CHAMPAGNE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE HOLIDAYS by Philip S. Kampe

TIS THE SEASON TO BE JOLLY, while ushering in the New Year....
And what a BETTER WAY to liven up the Spirit for the HOLIDAYS than CHAMPAGNE.

NO CATAGORY of wines, and few products, in general, have a more PRESTIGIOUS REPUTATION than CHAMPAGNE.

As a TRUE LOVER of the BUBBLY, I have found one company that consistently stands ABOVE the rest.

That company is NICOLAS FEUILLATTE, one of France's newest and BEST Vineyards.

NICOLAS FEUILLATTE was established in 1972 with the acquisition of a 25 acre vineyard in
BOULEUSE, located in the ARDRE Valley, Champagne. The companies history is new compared to the century's old Champagne houses that exist near REIMS, but, the Quality and Finesse of NICOLAS FEUILLATTE champagne is equal to or surpasses it's rivals.

In 1976, Nicolas Feuillatte created 'CHAMPAGNE NICOLAS FEUILLATTE' .

Since it's inception, today's Portfolio of Nicolas Feuillatte has grown to 13 Champagne varieties, both Vintage and (NV) Non-Vintage.
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The 2010-2011 Nicolas Feuillatte PORTFOLIO consists of:

BRUT EXTREM

BRUT RESERVE PARTICULIERE

BRUT VINTAGE

BRUT VINTAGE 100% Chardonnay

BRUT ROSE

DEMI-SEC

CUVEE SPECIALE Vintage

CUVEE 225Vintage

GRAND CRU CHARDONNAY 2002 Vintage

CUVEE 225Vintage Rose

GRAND CRU Chardonnay 2000 Vintage

GRAND CRU Pinot Noir 2000 Vintage

PALMES d'OR Vintage
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JEAN-PIERRE VINCENT has been the head winemaker for Nicolas Feuillatte since 1976.
Jean-Pierre talks about his Champagne making, " During the blending, I am looking for the Pure Expression of the house style, which I define as the 'vineyard, simplicity and truth' ".

Jean-Pierre's Champagnes are rich, full of freshness, lively and especially pure in their expressiveness.

Nicolas Feuillatte created the Champagne brand. Nicolas says " Champagne is a modern wine with a touch of soul tied to it's history". Many critics proclaim, including myself, that Nicolas Feuillatte champagne is 'WINE with BUBBLES'.

The most recent trend in Champagne is ROSE. Sales continue to grow in double digits and keep moving forward.

I would like to highlight a half dozen champagnes from Nicolas Feuillatte's Portfolio.

Today, I will highlight the magnificent BRUT ROSE and will follow-up with other installments to lead you with BUBBLY in your hand for the New Year.

At $42 a bottle, Nicolas Feuillatte's Brut Rose is a TRUE VALUE.
+ The Brut ROSE received 92 points from the Wine Spectator+
+ Winner of a GOLD medal at the San Francisco International Wine Competition+

Anxious to open a bottle of the BRUT ROSE for the story, I poured the unusually colorful, salmon-pink-copper hue into a champagne flute, where I saw thousands of bubbles literally explode in a slow, timely fashion. One of the signs of a well made champagne is the time the small bubbles remain in the glass. The longer the better, as was the case with the BRUT ROSE.

The aroma was obviously concentrated red fruit with a tart, lemon peel overtone. The first sip was all fruit: raspberries, strawberries, red currants and lemon. Underneath the fruit, was a subtle, minerally white pepper hint, that helped create a special champagne that was complex, rich and full of expression.

Nicolas Feuillatte BRUT ROSE is made of a mixture of important champagne berries:
60% Pinot Noir
30% Pinot Meunier
10% Chardonnay
Pinot Noir contributes to the roundness and structure, while the Pinot Meunier adds the fruitiness to the wine and Chardonnay gives the Brut Rose, elegance and finesse.

NICOLAS FEUILLATTE "Brut Rose" is easily 'BEST in CLASS'.
At the riduculous price point of around $42 a bottle, it is a STEAL!!

PHILIP S. KAMPE

philip.kampe@thewinehub.com

Wines of Portugal International Conference - Part 1 - Visit to Quinta Villar d'Allen

Worrying about my flight being delayed or, even worse, canceled, I decided to fly to Portugal one day before the rest of the “American crew”. Luckily, I arrived to attend the Wines of Portugal International Conference with some time to spare. And what a nice surprise was waiting for me... I was having dinner with my friend Ryan Opaz from Catavino the night I arrived in Oporto and he asked me if I had plans for the following day. He was going to visit the Quinta Villar d’Allen with a small group of people and I was invited to join... I’m so glad I was able to make it. Thanks Ryan!

As Roy Hersh from For The Love of Port described it, “The Quinta de Villar d'Allen is a centuries old 5 hectare property just beyond the brand new Pousada hotel in Porto.  It is a unique and incredible place to visit, the grounds and surrounds with lush gardens, fountains, unusual ancient buildings, amazing walkways and arboretum must be seen to be believed.  Anybody visiting Porto in the future who would like to explore something completely different, I highly recommend a visit to this property that is as beautiful as it is historically linked to the Port trade.”

José Alberto and Tomás Allen have many stories to tell.

“Thomas Allen, born in London in 1664, was the first family member to have contact with Portugal. He married the sister of an important businessman named John Stevenson; and by his hand in 1701, Thomas devoted himself to trade between Portugal and England.
His son George was born in Britain but moved to Portugal at the youthful and vibrant age of 20, continuing the family business. He married in Porto and, since then, the Allen family adopted Portugal as their home country, developing their business related to wine export, as well as their family.”

...and we had a chance to tour their house, gardens and cellars. Not to mention that we had the opportunity to taste an amazing Tawny 20 years that was made by another friend – Oscar Quevedo – at the end of our visit.
(more details on this great wine coming soon...)

These are some of the pictures from that day. I hope you enjoy them.

Cheers,
LA

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The "TOP TWELVE TOURIGA NACIONAL WINES" of Portugal by Philip S. Kampe

You would naturally think that the title of this article should read" THE TOP TEN TOURIGA NACIONAL WINES", not The Top TWELVE.
Well, that is not the case.

Recently, Fourteen of the Word's Finest 'WINE EXPERTS' judged and selected the Top TOURIGA NACIONAL wines of Portugal and oddly ended with TWELVE Selections, instead of TEN. Various judges I spoke with indicated that 'the wines were so good, we could not possibly pick only the ten best, hence, we ended up with twelve".

The judging and selection took place at Porto's Yeatman Hotel http://www.the-yeatman-hotel.com/ ,in conjunction with the WINES OF PORTUGAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, which was held at the ALFANDEGA CONGRESS CENTER, overlooking the magnificent DOURO River.

++Beatriz Machado is the Wine Director at the Yeatman Hotel++

Judges for the event included:

JANCIS ROBINSON MW
(Chairman for this event) UK

NEAL MARTIN
UK

DOUG FROST MW MS
USA

MARY EWING MULLIGAN MW
USA

KRISTINE BAEDER
GERMANY

STEPHEN REINHARDT
GERMANY

TOMAKO EBISAWA
ASIA

NED GOODWIN MW
ASIA

TOMMY LAM
ASIA

SIMON TAM
ASIA

GUILHERME RODRIGUES
BRAZIL

TOM MARTHINSEN
NORTHERN COUNTRIES

JOSE SALVADOR
PORTUGAL

LUIS LOPES
PORTUGAL

The judges objective was to pick the TOP TEN TOURIGA NACIONAL WINES.

TOURIGA NACIONAL is revered in Portugal for producing deep, intense aromas for wines. This is due to the varieties 'small berry' ,which produces little juice, but, adds richness, depth and flavor to the wine. The grapes produce tannic, deep, concntrated wines. The vines produce alot of foliage, but, few grapes. The vines produce light clusters of thick-skinned, concentrated, tiny blue black berries which yield nine to ten ounces compared to four and a half pounds, roughly, per vine.
Touriga Nacional is terrace planted in stony schist soil, high on the slope (up to 1800 feet). It is grown for QUALITY rather than quantity. The result is a wine with finese, structure and body .
This highly concentrated aromatic wine has an intense black fruit fragrance followed by notes of tea and flowers.
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The RESULTS of the TOP TWELVE TOURIGA NACIONAL WINNERS are in alphabetical order:

AFARAZ TOURIGA NACIONAL 2008 Alentejo

CHURCHILL'S ESTATES TOURIGA NACIONAL 2008 Douro

ENCONTRO TOURIGA NACIONAL 2008 Bairrada

HERDADE SAO MIGUEL TOURIGA NACIONAL 2008 Alentejo

INQUIETO TOURIGA NACIONAL 2008 Douro

MARQUES dos VALES GRACE 2008 Algarve

MUNDA 2008 Dao

PEDRA CANCELA TOURIGA NACIONAL 2008 Dao

QUINTA da PEDRA ALTA TOURIGA NACIONAL 2007 Douro

QUINTA das MARIAS 2008 Dao

QUINTA do CARDO TOURIGA NACIONAL 2008 Beira Interior

QUINTA do VALLADO TOURIGA NACIONAL 2008 Douro
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If you are a SERIOUS wine drinker and know very little about TOURIGA NACIONAL from Portugal, it is time to learn more about this indigineous grape, best known for PORT wines.
All the table wines made with Touriga Nacional are SOLID wines with finese, good structure and pleasing tannins.

ISN'T IT TIME TO BUY A BOTTLE OF TOURIGA NACIONAL TODAY AND SEE FOR YOURSELF? The wines are reasonably priced, age well and are of high quality. Recently,
I tasted a 1993 and a 1995. Both wines were soft and elegant with a Bordeaux blend flavor.

PHILIP S. KAMPE
philip.kampe@thewinehub.com

MARIA REVELEY

maria.kampe@thewinehub.com

TheWineHub

One of the pillars of TheWineHub is Wine Tourism. Whether you are a wine maker, or a wine drinker, we all enjoy having discoveries... TheWineHub exists to help you with that.

BURGUNDY WINE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE HOLIDAYS by Philip S. Kampe

The Holidays are upon us...
So, is GIFT giving time...

What a Great way to Introduce someone to the World of BURGUNDY Wines!
Give someone on your Gift list a bottle of Burgundy and you may, just, CHANGE their lives.

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A little History:
Burgundy wines are from the eastern region of France. Grapes grow in the hills, valleys and slopes, west of the Saone River, a tributary of the Rhone river.

The Fench word for Burgundy is Bourgogne or Vin de Bourgogne.

The most famous Burgundies (red) are made from the PINOT NOIR grape, while the whites are made from the CHARDONNAY grape.

Burgundy has the highest number of APPELATIONS d' ORIGINE CONTROLEE (AOCs) than any other French region.

Burgundy received it's AOC on 30 July, 1935.

The various AOCs are classified from GRAND CRU Vineyards down to more non-specific regional appelations. This practice goes back to Medieval times.

Burgundies geographic location makes it the Best choice for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay varietals.

Burgundy is 135 miles from north to south, containing 60,000 acres for wine production.

There are FIVE major wine-producing regions that make Burgundy wines:
Chablis and Grand Auxerrois.
Cote de Nuits & Hautes Cotes de Nuits.
Maconnais.
Cotes Chaionnaise & Couchois.
Cote de Beaune & Hautes Cotes de Beaune.

Burgundies 'TERROIR" is the result of subtle chemistry between the grape varieties of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay; a combination of natural elements; weather, soil and sub-soil (limestone) and exposure and orientation combined with the winegrower's know-how.

Burgundy grapes used for wine:
59% white
34% red
7% cremant.
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Thanks to a seminar led by ANNE PARENT, Winemaker and owner of PARENT wines http://www.domaine-parent-bourgogne.com/ and CECILE MATHIAUD, Press Contact for the BUREAU INTERPROFESSIONNEL des VINS de BOURGOGNE http://www.vins-bourgogne.fr/ , I had the opportunity to sample wines in the boardroom of FLEISHMAN-HILLARD, 220 East 42nd
http://www.fleishmanhillard.com/ .
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BURGUNDY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HOLIDAY GIFTS:

WHITE BURGUNDIES:
Saint-Veran
Les Cras 2007
Domaine des Deaux Roches

Mersault 2007
Albert Bichot
Domaine du Pavillon

Chablis 1er Cru
Vaulorent 2007
Domaine Jean-Marc Brocard

RED BURGUNDIES:
Givry 2008
Domaine Michael Sarrazin & Fils

Beaune 1er Cru
Les Champs Pimont 2007
Domaine Jacques Prieur

Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
Les Combottes 2007
Domaine Alain Jeanniard
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ALL OF THE ABOVE BURGUNDIES REPESENT THE 'TERROIR', ACIDITY, MINERALITY AND FINESE THAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE TOP TIER OF WINES FROM BURGUNDY.

EACH BOTTLE REPRESENTS BURGUNDY AT IT'S FINEST, YET REASONABLY PRICED!
BURGUNDIES ARE A GREAT HOLIDAY GIFT IDEA!!!!!

VISIT www.burgundy-wines.com to learn more about BURGUNDY WINES.

++All of the wines have representation in the U.S. and are relatively easy to find.++

PHILIP S. KAMPE
philip.kampe@thewinehub.com

TheWineHub

One of the pillars of TheWineHub is Wine Tourism. Whether you are a wine maker, or a wine drinker, we all enjoy having discoveries... TheWineHub exists to help you with that.

Portugal: Our journey through its vineyards and cellars (part 4 - Douro Valley)

Home of the world famous Port wines, the Douro Valley in northern Portugal is of the most spectacular wine regions of the world. With terraced vineyards at amazing heights, the scenery of the valley is fantastic.The name may have come from the Celtic tribes that inhabited the area before Roman times: the Celtic root is *dubro- and in modern Welsh dwr is 'water' with cognate "dobhar" in Irish.
The Douro has the perfect terroir for cultivation of olives, almonds, and especially grapes. The region around Pinhão and São João da Pesqueira is considered to be the centre of Port wine, with its picturesque “quintas” clinging on to almost vertical slopes dropping down to the river.
These pictures were taken by Arnaldo and I during our journey through the vineyards and cellars of France, Spain and Portugal during the summer of 2009.
 I hope you enjoy them.
 Cheers,
 LA

 www.thewinehub.com <http://www.thewinehub.com>
 One of the pillars of TheWineHub is Wine Tourism. Whether you are a wine maker, or a wine drinker, we all enjoy having discoveries... TheWineHub exists to help you with that.

 

See and download the full gallery on posterous