Tag: wine

  1. WineGB Awards 2023

    August 29, 2023

    WineGB have announced the winners of the WineGB Awards 2023. Meet the Trophy winners here.

  2. Jacquesson: Rethinking NV Champagne

    March 20, 2020

    Nearly two decades ago, Champagne Jacquesson redefined non-vintage champagne. Instead of creating a consistent style year upon year, they now produce the best champagne possible and value each creation for their distinctive personalities – a concept that the wider region is just now starting to wake up to.

  3. Krug Appoints New Chef de Cave

    December 17, 2019

    Champagne Krug have announced that Julie Cavil will take over as winemaking director in the new year. Incumbent winemaking director Eric Lebel will become deputy director of Krug and will lead projects involving all of the brands within the Moët Hennessy portfolio.

  4. The Next Chapter: Louis Roederer Cristal 2012 and Cristal Rosé 2012

    December 11, 2019

    Eighteen months on from the release of Cristal 2008, the next instalments in the collection have arrived: Cristal 2012 and Cristal Rosé 2012. Described by cellar master Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon as “the next chapter”, 2012 is the first vintage of 100% biodynamically farmed Cristal.

  5. Tasting Review: How Well Does Champagne Age?

    October 5, 2019

    Earlier this week, Jancis Robinson MW presented our standout champagne tasting of the year to a packed St James’s Room at 67 Pall Mall. The theme was champagne’s ageing potential and guests sampled ten pairs (an old and current vintage) from ten major brands.

  6. Eric Rodez: Artisanal Champagne

    August 15, 2019

    Having been Mayor of Ambonnay and cellar master of Champagne Rodez – considered one of the best grower champagne producers in the region – for over 30 years, Eric Rodez is one of Champagne’s most eminent figures. We met in June to find out more about the man behind the distinctive blue glasses.

  7. Louis Roederer: Something Old, Something New

    August 12, 2019

    A memorable evening at Louis Roederer earlier this year saw us taste the new vintage releases from 2013, preview Cristal 2012 and Cristal Rosé 2012, and sample the upcoming magnum launches from the Cristal Vinothèque programme. This one’s not to be missed!

  8. Leclerc Briant: Champagne Range Tasting and Bioenergetic Innovations

    July 23, 2019

    We recently visited Leclerc Briant with Jancis Robinson MW. General manager Frédéric Zeimett and winemaker Hervé Jestin discussed the winemaking innovations happening at Leclerc Briant and we tasted a range of champagnes, including Hervé’s personal project.

  9. New Release: Dom Pérignon P2 2002

    May 13, 2019

    Combining all the vibrancy of the 2002 vintage with the complexity and youthful vigour afforded by extended lees ageing, the recently released Dom Pérignon P2 2002 is one of the best champagnes of the decade and has already received a coveted 20/20 score from Jancis Robinson MW.

  10. Louis Roederer: 2018 Vins Clairs Tasting

    March 29, 2019

    Not many are as excited as Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon about 2018s potential, a year he describes as having “the density of 2002 and the precision of 2008.” During our visit, we also tasted the latest Cristal Vinothèque’s and a mind-blowing pair of Cristal magnums.

  11. New Release: Louis Roederer Cristal 2008

    June 22, 2018

    The long-awaited Louis Roederer Cristal 2008 was officially launched in London on Monday evening. Jean-Baptiste Lécailon described it as “the most Cristal of all Cristals”. Having already been awarded 100/100 from many critics, is this the best ever vintage?

  12. June 2018 Champagne Range Tasting

    June 13, 2018

    Our Champagne Range Tasting on Wednesday 13th June at Frederick’s, Islington was once again a roaring success. The sun shone as fifty guests tasted nearly forty champagnes, including many new releases and even a few magnums. Browse the photographs here.

  13. Sell Us Your Cellar

    February 19, 2018

    If you are selling champagne that was bought on release from a UK agent and stored in a bonded warehouse, we may be interested in purchasing it. Here we outline the most important factors for sale and highlight sought after products.

  14. Mix 6 and Mix 12 Champagne Pricing

    February 16, 2018

    We try to make the top Champagne brands and cuvées as affordable as possible by offering tiered levels of pricing that can be mixed. Find out how our ‘Mix 6’ and ‘Mix 12’ pricing works.

  15. New Release: Pol Roger Brut Vintage 2009

    February 8, 2018

    New Pol Roger Brut Vintage 2009 is a wonderfully fresh, fruit-forward champagne from a generous and warm vintage. We tasted it alongside the previous release – Pol Roger 2008 – for comparison.

  16. New Release: Krug Grande Cuvée Edition 165 NV

    February 7, 2018

    The latest release of Krug Grande Cuvée, Edition 165 NV, is the smallest and rarest batch of Grande Cuvée ever. Just released in the UK, this is a classically world-class Krug: a stunning champagne based on a unique vintage.

  17. New Release: Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millénaires 2004

    February 6, 2018

    We kicked off 2018 with the launch event of the long-awaited Blanc des Millénaires 2004. Director of Charles Heidsieck, Stephen Leroux, presented this stunning champagne and we also had a taste of the new rosé vintage: Rosé Millésime 2005.

  18. Jancis Robinson: Krug vintage vertical back to 1988

    January 31, 2018

    Read Jancis Robinson’s report of our outstanding Krug vintage vertical tasting last November. “This would have been a dream tasting anyway, but I particularly love tasting a group of wines blind.”

  19. Champagne Provenance: Why It Matters

    January 17, 2018

    Establishing provenance, or a ‘record of ownership’, is absolutely essential in the champagne business. The conditions under which each bottle has been sourced and stored can significantly impact the eventual enjoyment it provides.

  20. Champagne Palmer & Co

    January 12, 2018

    After impressing us at several tasting events in the past, we added a range of Palmer & Co champagnes to our website last year. One of the newest houses in the region, what is their history and what do their champagnes taste like? The Finest Bubble reveal all.

  21. Henri Giraud: Barking Mad or Genius?

    April 20, 2017

    In 2009, Champagne Henri Giraud invested in 10 terracotta egg-shaped tanks to assess their effect on the maturation of wine. The house now has more than 50 clay containers and are producing more. Have they gone crazy or are they one step ahead of the field?

  22. Bollinger: 2016…. The Next 1988?

    April 12, 2017

    The difficult 2016 vintage appears to have been kind to Champagne Bollinger. We tasted the Vins Clairs at the winery in Aÿ last month and the house are optimsitic – even drawing likeness to the magnificent 1988 vintage! We judged for ourselves…

  23. Bruno Paillard: Realisation of a Dream

    April 10, 2017

    Bruno Paillard founded this eponymously named Champagne house in 1981: the first in nearly a century. A remarkable success story that is still being written… we met with daughter, Alice and tasted (sniffed) the 2016 Vins Clairs and current Champagne range.

  24. Louis Jadot 2015 En Primeur Tasting

    January 13, 2017

    This year TFB went along to the annual Louis Jadot 2015 En Primeur Tasting with one aim, to taste every single wine and then to select those they deemed to be the best in the line up. Read the reviews here.

  25. The Oxford Companion to Wine – New 4th Edition

    September 15, 2015

    This week sees the release of the fourth edition of The Oxford Companion To Wine. With 300 new entries, covering nearly a decade’s worth of new developments; this is even more in-depth than ever.

  26. Wine Duty Frozen – A Cold Move?

    March 20, 2015

    Some good news, some mild news and some irrelevant news – the chancellor announces the 2015 Budget, with alcohol duty a focus.