Firstly I have to say I love both Champagne and Wine, possibly Champagne slightly more, however a good sparkling wine does come into this category. As I drove to my parents house for Easter weekend I had a nice bottle of Bollinger Special Cuvée NV sat in the back seat all tucked up in a big plant pot - not that the plant pot plays a part in the story. Along side this little delight sat a bottle of Dr Hermann Erdener Treppchen Riesling Auslese and a bottle of Beringer Zinfandel Blush. I have to say that I am a massive Bollinger fan, not only because of the status but the delicious full bodied champagne that it is. I like my champagne with a bit of body and “umph” not a wishy washy thing.
I can see that when you put the Bollinger next to the Beringer it is an odd mix, a strong heady champagne which really packs in the toasty notes against basically sugar in a bottle, but I will defend my Beringer love to the end. Sometimes there is nothing nicer than cracking open an off dry wine and well polishing off the bottle!
So when I arrived home, after a nice 5 hour drive I was met in the usual way that most wine employees are met, “what you brought us to try this time then?” were the words uttered as I came through the door. And I have to say that they were not disappointed by my efforts this time. I have in the past introduced them to such delights as Green Point-perfect for a champagne subsitute- Martin Codax and Kangarilla Road. We have so far polished off a bottle of Green Point, Bollinger Special Cuvée and a bottle of Alamos Chardonnay (see my older post on this wine), and we still have a day to go! I do hope our livers are all still in tact after I return back to the south!
