Category Archives: Winemaking

Essence of the Rheingau

Posted on August 18, 2013 by

Regular readers of this blog will know that with my focus on blind tasting, I like to get to the bottom of ‘what makes a wine a wine’ and how a particular region is expressed in the wines that come … Continue reading →

Posted in Blind Tasting, Germany, Winemaking | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Champagne: Method of Production

Posted on May 22, 2013 by

by Neel Burton and James Flewellen Following previous posts on the history of champagne and the geography of the Champagne region, in this article we cover the method of champagne production. ——————————————————————————————————– Like many sparkling wines, champagne is produced by the traditional or classic … Continue reading →

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Champagne: The lie of the land

Posted on May 14, 2013 by

by Neel Burton and James Flewellen Last week’s post gave a historical overview of champagne. In this article we cover the geographical nature of the Champagne region including grape varieties grown. Next week we will focus on the method of champagne production. … Continue reading →

Posted in Champagne, Uncategorized, Winemaking | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

A brief history of champagne

Posted on April 24, 2013 by

by Neel Burton and James Flewellen Early sparkling wines were produced by the méthode ancestrale, with the carbon dioxide gas arising from fermentation in the bottle. The méthode ancestrale is still used in certain parts of France such as in Gaillac and Limoux … Continue reading →

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Wine bottle shapes

Posted on July 30, 2012 by

Have you every wondered why a standard wine bottle is 750mL? Or why wine bottles are the shape they are? My curiosity was recently piqued by David Ling at Hugel in Alsace when he uncovered a few tidbits. 750mL is … Continue reading →

Posted in Jargon Buster, Winemaking | Tagged , , , , , , | 14 Comments

New World Traditional Method Sparkling Wines

Posted on March 17, 2012 by

This post follows my summary of European non-champagne traditional method sparkling wines. Traditional method sparkling wines are also made in many New World wine-producing countries. Much of the initial catalysis for these wines came from Champagne houses setting up off-shoots … Continue reading →

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Traditional Method Sparkling Wines of Europe

Posted on March 12, 2012 by

The “traditional method” of making sparkling wine, so famously popularised through Champagne, has found emulation in many other regions of Europe and the New World. Indeed, some regions of France lay claim to a history of making sparkling wine in … Continue reading →

Posted in Winemaking | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments