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Despite what some people think, I am not a complete Champagne nut. I like the stuff and always have a few bottles in for emergencies - about twenty at the moment, nothing in comparison with Port and so far down on Bordeuax it's hardly worth mentioning.

However, always have to have some for Christmas and we seem to have Veuve Clicquot as a tradition now. As I'm hosting my sister and bro-in-law have done the decent thing and offered the fizzy as their contribution. I have a spare magnum of the stuff in case we get through it too quickly. Strawberries are a must with it in Christmas day - obviously picked straight from the garden

Who else is sparkling it?

We have a monthly budget that we are allowed to spend on alcohol each month. if you don't use it, you lose it. So in months where we don't have any visitors (they are not able to buy anything themselves) or when we don't drink much because we are on holiday for example, we tend to spend the rest of the money on a bottle we wouldn't buy otherwise. That's how a bottle of Veuve Clicquot ended up in our wine fridge.

Champagne is not normally on our shopping list, as it's insanely expensive here. For the Veuve we paid nearly 60 euros.

I take it that's not Grande Dame

Oh no, that won't fit in the monthly budget. Just the regular.

I was basing that on the outrageous price

Well, almost all wines here are about double of the European prices. We've learned to live with it. But as a consequence, we don't buy champagne very often. If one bottle chews up 1/4th of the monthly budget, it is not something to buy large quantities of.

Champagne is fine stuff, but, everywhere, it demands such a premium. Even when there are deals to be done, the white burgundy etc you can buy for the same price will be streets ahead in quality.

The odd time I have been in funds, I buy champagne, but other times, it just looks like real pain.....

I've had a bottle of Heidsieck Monopole 2002 on ice (ie outside the back door in the snow) since Christmas Eve as our Christmas Champagne, but so far I've had no takers.

AHB wrote:I've had a bottle of Heidsieck Monopole 2002 on ice (ie outside the back door in the snow) since Christmas Eve as our Christmas Champagne, but so far I've had no takers.

Not a bad bubbly. Bought two last year for my 30th, drank one on the day and the other is stashed away still (40th? Will it still be drinkable?!)

angeleyes wrote:Not a bad bubbly. Bought two last year for my 30th, drank one on the day and the other is stashed away still (40th? Will it still be drinkable?!)

I bought two, as well. They were part of a mixed case of wine I bought from Majestic a few months back that also included a couple of bottles of Fonseca unfiltered LBV that were the first I've seen.

2002 was a great vintage for Champagne. I'd be extremely surprised and disappointed if the Heidsieck Monopole 2002 wasn't still drinking beautifully in 10 years.

AHB wrote:I'd be extremely surprised and disappointed if the Heidsieck Monopole 2002 wasn't still drinking beautifully in 10 years.

In that case I shall wait til 2018 !

By the way is that the Gold Top or the Silver you are referring to?

It's the gold top that I bought.

AHB wrote:It's the gold top that I bought.

Full fat. Excellent. I hate that skimmed stuff.

DRT wrote:

AHB wrote:It's the gold top that I bought.

Full fat. Excellent. I hate that skimmed stuff.

(Perhaps) interestingly, their third wine is a Blue Top (full fat, but homogenised). Hopefully they have no intention of releasing a Green or a Red topped version !

angeleyes wrote:

DRT wrote:

AHB wrote:It's the gold top that I bought.

Full fat. Excellent. I hate that skimmed stuff.

(Perhaps) interestingly, their third wine is a Blue Top (full fat, but homogenised). Hopefully they have no intention of releasing a Green or a Red topped version !

Green Top is their demi-sec - semi-skimmed in English

KillerB wrote:

angeleyes wrote:

DRT wrote:

AHB wrote:It's the gold top that I bought.

Full fat. Excellent. I hate that skimmed stuff.

(Perhaps) interestingly, their third wine is a Blue Top (full fat, but homogenised). Hopefully they have no intention of releasing a Green or a Red topped version !

Green Top is their demi-sec - semi-skimmed in English

Should have done my research. Turns out there is a red top too (flavourless?). And a pink top.

Red Top is Sec and Pink Top is unsurprisingly Rose. I had a Diamant Blue a few years ago which was a 1985 vintage in a very glitzy bottle, it was excellent.

Hadn't realised just how many that they did - well done Heidsieck Monopole.

Saw New Year in with a sip of Taittinger. A little warm by that point but the party was rolling along. Very good stuff, I'm fond of the Tat.

Morrison's is selling Rose Top and Gold Top at £15 as well as the Blue Top at £11 - buy some.

The Blue Top is in Tesco for £12.39 .. not bad last time I had it.

The Tesco BOB 'Premier Cru' Champagne is pretty nice too, £15 at the moment which is a little hard to resist.

angeleyes wrote:The Blue Top is in Tesco for £12.39 .. not bad last time I had it.

..which I've just started a bottle of. A little light in flavour and lots but not excessive fizz. Very dry, but with good acidity, certainly better than one or two of those wince-inducing big names. Not the greatest, but for £12, a steal. And went very nicely with some home-cured gravadlax and dill mustard.

Can anyone advise me of a Champagne for around £50? Have been eyeing up either Bollinger Grande Annee 2000 or Veuve Cliquot 2002.

angeleyes wrote:

angeleyes wrote:Can anyone advise me of a Champagne for around £50? Have been eyeing up either Bollinger Grande Annee 2000 or Veuve Cliquot 2002.

I do not know how much advise you will get, but I am sure you will get lots of offers to help drink it!

Tough call, I'd probably take the Bolly but 2002 is a better year. Parker has 2000 down as an early drinker which brings us back to the Bolly.