Premium sparkling white wines from the Champagne region of France, enjoy a mean annual temperature of 10°, and terroir of chalky subsoils: it’s home to 5,000 producers, 76,000 acres, and 338,000,000 bottles annually!

Champagne itself is usually a blend of pinot noir, pinot meunier and chardonnay grapes, and was first blended by Pierre Pérignon — although history does record other producers in the area experimenting with blends before this date — in the late 17th century. Two decades after Pérignon’s death in 1715, Ruinart, the first champagne house, was established, with Claude Möet’s house established in 1743, Philippe Cliquot in 1772, Florenz-Ludwig

Heidsieck in 1785 and Joseph Jacob Placide Bollinger slightly late to the party in 1822.

Styles of champagne range from Doux (the sweetest) to Demi-Sec, Sec, Extra Sec, Brut and Extra Brut (the driest). Non vintage blends are based on wines from the current harvest but can include up to 50% of reserve wines from past harvests, as this helps to ensure a consistent House style. Vintage Champagne is from one particular year only, A vintage champagne is often quite flowery and fresh because of the absence of reserve wines and will only become biscuity or toasty if stored for about 8-10 years from the date of harvest.

Finally, a prestige cuvee exaggerates the house style or the winemakers philosophy, but the downside is that this can lead to an over refined champagne, lacking in vibrancy.

1 Krug 1998 - £199.00 Only in outstanding years does Krug declare a vintage. This is Champagne of astonishing purity and precision. From its creamy, caressing texture, through to its full, finely balanced flavours, to its extraordinarily long finish, Krug 1998 is a study in harmony; delicate, refined and utterly captivating. The palate shows red berries and stewed fruit, balanced by sweet hints of honey, almond and cinnamon. Fizz at its absolute best.

2 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin la Grande Dame 1998 - £104.95 Veuve’s prestige cuvee with 64% Pinot Noir and 36% Chardonnay grapes all from Grand Cru (premier producers’) vineyards. The 1998 has unbelievably fine bubbles and floral and mineral aromas with hints of candied fruit and sweet almond. Pure, perfectly balanced and silky smooth in the mouth. The quintessence of the Veuve Clicquot style.