Sparkling Wine and Champagne Tasting

After a long sabbatical, I finally had my 4th wine tasting night focusing on Sparkling Wines and Champagnes. I also had one of the largest groups yet (12 people) and it was the first tasting in my new Wimbledon flat. We tasted the following wines, in this order:

Sparkling Wines:

• Waitrose Cava, Spain (£6)
• Valdo Prosecco, Italy (£6)
• Graham Beck Brut, South Africa (£9)

Champagnes:

• Taittinger (£25)
• Billecart-Salmon Rose (£43)
• Nicolas Feuillatte (£20)
• Bollinger (£27)

The least favourite was the Cava and the group favourite was probably the Billecart-Salmon or the Nicolas Feuillatte. Apparently, the Billecart-Salmon Rose is widely distributed in the US, so if any of you Americans are looking for a top notch rose champagne, keep your eyes out for it! The best wine for value was definitely the Prosecco, which is always a personal favourite of mine as well. I serve Prosecco at most of my dinner parties as a starter drink and it always tastes excellent.

For the meal, I made cod baked with cherry tomatoes and leeks, served on top of a rice dish made with tumeric, peas and chicken broth. A simple, yet satisfying dish with all the sparkling wines. We had warm apple tart and vanilla ice cream for dessert, paired with a Sauternes style Bourdeaux white dessert wine. The night ended with glasses of Port and a few Baileys on the rocks for a well-rounded evening!