The Champagne Sessions

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The Champagne Sessions

My top wine tips and reviews! WSET Diploma, Cava Educator & Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne Chevalier!

About me: I fell in love with wine after living and working in France and then in Australia! I have now worked in the UK wine industry for over 15 years hosting many wine tasting events, wine dinners and wine training courses. Plus I have achieved the prestigious WSET Diploma in wine qualification! Join me as I share my knowledge and passion of the best wines from across the globe �

12/07/2025

Save the drama, pour the Cava! 🥂

Happy people!

⭐️When it’s hot and sunny this Juve y Camps Rose cava is the thing!!! Made with 100% Pinot Noir as that’s a permitted international variety in the Cava DO! And Juve y Camps have been growing this variety for over 50 years now!

⭐️Made in the traditional method and aged for 12 months on its lees - minimum for the Cava Guarda DO in the Cava classifications, it’s also organic and just producer carry the Integral Elaborador stamp, meaning they carry out the entire process of vinification and bottling on there estate!

⭐️A lovely cherry red rose coloured wine, with an abundance of red fruits - cranberry, cherry, pomegranate, and lemon sherbet notes. A very fresh and fruity, style of Cava, with a touch of sour red fruits on the palate that beautifully balances out the wine! It was absolutely delicious with my magdascan king prawns with chilli and garlic butter!

Cheers! 🥂

🍷 .do

08/07/2025

Calling all Champagne lovers!! 🍾🍾

I am hosting a champagne tasting event in collaboration with the Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne and Atlas Bar on Deansgate in Manchester.

Join me for a multi-sensory Champagne tasting on Sunday 27th July, 2-4pm at Atlas Bar.

A unique and not to be missed tasting with 4 champagnes and canapés. Expert insights on how to select and best enjoy champagne with your host Stephanie Duncan!

Tickets are £49 per person and available via Eventbrite ⬇️

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/multi-sensory-champagne-tasting-manchester-tickets-1461427070709

Cheers Steph 🥂🥂

01/07/2025

Champagne tastes better under the open sky 🍾

With the Champagne Vilmart & Cie Grande Reserve!

⭐️Champagne Vilamart & Cie are based in the premier cru village of Rilly-la-Montagne and have been making wines here since 1890 and are still family owned and run! With 11 ha of Chardonnay 60% and 40% Pinot Noir plantings which is an unusually high proportion of Chardonnay for this particular region! With the average age of the vines being 35 yrs and with some 60 year old vines! They are also HVE and VD accredited.

⭐️The house style of Vilmart et Cie is for all wines to be fermented and aged 1st in oak barrels and foudres and they block malolactic fermentation in all of their Chamoagnes! So this Grande Reserve Cuvee is a blend of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay - all premier cru grapes. Made from a base vintage of 2022 with reserve wines from 2020/2021 and fermented in large oak casks with 10 months oak ageing, no MLF and 3-4 years lees ageing with 6g/l dosage!

⭐️Super fine beaded bubbles with aromas of raspberry, plum, red apple, baked lemon , apple pie and apricot jam notes. Perfumed with almond croissant and bread dough vibes. Beautiful deep fruit aromas - rounded and subtle, not massively intense at first, but it grows on you and the aroma layers build up.
Dry or extra dry with a good texture and structure and a slightly fuller body. A very moreish and a very well made champagne!

Cheers! 🥂

16/06/2025

When in doubt, pour the pink! 💕

⭐️The Chateau Piguodet Premiere Rose comes from Coteaux d’Aix en Provence that’s the western side of the region around Aix and was only approved as an appellation in 1985! But vines have been grown here in the estate since at least 1820 and further back to Roman times!

⭐️Provence rose always generally a blend and this one is made with Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah and Cabernet. What do each grapes bring to the blend? Grenache adds body, berry and spicy notes to the blend. Cinsault adds freshness and delicate fruity notes. Syrah adds colour, berry notes and vanilla. Whilst Cabernet brings blackcurrant, to***co notes and tannin that can help the rose wines age!

⭐️A beautifully fresh and expressive rose with delicate florals, white peach, lychee, melon and juicy apricot aromas, ripe red berry fruits and with a zesty citrus finish! Perfect!

Cheers! 🥂

10/06/2025

The art of Chardonnay, bottled in bubbles! 🫧

With the Champagne Henriot Blanc de Blancs 🍾

⭐️Champagne Henriot was formed by Apolline Henriot in 1808 and luckily for her the family already owned Pinot Noir vineyards in Verzey, Verzenay and Mailly-Champagne in the Montagne de Reims. The house acquired more vineyards via a marriage in the Cote des Blancs that were planted with Chardonnay at the end of the century, thus expanding operations. In the 20th century they were quite forward thinking with soil analysis projects in the 1920s and expanding the collection of reserve wines in the 1970s! Today they have a female cellar master whom is committed to making the vineyards more sustainable and they already hold HVE and VDC certifications and have been organic since this year!!!

⭐️The Henriot Blanc de Blancs is a signature Cuvee from the range. Made from 100% Chardonnay from 12 crus (suspect most of these are from the Cote des Blancs!) and it’s described a multi vintage as the blend can change yearly, so roughly 50-70% from base vintage with 30-50% reserve wines including wine from a perpetual reserve! With 3 years on lees and less than 7g/l dosage.

⭐️A very fresh and lemony champagne with a mineral and chalky texture. Green apple peel, peach, lemon brioche and custard notes. A very fresh with a mouth watering salinity style of champagne! Beautiful!

Cheers! 🥂

30/05/2025

Park it and pop it! 🍾
With Champagne Mandois Brut Origine NV 🥂

⭐️Champagne Mandois are family owned and are based in the premier cru village of Pierry southwest of Epernay and cellars that run under the nave of the village church! They have 37ha of vineyards across the Vallee de La Marne and Cote des Blancs including the grand cru of Chouilly! A big focus on Chardonnay 70% of total plantings, and 20% Meunier and 10% Pinot Noir. The vineyards are mostly organic with some biodynamics, which provides 70% of supply with the rest coming from other growers.

⭐️The Brut Orgine pays homage to the 1st Champagne the house produced - a fresh and full bodied cuvee. Comprising of 40% Chardonnay, 30% Meunier and 30% Pinot Noir from a 2020 base vintage with reserves from 17, 18 and 19. 90% is fermented in stainless steel and 10% in oak. 3 years lees ageing with 7g/l dosage.

⭐️A lovely fine bubbled Champagne with fragrant florals, baked apple, candied citrus fruits, peach jam and blackcurrant notes. Aromas of frangipani, sweet pastry and vanilla. Dry with a lovely balanced freshness, rounded, smooth and full of flavour with a zingy finish! Delicious!

Cheers! 🥂

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