The beginning of March may not exactly be the start of spring but it does usher in that part of the year when, in the northern hemisphere at least, champagne or a variant thereon is routinely poured at social and nuptial gatherings. So many British residents regard champagne as the standard drink on any occasion at any time of year that the UK continues to be champagne’s leading importer by far.
It is fashionable in professional wine circles to complain about the quality of champagne but I am delighted to report that, on the basis of my selfless tastings on your behalf, the quality and range on offer today seem to be better than ever. This is partly because, in key markets such as the UK and US, champagne lovers can now choose between the well-known, usually high-volume brands which strive for a consistent house style in every year’s new bottling, and an increasing number of “grower champagnes” made by much smaller outfits. In the latter camp, the tendency has been to provide individual lots of wine together with full details of their pedigree: which harvest(s) a bottling is based on; where grapes were grown; and when the bottle was disgorged (separated from the lees of the second fermentation in bottle).
This means that not only can we enjoy a much wider range of champagne flavours and styles, we are also being told much more about what is in the bottle. Even among the bigger brand owners, there is a tendency to give increasing amounts of information on the back label or via codes, albeit sometimes somewhat arcane. (The determinedly upmarket Krug, for instance, now gives a six-digit code on the back of all labels of its luxurious multi-vintage Grande Cuvée, although you arguably need a Bletchley code-breaker, as well as access to Krug’s website, to work out what it means.)