Sparkling Wine News
Ars Collecta – The New Premium Cava Collection from Codorníu
In wine terms at least, the end of the year often seems synonymous with festive sparklers. Prosecco keeps on attracting the punters, Champagne is always there for that special occasion and supermarket shelves remain adorned with seasonal offers on different styles of sparkling wine. Cava is always an option and one of the best known…
Warden Abbey Community Vineyard Launch First Sparkling Wine
Volunteers at Warden Abbey Community Vineyard in Bedfordshire were popping corks over the festive season to mark the launch their very first sparkling wine. Warden Abbey Brut 2014 is the first sparkling wine to be produced since the vineyard was taken on by Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity in 2010. Vineyard manager Jane Markham said “Releasing…
10 Reasons why you may have Fewer Bubbles in your Glass of Prosecco
Fewer bubbles in your glass of Prosecco is virtually never to do with poor quality fizz. 1. Detergent residue on your glass Any traces of detergent left on the inside of your glass will kill bubbles. Make sure you rinse your glasses well, and then rinse again. 2. Using a cloth laundered in fabric softener…
Is Bigger Really Better?
Scientists based in the heart of France’s Champagne-Ardenne region have found that larger bubbles may actually improve the way a sparkling wine tastes. Traditionally wine professionals often use bubble size as a marker of quality, with the smaller the bubble the better the wine with larger bubbles usually found in cheaper sparkling wines like Prosecco and…
Blind Tasting Rosé Sparkling Wines
A selection of brut rosé sparkling wines were purchased at the local grocer with their discount on a six- pack purchase. The tasting proved more challenging than I thought it would. Compared to the non-vintage brut tasting, I have done previously, which was almost unanimous, The brut rosé tasting opinions were all over the place,…
Grower Cava
There’s quite a lot of talk in wine circles at the moment, about Grower Champagnes. These are Champagnes made usually by small (the current buzzword is ’boutique’) producers who own their own vineyards, in the officially protected area of Champagne, of course. Usually such ‘growers’ have held the vineyards for generations and often have simply…
Prosecco Winemakers Threaten Aldi with Legal Action
Italian winemakers are threatening Aldi with legal action for selling ‘Prosecco Infusion’ tea bags. Prosecco makers say they have no right to use their name to sell the tea and are demanding Aldi ditch the range. Stefano Zanette, who runs the Consortium for the Protection of Prosecco in Italy’s Veneto region said “Prosecco is a…
Sales of Prosecco in UK Continue to Rise Faster than Champagne
Prosecco sales across Europe hit €789m in 2016, compared to Champagne sales worth €1.4bn, according to the latest figures from IRI, the provider of big data and predictive analytics for FMCG manufacturers and retailers. While Champagne is outstripping its lower-cost rival by almost double in the market value overall, the figures show that Prosecco continues…
Vandals Destroy 400,000 Bottles of Italian Sparkling Wine
Vandals broke into the Conte Vistarino winery in the middle of the night and drained refrigerated steel tanks. “It was a tremendous shock,” said Ottavia Giorgi di Vistarino, the 40-year-old countess who manages the family-owned winery. The wine, that was maturing at the centuries-old estate, was part of the 2016 harvest. In total, 400,000 bottles were…