World In A Glass: Festive Season
WORDS: Ange Seddon
The festive season is well underway, and it's time to think of gifts for the wine lover in your life, so here are a couple of ideas that are just a little bit special.
We all love champagne, but if you would like to give something a little more different from the usual big name champagne houses, have you considered grower champagne? What’s that Ange, isn’t it all grower champagne? I’m glad you asked.
There is a little code in the tiniest of writing on the champagne label which has 2 letters followed by 5 numbers; there are 3 different codes.
NM which is Negotiant Manipulant. This is on the labels of the big champagne houses; they buy a majority of their grapes from local growers and make their champagne in-house. Their classic non-vintage wines are the ones we all know, love and recognise. These are consistently good, but they can be expensive.
CM Co-operative Manipulant, where wine makers buy their grapes from a co-operative of growers, Lidl and Aldi champagne often come from these types of winemakers.
Then there are some growers who don’t want to be selling to big houses or through a co-op; they want to make their own wines with their own grapes. This is identified by RM Recoltant Manipulant; they don’t have big advertising campaigns or luxury branding, they use their money to make the best champagne they can. Often aged longer on the lees, making rich, complex wines bursting with depth and character. You cannot find them in supermarkets, so you must seek them out from independent wine merchants, where the staff will be more than happy to point you in the right direction and recommend one to you.
Portfolio Manchester
As it happens, I managed to get a sneak peek at the Portfolio, the UK’s first champagne boutique in Manchester, before it officially opened on 9th December and had a great chat with the owners. This is a place you want on your radar. The brainchild of an elite team of industry experts - including Cameron Foster, founder of Deux Six champagne importers, who proudly describes it as “a true bootstraps business built from the ground up,” and Julian Pizer, renowned for his Manchester restaurant pedigree and now overseeing the food. They currently offer charcuterie and cheese boards with produce sourced from England and Wales, but eventually they hope to evolve this into a restaurant with a full menu service in February (personally, I can’t wait for this). There’s also a private dining room in their champagne cellar that seats 8.
Their impressive wine list boasts 250 exceptional champagnes, chosen and tasted by the team, including vintage cuvées and an impressive collection of grower champagnes. As you enter, there is a champagne wall holding 100 bottles available to buy as takeaway or drink in (with a flat corkage fee of £15). So, you can acquire a beautiful and unique gift of some grower champagne, sure to impress. If you are overwhelmed by the choice, the team will more than happily help you; they know their stuff.
They hope to ‘flip the script’ regarding champagne and make it more accessible, removing the snobbery, taking you straight to enjoyment. They could have opened in London, but they chose Manchester, and I, for one, am glad they did. The team want to create a hub for the northern wine scene, with a venue that is both relaxing and free of too much formality. There are 10 champagnes you can have by the glass starting from £12, using glassware imported directly from Champagne, but do not expect flutes or coupes, contrary to widely held belief, they are not the best vessels to get the most out of these beautiful champagnes. There will be no ice buckets either; there are blast chillers and electronic wine coolers by Grad that hold the wine at the perfect temperature, so no more dripping bottles.
So, pop in for a glass or a special bottle while you are doing your Christmas shopping or fancy something a little different from the usual lunch or drinks offering. It’s always good to support independents, especially one as spectacular as this.
Manchester Wine Tour
Speaking of independents, another excellent gift for Christmas or anytime throughout the year would be a Manchester Wine Tour (you can book a date or buy vouchers). This one-woman-band business was started by acclaimed food and wine writer Kelly Bishop, who not only writes but teaches about wine and is in a band. This multi-talented lady knows more about the Manchester food and wine scene than anyone else I know, and in an afternoon, you can walk around Manchester tasting beautiful wines with matching snacks at various venues across the city, with a bit of history thrown in. It is a fantastic and interesting way to learn more about wine from an unstuffy expert (that is a compliment, honestly!) and experience great hospitality as well.
Kelly is also planning to start a Manchester Food Tour in the new year, but these spaces and her wine tours book up quickly, so grab yourself a space or buy a voucher for someone you love. It’s a wonderful thing to do with a partner, a group of friends or as a solo adventurer; I guarantee you will have a lovely time. But don’t take my word for it, she was recommended by the queen of wine herself, Jancis Robinson, in her article for the Financial Times, and has been mentioned in many other publications both locally and further afield.
Check out her website manchesterwinetours.com or her Instagram @manchesterwinetours for more information
Cin cin et salute a tutti,
Ange
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