MILLÉSIMÉS 25 x MOUSING AT THE MOST

Every bubble has its moment. The same goes for millésimés: sparkling wines made from grapes from one good vintage with a legally required long ageing period. Those wines were on our tasting table. Magda van der Rijst put together a beautiful selection with Hinke de Jong, Champagne Ambassador Netherlands 2016 and importer of exclusive champagnes.
Text: Magda van der Rijst 

MILLÉSIMÉS 25 x MOUSING AT THE MOST

Not only do we drink a lot and a lot more soda, but we also consciously choose more variety.

Cava goes with you to the beach, champagne can be opened when the time is right, crémant for lunch, Winzersekt and British bubbles when you want something new. We know our way around bubble country better and better. As the demand for diversity rises, there will naturally be more to choose from in the shop and on the wine list. The only thing that lags a bit behind are sparkling wines from a single vintage, so-called millésimés or vintage wines. This is firstly due to the price - they are usually handsomely more expensive than the 'regular' version - and secondly because these wines taste different due to their longer ageing time. Most are not bubbles for drinks, but wines for the table, to pair with fine dishes. It sounds like the perfect time to try such a wine in this festive month. That is why we chose millésimés as the theme for our end-of-year issue.

APPROACH & CRITERIA

Wine sellers and importers were asked to send in wines made using the traditional method. These are the wines that became sparkling during a second fermentation in the bottle. It was also a condition that the grapes came from a single vintage and that the wine was aged for at least 30 months. Only then do those specific vintage aromas emerge that you can read about on page xxx you can read. That mandatory ageing time varies by area: for example, cava and franciacorta have a minimum of 30 months and champagne 36 months, but most millésimés stay much longer in the cellar. There was an enthusiastic response to the theme. Importers know that these wines deserve to be in the spotlight, but also that they need explanation. So we asked Hinke de Jong, an experienced vintage taster, to join us. Hinke is owner of Brouzje and exclusively imports and sells champagne. She herself faithfully submits for the WINELIFE tasting, including this round. Her wines, like all wines, came to the table blind, but were tasted without Hinke.

Further reading? You will find more information in WINELIFE Magazine, issue 86. You can order this one here. 

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