône.

Because of the Papal history, one of the most memorable villages of the region is Châteauneuf du Pape. We found this a delightful village in which to wander around. We encountered one winery that was run entirely by women where we met a young teenage girl who was next in line. Characteristic of the Rhône Valley wines we tasted, these wines were wonderful on our palettes. They were full flavored and very drinkable.

Like many visitors to the region, we were enamored with Gigondas and its multitude of small, friendly wineries. We found the wines to be amazing and the experience to be uniquely personal. Here we tasted several wines directly from the barrel, including at Chateau De Saint Cosme, the oldest winery in Gigondas.

As we traveled from village to village and from vineyard to vineyard it was as if we were having a never-ending series of unforgettable experiences, each one better than the last. If you have the opportunity to visit the Rhône River Valley and its wineries, do not miss this Côtes du Rhône experience. What a pleasant way to fill your wine cooler!