Global Champagne Day was celebrated on Friday, October 25th. We were invited by Ruth Franz of Henri’s Reserve to join in the celebration at an Artisanal Champagne Tasting held at Southport Galleries.
Henri’s Reserve is a curated e-boutique of impossible to find artisanal Champagnes, creative gifts & first time bubbly experiences. You won’t find the common champagne houses like Veuve Clicquot, Perrier-Jouët, or Moët & Chandon in their catalog. What you will find are handcrafted, estate-bottled champagnes produced by houses that ship often less than 5,000 cases a year and produce vastly fewer of their cuvée spéciales. Their website also houses information on everything Champagne, including 101s, entertaining tips, and food pairing guides.
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| Saint Angel Triple Creme cheese courtesy of Fairfield Cheese Company |
Present at the event were local vendors offering delicious treats that pair well with the various bottles of Champagne. While tasting the foods, we had to remember to take a sip of the bubbly and noting how the flavors become enhanced with each sip.
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| Selection of bread from Wave Hill Breads |
I probably spent most of the time snacking on Fairfield Cheese Company‘s Saint Angel Triple Creme cheese. It was so smooth and practically melts in your mouth. It was great on top of slices of bread from Wave Hill Breads or on figs.
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| Decadent brownies and delicious mini cupcakes from Sweet & Simple |
We also sampled other delightful treats from local vendors Sweet and Simple Bakery and LeRouge Handmade Chocolates by Aarti.
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| LeRouge Handmade Chocolates by Aarti |
Below is the full list of Champagnes available for tasting. We didn’t make it through the whole list, but it was great tasting champagnes from smaller houses. We were pleased to see our favorite Rosé, H. Billiot, on the list. It’s rare finding it for sale at the wine stores we visit, so we normally stock up on them when we’re in NYC. Fortunately we don’t have to travel far to buy a bottle of this fine Champagne.
100% Chardonnay – an exquisite apertif or with parmesan, oysters, fried chicken
Guiborat Fils, Grand Cru (Cramant)
Jacques Lassaigne, Le Vignes de Mongueux (Mongueux)
Guiborat Fils, 2006, Grand Cru( Cramant)
Brut
Pair with caviar, rich creamy cheeses, Chinese takeout, sushi, curries or popcorn with truffle butter
Egly-Ouriet, Grand Cru (Ambonay) – 70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay
H. Blin (Vincelles) – 80% Pinot Meunier, 20% Chardonnay
H. Blin, Millésimé 2002 (Vincelles) – 40% Pinot Meunier, 30% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay
Rosé
Pair with “anything pink” – filet, salmon, berries, or complex flavors (Thanksgiving Dinners)
H. Billiot, Grand Cru (Ambonnay) – 80% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay
Blanc de Noirs
100% Pinot Noir – perfect with eggs benedict, anything smoked or grilled
Jean Laurent (Celles-sur-Ource)
