THE WINE COLUMN
Tickled
Pink
Champagne is not the only home of elegant , traditional method sparkling rosé wines . Here are three delicious wines from exciting regions to watch
Antoine says , “ when others take eight to ten days . We need 30 to 40 .”
He explains that the house doesn ’ t like adding much sugar and , instead , prefers to coax out the fruit with long , cool fermentations . “ The natural acidity that we get as a result is the best ‘ conservative ’ for ageing the wine properly ,” he says . We see what he means as he opens a 1991 vintage of their other prestige cuvée named after founder Nicolas-François Billecart , Elisabeth ’ s husband . It is a wine that proves that with good fruit from a good vintage and plenty of time to get it just right , champagne can age beautifully over many years .
Billecart-Salmon ’ s wine range reads like a masterclass of champagne styles . The classic collection includes a Brut Reserve , an Extra Brut , a Blanc de Blancs , a straight Rosé , a demi-sec and even a spicy , oak-fermented champagne
The Billecart-Salmon estate
( the Brut Sous Bois ). Next , come the rare , ‘ homage ’, vintage wines , which include the cuvée Nicolas François Billecart created in 1964 and the cuvée Elisabeth Salmon whose first vintage was only launched in 1988 . In 2003 however , Billecart-Salmon welcomed a new member to the family ; the jewel in an already very worthy crown . Cuvée Clos Saint Hilaire was born from an exceptional parcel of vines during the magnificent 1995 vintage . But that ’ s a story for another time ... Q
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Stockists : Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon : Circa £ 140 per bottle for the current 2002 / 2006 vintages . Hedonism Wines ( hedonism . co . uk ), Selfridges ( selfridges . com ), Uncorked ( uncorked . co . uk )
England ( Hampshire ): Hambledon Classic Cuvée Rosé NV These rose-petal coloured English bubbles come from one of England ’ s most exciting wineries . This brand new cuvée has already won a gold medal at the International Wine Challenge awards . £ 36.50 from Berry Brothers & Rudd .
Italy ( Franciacorta , Lombardy ): ‘ Freccianera ’ Franciacorta Rosato 2011 This is not Prosecco ! A fine , Italian , traditional method sparkler made with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir by Fratelli Berlucchi . From Italy ’ s top , if little known , region for sparkling wines : Franciacorta . £ 29 from Italianwines . com and in store at Vini Italiani , London .
USA ( Anderson Valley , California ): Louis Roederer Quartet brut Rosé NV Made with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir by the makers of Cristal , Roederer ’ s northern Californian initiative has built its own reputation over the years for traditional method sparkling wine with generous , ripe fruit . £ 29.99 TheWineReserve . co . uk
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SAVILE ROW STYLE MAGAZINE 53