Tastings with a twist

On this page I want to talk a little about the Sparkling Wine tastings I organise together with Onneca Guelbenzu of Viva le Vin and winedefender. As you probably know from my blog I am very passionate about terroir wines and more particular terroir Champagne. I like to learn and compare how certain grape varieties give different results in different places. In Sparkling wine, we often do not talk that much about the grape varieties, we tend to talk more about the styles of wine. Yet there are so many variations of Champagne as well as other Sparkling wines. In the tastings we are organising Onne and I will aim to show and explain the differences between Champagne, Cava, FranciaCorta and other Sparkling Wine producing regions in a fun and creative way. All the wines we have picked for our tastings are produced in relatively small quantities and they are the true expression of the winemaker/artist hence we will focus on the exclusive character of our wines in a pop up tasting by pairing them with other forms of art and some exquisite food parings.

We will start by talking about “how” a Champagne or Sparkling wine is produced, to later delve into the specifics of the wines we have chosen.

Onne will talk about Cava, Franciacorta and other Sparkling wines whilst I will focus on Growers Champagnes who focus on a specific Terroir: wines which are very much the expression of a particular piece of land or cru as perceived by the winemaker or the vigneron.

To launch this tasting concept we have chosen a threefold approach:three tastings in three different European cities, each with with a different artistic angle. However, as a common thread we decided to pour all the wines at the tasting from Magnum, as this gives the ultimate Sparkling wine experience!! We also looked for wines which were available for purchase to the consumer and wanted to add a local touch so wines vary from city to city.

We are starting off in the Cave do Bem, a wine and grocery store in the centre of Geneva, on November 1st. Here we will pour Champagne Philippe Gonet Le Roy Soleil, Champagne Tribaut Rosé Brut, Champagne Boulard Les Murgiers Blanc de Noirs Brut Natutre, Champagne Goerg Blanc de Blancs, La Grande Cuvee Baccarat (Swiss Sparkling), Recaredo Brut Nature 2008 (Cava) and Gramona Imperial Brut 2008. Our “art angle” will be the philosopher Cain Todd, who compared wine to aesthetic objects – ie objects that give rise to heightened or aesthetic experiences in individuals. His thesis defines wines as being expressive, which works perfectly with our terroir theme where we believe the wines we have picked are the expression of a specific place by the winemaker in a similar way as for instance an artist’s paintings are his expression of a specific place. Onne and I believe that having Mr Todd to reason together with us and the public about the expression of our wines from magnum will add an intellectual and definitely unique touch to this tasting. To sign up for this wonderful experience please register at http://themagicofthemagnumbubbles.eventbrite.com/
This tasting was a success and you can get a preview what is to be expected in the other two tastings from this video:

The Magic of the Magnum Bubbles Geneva 1Nov, London 7Nov, Brussels 21Nov by Missinwine and Vivalevin from Wine Defender TV on Vimeo.

Our second tasting will take place on the 7th November at the PayneShurvell Art Gallery in buzzy Hoxton, central London. This time we have chosen a hip art gallery with an exhibition focussing on English countryside landscapes. We will use these pictures to draw comparisons with country side images of the vineyards of the wines we will taste whilst talking about their unique character! This time we will pour Champagne Tarlant (Valee de la Marne), Champagne Boulard (Montagne de Reims), Champagne Piollot (Cote des Bars) and Champagne Philippe Gonet (Cote des Blancs), Recaredo Brut Nature 2008 (Cava), Gramona Imperial Brut 2008 and Il Mosnel Saten (Franciacorta) . A surprise art angle will be announced closer to the tasting as well :-)) To participate in this exclusive tasting please book at http://themagicofthemagnumbubbleslondon.eventbrite.com.

The last of our three tastings will take place in Brussels and will be a real Pop Up tasting as we have organised to have it in a private apartment we have rented for the night. We will have a dancer join us who will express our different terroirs through movement and this tasting will be all about exclusivity. We are trying to drive home the message that life is ephemeral as are the wines we are tasting – they are rare and will probably never all be tasted from magnum in this particular apartment accompanied by the one off dance performances. We will talk about unique co-incidences needed to create a specific experience – such as our wines :-) And for the Brussels tasting we have chosen Champagne Tarlant (Valee de la Marne), Champagne Boulard (Montagne de Reims), Champagne Piollot (Cote des Bars) and Champagne Philippe Gonet (Cote des Blancs), Recaredo Brut Nature 2008 (Cava), Gramona Imperial Brut 2008 and Vignoble des Agaises – Cuvée Seigneur Ruffus (Belgium)
To join in on this exclusive experience please book at http://themagicofthemagnumbubblesbrussels.eventbrite.com.

In order to be able to learn and share experiences and ideas in an intimate environment all our tastings are limited to 20 participants.All the wines we taste will be available for purchase in the market and we will provide prices and retail address. We aim at making this an interactive educational experience rather than just another tasting, and we hope we all leave feeling we have learned and grown afterwards.

For more information about the format or any of the tastings please contact caroline at missininwine dot com or onneca at winedefender dot org.