Sparkling Wine: The Traditional Method

Sparkling Wine: The Traditional Method-an excerpt from Wine Folly's blog on sparkling wine methods of production. Traditional Method a.k.a. Méthode Champenoise, méthode traditionnelle, Methode Cap Classique, Metodo Classico, klassische flaschengärung Examples: Cava, Champagne, Crémant, some Sekt, Italian Metodo Classico wines (including Franciacorta and Trento)Bottle Pressure: 5–7 atmospheres or ~75–99 psiThe traditional method of sparkling winemaking was [...]

Sparkling Wine: The Traditional Method

Sparkling Wine: The Traditional Method-an excerpt from Wine Folly's blog on sparkling wine methods of production. Traditional Method a.k.a. Méthode Champenoise, méthode traditionnelle, Methode Cap Classique, Metodo Classico, klassische flaschengärung Examples: Cava, Champagne, Crémant, some Sekt, Italian Metodo Classico wines (including Franciacorta and Trento)Bottle Pressure: 5–7 atmospheres or ~75–99 psiThe traditional method of sparkling winemaking was [...]

Definitions: What Is a Wine Negociant?

Definitions: What Is a Wine Negociant?-an excerpt from an article written by Harley Hoffman, Vinfolio.For decades, wine negociants have had a nasty reputation in the wine world, yet this reputation is undeserved. Jancis Robinson explains, “The old cliché that merchants, negociants in French, are all baddies and growers are all goodies is now well and [...]

Alcohol Delivery Compliance Checks Happening Now

Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board sent this bulletin at 09/20/2021 09:30 AM PDTTo: All LicenseesFr: Deputy Chief Ron Rupke, LCB Enforcement and Education DivisionRe: Delivery Service Compliance Checks being conducted"Beer, wine and spirits delivery service compliance checks are now being conducted by LCB Enforcement Officers. These activities involve LCB officers placing orders for beer, [...]

Crushable Txakoli Rosé to Say Sayonara to Summer!

If you follow us on Instagram, you know how much we love this wine, and we know we're not alone in our fan-girling, because Punch just wrote an article about it! Check out this article from Punch by Megan Krigbaum, titled "A Rosé So Divine They Call It Baby Jesus" originally published August 23, 2021:"When Ameztoi Rubentis [...]

Subvert Nazis, Drink French.

The Drouhin family has had a long history in Burgundy, but aside from the normal information about the estate, we’ve included an article from the Orlando Sentinel titled “How France won the war to keep wine from Germans.” It’s a pretty old one in today’s standards (from 2001), but it holds relevant and interesting revelations [...]

Champion Wine Cellars Wine Club!

Alicia Pitts
Hello Friends,We had a great response to our Quarterly Champagne Club* roll-out earlier this month, but, it’s been a while since we talked about the original Champion Wine Cellars Wine Club. So, without further ado, here’s everything you need to know about our wine clubs to figure out which club is right for you.What is [...]

2017 Vintage Report

Alicia Pitts
Welcome to our first foray into vintage reports. A vintage report is a general summary of the conditions and characteristics one can expect from wines from a region in a particular year. Think of this as a place to start your research into understanding vintages, especially if you’re looking to cellar wines for [...]

2018 Arnoux Gigondas "Vieux" Clocher

Erin Lyman
For a limited time, and arriving next week (the week of January 18th, 2021) we're offering this for $28/btl, down to $25.20/btl with a purchase of six or more. Email us to reserve your bottles today!As an appellation, Gigondas resides in France's Southern Rhône. It's proximity to Châteauneuf-du-Pape creates a common stereotype of being "pretty close [...]

Important Information About More Tariffs on Wine

Erin Lyman
This is important; please read. The United States has decided to impose MORE TARIFFS on France and Germany. The Trump administration has decided to escalate tariffs against European wines in a last-minute decision on December 31, 2020. These tariffs take effect on January 12th, 2021, without any exemptions to US importers for wines already paid [...]

An Ode to Champagne Part 3: Hebrart, Gimonnet, and Chiquet

Champagne Marc Hébrart: based in the Vallée de la Marne, Jean-Paul Hébrart, son of Marc, farms 14 hectares of vines on 65 different sites in 6 villages: the 1er cru vineyards of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, Avenay, Val d’Or and Bisseuil and the grand crus villages of Aÿ as well as Chouilly and Oiry in the Côte des [...]

An Ode to Champagne Part 2: Champagne Huré Frères

History, as told by Paul Wasserman.As the story goes, Georges Huré rather reluctantly founded the estate in 1960, to satisfy the insistent dreams of his wife Jeanne. The name Huré Frères came about in 1971 when Georges passed on management of the domaine to his three sons—Jean Marie, Marc and Raoul. Since 2008, Raoul’s son, [...]

An Ode to Champagne

Alicia Pitts
An Ode to Champagne:Is there any occasion that would not be made better by the addition of a bottle of Champagne? I say no and with the holidays right around the corner, ‘tis the season to indulge. Champagne may have traditionally been associated with celebrations, but it can be so much more: comforting, [...]

Becky with the Good Wine

Alicia Pitts
Becky with the good wine.We’ve mentioned her before and we’ll mention her again because Becky Wasserman is incredible. An American wine broker who has lived in Burgundy since 1968, she has worked with and exported some of our favorite Burgundy producers. And, she runs a predominantly female team. We respect that and [...]