Wednesday Wine News
The Epicurean’s Atlas
On June 20th Sotheby’s held a rare Champagne auction in Paris. Dubbed “The Ultimate Champagnes” the auction was part of “The Epicurean’s Atlas” series featuring 25,000 bottles of wine from Billionaire collector Pierre Chen.
Included in the auction were Dom Pérignon, Louis Roederer Cristal, Billecart Salmon, Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill, and Bollinger RD 1996. Among the collection three magnums of Salon Le Mesnil, Blanc de Blancs 1990 sold for a whopping €25,000. Six bottles of Krug, Clos d’Ambonnay 1996 sold for €16,250 and twelve bottles of Taittinger’s Comtes de Champagne, Blanc de Blancs from the highly regarded 1996 vintage sold for €6,875. If you were one of the lucky buyers at the auction please know that I’m always available to help you pop the corks on your purchases.
Summer Salads & Chardonnay
Last year I attended a special lunch with Nugan Estate where I met owner and 3rd generation family member Matthew Nugan. I wrote a piece about Nugan Estate which you can read here. Since then, we’ve collaborated on a few projects featuring their premium wines. The Nugan Estate range is available in SuperValu. My recent tipple from Nugan Estate was Dreamer’s Chardonnay. The sun made an appearance last weekend (sun in Ireland? Yes, it was a surprise to us all) and all I wanted was a simple fresh salad and a chilled glass of wine. Let me come clean and admit that I didn’t roast a chicken from scratch, I took a shortcut and bought a rotisserie bird and I have no regrets! You can’t be cooking on a scorching hot day, it’s not right. After picking up a fresh baguette from Blossom Bakery and using Finca la Torre Organic and Biodynamic Hojiblanca Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Sarah and Olive. One of my favourite food pairings with roast chicken is Chardonnay and given that Nugan Estate's Dreamers Chardonnay is on offer at SuperValu for just €10, the wine choice was simple.
ABC I hear wine lovers cry. Anything But Chardonnay! I often have people tell me they don't like Chardonnay, but love Chablis 😉 and that's understandable. For a long time, many of the Chardonnays we drank were over-oaked and too buttery. While this wine spends 12 months in French oak they are 2nd or 3rd use barrels so the wine retains lots of its fresh fruit character. On the palate you can expect stone fruit, peach, nectarine and good texture from the 6 - 8 weeks this wine spends on its lees - that's the dead yeast cells to non-wine folk. It’s the perfect balance between oak and fruit with a crisp finish.
Champagne Ayala Dinner
Last year I finally stopped procrastinating and booked my dream trip to Champagne - life is too short, right? Just book the flights and go. The first Champagne House I visited was in Aÿ, home to Champagne Ayala. You can take a peak into my Ayala adventures here. Known for their low dosage wines Ayala is a Champagne that is always sitting in my cellar. Founded in 1860 by Edmond de AYALA, Champagne AYALA is an independent, family-owned Champagne House nestled in Aÿ, in the heart of the Grands Crus in France. On 25th July Forbes Street at The Marker Hotel will host a Champagne Ayala dinner with a menu specially designed by chef Gareth Mullins. Start your journey on the rooftop at 6.30 pm with canapés, followed by a 5-course tasting menu featuring exclusive back vintage releases.
Is This Thing On?
If you know me in real life you’ll likely think I’m super confident and have no bother taking centre stage, but in reality, it’s rare I put myself out there and let the spotlight shine on me. However, recently I was a guest on Sharon Noonan’s podcast Best Possible Taste and I’m so glad I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and hit the airwaves. Sharon is such an accomplished and accommodating host and my heartfelt thanks to her for being so welcoming and letting me chat all things wine, food and of course Champagne. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.