A Hollywood Worthy Champagne (from the Archive).

September 2023: On what is likely the last Friday of the Scottish Summer I trundled through to Edinburgh to enjoy an early morning with the charming Simon, the ambassador for Charles Heidsieck to hear all about the wondrous legend that is ‘Champagne Charlie.’

Charles Heidsieck’s movie worthy history mirrors that of the opulent Champagne. Exclusive to the Liberty Wine Portfolio in Scotland, synonymous with gastronomy and quality it was a real joy to be taken on the journey of the Heidsieck brand, sharing stories and wonderful Champagne along the way.

The Champagne region historically was dominated by wool and textiles, this is what originally put the region on the map. Heidsieck was started by Florence Heidsieck who ran a wine and cloth company. From Austrian heritage himself he was able to befriend the most famous Austrian in France at the time, Marie Antoniette. (I find Marie Antoniette’s story greatly fascinating and suggest to anyone who will listen, to read the book by Antonia Fraser). Marie Antoniette, although guillotined and hated in the end was at one point the fashion icon of France and Europe. Call her the Kim Kardashian of her time! Once she was seen sipping this Champagne, those in the French court at Versailles and beyond needed to be seen with it too.

In the late 1700’s/early 1800’s business was booming and Florence recruited the help from his three nephews. Unfortunately, this did not work out and the three split ways resulting in Heidsieck Monopole, Piper Heidsieck and Charles Heidsieck.

By the time the three split, Charles looked around Europe to look for new markets. At this point monarchs in Europe has strong associations with Champagne Houses such as the House Romanov and Louis Roederer Cristal. Charles had to look to new markets and in the 1850’s, set off to America. He made three trips to the United States taking with him 300 bottles each time. He first arrived in New York where the locals quickly fell in love with him, nicknaming him ‘Champagne Charlie.’ He was very popular among the aristocrats and upper society making friends with many politicians and important people.

Charles enlisted a US based distributor to manage accounts whilst he was back in France. Business expanded down the east coast finding its way to Louisiana and the south. In 1861 the American civil war broke out. Being Charles main market, worried, he jumped on a ship and headed back to the states to try and assess the impact.

When he arrived, it transpired his distributor had been stealing his products and money. The fiddled books left Charles with nothing! To try and seek restitution, he travelled down the east coast visiting the stockiest of Charles Heidsieck Champagne demanding back his money or stock. Very few would entertain him nor give him his money back and he was left with nothing. People were starving and the country was at war, people weren’t interested in the Frenchman. When he finally made it to ‘Friendly Country’ Louisiana, one Inn owner said he could not repay in cash, but would be able to supply him with cotton.

Due to the civil war in America, cotton was hard to come by in Europe. Although not perfect, Charles understood the textile market due to his families past textile business, and saw it as an opportunity to make back his money. Things were getting even more unsettled in America so a plan was quickly made to help him escape. A fleet of boats were deployed, one with him inside, one with the cotton and some decoy boats. Unfortunately, all of which were attacked and Charles quickly had to make his way back to shore, all of the cotton lost – he didn’t have the best luck! He tried to escape the country numerous times travelling down to the South. Unfortunately for him, he crossed the border one too many times and was arrested by General Butler.

Imprisoned at Ft Jackson with no money, cotton nor Champagne Charlie was in a bad way. Luckily, he had made friends with the right people when he first came to the country. One of his old drinking buddies, Abraham Lincoln was able to come to an agreement with the help of Napoléon the 3rd. A deal was negotiated and Charles was safe to return to France.

With little funds and no residual stock, Charles continued to make Champagne. He was lucky he had lots of family in the region who bailed him out.

After a while settling back into life in France, Charles started to hear mumming about ‘land’ in the states. The brother of the crook distributor was on his deathbed. Embarrassed his brother has dishonoured the family name, the man gave Charles the deed to some land. Unsure what he could possibly want with land in America, Charles accepted the deeds and soon forgot about it. A few years later, he was contacted by an American business man looking to see if he would sell the land. It turns out, the deeds were to 1/3 of Denver Colorado. With the railroad expansion in the States, Charles was given a large sum of money for his land.

Charles believed he would always be able to buy grapes and equipment but not cellars or caves. Charles bought 47 of the infamous Heidsieck chalk caves under Reims. Interconnected with the caves of Ruinart, Veuve Cliquot, Taittenger and Pommery this underground city is now a UNESCO heritage site and are priceless.

Each house has since separated their caves, however during the Second World War the gateways were reopened once again. The Heidsieck caves hosted the school, others hospitals, shelters and shops. The entire city of Reims moved underground.

Heidsieck’s rich history continues even today. A house with some of the highest quantities of reserve wines (wines from different vintages) allowing for the creation of textured, rich and gastronomic wines. A little bit of history is steeped in each glass.

After years apart, Piper Heidsieck and Charles were reunited in 1985 when Remy Martin bought the two famous Houses, which are now represented under the one portfolio. Piper Heidsieck has a fantastic history of its own and is famously known as Marilyn Monroe’s favourite.

I was lucky enough to taste six from the range:

Non-Vintage Brut – Made from 50% reserve wine with an average age of 10-year-old wines, this is the most important wine produced by the brand. Synonymous with luxury dining such as Number One at the Balmoral, Hide London and others this Champagne will never be found in a supermarket. Only 20% is sold to premium independent retailers, the rest is reserved for the on-trade such as restaurants, bars and hotels. Notes of soft bruised apple, pear, lemon and nutty almond pastries this rich bubbly is the perfect choice.

Non-Vintage Rosé Reserve – Rich character, light rose. Similar to the trend Billicart Salmon, these dancing bubbles have very delicate soft red crunchy berry, strawberry tart characteristics. Rich yet soft, it is the perfect rosé.

Non-Vintage Blanc de Blanc – Now on the 4th iteration of the Chardonnay only Champagne since the relaunch in 2018, previously made in 1906, the Blanc de Blanc is made 100% Chardonnay, 25% from reserve wines and with malolactic fermentation. Grapes are sourced only from the best vineyards in Cote du Suzanne where plentiful sunshine helps add body to the wine. This is a very refreshing, soft and complex wine. Notes of lemon peel, apple, soft unripe peach, French bread, sourdough, lemon cake, blanched nuts, and super fine and soft bubbles this was one of my favourites from the day! This wine can also age for decades so grab a bottle and stick it away for a rainy day.

2013 Brut Millesime – This wine is made from grapes grown only in 2013, again from the best sites. 2013 was a classic vintage year with late harvest and long sunny growing season allowing the grapes to fully ripen. Disgorged in 2023, this wine has seen 10 years of aging. Peachy, almond tart, warm butty croissant.

2012 Rosé Millesime – A rosé busting with juicy raspberries, white fleshy peaches, pomegranate and freshness. With only 12,000 bottles made, this limited copper hued rosé lures you in with its almond frangipane and autumn quince characteristics. Truly wonderful!  

2007 Blanc des Millenaries – First produced in 1995 with the very best Chardonnay grapes, this Blanc de Blanc undergoes almost a decade of ageing. This wine is famously known for being made from two varieties ‘Chardonnay and Time…’ This is a Champagne which sings, its elegant soft bubbles dance on your pallet like silk. Rich, creamy, clean, crisp, it reminded me of the texture of vanilla custard, the nose of hazelnuts and the bready, yeasty pallet is savoury but crisp. You can easily identify the age on this wine, and it is truly incredible.

Rare Millesime 2013 – This is a wine from the Piper Heidsieck portfolio. However, due to its elevated quality and gastronomic ability, it is often shown alongside the Charles Heidsieck portfolio, rather than that of Piper. This bottle design is truly unique. If you have time, the gold lattice cage can carefully be peeled off and worn as a crown! With the grapes grown alongside the sister brand, Charles Heidsieck, Rare is a truly unique prestige cuvee. Only produced in the rarest vintages, this 100% Grand Cru wine sees 5 years lees aging. A blend of all three Champagne grapes, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier this ultra-rare cuvee has only been produced 15 times over the last 47 years in exceptional vintages. Clean, elegant, citrus, floral, honied and nutty this is a smooth and vibrant Champagne. It is indulgent and luxurious, I felt very honoured to taste this!

Tasting each of these wines was a pleasure. I love hearing Champagne lore, the tales, rich history, family drama and love stories all surrounding this tiny little region are truly remarkable! I feel very spoilt to have tired these historic and iconic Champagnes, every time I drink Heidsieck it is a treat, I love them – and I am in very good company with Marie Antoinette and Marilyn Monroe.  

Under The Tuscan Sun

After floating around the Tuscan countryside in September, having remarkable wine and some of the best food I’ve ever had, I have finally gotten around to sharing the tale.

In September I was whisked away with The Scottish Gantry to the beautiful Tuscan countryside to visit some of our wine suppliers and try some new wines which we hoped to buy in.

Arriving very late into Pisa (thanks to a delayed Ryanair fight), we drove down into the Tuscan countryside arriving in the wee sleepy hours to a very quiet San Gimignano. The beautiful cobble streets echoed with the distant crickets and soft hum of a sleepy town.

Waking up in the morning, we had the pleasure of opening the curtains to the rolling hills, towering Cyprus trees, scrawling vineyards and clear blue skies. Breakfast looked over the little terracotta town and as I sipped my café latte, I couldn’t have dreamed what the week had in store.

We were quickly whisked away in the sprinter van after meeting the marvellous Claudia and Alberto, our lovely consultants who introduced us to the best Tuscany has to offer.

Our first stop was in the charming town of Montalcino, at the top of the hill lay the historic Il Marroneto. The 9 hectare vineyard look over the Brunello valley. Owned by Alessandro Mori, this is one of the older Montalcino estates being founded in 1974. The estate refers to the deep religious underpinning of the past, Marroneto meaning ‘Old Tower’ was the Madonna delle Grazie convent, housing nuns in the 13th Century. The top wine produced ‘Madonna’ portrays this connection. The Madonna single vineyard plot being the one closest to the winery where the Nuns would have prayed.

Arriving at the vineyard, we entered from the back of the old countryside villa. This stone building was very deceiving as when we walked round the front we were greeted with the splendour of the Brunello valley. Walking under the Sangiovese vines and hanging grapes into the historic building was a lovely welcome.

Il Marroneto is 400 meters above sea level with complex soil types consisting mainly of sand, limestone and galestro. When studying my Diploma, picturing the different soil types and understanding their benefits was one of the aspects of the course I found most interesting. However, it was sometimes difficult to remember and I vowed I would make it easier for my students (and myself) by studying the soil each time I went to a new vineyard. I took samples from the Madonna plot in Montalcino, which were very different to the soils elsewhere in Tuscany.

The Brunello wines are typically elegant, refined and long lived. We were lucky enough to taste these right from the barrel. In typical Italian hospitality, we must have tasted around 15 samples from different plots, vintages and oak types. Each of these wines were different, my favourite being the Madonna 2019. After jumping about the cellars numbing our taste buds with more and more samples, we descended the stairs into history. The dark cellar was one of the best parts of the tour. We sat around the table hearing more about the history, listening to Claudia, Alberto and Jacob speak in rushes of Italian and enjoyed the true essence of the Tuscan wine adventures. I feel being in the trade and meeting winemakers to discuss business rather than being a tourist gave us a much deeper reality of the processes. The veil was lifted and we got to experience the true nature of the winery.

After a fantastic first vineyard, we jumped back in the van and descended into the valley, once more braving the country roads. Next stop, Sasso Sol!

This newer winery and vineyard had less of the rustic charm than Il Marroneto. In contrast, everything at the top of the hill is done with minimal intervention and old winemaking techniques. Sasso Sol has recently undergone a refurbishment, showcasing their huge 2000l oak barrels, bottling line and stainless-steel tanks for fermenting the wines. Where Il Marroneto is rustic its dark and dusty demeanour added to the richness of heritage and experience. Visiting Sasso Sol showed the difference winemaking techniques and vineyard location can have on the Sangiovese grape. I would describe the difference being Il Marroneto is the grandfather who has years of experience getting things right and Sasso Sol being the grandson who has taken a risk; which has paid off.

We got a tour of the winery and talked through each of the production processes. After this, I was thrilled to see the cellar had been set up for lunch. At this point I should have realised what I was in for. The next five days I was going to consume some of the best food I have ever eaten, this was the prelude of what was to come. We enjoyed six wine samples with local meats, cheese and what was to become a staple of any meal (and the whole trip) olive oil. On the trip I must have consumed a bottle of oil. We had it with every meal, including breakfast, bathed in olive oil soap and lathered on olive oil moisturiser every night.

At Sasso Sol I tried sparking Sangiovese for the first time. Pale pink in colour, this wine had a vigorous mousse (very bubbly) and beautiful soft red berry and herbal notes. It was delicious and very refreshing on a sunny day. We worked our way through the samples tasting the younger, fruitier Orcia Sangiovese and Rosso di Montalcino before diving into the richer Brunello di Montalcino and Bunello di Montalcino Riserva. It was interesting to see the difference between wines in Sasso Sol and ll Marroneto.

After a long leisurely visit, we returned to our base in San Gimignano where we had some time to look about the market stalls and try the world’s best ice cream (It was amazing, extremely creamy). We wandered around the cobbled streets and snuck up alleyways finding the local church before settling in a bar for a sundowner. We were invited to Claudia and Alberto’s for pre-dinner drinks on the balcony. As a thank you we stopped in a beautiful small deli and picked up a selection of antipasti bits including cheese, artichoke and some fennel wild boar, which soon became a favourite of mine!

Dinner was at Ristorante Peruca, tucked up a side street this restaurant felt like we were stepping back in time diving into an old wine cellar. We enjoyed a half bottle of Vernaccia, the indigenous grape of San Gimigano and again were amazed by the quality of the food. I had an onion tarte with Pecorino ice-cream (I still dream about this daily) to start followed by pear tortellini. Unusual but unreal! Well-watered and fed, we wandered back through the town for an early bed after a wonderful first day.

Want to Sea a Change?

My life has changed a lot this Spring. Moving out of my childhood home, getting a new job and flying up and down to London more often for my Diploma has left me very busy, but not busy enough to realise what’s important…

I've been doing lot of reflection of the past. I was lucky enough to grow up in the most beautiful home that was in my family for 27 years. However, the time has come to move on and flee the nest! Letting go of familar things has been liberating. However, throughout this process I’ve realised how much we can't take for granted. Special times with family and spending time together with a nice bottle of wine is one of life’s precious moments.

However, the wine world is changing. The viability of the industry is being called into question. This is being magnified with the terrifying climatic changes that are ongoing. This is affecting every aspect of life, but lets discuss how wine as we know (and love) is going to change.

“THE OCEAN IS ON FIRE,” sounds like a line Chicken Little would say, but no. Today it is a reality! A gas leak off the Gulf of Mexico has left the sea burning. An underground pipeline owned by the Mexican state oil company, Pemex has burst and ignited under the water, the images are almost apocalyptic. This is a huge awakening for many to bring light to the danger the ocean is in and the issues it is causing to the climate.

Last year I wrote my dissertation on how climate change is impacting the wine industry and consumer purchasing. This year, for my WSET Diploma I was to write a report on how vineyards are seeing the impact and identify what adaption methods they are adopting. This is a recurring topic within the industry and is maybe sounding like a mantra. However, it is so important that it is imperative it's highlighted.

The warming climate is not just melting the icebergs, causing wild fires, droughts, heatwaves and raising temperatures. It is impacting our everyday life, whether we recognise it or not. The subject is so vast and sees so many elements of our lives affected.

The industry is at a cross roads, so much has already been impacted and yet more changes are forecast. Frightening predictions as early as 2050 have been announced. By this time it is believed that California, one of the largest and most renowned growing regions, is expected to loose 51% of viticulture abilities… 51%... In 29 years time...

The region is already seeing a loss to viticulture and permanent changes. The Kincade wildfires of 2019 decimated Napa and Sonoma counties destroying 66,000 acres. One of the oldest wineries in the state was completely destroyed with fire ravishing the vineyard, Soda Rock in Alexander Valley was founded in 1869. Only the wine cellar and 2019 vintage (which luckily had just been picked) were salvaged. Plans are underway to rebuild the iconic landmark.

However, it is not that easy. Fires don’t only destroy buildings, homes and families but also the composition of the soil and the grapes. Ashy soil and smoke taint are extremely temperamental in the growing of grapes. Smoke taint gets into the grape skins and leaves the final wine with burnt plastic aromas. The University of California are currently trying to find a cure or adaption method and have teamed up with a Australian institution who also are seeing the affect of wildfires more frequently.

The wildfires are a result of the increasing temperatures. Average annual temperatures are rising causing budburst, grape growing and harvest to be earlier. This causes even more issues. Earlier bud bust causes problems as brief hot spells can impact the fragile buds to open earlier. Cooler spells and spring frost can then damage the already fragile little buds causing reduced final yields and disease. Bud burst in Alsace, the famous French region bordering Germany, is occurring 15 days earlier than in 1965.

Higher temperatures causes more sugar to accumulate in the grapes. More sugar results in higher alcohol. This isn’t always a good thing. Some producers don’t want the higher alchohol as it unbalances the wine. Decisions need to be to pick early with underripe characters and lesser alcohol. This is changing the way wines are tasting and is a big concern in areas such as Bordeaux and Burgundy, the two highest value regions in France.

Heat changes and drought have resulted in areas of Spain and Southern France loss of grapes and growing ability. The Languedoc region had a 46°C heat wave in 2019, a record temperature. This resulted in 50% loss of overall yield in 24 hours. Situations like this are becoming more common and we are going to loose more wines. This means wine is going to be more expensive!

This is a very brief outline on a whole world of issues. The climate matter in regard to wine gets very complicated and goes into deep detail. If you are considering what you can do to help, keep in mind the following points when you purchase…

When going to buy wine, look at the price and type of wine it is. Is it a cheap wine? Under £5? Consider why. Cheap inexpensive wines from ‘New World’ territories such as Australia and California cause issues of their own. Wines are made using mass irrigation. They are watered extensively to plump up the grapes and get more juice. In areas where water is a precious resource and drought is a big concern...shouldn't it be shared?

Also consider why they are able to grow so much? The use of fertilisers and pesticides help protect the grapes from disease. These are needed in certain climate where damp environments cause fungal disease and other issues. However, everything in moderation. Mass produced sites which use lots of spraying can contaminate the natural water soures and soils again hindering biodiversity and the environmental make up of the land. Try to consider this when purchasing.

A bottle of wine is costed through considering tax, labour required and cost of production. If a wine is £5, how much of this cost is actually the wine content and not the added business figures?

Little changes to purchasing habits such as buying wines with ‘Green Sustainable Credentials’ can really help. This means buying wines with minimal intervention such as organic, natural or biodynamic wines. Each of these are slightly different but the overall idea is purchasing a wine where the vineyard land is left to grow naturally with little help. Winemakers will intervene when needed but will work to increase biodiversity and produce a wine as natural as possible with little use of fertilisers and pesticides.

The Sea Change range is a sustainable wine. This is an organic, environmentally focussed wine. This brand have a specific focus on protecting sealife and keeping plastic from the oceans. Every element of this wine has been sustainably sourced from the glass, cork and contents. The animal on each of the ranges bottles portray which protection charity will get the funds. The wines have been picked up by Sir David Attenborough and the charity has since seen mass consumer awareness.

This Provence rosé is beautifully light and easy. It is deemed the more luxurious of the range and is made by an award winning producer, Chateau Pigoudet. I picked up this bottle for £13. With subtle berry notes, strawberry, zesty grapefruit, white peach and tropical notes, the brand refer to this one as the “Jewel of the Ocean” perfect for any sunny Spring day… or Summer now that I’ve got my life back in order!

-Cheers!